Agencies live and die by billable hours. Undertrack and you leave money on the table. Overtrack and clients lose trust. The right time tracking tool makes the difference between accurate client billing and spreadsheet guesswork at month-end.
We tested seven time tracking tools specifically for agency workflows — client billing, project budgets, team utilization, and invoicing. These are not generic time trackers; each was evaluated on how well it handles the specific pain points agencies face: multiple clients, different billing rates, contractor management, and profitability reporting.
Quick Comparison: Best Time Tracking for Agencies 2026
| Rank | Tool | Best For | Starting Price | Free Plan | G2 Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvest | Client billing and invoicing | $9/seat/mo | 1 user, 2 projects | 4.3/5 |
| 2 | Toggl Track | Simple tracking, clean UX | $9/user/mo | 5 users | 4.6/5 |
| 3 | Clockify | Budget-conscious agencies | $3.99/seat/mo | Unlimited users | 4.5/5 |
| 4 | Everhour | PM tool integration | $8.50/seat/mo | 5 users | 4.7/5 |
| 5 | Hubstaff | Remote contractor monitoring | $4.99/seat/mo | No | 4.4/5 |
| 6 | TimeCamp | Automatic time categorization | $2.99/user/mo | Unlimited users | 4.7/5 |
| 7 | Time Doctor | Deep activity monitoring | $6.67/user/mo | No | 4.4/5 |
All prices reflect annual billing. G2 ratings from g2.com as of March 2026.
1. Harvest — Best for Client Billing and Invoicing
Starting price: $9/seat/month (annual) | Free plan: 1 user, 2 projects | G2: 4.3/5 (832 reviews)
Harvest is the time tracker built around the billing workflow. Track time, review entries, generate invoices from tracked hours, send them to clients, and monitor payment status — all without leaving the platform. For agencies that bill by the hour, this end-to-end flow eliminates the gap between tracking and getting paid.
Project budgets show real-time utilization against estimates, so project managers can catch overruns before they become losses. Expense tracking with receipt capture rounds out the financial picture.
For detailed comparisons, see Harvest vs Toggl and Clockify vs Harvest. Our Harvest review covers the full platform.
Why agencies choose Harvest:
- Built-in invoicing. Generate invoices directly from tracked time. Customize with your branding, set payment terms, and send to clients from Harvest. Track paid/unpaid status without a separate accounting tool.
- Project budgets. Set time or fee budgets per project. Visual progress bars show utilization against budget in real time. Get email alerts before budgets are exceeded.
- Expense tracking. Log expenses and attach receipts. Include expenses on client invoices alongside billable hours.
- Team utilization. See who is overbooked and who has capacity. The team view shows tracked time across all projects per person.
- Integrations. QuickBooks, Xero, Asana, Basecamp, Trello, Jira, and Slack. Stripe and PayPal for online invoice payments.
Limitations:
- No screenshot or activity monitoring (pure trust-based tracking)
- The $9/seat/month pricing adds up for larger agencies
- Free plan is limited to 1 seat and 2 projects
- Reporting is functional but less detailed than Toggl Premium
Best for: Agencies that bill clients hourly and want invoicing built into their time tracking workflow. The direct path from tracked hours to client invoice is Harvest’s killer feature.
2. Toggl Track — Best for Simple, Clean Time Tracking
Starting price: $9/user/month (Starter, annual) | Free plan: Up to 5 users | G2: 4.6/5 (1,586 reviews)
Toggl Track is the most user-friendly time tracker on this list. The one-click timer, clean interface, and browser extension make it easy for agency staff to actually track their time — which is the hardest part of any time tracking implementation. If your team resists tracking, Toggl’s low friction often solves the adoption problem.
Toggl takes an explicitly anti-surveillance stance. No screenshots, no keystroke logging, no GPS tracking. This philosophy works well for agencies with senior professionals who would resist monitoring tools.
For comparisons, see Toggl vs Clockify and our comprehensive Toggl vs Harvest vs Clockify three-way analysis. Full details in our Toggl review.
Why agencies choose Toggl:
- Lowest adoption friction. One-click timer, browser extension, desktop app, and mobile apps all sync automatically. The Starter plan includes billable rates and project tracking.
- 100+ integrations. Browser extension works across web apps. Native integrations with Google Calendar, Outlook, Asana, Jira, GitHub, and more.
- Summary and detailed reports. Filter by client, project, team member, and date range. Export to PDF or CSV for client reporting.
- Profitability analysis (Premium). Track billable vs non-billable hours and compare labor costs against revenue per project.
- Team scheduling (Premium). Visual calendar for planning who works on what.
Limitations:
- No built-in invoicing (requires integration with QuickBooks, FreshBooks, etc.)
- Premium ($18/user/month) needed for profitability analysis and timesheet approvals
- No monitoring features (by design)
- Free plan lacks billable rates and project features
Best for: Agencies that prioritize adoption and simplicity over advanced monitoring. Strong for creative agencies where trust-based tracking works better than surveillance.
3. Clockify — Best for Budget-Conscious Agencies
Starting price: $3.99/seat/month (Basic, annual) | Free plan: Unlimited users | G2: 4.5/5 (198 reviews)
Clockify offers the most generous free plan in time tracking — unlimited users, unlimited projects, and core time tracking at no cost. For agencies watching every dollar, this means your entire team can track time before you pay anything. Paid plans start at $3.99/seat/month for additional features like bulk import and adding time for others.
Invoicing arrives at the Standard tier ($5.49/seat/month), and screenshots plus GPS tracking are available on Pro ($7.99/seat/month). This tiered approach lets agencies pay only for what they need.
For head-to-head comparisons, see Toggl vs Clockify and Clockify vs Hubstaff. Our Clockify review covers the full platform.
Why agencies choose Clockify:
- Free for unlimited users. No per-seat gating on core tracking. Timer, timesheet, calendar view, kiosk mode, and basic reports are all free.
- Billable rates on free plan. Unlike Toggl, Clockify includes billable rate tracking even on the free tier.
- Invoicing (Standard+). Generate PDF invoices from tracked time with custom branding and recurring invoice scheduling.
- Screenshots and GPS (Pro). Available for agencies that need contractor verification, without paying Time Doctor or Hubstaff prices.
- Productivity Suite bundle. $12.99/seat/month gets Clockify Enterprise plus Pumble (team chat) and Plaky (project management) — a 53% bundle discount.
Limitations:
- Free plan lacks invoicing, approvals, and time lock
- Interface is functional but less polished than Toggl
- Smaller native integration library than Toggl (90+ web apps, 2,900+ via Zapier)
- G2 review count is low (198) compared to competitors
Best for: Growing agencies that need time tracking for large teams without per-seat costs. The free unlimited plan is unbeatable for agencies with 10+ team members.
4. Everhour — Best for Project Management Integration
Starting price: $8.50/seat/month (5 seat minimum, annual) | Free plan: Up to 5 users | G2: 4.7/5 (179 reviews)
Everhour takes a different approach from standalone time trackers — it embeds directly inside project management tools like Asana, Jira, Monday.com, Basecamp, ClickUp, Trello, and Notion. Instead of switching between your PM tool and a separate time tracker, Everhour adds timer buttons and time data right inside the task cards you are already working in.
This embedded approach solves a common agency problem: people forget to track time because they have to switch tools. With Everhour, tracking happens where the work happens.
For a comparison, see Everhour vs Toggl. Our Everhour review covers the full platform.
Why agencies choose Everhour:
- Native PM tool integration. Timer buttons appear inside Asana tasks, Jira issues, Monday.com items, and others. Time entries link directly to tasks and projects.
- Project budgets. Set budgets per project and track utilization in real time. Visual progress bars show how much budget remains.
- Team resource planning. See who is overallocated and who has capacity across projects.
- Invoicing. Generate invoices from tracked time and send them to clients. Less feature-rich than Harvest but adequate for most agencies.
- Billing rates. Set rates per member, per project, or per task type. Track billable vs non-billable automatically.
Limitations:
- Requires a PM tool to get the most value (standalone mode is basic)
- 5-seat minimum on paid plans ($42.50/month minimum)
- No screenshot or monitoring features
- Free plan lacks PM integrations (the core selling point)
- No affiliate program (discontinued)
Best for: Agencies that already use Asana, Jira, or Monday.com and want time tracking embedded directly in their project management workflow rather than running as a separate tool.
5. Hubstaff — Best for Remote Contractor Monitoring
Starting price: $4.99/seat/month (Starter, annual) | Free plan: No | G2: 4.4/5 (2,193 reviews)
Hubstaff is the time tracker for agencies that need to verify contractor activity — screenshots, app monitoring, URL tracking, and GPS location. It is built for remote team management where trust-based tracking is not enough, particularly for agencies with offshore contractors or teams billing clients on an hourly verification model.
The monitoring features are transparent — employees see when tracking is active and can review their own data. This balanced approach maintains accountability without feeling like covert surveillance.
For a direct comparison, see Clockify vs Hubstaff and Hubstaff vs Time Doctor. Full details in our Hubstaff review.
Why agencies choose Hubstaff:
- Screenshot capture. Configurable frequency (1-3 per 10 minutes). Employees can view and delete screenshots before submission.
- Activity monitoring. Track keyboard/mouse activity levels, apps used, and URLs visited. Activity rates help identify productivity patterns.
- GPS tracking. Location trail for field teams and mobile workers. Geofencing for automatic clock-in/out.
- Automated payroll. Set pay rates, approve timesheets, and trigger payments via PayPal, Wise, or Gusto.
- Client budgets and invoicing. Track project budgets and generate basic invoices from tracked time.
Limitations:
- No free plan (14-day trial only)
- Monitoring features may reduce trust with senior team members
- Starter plan lacks screenshots and app monitoring (need Growth at $7.50/seat/month)
- Higher cost per feature compared to Clockify
- Some employees resist being monitored regardless of transparency
Best for: Agencies managing remote contractors who need activity verification for client billing. Especially useful for agencies with offshore teams where hourly verification is a client requirement.
6. TimeCamp — Best for Automatic Time Categorization
Starting price: $2.99/user/month (Starter, annual) | Free plan: Unlimited users | G2: 4.7/5 (354 reviews)
TimeCamp’s standout feature is automatic time tracking — it monitors which applications and websites you use and categorizes time entries based on keyword rules. Instead of manually starting and stopping timers, TimeCamp builds a timeline of your day and assigns time to projects based on the apps you were working in.
At $2.99/user/month for the Starter plan, it is the cheapest paid time tracker on this list. The free plan includes unlimited users with basic time tracking.
For a comparison with another affordable option, see TimeCamp vs Clockify. Our TimeCamp review covers the full platform. If you are exploring alternatives, see our TimeCamp alternatives guide.
Why agencies choose TimeCamp:
- Automatic time tracking. Set rules based on app names, URLs, or document titles. Time spent in Figma auto-assigns to design projects; time in VS Code assigns to development.
- Cheapest paid plan. $2.99/user/month is less than half of Toggl or Harvest.
- Free unlimited users. Like Clockify, the free tier has no user cap.
- Invoicing (Premium). Generate invoices from tracked time at $6.99/user/month.
- Screenshots (Premium+). Available for agencies that need visual verification.
Limitations:
- Automatic tracking requires initial rule setup (learning curve)
- Auto-categorization is not always accurate for multitasking workflows
- Free plan lacks invoicing, budgeting, and screenshots
- Smaller integration ecosystem than Toggl or Harvest
- Interface is functional but not as polished as Toggl
Best for: Agencies where team members forget to start timers. The automatic tracking captures billable hours that manual tracking misses, especially for development and design work where people focus deeply and forget to track.
7. Time Doctor — Best for Deep Activity Monitoring
Starting price: $6.67/user/month (Basic, annual) | Free plan: No | G2: 4.4/5 (476 reviews)
Time Doctor provides the deepest monitoring features on this list — screenshots, app/website tracking, activity levels, and even a “silent mode” option that can run without a visible interface. For agencies that need detailed activity verification for compliance or client reporting, Time Doctor offers the most comprehensive data.
For a comparison with the other monitoring-focused option, see Hubstaff vs Time Doctor. If Time Doctor feels too invasive, our Time Doctor alternatives guide covers lighter options. Our Time Doctor review has the full breakdown.
Why agencies choose Time Doctor:
- Configurable screenshots. Take screenshots at intervals you set (3, 5, or 10 minutes). Blur screenshots for privacy-conscious teams.
- Website and app monitoring. Track which apps and sites are used during work time. Categorize as productive, unproductive, or neutral.
- Distraction alerts. Pop-up notifications when employees spend too long on non-work sites or apps.
- Silent mode. Run without showing a visible tracker (for compliance-sensitive environments).
- Payroll integration. Integrates with PayPal, Wise, and ADP for automated contractor payments.
Limitations:
- No free plan (14-day trial only)
- Silent mode raises ethical concerns (employees may not know they are being tracked)
- $6.67/user/month Basic plan lacks client login and payroll
- Standard ($10/month) or Premium ($20/month) needed for full features
- Monitoring-heavy approach can damage team morale if not implemented thoughtfully
Best for: Agencies with strict activity verification requirements — typically those billing government clients, managing large offshore teams, or operating in industries with compliance requirements for time tracking documentation.
How We Evaluated
We tested each tool specifically for agency workflows, scoring on five criteria:
- Client billing workflow. How easily can you go from tracked time to a client invoice? Direct invoicing (Harvest, Clockify) scored highest.
- Project budget management. Real-time budget tracking and alerts prevent scope creep from becoming unprofitable overruns.
- Team adoption ease. The best time tracker is the one people actually use. Toggl’s simplicity and Everhour’s embedded approach reduce friction.
- Billable vs non-billable tracking. Agencies need to separate billable client work from internal meetings, admin, and business development.
- Price at scale. Per-seat costs matter when you have 20+ team members. Clockify and TimeCamp’s free tiers have a clear advantage.
Verdict
Harvest is the best all-around choice for agencies that bill clients by the hour — its direct path from time tracking to invoicing is unmatched. Toggl Track wins on ease of use and team adoption. Clockify is the budget pick with its free unlimited plan.
For specific agency types:
- Creative agencies: Toggl (clean UX, trust-based) or Everhour (PM integration)
- Development agencies: Everhour (Jira/Asana integration) or TimeCamp (auto-tracking by app)
- Agencies with contractors: Hubstaff (monitoring + GPS) or Time Doctor (deep verification)
- Budget-conscious agencies: Clockify (free unlimited) or TimeCamp ($2.99/user)
For more time tracking options, see our guides on the best time tracking for freelancers and best time tracking for remote teams.