In This Review
Revenue lost by a typical freelancer at $80/hr who under-tracks by 2 hours per week. The right tool closes most of this gap — not by magic, but by making it frictionless to start the timer before work begins.
How We Ranked Them
We used four criteria, weighted for the freelancer use case:
- Invoicing quality (30%): Can you generate professional invoices from time entries? On the free plan?
- Billing flexibility (25%): Multiple rates per client, billable/non-billable tagging, project-level rates
- Privacy (20%): No screenshot monitoring, no keystroke logging, no employer surveillance features
- Real cost (25%): What do you actually pay as a solo freelancer for the features you need?
1. TimeApp — Best Overall for Freelancers
TimeApp
Time tracking with invoicing built in — designed for solo freelancers from the start.
TimeApp was built specifically for the freelance billing workflow: track hours, generate invoice, get paid. The free plan includes everything most freelancers need — invoicing, multiple billing rates, client management, and PDF generation. No credit card required to start.
Pros
- Free invoicing from tracked time
- Multiple billing rates per client
- PDF invoices on free plan
- No screenshot monitoring ever
- Simple, focused interface
- Invoice status tracking (Draft/Sent/Paid)
Cons
- Free plan capped at 1 project
- No Jira/Asana integrations yet
- Smaller ecosystem than Clockify
- Reports require Pro plan
Bottom line: If you're a solo freelancer who bills clients by the hour, TimeApp is the most direct path from "work starts" to "invoice sent." The free plan covers the core workflow. Try TimeApp free →
2. Toggl Track — Best Minimalist Option
Toggl Track
The cleanest timer on the market. Beautiful, fast, and reliable — just don't expect invoicing.
Toggl Track has the best user experience of any time tracking app. The interface is clean to the point of feeling luxurious. The Chrome extension is excellent. Where it falls short for freelancers: there's no invoicing at any tier. You export data and build your own invoices elsewhere.
Pros
- Best-in-class UI/UX
- Excellent Chrome extension
- Generous free plan (unlimited tracking)
- 100+ integrations
- No surveillance features
Cons
- No invoicing at any tier
- Must use a separate invoice tool
- Billing rates locked to paid plans
- Paid plan is $9/mo vs free alternatives
Bottom line: If you already have an invoicing tool you love (Wave, FreshBooks) and just need a great timer, Toggl Track is excellent. If you want time tracking and invoicing unified, look elsewhere.
3. Harvest — Best for Agency-Minded Freelancers
Harvest
Beautiful invoicing, budget tracking, and expense logging — if you can justify $12/month.
Harvest has the most polished invoicing of any dedicated time tracker. The invoice templates look professional, the budget tracking is excellent for project-based work, and the Stripe integration makes getting paid easy. The catch: the "free" plan limits you to 1 user and 2 projects, which means almost every freelancer needs to pay $12/month.
Pros
- Best invoice design quality
- Budget tracking per project
- Expense tracking built in
- QuickBooks + Xero integrations
- Stripe payment integration
Cons
- $12/mo mandatory for most freelancers
- 2-project limit on "free" plan
- Overkill for solo freelancers
- Interface is dense for simple use cases
Bottom line: If you're billing $5,000+/month and care about invoice polish and accounting integrations, Harvest is worth $12. For a freelancer just getting started, it's more tool than you need.
Get Harvest-quality invoicing, for free
TimeApp generates PDF invoices from your tracked time — no $12/mo required.
Try TimeApp Free →4. Clockify — Best Free Tool (For Teams, Not Freelancers)
Clockify
Genuinely free for teams — but freelancers hit the paywall at the features that matter most.
Clockify has the most generous free plan in the industry — unlimited users, unlimited projects, unlimited tracking. For a team manager tracking employee hours, it's outstanding. For a solo freelancer who needs to invoice clients, the key features (invoicing, custom billing rates) require a $6.99/mo upgrade. Clockify's surveillance features (screenshots, activity monitoring) appear in higher tiers, which creates trust concerns with some freelancers.
Pros
- Genuinely unlimited free tier (for tracking)
- 50+ app integrations
- Best free reporting
- Chrome, Firefox, desktop extensions
- Scales to large teams
Cons
- Invoicing requires paid plan ($6.99+/mo)
- Custom billing rates locked behind paywall
- Surveillance features in higher tiers
- Built for managers, not independent workers
Bottom line: Great for teams. For freelancers who need invoicing, Clockify's "free" promise evaporates the moment you want to bill clients. Read our full TimeApp vs Clockify comparison →
5. FreshBooks — Best if You Need Full Accounting
FreshBooks
Full accounting software with time tracking — when you need more than billing.
FreshBooks isn't primarily a time tracker — it's accounting software that includes time tracking. If you need expense management, profit/loss reports, and tax preparation alongside your invoicing, FreshBooks is excellent. But you're paying $17/month minimum, and the Lite plan caps you at 5 billable clients.
Pros
- Full double-entry accounting
- Automatic expense categorization
- Tax preparation reports
- Beautiful invoice templates
- Client portal for payments
Cons
- $17/mo minimum (expensive for simple needs)
- 5-client limit on cheapest plan
- Overkill if you just want to track + invoice
- Time tracking is secondary feature
Bottom line: If you're running a legitimate small business and need accounting (not just billing), FreshBooks is worth it. For a freelancer who just wants to track hours and send invoices, it's too much tool for too much money.
6. My Hours — Best for Multi-Project Juggling
My Hours
Highly flexible timesheet system for freelancers managing many concurrent projects.
My Hours has the most flexible timesheet structure of any tool on this list. If you're a freelancer with 10+ active projects in different states (some hourly, some flat-fee, some retainer), My Hours handles the complexity well. The free plan is generous, though invoicing requires the $8/mo Pro plan.
Pros
- Flexible timesheet structure
- Free plan is genuinely useful
- Good for mixed billing models
- Detailed reporting on free plan
Cons
- Invoicing requires $8/mo upgrade
- Steeper learning curve
- Interface is functional, not beautiful
- Smaller community and integrations
Bottom line: A solid option for complex project portfolios. Worth trying if TimeApp or Toggl feel too simple for your workflow.
The Full Comparison Table
| App | Free Invoicing | Multiple Rates | Privacy | Price to Invoice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TimeApp | ✓ Yes | ✓ Free | ✓ No surveillance | Free |
| Toggl Track | ✗ Never | ✗ $9/mo | ✓ No surveillance | Need 2nd app |
| Harvest | ✗ $12/mo | ✓ $12/mo | ✓ No surveillance | $12/mo |
| Clockify | ✗ $6.99/mo | ✗ $6.99/mo | ⚠ Optional surveillance | $6.99/mo |
| FreshBooks | ✗ $17/mo | ✓ $17/mo | ✓ No surveillance | $17/mo |
| My Hours | ✗ $8/mo | ✓ $8/mo | ✓ No surveillance | $8/mo |
Our Recommendation for 2026
For most freelancers: TimeApp. It's the only tool that gives you free invoicing generated directly from your time entries. The free plan covers the core freelancer workflow: track hours by client, mark billable/non-billable, generate a PDF invoice at the end of the month.
Upgrade to Pro ($9/mo) when you need detailed reports, unlimited projects, and analytics to understand where your time actually goes.
For minimalists who already have invoicing: Toggl Track. Best UI, best Chrome extension, pairs well with Wave (free invoicing) if you don't need the tools integrated.
For growing agencies: Harvest. Worth $12/mo when you're billing $5k+/month and need proper budget tracking and accounting integrations.
Start with TimeApp — free, no card needed
Track your first hours in 5 minutes. Generate your first invoice in 2.
Start Free → View PricingTrack time smarter. Try TimeApp free.
No surveillance, no lock-in. Just accurate hours and clean invoices.