I freelance IT consulting on top of my day job. Without time tracking, I undercharge clients by 15-30%. With it, I know exactly what each Toronto small-business hour cost me and bill accordingly. Four free apps have survived my last 5 years of testing. Here is the rundown.
Which free time tracker should I install first?
Toggl Track from toggl.com. Free tier: unlimited time tracking, unlimited projects, unlimited clients, 200+ integrations (Asana, Jira, GitHub, Notion). The desktop app sits in the system tray, one click starts/stops a timer. Mobile apps round it out.
I have used Toggl for ~6 years across two Toronto agency contracts and a dozen freelance clients. Has never lost time data, sync is reliable, exports to CSV cleanly for invoicing.
What does Clockify offer that Toggl does not?
Clockify free includes some features Toggl charges for: detailed reports, screenshots (in their paid tiers), team members (unlimited free!), projects, billable rates. If you have a small team and need everyone on the same tracker for free, Clockify wins.
Downside: the interface feels less polished. Some users report sync glitches under heavy load.
Is Harvest free still worth using?
Harvest free tier: 1 user, 2 projects only. Severely limited but Harvest is the easiest path to invoicing – tracked hours convert to a branded invoice in one click. If you have 2 clients max, free is fine. Beyond that, $12/month Pro is needed.
What does RescueTime do differently?
RescueTime tracks automatically. Install it, forget it. At end of day it shows: 3 hours productive, 1.5 hours on YouTube, 45 minutes Slack, 22 minutes Reddit. Brutal but useful.
Free tier: 3 months history, basic categorization. Pro ($9/month) adds detailed reports and offline tracking.
How do they compare?
| App | Free Plan | Best For | Mobile | Auto-Track |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toggl Track | Unlimited solo, 5 users | Manual timer, polished | Yes | Pomodoro only |
| Clockify | Unlimited everything | Teams, reports | Yes | Pro only |
| Harvest | 1 user, 2 projects | Quick invoicing | Yes | No |
| RescueTime | 3 months history | Self-audit | Limited | Yes (automatic) |
How should freelancers actually use these?
My workflow:
- Toggl Track desktop app always running. One project per client, tagged with task type (dev, support, calls, admin).
- Hit start when work begins, stop when I switch tasks. Auto-stop after 5 minutes idle catches forgotten timers.
- RescueTime in background for the weekly audit. Catches “did I really spend 4 hours on this?”
- Friday afternoon: export Toggl CSV, paste into invoice template (or use Harvest if a Harvest project).
What about screenshots and “monitoring”?
Hubstaff, Time Doctor, ActivTrak take periodic screenshots of your screen and send to a manager. Their free tiers are limited. If a client demands this, push back – it is a red flag for a low-trust relationship. Quality clients pay for hours billed, not pixels surveilled.
For organizing client communications around your tracked time, see my free email client guide. For calendar integration with time tracking, my free calendar apps roundup covers Google Calendar plus Notion Calendar workflow. And for the broader productivity stack, my free office suite picks.
What about Pomodoro timers built in?
Toggl has a free Pomodoro mode in the desktop app. Forest (free on mobile, $4 desktop) is a gamified Pomodoro. Pomodone is the classic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Toggl Track really free forever?
Yes – the free tier has stayed free for ~10 years. Paid features (billable rates, project templates, reporting filters) live on Starter/Premium plans.
Does Clockify work offline?
Yes – the desktop app caches data and syncs when online.
Will time tracking slow my computer?
RescueTime uses 1-3% CPU continuously. Toggl/Clockify essentially zero. Negligible on any modern machine.
Can clients see my tracker?
Not by default. You choose what to share via reports or screenshots in invoices.
What is the best time tracker for ADHD?
RescueTime + Pomodoro mode. Automatic tracking removes the “forgot to start the timer” failure mode.
