Firm Management
Time & Billing Apps
For business owners and accounting firms that are looking for a simpler way to track time and expenses without investing a lot of money, there are a variety of apps available that may fit the bill. As an added bonus, along with tracking time, many of ...
Nov. 16, 2018
From the 2018 Reviews of Time and Billing systems.
For business owners and accounting firms that are looking for a simpler way to track time and expenses without investing a lot of money, there are a variety of apps available that may fit the bill. As an added bonus, along with tracking time, many of these apps offer a multitude of extra features as well. The following apps are definitely worth a second look:
Toggl
Along with having apps available for both iOS and Android devices, Toggl also offers apps that work across multiple desktop operating systems including Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. Toggl’s main feature is its timer, which is easily accessible once the application has been installed. To use Toggl, users need only click on the timer to start recording, stopping the time when necessary. Conveniently, Toggl can also be connected to a variety of tools and resources by using browser extensions, enabling the product to be used to track time from anywhere on the web.
All Toggl plans offer complete time tracking capability, an auto-tracker feature, keyboard shortcuts, and an offline mode, so users are always able to track their time. There is also an option to enter time manually if necessary. Reports and a user dashboard are also available on all plan levels. Users would do best with the Premium version if they’re interested in tracking project timelines and employee efficiency throughout their organization.
Toggl also offers a team option that provides working teams with the ability to track time details for all team members, as well as an option to remind forgetful team members to log in.
Toggl integrates with a variety of third-party applications including Asana, Basecamp, FreshBooks, and GitHub. The product also offers a Chrome Extension button that allows users to track time online for research or other related expenses.
Toggl offers a free, basic time tracking plan that is free, with three paid plans available as well; Starter, which is $9.00 per month, Premium, which is $18.00 per month, and an Enterprise plan that offers custom pricing based on the needs of the organization, as well as a priority support option.
2018 Rating – 4.5 Stars
============
ATracker
ATracker is available for both iOS and Android mobile devices. Users should be advised that ATracker is new to Android and is still working out some kinks, whereas it’s been around as an iOS app for more than five years. ATracker offers one-tap time tracking, with users able to track time with a single tap; later stopping tracking with another tap. Users can choose to fully customize the interface, adding details such as theme, color, background, and even language preference.
Users are able to utilize the single tap feature by entering a series of pre-defined tasks that are displayed on the main screen. Users only need choose one of the tasks to start recording time for that task. To begin tracking for another task, simply tap that task and ATracker will start tracking time for the new task while stopping tracking for the first task.
To get started, users can add two or three frequently used tasks, adding the rest at a later date. All tasks that have time recorded are available to review in list view and calendar view, with users able to edit any entries or add time entries that were never tracked.
ATracker offers good reports, particularly for an app, with bar and pie charts available that detail time data for a particular length of time, so users can easily track what they spent their time on for a day, a week, or for the entire month. Reports can also be shared via social media or exported in a CSV format for further customization if desired.
ATracker offers multi-language capability, with the application working with iOS and Android smart phones and tablets. The product also offers solid help functionality, with user support available, as is access to a vibrant user community.
A good solution for those that need to track a variety of tasks in a single day, ATracker offers a free limited version, a full version, that is currently priced at $4.99 a month, and a Web Portal version that can be accessed from both Windows and Mac desktop systems, with the Web Portal version currently priced at $2.99 per month.
2018 Rating – 4.5 Stars
============
Harvest
Designed for desktop computers, Chrome browsers, and both iOS and Android mobile devices, Harvest offers easy time tracking capability. Users have the option to create a to-do list and start one of the unlimited timers to track time spent on each task, stopping the timer when the task is completed. Users can also enter all tracked hours into the weekly timesheet provided. Time can be tracked to specific tasks, projects, or clients, with users able to add notes to each time entry for easy future reference. Harvest also offers a Team option for those that are supervising or managing a group of employees, providers details such as which employees are actually tracking their time, how much billable time each employee has recorded, and when each team member is working, and how many hours they are working each week.
Harvest users can create an invoice by pulling any billable time and expenses that have been tracked directly into an invoice. A free-form invoice option is also available for those that wish to edit time and expenses entries or charges. Users can opt to print invoices to mail, or email invoices directly from Harvest to clients, with clients able to pay bills directly using Stripe or PayPal, with Harvest integrating with both. Those wanting to keep track of all created invoices can access the Invoice Graph, which provides users with a summarized view of all invoices that have been created, with the ability to zero in on a particular client or invoice for further details.
Harvest offers good reporting capability, with users able to access comprehensive time reports that include hours, billable details, and information for each client, task, project, or team member, and the Uninvoiced report allows management to view all time and expenses that have been entered but not yet billed. All Harvest reports can be exported to Microsoft Excel or in a CSV format for further customization capability. The product also integrates with numerous applications, such as QuickBooks Online, Basecamp, Slack, Zapier, Xero, Salesforce, and Xero.
Harvest offers flexible pricing options, with three plans available; Free, which supports 1 user and up to 2 projects; Solo, which runs $12 per month and supports 1 user and unlimited projects, and Team, which also runs $12 per month and supports 2+ users and unlimited projects. A 30-day free trial is available as well.
2018 Rating – 4.75 Stars
============
ClockShark
ClockShark is designed for field service and construction companies, creating an easy way for mobile employees to track their time easily and accurately. Cloud-based, ClockShark works with mobile devices including iPad, iPhone, Windows Mobile, and Android smart phones and tablets, and includes GPS capability. Field employees use their mobile device to clock in and out when necessary, and the included GPS feature allows management to see where employees are when they do so. For those in one central location, a web punch clock is available that can be used from a desktop computer, allowing onsite employees to clock in as well. The KioskClock feature allows field managers to transform their mobile device into a timeclock, allowing employees that don’t have access to a cell phone or tablet to easily record their time. And for those that continually forget to clock in or out, the Timesheet Reminders option is available.
ClockShark includes an employee scheduling option, with employees able to view their schedule on their smart phone or other mobile device. For those that aren’t sure how to get there, ClockShark also includes a navigation tool, where users simply enter the address where they need to be and they get turn by turn navigation capability.
Managers can easily track employee time by job, with employees able to punch in and out per job, with time recorded accurately for each job and location. This also makes it easy to track job cost totals, as the total of time spent on each job will be readily available.
ClockShark also offers good reporting capability, with weekly timesheets available for each employee. Managers can also access high level summary reports, or drill down to punch by punch reports for each employee, department or location. All ClockShark reports can be exported as a CSV file or saved as a PDF. Managers also have the option to export ClockShark timesheets directly into QuickBooks Online, Sage, Xero, or ADP for processing.
ClockShark’s base fee is $25, plus a $5 per person fee billed monthly, with the price dropping to a $20 base fee and $4.17 per person if paid annually. Users also have the option to try ClockShark free for 14 days.
2018 Rating – 4.75 Stars
============
Time Camp
Time Camp offers solid time tracking capability and is well suited for service businesses and consultants. Time Camp can be used as a desktop app or with iOS and Android smart phones and tablets. Along with time tracking, Time Camp also offers billing and invoicing capability, along with solid integration options with a variety of other applications.
Time Camp users can track time in multiple ways, using the manual timesheet where start and stop times can be entered as needed, or users can choose to utilize the included timer option. Automatic time tracking is available as well, tracking all activity on a desktop system without any additional input necessary. Finally, the graphical timesheet option, mentioned earlier, offers a color-coded display on desktop systems that allows users to easily assign time to a chosen task.
Once a timesheet is complete, it can be submitted for approval on a daily or weekly basis. Once a timesheet is approved, it can no longer be edited by the submitter, though managers can unlock the timesheet if a change needs to be made.
Time Camp offers multiple ways to invoice clients, with the ability to create an invoice from time entries already recorded by using the included invoice wizard, or by creating an invoice from scratch. Users can choose to print and mail invoices or email them directly from Time Camp. All invoices can be saved as a PDF for future access. Invoices can be exported from Time Camp directly to Xero or QuickBooks, and integration with PayPal makes it easy for clients to pay online. Reporting options in Time Camp are mainly time and project related, allowing users to create reports by projects, tasks, time entries, or employee, with cost calculation reports available as well. Time Camp offers solid integration options, integrating with popular applications such as Basecamp, QuickBooks, Xero, Zendesk, and Redmine, along with many others.
Time Camp offers a free version for a single user with limited features. The Basic version is $7 per user, per month, and the Pro version, currently runs $10 per user per month. Only the Pro version offers invoicing and timesheet approval.
2018 Rating – 5 Stars