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 a freelancer?

Tempough Individual at $6/mo (billed annually) is the cheapest in this list with a full invoicing-and-time-tracking feature set. Clockify Basic at $3.99/seat is cheaper but doesn't include invoicing (you'd need their Standard tier at $5.49). For most solo freelancers, $6/mo on Tempough Individual is the right price point.

I just need a timer — do I need any of these paid plans?

No. Clockify Free is unlimited features (basic) for solo use, forever. Tempough Free is 1 user with unlimited projects + CSV export. Toggl Free is up to 5 users with timer-only. If you just need to track time and aren't invoicing through the tool, the free tiers cover you indefinitely.

What about taxes — does Tempough do sales tax / tax reports?

Tempough does basic per-invoice tax rates but doesn't do bookkeeping or sales tax compliance. If you sell across state lines and need automated sales tax (US) or VAT (EU/UK), FreshBooks is the right tool — it has real tax tooling built in.

Can I migrate from one of these to Tempough later?

Yes. Tempough's CSV importer accepts standard exports from Harvest, Toggl, Clockify, and any other tool that exports clients/projects/time as CSV. Most solos finish migration in 15-30 minutes. The importer has a Dry-run button so you can preview exactly what would land before committing.

How does Tempough handle recurring invoices for retainers?

Mark an invoice template as recurring with a frequency (monthly, quarterly). It auto-drafts on schedule. You still approve and send each one — recurring drafting, not auto-sending, so a surprise change doesn't go out unreviewed. Same workspace as your hourly client work.

Why is Tempough your top pick for freelancers?

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

Best Time Tracking Software for Freelancers in 2026

Tempough

● Our top pick

Best for

Solo freelancers who want timer + invoicing + QuickBooks export at the lowest predictable price

Pricing

Free — Individual $6/mo

Built for the freelance feature set specifically — timer + invoicing + expense tracking + project budgets + QuickBooks export. At $6/mo for the Individual plan it's less than half the price of Harvest Pro ($13.75/seat) with effectively the same scope.

When we're not the right pick

FreshBooks is the right pick if you need full bookkeeping (sales tax, accountant collaboration) in the same tool. QuickBooks Time is the right pick if your books already live in QuickBooks Online and you want zero-friction payroll. Toggl is the right pick if Pomodoro / idle detection / a polished native mobile timer are what you actually need. We rank ourselves #1 here for the solo who wants predictable pricing + Stripe invoicing + project profitability — not for solos whose primary problem is accounting.

Pros

Individual plan at $6/mo (annual) is the cheapest in this list
Stripe-powered invoicing built in — recurring retainers + one-off ad-hoc charges
Free tier has unlimited projects and clients (Harvest Free caps at 2 projects)
No usage fees, no per-API-call charges, no overage tiers
Project budgets with email alerts at 80% / 100% — catches scope creep early

Honest cons

No real bookkeeping — exports to QuickBooks but doesn't replace it (if you want all-in-one, FreshBooks)
No native iOS / Android apps yet (PWA-installable web app only)
No Pomodoro / idle detection (Toggl wins on timer polish)
Smaller integration marketplace than Harvest or FreshBooks

Try Tempough free → Tempough for freelancers → →

Harvest

Best for

Freelancers who want a recognized brand and a mature invoicing product

Pricing

Free (1 seat, 2 projects) — Pro $13.75/seat/mo

The classic freelance + small-team choice. Mature invoicing, polished UI, two decades of brand recognition. The catch in 2026 is the rolling-out usage-based fees and the Free tier being basically a demo (1 seat, 2 projects).

Pros

Strong brand recognition with clients + accountants
Mature invoicing + payment processing
Large Zapier integration marketplace
Reliable for a multi-decade track record

Honest cons

Harvest Free is 2 projects — most freelancers immediately need to pay
Pro at $13.75/seat is more than 2x Tempough Individual
New usage-based fees on top of seat pricing
No project margin / profitability tracking

See getharvest.com ↗ Read Tempough vs Harvest comparison →

FreshBooks

Best for

Freelancers who need real bookkeeping + sales tax + accountant collaboration in one product

Pricing

Lite $19/mo — Premium $60/mo

FreshBooks is an accounting product first — books + sales tax + journal entries — with time tracking and invoicing layered on. If your needs include actual bookkeeping (not just exporting time to QuickBooks), FreshBooks bundles everything in one tool.

Pros

Real accounting + bookkeeping + sales tax compliance
Mature invoicing with online payment processing
Accountant collaboration — invite your CPA into the workspace
Mature integration ecosystem

Honest cons

Lite at $19/mo is 3x Tempough Individual
No project budgets or 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

Freelancers who just want a great timer and bill clients elsewhere (or not at all)

Pricing

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

The simplest pick — Toggl is a timer. Period. No invoicing, no project profitability, no real budgets. If your client billing happens in a separate accounting tool (or you don't bill by the hour at all), Toggl is the lightest, fastest timer with good free tier coverage.

Pros

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

Honest cons

No invoicing at all — you need a separate tool to bill clients
No project profitability or cost tracking
Premium at $20/seat is more expensive than other freelance-suited alternatives
No expense tracking

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

Clockify

Best for

Freelancers who want the most generous free tier and can wire up other tools for billing

Pricing

Free for unlimited users — paid tiers $3.99–$14.99/seat

The free-forever option. If your freelance budget is "as close to $0 as possible" and you're OK wiring up your own billing flow, Clockify Free has more features than anything else at zero cost. Paid tiers compete with Tempough Individual at the low end.

Pros

Free tier supports unlimited users and unlimited projects
Native Chrome extension + iOS/Android apps + desktop apps
Cheap entry-level paid tier ($3.99/seat Basic)
Large Zapier integration list

Honest cons

Features spread across 4 paid tiers — invoicing on Standard, approvals on Pro, cost rates on Cake
Reports are filterable tables, not analytical surfaces
No project budgets with burn alerts
Scheduling feature is a calendar overlay, not real capacity planning

See clockify.me ↗ Read Tempough vs Clockify comparison →

Feature	Tempough	Harvest	FreshBooks	Toggl Track	Clockify
Starting price	$6/mo (Individual)	$13.75/seat (Pro)	$19/mo (Lite)	Free or $20/seat	Free or $3.99–14.99/seat
Free tier	1 user, unlimited proj	1 seat, 2 projects	14-day trial	Up to 5 users	Unlimited users
Invoicing built in	✓ (Individual+)	✓	✓	✗	Standard+ tier
Expense tracking	✓ (Individual+)	✓	✓	✗	Pro tier
QuickBooks export	✓	✓	Built-in books	Limited	Limited
Project budgets + alerts	✓	✓	Limited	✗	✗
Recurring retainers	✓	✓	✓	✗	Standard+ tier
Native mobile apps	PWA only	✓	✓	✓	✓

Best time tracking
for freelancers.

What freelancers actually need

Tempough

Pros

Honest cons

Harvest

Pros

Honest cons

FreshBooks

Pros

Honest cons

Toggl Track

Pros

Honest cons

Clockify

Pros

Honest cons

At a glance

FAQ

Try our top pick free.

Best time trackingfor freelancers.

What freelancers 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 freelancers.