If you bill hourly or need to know which engagements are profitable, you need reliable time data. This shortlist covers manual timers, automatic tracking and trackers built into project tools.
| # | Tool | Curalo score | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 86/100 | Free, paid from $9/mo | Hourly or retainer consultants who need to see where time goes and invoice it accurately. | |
| 2 | 85/100 | Free, paid from $9/mo | Consultants billing by the hour who need accurate time records for invoicing and profitability analysis. | |
| 3 | 84/100 | Free, paid from $3.99/mo | Solo consultants and small teams (up to 5) who want free time tracking — or anyone who'll pay from $3.99/user/mo for billable hours and exports. | |
| 4 | 79/100 | From $9/mo | Solo consultants who want proposal + operations in one app. | |
| 5 | 75/100 | Free, paid from $8.50/mo | Consulting teams that already run delivery in PM tools and want embedded time-to-budget visibility. | |
| 6 | 72/100 | From $9/mo | Consultants running delivery, billing, and back-office operations. | |
| 7 | 72/100 | Free | Consultants running delivery, billing, and back-office operations. | |
| 8 | 72/100 | From $11/mo | Consultants running delivery, billing, and back-office operations. |
86/100 · Free, paid from $9/mo · Strongest area: Strong on UX quality
Time tracking with invoicing and project budgets. Free for 1 seat and 2 projects; Teams from $9/seat/mo billed yearly.
Why it's on the list: Tracked hours flow straight into invoices, and project budgets show when a fixed-fee project is running over.
When to skip it: The free plan only covers 2 projects. If you just need a timer, Toggl Track or Clockify have bigger free plans.
Full review →85/100 · Free, paid from $9/mo · Strongest area: Strong on UX quality
Simple time tracking with one-click timers, project reports, and billable hour calculations. Know exactly where your hours go and invoice accurately.
Why it's on the list: One-click timer and automatic tracking mean you actually use it. Most time tracking tools fail because they are too tedious — Toggl is the exception.
When to skip it: If you bill fixed-fee only and never need to analyze where your hours go, skip it. Bonsai includes basic time tracking if you already use it.
Full review →84/100 · Free, paid from $3.99/mo · Strongest area: Strong on setup speed
Time tracking and timesheets with a free tier for up to 5 users, billable reporting on paid plans, and solid project tracking for consulting work.
Why it's on the list: A free tier for micro-teams and a low $3.99/user/mo entry make it easy to adopt. The interface is simple enough that people who usually resist timesheets actually stick with it.
When to skip it: If your team is larger than 5, the free tier no longer covers you, and billable-hour tracking now needs a paid plan. If you want billing baked into your project tool, an integrated tracker may fit better.
Full review →79/100 · From $9/mo · Strongest area: Strong on outcomes
All-in-one client ops for freelancers and small agencies. Contracts, proposals, invoicing, time tracking, expense tracking, and client CRM in one tool.
Why it's on the list: One tool replaces 4-5 separate subscriptions (proposals, contracts, invoicing, time tracking, expenses). Ideal for solos who hate managing a tool stack.
When to skip it: Jack of all trades — each feature is decent but not best-in-class. If proposals are your competitive edge, use Qwilr. If accounting matters, add QuickBooks.
Full review →75/100 · Free, paid from $8.50/mo · Strongest area: Strong on integrations
Time tracking and budgeting system designed to work inside project management tools with billing and estimate controls.
Why it's on the list: Native PM integrations reduce context switching because time, estimates, and budgets live where work happens.
When to skip it: If your team is not using supported PM tools, setup value drops and standalone trackers may be simpler.
Full review →72/100 · From $9/mo · Strongest area: Strong on outcomes
Project management with time tracking and invoice generation.
Why it's on the list: It centralizes operational and finance tasks that otherwise create delivery drag.
When to skip it: Avoid if you already run an integrated finance and operations stack with no tooling gaps.
Full review →72/100 · Free · Strongest area: Strong on outcomes
Time tracking and reporting with billing support for teams and consultants.
Why it's on the list: It centralizes operational and finance tasks that otherwise create delivery drag.
When to skip it: Avoid if you already run an integrated finance and operations stack with no tooling gaps.
Full review →72/100 · From $11/mo · Strongest area: Strong on outcomes
Automatic time tracking with client reporting and billing support.
Why it's on the list: It centralizes operational and finance tasks that otherwise create delivery drag.
When to skip it: Avoid if you already run an integrated finance and operations stack with no tooling gaps.
Full review →On Curalo's scoring, Harvest ranks highest at 86/100, followed by Toggl Track (85/100). Scores weigh workflow fit, setup speed, pricing, integrations, UX and trust for independent consultants.
Yes. TimeCamp is listed with free pricing in Curalo's data. Other tools here may also offer limited free tiers; see each review for plan details.
Among paid plans on this list, Clockify has the lowest listed starting price: Free, paid from $3.99/mo. Prices change, so check the vendor's pricing page before buying.
