Time tracking has long ceased to be a means of control - when used correctly, it promotes your self-management and can improve your company's internal planning by exposing time-wasters and making overtime clear.
The best solution for efficient time tracking is time tracking software, which will make you and your team work more lucrative. That's why in this post, we'll help you find the right time tracking tool. We'll show you the top 6 time-tracking software and take a close look at their respective pros and cons.
Overview of the top 6 time tracking tools:
awork: Integrated project management
awork is the all-in-one solution for productive teams of any size that not only want to record their times but are also looking for a tool for smart project management.
Pro:
- awork is a practical PM tool for team organization.
- Cloud-based software with servers in Germany combines smart project management with smart time tracking
- Integrates time tracking easily into your workflow
- Record times via stopwatch or drag & drop to projects and tasks or use calendar integration to turn appointments directly into times
Con:
- awork isn't a free tool
Not surprisingly, we believe that our own product awork is among the best time tracking software for teams on the market. Can't anyone say that? True - but take a look at our customer reviews, and they'll tell it to you too.
Monday: Simple and easy recording of working times
The American leader in time tracking software and suitable for teams that don't care about GDPR compliance.
Pro:
- Time tracking of the American market leader can be used directly without setup
- Time tracking on projects and tasks within the project management app: click timer when starting and stopping work
Cons:
- Monday's servers are located in the USA -> monday is not GDPR-compliant
TimO24: Vielseitige Zeitmanagementsoftware
With this option for time tracking, especially small to medium teams are well-advised.
Pro:
- GDPR-compliant time tracking software
- Offers users an individual account to manage working hours, absences, and vacation requests
- Enables various evaluations of time data
- Allows integration to DATEV, Lexware & Co.
- Can be used via web browser, app, or also via terminal
Contra:
- TimO24 is specialized for small to medium-sized teams and offers no free solution
Timetac: Nutzerfreundliche, flexible Zeiterfassung
Timetac is ideal for teams that want to work flexibly and specializes in cross-device time tracking.
Pro:
- Supports fast and flexible time management
- It can be used across devices
- Synchronizes between all devices
- Book your working time with a few clicks depending on your work situation - whether meeting, travel time, or break time
Con:
- Timetac isn't a free solution
Zep Zeiterfassung: Projektorientiertes Arbeiten mit Zeiterfassung Software
Customizable time recording for all industries and team sizes
Pro:
- Web-based tool for online time recording
- Suitable for creating timesheets and offers an integrated travel expense report
- Suitable for all industries and team sizes
- Individual additional functions such as reminders for invoicing, calendar server for business appointments, etc., can be booked additionally
Contra:
- Zep is not a free software
Kimai: The open source solution
Free time tracking tool, which is perfectly suitable for beginners due to its simplicity and the reduction to the only most important functions.
Pro:
- Track and manage your working hours and export them to Excel, HTML, and PDF
- Free time tracking software
- You can even close your browser while the time tracking is running for pure comfort
- Various evaluations of your working time are visible via the dashboard
- Print invoices to customers directly from Kimai with destination formats like DOCX or HTML
Con:
- Kimai only has basic functions, so it is less suitable for more complex tasks.
Conclusion
In the jungle of time tracking tools, we at awork have the right overview and show you the advantages and disadvantages of the top 6 time-tracking software. Have you already found your favorite?
If you want to test awork without entering a credit card and without an obligation, you have the opportunity now!
FAQ - Time tracking software
Do I need time tracking software in my company? Many skeptics argue against it because time tracking is often still seen as a means to control employees. This is understandable because far too often, the purpose of time tracking is not communicated transparently. The result: the team resists it.
The real benefits of time tracking software, in addition to promoting self-monitoring, are the improvement of internal company planning, as you can expose time guzzlers and make overtime transparent.
The most important advantages of time recording at a glance:
- Increased productivity and self-management
- Improved internal planning
- Efficient work without time wasters
- Overtime hours becomes explicit
- Self-sufficient work in the home office
- Timely completion of tasks
Tobias Hagenau, Co-Founder of awork, also tracks his working hours. This gives him a detailed insight into which areas of the company he spends his time on. In addition to much better expectations for the actual effort required, he also knows the costs of the individual activities and can always reflect on his priorities. This makes time recording an irreplaceable tool in the continuous improvement of his productivity.
Looking for more information about time tracking software? Feel free to check out this post!
Why pay for time tracking software when there are free apps?
- Most free apps only cover basic time tracking functions, whereas smart work management, such as awork, offers various time tracking and reporting options.
- With awork, you have multiple filtering and grouping options to create meaningful and valuable time evaluations.
- Besides the practical time tracking, awork is a full-blown tool for project management and team organization.
- Instead of multiple tools, you just need one tool to keep track of your team's work progress.
Do you want to do your own time recording in Excel?
- The big disadvantage of time tracking with Excel is that working times are not transparent.
- The necessary overview and intuition are lacking in the Excel clutter.
- If you still want to track your times with Excel, you can find several templates here. However, we recommend that you choose an intuitive time tracking software of your choice instead.
Time recording in the times of remote work
- Time tracking is also worthwhile for you in times of remote work. Instead of having to perform complex calculations, time tracking helps you to make overtime hours explicit.
- With a tool like awork, you can reliably track your working hours even in a remote environment.
How does the introduction of a new time recording software work for my company?
- If you introduce time tracking software, communicate the decision transparently to your team in advance.
- The most important aspect of choosing software is simple: you need to know if your team can work with it in a meaningful way - a highly complex tool is of no use if no one in your team voluntarily tracks working hours.
- When choosing software, we also recommend that depending on team size and requirements, you also pay attention to the variety of tracking and time evaluation options.
- Start by working with the new time tracking tool yourself to evaluate it and ask your team for feedback after implementation. Everyone involved should be able to use it properly so that there is no additional work.
- It can also be useful to offer a workshop to introduce a time tracking system. By clearly communicating the benefits of time tracking for employees and the company, you can promote acceptance among your team and create transparency.
Time tracking software and New Work
- Recording working times can help you to promote self-managing methods.
- Especially in times of New Work, this aspect is no longer irrelevant. Instead of a rigid, directive-based daily routine, you should give your team in the home office the opportunity to organize their time freely.
- If all working hours are now recorded on a task-related basis instead of just attendance, time-wasters can be better unmasked. This helps to use your own working time better and thus to manage your own capacities.
Time tracking only via desktop app?
- Some time tracking software, such as awork, offers a practical mobile app for recording and evaluating times in addition to the desktop app.
- With the awork app, you have complete control over all projects and tasks even when you're on the go.
- You can quickly and conveniently create new tasks or check off completed ones at any time. Perfect for mobile working on the train or for a quick look at the to-dos on the way to work.
