Timely Alternatives: 5 Top Time Tracking Tools
While AI-powered solution like Timely has captured attention, it has left many users lamenting the bugs and task slip-ups that slip through the cracks.
The AI for suggested logs is decent but needs a lot of room for improvement before it will be a feature I use regularly.
G2 review
Timely indeed has all the baseline features of a time tracking app, but as the AI still slack precision and the tool is missing a solid invoicing feature, the price wall is a pain point, and they do not offer a free version.
Yes, Timely is expensive, and that’s also why you might be here today because you need to find a valid alternative to Timely to track your time.
Looking for a better and cheaper alternative to Timely?
Meet Timeular! Timeular is an effortless and accurate time tracking solution designed for teams aiming to track billable hours, maximize productivity, and generate precise client reports. Forget about manual time tracking, in Timeular is all automated.
5 Alternatives to Timely
In the following section, you’ll be introduced to five Timely alternatives: Timeular, Harvest, Clockify, Toggl, and RescueTime. Each offers unique features and pricing structure, helping with effective time management. Let’s dive in!
1. Timeular
Timeular is the most effortless and accurate time tracking solution designed for teams. As of today, more than 10,000 businesses are using Timeular, like Google, Audi, Toyota, McKinsey, Bang&Olufsen.
Timeular offers many features overlapping with Timely but is cheaper. Like Timely, you can track billable and non-billable hours, forget about manually inputting time entries and leave Timeular to track your time automatically. At the same time, your data are 100% protected since they are stored in your machine and not elsewhere.
I could never get time tracking to work effectively. That’s changed now thanks to Timeular.
Rachael, Senior Developer
Time tracking is more effortless in Timeular
Timeular makes time tracking effortless with its incredibly intuitive interface and multiple tracking methods. While in Timely, the only way to track time is in the calendar interface, in Timeular, you can track time with multiple methods, finding the one that suits you best:
- Flipping the physical Tracker – and hardware that you can flip to start tracking up to 1,000 activities
- Enabling automated tracking – do your task, and Timeular will record your work on the background
- Using keyboard shortcuts
Track time more accurately with Timeular than Timely
The baseline Timely’s idea of letting AI do the work for you is great. But the truth is that AI is not always accurate, and there’s the risk of missing important pieces of information.
In Timeular, tracking time is more accurate because
- It brings many tracking methods together
- Sends custom reminders to build a time tracking habit
- Allows to write notes, add tags and mentions to the time entries, which increases the level of detail of each task
- You can automate the start and stop of time tracking to reduce manual work and human error.
Read also: How a communications agency tracks collective time to maintain the right level of client servicing
Track billable hours and budgets
Timeular is the best billable hours tracker and has gone further than other time tracking tools. You can track up to 1,000 billable and non-billable activities, but the very same task can be set as billable or not whenever you think it is necessary.
With Timeular, you can also closely monitor project budgets, ensuring efficient oversight of their progress and profitability. Swiftly identify projects at risk of exceeding budgets, and quickly reallocate your team’s time to prioritize where it’s most needed. This powerful feature empowers you to maintain control and optimize resource allocation for enhanced project management.
Timeular allows easy and intuitive reporting
Timeular streamlines the process of tracking billable hours and generates transparent time reports for your clients. With its meticulous activity breakdown, every small task is recorded and integrated into your invoice.
Moreover, you can export these reports in PDF, XLSX, or CSV formats for convenient use.
Timeular’s features that Timely is missing
Timeular Tracker
The Timeular Tracker is a physical device that resembles a multi-sided dice, with each side representing a different activity or task category. It’s a tangible way to track your time effortlessly. You simply flip the device to the corresponding side that matches your working activity. For example, if you’re working on a project, you flip the Timeular Tracker to the project side. If you switch to answering emails, you flip it to the email side, and so on. This way, you can accurately log how much time you spend on each task throughout your day. You can track up to 1,000 activities with the tracker by leaving one or more sides empty; they will open Quicktrack.
Track your time with a physical Tracker
Build a habit using muscle memory and a powerful physical reminder. All new users get 2 months free subscription when connecting a new Tracker.
Quicktrack
QuickTrack is a feature that allows you to track time with keyboard shortcuts. It allows you to log activities directly from your computer without opening the app.
Easily manage the leaves and absences of your team! Track your employee time off and view leave statistics for streamlined administration and improved resource allocation. Automate it to avoid human error and export reports to share with your payroll or HR managers.
Notes and Tags
Timeular enables you to add notes and tags to your time entries. Notes allow you to provide additional context or details about a specific time entry or activity.
For instance, if you were working on a particular project, you might add a note describing the progress or tasks completed during that session. Conversely, tags are useful for categorizing and filtering your time entries based on keywords or labels. You might use tags like “meeting,” “research,” or “client work” to organize your time data efficiently.
Rounding
Rounding is a feature that lets you adjust the time entries to a specific granularity. For example, you might set the rounding to 15 minutes.
If you worked on an activity for 7 minutes, it would be automatically rounded up to 15 minutes in the time tracking data. Rounding can be beneficial for simplifying time records, billing clients, or getting a broader picture of how you allocate your time throughout the day.
Timeular: the best (and cheapest) alternative to Timely
While in Timely, users have to pay the price per seat, Timeular grows with your team but with no extra costs. Moreover, Timeular offers a 30-day free trial against the 14-day of Timely.
| Timeular yearly plan | Timely yearly plan |
|---|---|
| Personal – $7.50 p/m | Starter – $9 per user per month |
| Personal Pro – $11.50 p/m | Premium – $16 per user per month |
| Team – $15.80 p/m | Unlimited – $22 per user per month |
Bye bye Timely. Welcome Timeular!
Claim your 30-day free trial with Timeular. Start your time tracking today.
2. Harvest
Harvest is a valid Timely alternative for small businesses because it stands out for streamlining invoicing and payment processes. Nevertheless, Harvest still relies heavily on manual input, making time tracking an effort.
Read also: The Best Harvest Alternatives in 2023
Harvest’s Features that Timely is missing
Project and task tracking
Users can create and organize projects with specific tasks in Harvest. This feature enables better organization and categorization of work, making it easier to allocate time and resources effectively.
Expense tracking
Harvest includes expense tracking capabilities, allowing users to record and categorize project-related expenses. This feature aids in comprehensive project cost tracking and ensures that expenses are accurately billed to clients or accounted for in project budgets.
Client and team management
With Harvest, users can manage client information and team members. This feature facilitates seamless collaboration, client-specific billing, and team-based reporting and insights.
Invoicing and payments
The software enables easy and customizable invoicing based on tracked time and expenses. Users can generate professional invoices and receive payments directly through Harvest, streamlining the billing process.
Timesheet approvals
For team-based projects, Harvest provides timesheet approval functionality. Project managers or supervisors can review and approve timesheets before billing or payroll processing, ensuring accuracy and accountability.
Harvest’s vs. Timely pricing options
| Harvest yearly plan | Timely yearly plan |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Starter – $9 per user per month |
| Pro – $10.80 per user per month | Premium – $16 per user per month |
| Unlimited – $22 per user per month |
Pros of Harvest
- Cheaper than Timely
- Generate invoices
- Streamlines payments
- Offer time off scheduling
Cons of Harvest
- Manual time tracking
- The free plan is heavily limited
- There’s no automatic time tracking
- The learning curve is pretty steep
3. Clockify
Clockify is a team management tool for time tracking, billing, and scheduling. Like Timely, Clockify allows automatic time tracking.
Despite the tools giving it best when used in teams, Clockify has faced criticism for its disregard of employee privacy rights. The software’s handling of user data has raised concerns among users and privacy advocates, making it a subject of controversy.
Read also: Toggl Track vs Clockify
Clockify’s features that Timely misses
Project and task Management:
Organize and categorize work into projects and tasks for better tracking and reporting.
Time off tracking
Manage employee time off, vacations, and leaves to ensure efficient workforce planning.
Chrome Extension
Start and stop timers directly from your browser using the Chrome extension.
GPS Tracking
When employees are using the app, their location is displayed on a map view
Employee monitoring features
Capture screenshots of employees’ computers regularly, offering insights into their on-the-job activities.
Pricing options
| Clockify yearly plan | Timely yearly plan |
|---|---|
| Basic – $3.99 per user per month | Starter – $9 per user per month |
| Standard – $5.49 per user per month | Premium – $16 per user per month |
| Pro – $ 7.99 per user per month | Unlimited – $22 per user per month |
| Enterprise – $11.99 per user per month |
Pros of Clockify
- It is cheaper than Timely
- Allows time off tracking
- Has automatic tracking
- Timesheets approval
Cons of Clockify
- Intrude employees privacy
- Has limited integrations
- Clunky mobile app
- Limited reporting functionalities
TIP: Read Clockify vs Timeular and find why Timeular is the best
4. Toggl
Toggl is a popular timesheet tool offering a wide range of features; time tracking can be done either automatically or manually. Toggl is a reasonable alternative to Timely for the ones looking for a free tool with a streamlined timesheet experience, offline tracking, and project estimates. Unfortunately, like Timely, it has a pay-per-seat subscription but still remains cheaper.
Read also: Timeular vs. Toggl
Toggl’s features that Timely misses
Chrome extension
It enhances the user experience by allowing quick and convenient access to time tracking without the need to switch between different applications.
More integrations
Toggl seamlessly integrates with various project management and collaboration tools like Asana, Trello, Slack, and more. This integration ensures smooth data synchronization and enhances workflow efficiency.
Pomodoro Timer
Toggl incorporates a Pomodoro timer, a technique that encourages productivity by breaking work into intervals with short breaks in between. Users can stay focused and maintain a work-life balance using this feature.
Offline mode
Toggl supports offline mode, allowing users to track time even when not connected to the internet. Once the connection is restored, the data is automatically synced.
Toggl vs. Timely pricing options
| Toggl yearly plan | Timely yearly plan |
|---|---|
| Free – up to 5 users | Starter – $9 per user per month |
| Starter – $9 per user per month | Premium – $16 per user per month |
| Premium – $18 per user per month | Unlimited – $22 per user per month |
| Enterprise-tailored solution |
Pros of Toggl
- It’s a cheaper option
- It offers a freemium version
- Detail reporting
- Automated time tracking
Cons of Toggl
- The free version has minimal functionalities
- There’s a steep learning curve
- Has no AI integrated
5. RescueTime
A reliable alternative to DeskTime, RescueTime is a fully developed automated time tracking solution and competes well with Timely. Nevertheless, RescueTime is primarily focused on personal productivity and not project tracking.
RescueTime’s features that Timely misses
Smart coaching
Sends custom messages based on past activities. The messages are focused on advising for productivity and help users to stay focused and on track.
Activity categorization
The tool categorizes tracked activities into productive, neutral, or distracting categories, providing users with insights into how their time is being utilized.
Goal setting
Users can set productivity goals based on time spent in specific categories or on particular tasks, encouraging them to achieve their targets and work efficiently.
Offline time tracking
RescueTime tracks time spent on offline activities, like meetings, calls, or breaks, ensuring a comprehensive view of users’ time allocation.
Productivity scores
The tool assigns productivity scores to websites and activity categories, indicating their impact on users’ productivity.
FocusTime
RescueTime’s FocusTime feature allows users to block distracting websites and applications during dedicated work or study sessions, promoting better focus and productivity.
Pricing options
| RescueTime yearly plan | Timely yearly plan |
|---|---|
| Free | Starter – $9 per user per month |
| $12 per month | Premium – $16 per user per month |
| Unlimited – $22 per user per month | |
Pros of RescueTime
- Helps users improve focus and productivity
- Has smart coaching alerts
- Automated tracking
- Offline tracking
Cons of RescueTime
- It’s not suited for teams or projects
- It does not support billable hours tracking
- Buggy app
Read also: The best alternatives to RescueTime
What is the best alternative to Timely?
The article thoroughly compares five-time tracking tools that serve as alternatives to Timely. While Timely boasts AI-powered features, users often feel dissatisfied with bugs and limitations. Additionally, the high cost and lack of a free version further contribute to the search for more suitable options.
Among the five alternatives introduced—Timeular, Harvest, Clockify, Toggl, and RescueTime—Timeular emerges as the standout choice. It not only offers automated time tracking but also excels in providing the most effortless and accurate methods for tracking time.
Moreover, its cost-effectiveness in comparison to Timely makes it even more appealing. The user-friendly interface, diverse tracking options, and robust capabilities for monitoring billable hours and budgets make Timeular the highly recommended alternative for time tracking needs.
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