Which time tracking software fits your team?
Start with how the team records time and what happens next: project reporting, approval or invoice preparation. Here we compare three workflows and how costs change as a team grows.
Sources checked:
This is a three-product shortlist, not the whole market. Automatic activity history, self-hosting and a shared team workspace address different needs. We reviewed public documentation; this is not a hands-on performance test or a guarantee that your existing workflow transfers unchanged.
Which workflow do you need?
You need control of the server and installation
Start with Kimai’s installation options. Include upgrades, backups and extension ownership in the decision, even when the software itself is available without a licence fee.
You want less effort remembering the day
Evaluate Timely with the apps and calendar workflows your team actually uses. Check how collected activities become approved, billable hours.
Time, tasks and chat should stay together
Evaluate Hourtick for a shared workspace. Rehearse a working week with files and chat to estimate usage from your own data.
Compare features, pricing and deployment
Products appear alphabetically. Their position is not a ranking. On smaller screens, scroll the table sideways.
| Product | Good fit when | Pricing basis | Deployment and data | Check before choosing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hourtick [1][2] | Teams combining time, tasks and chat in a shared workspace. | Free: 500 MB usage/month. Pro: USD 29/month for 5 GB; extra GB costs USD 10/month. Unlimited people. | The provider publishes processors and regions. Check file storage and connected AI services for your workspace. | Usage includes storage and transfer. Files and chat affect the budget even when headcount stays the same. |
Kimai [3][4] | Project time and invoice preparation, especially when operating your own server is required. | Open source for self-hosting. Cloud Standard: EUR 3.99/user/month billed monthly; EUR 2.99 billed annually. | Self-hosting: choose and operate your environment. Kimai Cloud documents hosting in Germany. | Include operations and possible extensions in self-hosted costs. Cloud plans have different business features. |
Timely [5][6] | Teams using automatically collected activities to complete their timesheets. | Starter: USD 11/user/month, up to five people and 20 projects. Premium: USD 20/user/month with monthly billing. | Timely documents EU AWS customer-data storage and activity metadata. Review connected integrations’ data flows too. | Automatic activity history is a different workflow from a manual timer. Requirements beyond Starter limits need the appropriate plan. |
Cost example: ten people with monthly billing
Kimai Cloud Standard totals EUR 39.90/month at EUR 3.99 per user. Timely Starter cannot cover ten people; Premium totals USD 200/month at USD 20 per user. Hourtick Pro is USD 29/month if 5 GB usage suffices, with additional capacity charged separately. These amounts cover different features and currencies, not ranked equivalent packages.
[3][5][1]Follow a recorded minute through to billing
Test the complete chain: create a client and project, record and correct time, set billing, approve the period and export the result. Check rounding, currency, history and permissions with a real example. A good timer interface is not sufficient when the finance workflow still requires duplicate manual work.
Separate per-person pricing from workspace usage
Kimai Cloud and Timely charge per user; Hourtick uses a workspace budget for storage and traffic. Hold people, projects and required features constant in your evaluation. Compare annualised monthly figures on the same payment terms; currency and extensions can change the invoice.
[3][5][1]Compare operating responsibility and collected data
A self-hosted Kimai installation puts operations with your team. Evaluate cloud services through their agreements, processors and enabled integrations. Timely describes activity metadata and EU storage; assess whether that workflow fits your team. A European company address does not replace checking each connected service.
[4][3][6][2]Plan a limited migration
Start with one project and a defined reporting period. Try exporting clients, projects, time entries and rates from the old service. Check which fields the next tool can actually import, then reconcile the totals. Preserve historical records and assign an owner before moving the whole team.
Questions to answer before buying
- Do we need a manual timer, automatic activity history or both?
- Can we correct, approve and export a complete billing period?
- What does the same team cost with the required features and payment terms?
- Who operates and backs up the service, and which integrations receive data?
- Which history can actually move, and how will we reconcile totals?
Sources and scope
Pricing and product details come from provider documentation checked on the date above. Terms, currency and tax can change the final cost. This comparison supports your evaluation and provides no legal guarantees.