Whether you are a working professional, a student, a freelancer, or anybody else, time is money for you, isn’t it? To use this money called time, a Mac time tracking app can prove to be of great use. Let’s see how.
Once you are engrossed in your day-to-day activities, keeping a track of time is challenging. It is crucial to keep a track of time so that you don’t miss deadlines, don’t go over budget, don’t miss a meeting, or in short, miss things that can cost you your job or grade (if you are a student). In this post, we have curated a list of some of the best time-tracking apps for Mac
What Are The Benefits of A Mac Time Tracking App
Before we dive into the list, you might be wondering why would I install a paid or free time tracking app when a spreadsheet, alarm clock, or pen and paper should suffice. Here are some of the benefits of a Mac time tracker –
1. Automated time tracking
You have the option to choose between manual time tracking or automated time tracking. Yes, we agree that you may have to tweak the tasks manually when needed but for the most part, the process will be automatic. Most apps can even identify when you switch between documents, emails, web pages, or meetings.
2. Get More Productive
Most Mac time-tracking apps are not just about recording time and other aspects. They even let you optimize your time properly. For instance, some of these apps use sample-based time tracking so that you can get an estimation of how you spend your day.
3. Great Shareability
It could be that you have to keep track of what your team’s doing. The time tracking apps let you share tasks with the team so that each of your team members stays focused. You can track their attendance, productivity, billable hours, and other tasks.
Some Common Features of A Mac Time Tracking App
- You can see all your projects, their deadlines, their start and end time, and other such aspects all in one place.
- Most Mac time-tracking applications automatically record time (automatic start and stop time), app usage, etc. Many such utilities also let you create rules.
- Cross-integrate with other apps and devices. For instance, you can integrate a Mac tracking app with Screen Time on iOS or iPad.
- You can export data for later reference or even generate invoices and other reports.
- You can steer clear of apps and websites that distract you.
- Many time trackers also let you calculate billable hours. This aspect can be great for freelancers and business firms who have to charge clients.
Best Time Tracking Apps for Mac
1. Timing
Price: 30-day free trial. The monthly plan starts at $10 per month.
Looking for a time tracking app for Mac that can let you focus on your work and record time automatically, Timing is the app you can consider. It lets you track which tasks consumed your time. One of the best aspects of this Mac time tracker is that it can also help you import app usage from your smartphone, regardless of whether it is your iPhone or iPad.
Notable Features
- Document-based tracking.
- Tracks everything – every app you are using, the document you have used, or the website you have visited.
- Specify what projects your activities belong to so that assignments can be automated.
- Accurate time records.
Pros
- Manual start and stop timers are included.
- Privacy-reserving option.
- Automation features such as calendar integration, idle detection, and call tracking.
Cons
- Could be complicated for beginners.
2. Clockify
Price: Free trial available with limited features. The “Basic” variant starts at $4.99 per month.
If you often have to log your work hours and looking for a free time-tracking app for Mac, Clockify is one option you can consider. After you have signed into the app and downloaded the time tracking app on your Mac, there is a world of things you can do. To begin with, you can assign a start and end time for a task. You can switch on the “Billable” toggle button and even set a “Pomodoro” timer.
Notable Features
- Easily log in to your activities in a minute or less.
- Mark hours as billable.
- Block hours with a single click.
- Add events from Google and Outlook.
Pros
- Easily connect Clockify with other apps.
- Invite your team to track time and even manage permissions.
- Schedule projects and visualize team activities.
Cons
- Lacks some features available in the web version.
3. Tyme
Price: 14-day free trial. Then, a monthly subscription starts at $2.99 per user per month.
It is a timer-based time tracker for Mac that doesn’t let your workload, projects, and deadlines out of your sight, thanks to its intuitive interface, the dashboard in particular. You can always choose from several shortcuts swiftly toggle between timers. In order to evaluate what you have worked on, Tyme comes loaded with plenty of reporting options.
Notable Features
- Keep track of work hours for individuals or entire teams.
- See projects, recorded times, budgets, and deadlines all in one place.
- Easily analyze your workload or the workload of your team.
- Calendar integration to view recorded times as calendar entries.
Pros
- Import data to other applications.
- Support for several invoice-creating plugins.
- Reminder features come in handy in case you have forgotten to start the timer.
Cons
- The dashboard might come across as a little cluttered.
- Lack of automatic tracking features.
4. RescueTime
Price: Free 2-week trial. Then, 6.50/ month.
Sometimes tracking time is just not enough. In a schedule where you are constantly on your toes and have to juggle between tasks, you also need a tool that can help you with optimizing time. RescueTime is one of the best time tracking for Mac that lets you do just that. It analyzes your focus and meeting schedules and helps you build habits so that you can stay on track.
Notable Features
- Tracks web pages and apps you use in order to track your productivity.
- Helps block distractions.
- Automatic distraction blocking, time tracking, and a lot more.
- Offers suggestions and recommends goals so that you can enhance productivity.
Pros
- Block apps that distract you from your goal.
- Insightful reports.
- Cross-platform functionality.
Cons
- To block distractions you will need the paid version.
5. Timely
Price: 14-day free trial available. Then, $9 per user per month, billed yearly.
Timely is yet another top-rated Mac time-tracking app. It helps analyze your work by diving deeply into your documents, meetings, emails, and web pages. It lets you monitor the working hours or budgets for both yourself and your team. The Mac time tracker also lets you track your plans in which you can get useful feedback. You can use the feedback to set healthier schedules.
Notable Features
- Schedule a time at which Timely will track your time.
- Doubles up as a team management, project management, and project tracking app.
- Also helps you track your locations, documents you are working on, meeting you are attending, etc.
- Managing a budget is simple.
Pros
- The moment you go over your specified budget, Timely prompts you well in advance.
- Track applications that distract you.
- You can set permissions for data access.
Cons
- You might have to manually intervene to allocate time as the AI algorithm could be a little inaccurate.
6. Daily
Price: Free version available. A monthly subscription starts at $3.99
Remember the time sampling method we mentioned at the start of this post? Daily is a time-tracking app for Mac that works on this principle. Unlike many other utilities, it periodically asks what tasks you are performing. More specifically, it asks for your whereabouts every 20 minutes (you can adjust this time interval). This way you won’t forget to record time.
Notable Features
- Create exportable timesheets per day, week, month, or even year.
- Schedule when to track time.
- Get prompts on your current activities.
- See when you started and stopped working.
Pros
- One of the easiest-to-use time tracker apps for Mac.
- Tracking approach based on sampling, as such it is almost impossible to lose track of billable hours.
- You can automatically export hours.
Cons
- Frequent check-ins can be distracting for some users.
7. Toggl
Price: Free
Toggle is one of the best free time tracking apps for Mac that comes packed with great features. It easily adapts to your workflow and lets you stay on track by the way of reminders and notifications. It is easy to use and requires a minimum amount of clicks to record your time. The Toggl timer button can be seen in almost every app.
Notable Features
- Idle detection.
- Autotrackers suggests time recording based on the app you are using.
- Set reminders when the app will remind you to record time.
- Side-by-side overview of time entries in a timeline.
Pros
- Interoperable and works well with other apps.
- Idle time detection so that you don’t accidentally record time when you were idle or away from Mac.
- You can toggle timers based on automated rules.
Cons
- Could be more user-friendly
8. Klokki
Price: 14-day free trial. Pricing starts at $30
Last but not least, we have Klokki which is an automatic time tracker for Mac. All you have to do is pick a task that you want to automate, set a rule that will trigger your task, and as you will start working, Klokki will start tracking.
Notable Features
- Track time by setting rules that will trigger the timer automatically.
- Comprehensive reports that tell you how exactly your session went.
- Timer can be accessed from the menu bar itself.
- Easy keyboard shortcuts.
Pros
- Easily track your budget by defining hourly rates on billable projects.
- Jira cloud integration.
- Smart Mac absence handling.
Cons
- App on the Mac app store doesn’t support automatic toggling due to restrictions.
Wrapping Up
Now that you have in front some of the best free and paid time tracking apps for Mac, do try them out. Also, share with us your experience and if you were able to sort your tasks in a much better manner. For more such content keep reading WeTheGeek.
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