Can I migrate from my current tool?

Yes. CSV importer for clients, projects, and time entries — most teams migrate in an afternoon.

Is there a desktop app?

Yes — a native macOS menu bar app on every plan. Start and stop timers, add time, and see your week without opening a browser tab. It signs in with your normal Tempough login (no separate setup), stays in sync with the web in real time, and keeps working offline — entries you log without a connection sync automatically when you're back. Download it from Settings → Desktop app. A Windows version is on the way.

Can I control what different roles see?

Yes. Permission groups bundle granular keys (view team time, approve timesheets, see project health reports, etc.) and you assign them to staff. Admins can revoke the Dashboard entirely for specific roles, or set a per-user default landing page so contributors jump straight to Timesheet and payroll goes straight to Reports.

Does everyone have to use the dashboard?

No. The Dashboard is a permission — turn it off for a role and those users land directly on their chosen default view after sign-in. Individual gauges adapt too: managers see team-wide utilization, contributors see their own.

Who processes invoice payments?

Your own Stripe account. Payments settle directly to your bank — Tempough never holds funds.

Workspace-level isolation so data never crosses between accounts. Two-factor authentication with backup codes. Scoped tokens for integrations and AI access. Every change recorded in a searchable audit log with configurable retention.

Can I connect Claude, Cursor, or Zed?

Yes. Tempough exposes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server from Partnership up. Each user mints a personal token in Profile → AI access — the AI client then acts as that user, scoped to their permissions. A contributor's AI sees their own time; a manager's AI sees the team. Per-token rate limits and sustained-abuse auto-cooldown built in.

What if I pick the wrong tier?

Move between tiers any time. Features turn on or off tenant-wide when you switch — data stays put, no migration, no downtime. Individual plans can upgrade to Partnership when a co-founder joins, and Partnership plans can move to Team when the business grows past two people.

Does it work for solo freelancers or partnerships?

Yes to both. Free covers the basics — timer, timesheet, projects, and CSV export — for one user, forever. Individual at $8/mo adds invoicing and QuickBooks export. Partnership at $15/mo adds a second seat for a partner or co-founder. All three plans support unlimited clients and projects; the difference is whether you need to send invoices and how many people are logging time.

Are there any add-on fees or metered usage charges?

No. The monthly price on this page is the full cost. Tempough does not charge per email sent, per API call, per integration, or per any other usage metric. No overage charges, no tiered add-ons, no "starter" features that get unlocked for extra money. If you ever see a surprise line item on your invoice, it's a bug — email us and we'll fix it.

What's the cheapest paid time tracker for an independent contractor?

Tempough Individual at $6/mo (annual) is the cheapest in this list with a full invoicing-and-time-tracking feature set. Harvest Pro is $13.75/seat. FreshBooks Lite is $19/mo. For most solo 1099 contractors, $6/mo on Tempough Individual is the right anchor.

Am I a "contractor" or a "freelancer" — does it matter?

The terms overlap heavily. In SaaS shopping context, both groups need: timer + invoicing + expense tracking + tax-time export. Tempough's Individual plan ($6/mo) is built for both. The audience-specific page at /for/freelancers has more detail; this roundup applies to either.

I'm a construction / trades contractor — is this the right roundup?

Probably not. Construction / trades contractors typically need GPS / geofencing for field crews, job costing with subcontractor management, and payroll integration. Tempough, Harvest, FreshBooks, and Toggl aren't built for that. QuickBooks Time has GPS but is shallow on project management — for serious trades work, consider Knowify, Buildertrend, or ServiceTitan. This roundup is tuned for white-collar / office-based 1099 contractors.

How do I handle multiple clients with different rates?

Tempough, Harvest, and FreshBooks all support per-client and per-project hourly rates. Set the default rate per client, and override per-project if needed. Tempough additionally supports per-member rate overrides for cases where you subcontract part of an engagement to another contractor at a different rate.

What about 1099 / W-9 forms for my clients?

None of these tools generate W-9s for you to send to clients — that's a client-side document (your client fills it out for their own tax records). Tempough's Settings → Profile lets you enter your tax info (legal name, address, EIN/SSN) so it appears correctly on outbound invoices. For 1099-NEC tax forms FROM your clients, you'll receive those independently from each client by Jan 31.

Why is Tempough your top pick for contractors?

Because we built it — explicit disclosure. The case stands on price + scope: $6/mo includes Stripe-powered invoicing, expense tracking, QuickBooks export, project budgets, unlimited projects + clients. Harvest Pro at $13.75 is more expensive for effectively the same scope. FreshBooks at $19+ adds bookkeeping you may not need. For most 1099 contractors, $6/mo with the full time-and-billing toolkit is the right anchor.

Best Time Tracking Software for Contractors in 2026

Tempough

● Our top pick

Best for

1099 contractors juggling 3+ clients who need timer + invoicing + expense rebill + QuickBooks export

Pricing

Free — Individual $6/mo

Built for the independent-contractor workflow specifically: track hours per client + project, generate Stripe-payable invoices, log billable expenses, export to QuickBooks at tax time. At $6/mo Individual is the cheapest in this list with the full feature set — half the price of Harvest Pro.

When we're not the right pick

QuickBooks Time is the right pick if your contracting work requires GPS / geofencing for field jobs, or if your books already live in QuickBooks Online and you want native time-to-payroll integration. FreshBooks is the right pick if you need real bookkeeping (sales tax, contractor-friendly tax categorization) inside the same tool. We rank ourselves #1 here for the desk-based 1099 contractor juggling several clients who wants the cheapest invoicing-plus-time-tracking option — not for field workers or contractors whose primary problem is accounting.

Pros

Individual plan at $6/mo (annual) — cheapest paid tier in this list with full invoicing
Stripe-powered invoicing — connect your own Stripe in 30 seconds, payments settle to your bank directly
Expense tracking with receipts and one-click rebill-to-client on the next invoice
Free tier supports unlimited projects and clients (Harvest Free is 2 projects)
QuickBooks export at tax time — maps cleanly to QBO's import schema
Project budgets with email alerts at 80% / 100% — catches client scope creep

Honest cons

No native iOS/Android apps yet (PWA-installable web app)
No GPS / geofencing — if you need field-worker location tracking, QuickBooks Time is the better fit
No real bookkeeping — exports to QuickBooks but doesn't replace it
Smaller integration marketplace than Harvest or FreshBooks

Try Tempough free → Tempough for freelancers / contractors → →

Harvest

Best for

Contractors who want a brand-recognized product and don't mind paying double Tempough Individual

Pricing

Pro $13.75/seat/mo

The classic contractor + small-shop choice. Mature invoicing, polished UI, two-decade brand recognition (your clients' accountants know it). The 2026 catch: new usage-based fees rolling out on top of seat pricing, and Harvest Free is basically a demo (1 seat, 2 projects).

Pros

Strong brand recognition with clients + accountants
Mature invoicing + payment processing
Larger Zapier integration marketplace
Reliable for two decades

Honest cons

Pro at $13.75/seat is 2.3x Tempough Individual
Harvest Free is 2 projects — most contractors immediately need to pay
New usage-based fees on top of seat pricing make annual cost unpredictable
No project margin / cost rate concept

See getharvest.com ↗ Read Tempough vs Harvest comparison →

FreshBooks

Best for

Contractors who need full bookkeeping + sales tax + accountant collaboration in one product

Pricing

Lite $19/mo — Premium $60/mo

FreshBooks is accounting software with time tracking added — the reverse of Tempough. If you need actual bookkeeping (income tracking, expenses-as-bookkeeping, sales tax compliance, accountant invite-in workspace), FreshBooks bundles everything in one product. Premium gets expensive fast.

Pros

Real accounting + bookkeeping (Tempough exports to QuickBooks but doesn't replace it)
Sales tax + automated tax reporting
Invite your accountant directly into the workspace
Mature invoicing + recurring profiles

Honest cons

Lite at $19/mo is 3.2x Tempough Individual
No project budgets with burn alerts
No project structure beyond flat — no phases, milestones, change orders
Time tracking feels secondary to the accounting workflow

See freshbooks.com ↗ Read Tempough vs FreshBooks comparison →

Toggl Track

Best for

Contractors who only need a timer and bill clients through a separate tool

Pricing

Free for 5 users — Premium $20/seat/mo

The simplest pick — Toggl is a timer. No invoicing, no project profitability, no real budgets. If your client billing happens in a separate accounting tool or you bill flat-fee per project, Toggl is the lightest, fastest timer with good free-tier coverage. Most contractors outgrow it once they start invoicing.

Pros

Best-in-class timer with idle detection + Pomodoro
Free tier supports up to 5 users (more than enough for a solo)
Browser extensions and native mobile apps polished
Easy CSV exports for downstream tooling

Honest cons

No invoicing at all — you need a separate tool to bill clients
No expense tracking
No project profitability tracking
Premium at $20/seat is more than Tempough Individual + an invoicing tool

See toggl.com/track ↗ Read Tempough vs Toggl comparison →

QuickBooks Time

Best for

Contractors whose clients all use QuickBooks AND who need GPS / field-worker location tracking

Pricing

Premium $20/mo + $10/user/mo

Intuit's in-house time tracker, integrated natively with QuickBooks Online and Payroll. If you're a trades / construction / field-service contractor with GPS-tracked crews, QuickBooks Time is the right pick — it has features the other alternatives don't. For office-based 1099 contractors, the other picks are typically a better fit.

Pros

GPS / geofencing for field-worker location tracking
Native QuickBooks Online + Payroll integration — no export step
Mobile apps tuned for field workflows
Brand recognition with accountants who already use QuickBooks

Honest cons

Designed for hours-to-payroll, not project profitability or invoicing
Shallow project structure — no phases, no margin reporting
Constant in-product upsell to other Intuit products
Pricing escalates fast: $20 base + $10/user/mo gets expensive

See quickbooks.intuit.com/time-tracking ↗ Read Tempough vs QuickBooks Time comparison →

Feature	Tempough	Harvest	FreshBooks	Toggl Track	QuickBooks Time
Starting price	$6/mo (Individual)	$13.75/seat (Pro)	$19/mo (Lite)	Free or $20/seat	$20 + $10/user/mo
Free tier	1 user, unlimited proj	1 seat, 2 projects	14-day trial	Up to 5 users	30-day trial
Invoicing built in	✓ (Individual+)	✓	✓	✗	Via QuickBooks
Expense tracking	✓ (Individual+)	✓	✓	✗	Pro tier
QuickBooks integration	✓ (CSV export)	✓ (Zapier)	Built-in books	Limited	✓ (native sync)
Project budgets	✓	✓	Limited	✗	✗
GPS / geofencing	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓
Native mobile apps	PWA only	✓	✓	✓	✓

Best time tracking
for contractors.

What contractors actually need

Tempough

Pros

Honest cons

Harvest

Pros

Honest cons

FreshBooks

Pros

Honest cons

Toggl Track

Pros

Honest cons

QuickBooks Time

Pros

Honest cons

At a glance

FAQ

Try our top pick free.

Best time trackingfor contractors.

What contractors actually need

Pros

Honest cons

Pros

Honest cons

Pros

Honest cons

Pros

Honest cons

Pros

Honest cons

At a glance

FAQ

Try our top pick free.

Best time tracking
for contractors.