Choose a replacement by how your team should record time. If you want hours logged with no effort, an automatic tracker fits. If people bill clients by project, a timer-and-timesheet tool works better. If you need hours to flow into payroll or invoices, check that export before anything else.
Time tracking tools split into two camps: ones that watch what happens on the computer, and ones that people start and stop themselves. DeskTime sits firmly in the first camp, describing automatic tracking of a remote team's hours, apps and project time. The eight alternatives below cover both camps, listed in no particular order.
Automatic or manual: the DeskTime question
Automatic tracking is easy on the team, because nobody has to remember a timer. It's also the option that records more than some people are comfortable with, and it can blur the line between work time and screen time. Manual timers are lighter and easier to explain, but they rely on people using them every day. There's no right answer for every business; it's about what your team will accept and what you'll do with the data.
So the thing to test in any replacement is how people record time every day, and whether it feeds timesheets and payroll exports cleanly. Ask a couple of team members to use each shortlisted tool for a normal working day, then check how close the timesheet is to what happened and how easily it exports.
DeskTime alternatives in a table
| Tool | Kind of tracker | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Clockify | Time tracker and timesheets | Logging hours across projects |
| Everhour | Time tracking inside project tools | Tracking time inside Asana, ClickUp or Jira |
| Hubstaff | Time tracking and workforce monitoring | Remote teams paying staff from approved hours |
| My Hours | Project time tracking and invoicing | Client reports and invoices from tracked hours |
| RescueTime | Automatic time tracking | Seeing where your own time goes |
| TimeCamp | Time tracking with AI automation | Turning hours into project insight |
| TMetric | Team time tracker | Hours and projects in one place |
| Toggl Track | Time tracking and capacity planning | Capacity views alongside tracked hours |
Three camps of time tracker
Automatic tracking and monitoring
RescueTime and Hubstaff both lean towards tracking time without timers. One is pitched at understanding where your own time goes; the other at managing remote staff and turning approved hours into payments.
Project timers and timesheets
Clockify, My Hours and TMetric are built around logging hours against projects and clients, with reports and invoices from that time. Everhour does the same inside the project tools your team already uses.
Time plus planning
Toggl Track and TimeCamp go beyond tracking into capacity planning, project insight and alerts. They suit teams who want to know not just where time went, but whether the coming weeks' work will fit.
The trackers, in no particular order
Listed alphabetically. Each line reflects what the vendor says about its own tool.
Clockify
Best for: Teams wanting a straightforward time tracker and timesheet app for logging work hours against projects, per the vendor.
Everhour
Best for: Agencies and teams who want time tracked inside the project tools they already use, with billable hours and threshold alerts, says the vendor.
Hubstaff
Best for: Managers of remote or hybrid staff wanting time tracking, productivity monitoring and approved hours turned into payments; a free trial is named.
My Hours
Best for: Freelancers and teams billing clients, with shareable reports and invoices generated from tracked time, as the vendor describes it.
RescueTime
Best for: Individuals and small businesses wanting automatic tracking of where time goes, plus goals and timesheets, per the vendor; a free trial is named.
TimeCamp
Best for: Project teams wanting logged hours turned into project insights, invoices and alerts, with native sync to Jira, Asana and other tools, per the vendor.
TMetric
Best for: Teams tracking work hours and managing projects together; the vendor ties tracked time to profit and names a free plan.
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Toggl Track
Best for: Businesses wanting time tracking with capacity planning, task management and profitability views, per the vendor.
Advice for team leads
Don't pick the tool with the most tracking. Pick the one your team will use without complaint, because a timesheet that people fill in honestly is worth more than a detailed record they resent. If you bill clients by the hour, prioritise clean project reports and invoices; if you pay staff by the hour, prioritise accurate exports to payroll.
Think about approvals too. If managers sign off timesheets each week, check how each tool flags missing hours, handles edits after the fact and keeps a record of who changed what. That's the part payroll and clients will ask about later, and it's much easier to set up at the start than to bolt on afterwards.
If you work alone, my list of time tracking tools for solo business owners is a better starting point than this one. And if your team meetings run long, my roundup of Mentimeter alternatives has tools to keep them focused.
Tell the team before you switch
Changing time trackers changes how people's work is seen, so explain the switch before anyone installs anything. Say what will be tracked, who can see it and what it's used for. If the new tool takes screenshots or records app use, say so plainly, and give people a way to raise concerns.
Rules on monitoring staff vary a lot between countries, especially for automatic tracking and screenshots. Check what's allowed where your team works with your regulator or an employment adviser, and write your tracking policy down so new starters see it from day one.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between automatic and manual time tracking?
Automatic tracking records activity in the background without timers. Manual tracking relies on people starting and stopping a timer or filling in a timesheet.
Can time tracking feed payroll?
Many tools export timesheets or approved hours for payroll. Check the exact export format each vendor offers against your payroll system.
Is it legal to monitor employees' screens?
It depends on where you and your team are based. Rules vary by country, so check with your regulator or an employment adviser before switching on monitoring.
Do freelancers need the same tool as teams?
Usually not. Freelancers often want simple timers and invoicing, while teams need approvals, reports and permissions.
How do I get my team to use a time tracker?
Explain why you're tracking, keep it simple, and show people their own reports so the data helps them too.
