Best Time Tracking Software for Small Business in 2025

For small businesses, time is literally money. Whether you're billing clients by the hour, managing payroll, or simply trying to understand where your team's time goes—accurate time tracking is essential.

But small businesses have unique needs: Limited budget, simple implementation, easy adoption, and no dedicated IT team. Enterprise solutions are overkill. Spreadsheets don't scale. You need something in between.

This guide evaluates the best time tracking software for small businesses in 2025—comparing features, pricing, ease of use, and real-world performance.

What Small Businesses Need

Must-Have Features:

• Easy to use: Team can start using it immediately, minimal training
• Affordable: Budget-friendly pricing for 5-50 employees
• Accurate tracking: Reliable time data for billing/payroll
• Simple setup: No IT team needed
• Mobile access: For field workers or remote team
• Reporting: Clear visibility into time allocation
• Integrations: Works with existing tools (accounting, payroll)

Nice-to-Have:

• Project tracking
• Client billing
• Expense tracking
• GPS tracking (for field teams)
• Screenshots/activity monitoring

Top Recommendations

1. TrackLabs Best for Growing Teams

Overview: Automatic time tracking designed for small to mid-size teams, with focus on accuracy and ease of use.

Key Features:

• Automatic time tracking (no manual timers)
• Team productivity dashboards
• Project and client tracking
• Activity monitoring
• Detailed reports
• 2-day free trial

Best For:

• Service businesses (agencies, consultants)
• Remote/hybrid teams
• Businesses needing accurate billable hours
• Teams wanting automatic tracking

Pricing: Competitive monthly plans. View pricing →

Pros:

• ✓ Truly automatic—captures all work time
• ✓ Easy setup and adoption
• ✓ Great value for features provided
• ✓ Excellent for remote teams

Cons:

• ✗ No built-in invoicing
• ✗ Focused on computer-based work

2. Clockify Best Free Option

Overview: Free time tracking for unlimited users with upgrade options.

Key Features:

• Manual timers
• Project tracking
• Basic reporting (free tier)
• Team time tracking
• Calendar view

Best For:

• Very tight budgets
• Simple tracking needs
• Small teams (< 10 people)

Pricing: Free. Paid plans from $4.99/user/month.

Pros:

• ✓ Free for unlimited users
• ✓ Simple interface
• ✓ Good for basic needs

Cons:

• ✗ Manual timers (easy to forget)
• ✗ Limited features in free tier
• ✗ Interface feels dated

3. Toggl Track

Overview: Popular, simple time tracking with good user experience.

Key Features:

• One-click timers
• Project tracking
• Reports and insights
• Browser extensions
• Mobile apps

Best For:

• Freelancers and small teams
• Simple, manual tracking
• Teams wanting visual reports

Pricing: Free tier. Starter: $10/user/month.

Pros:

• ✓ Very easy to use
• ✓ Nice visual interface
• ✓ Good mobile apps

Cons:

• ✗ Manual timers
• ✗ Can get expensive for teams
• ✗ Limited advanced features

4. Harvest

Overview: Time tracking with built-in invoicing for client billing.

Key Features:

• Time tracking
• Expense tracking
• Invoicing
• Project budgets
• Accounting integrations

Best For:

• Client-based businesses
• Teams needing invoicing
• Professional services

Pricing: Free for 1 user/2 projects. Pro: $12/user/month.

Pros:

• ✓ All-in-one (time + invoicing)
• ✓ Clean interface
• ✓ Good integrations

Cons:

• ✗ More expensive
• ✗ Manual timers
• ✗ Invoicing costs extra

5. Hubstaff

Overview: Time tracking with monitoring features and GPS.

Key Features:

• Time tracking
• Screenshots
• Activity levels
• GPS tracking
• Payroll features

Best For:

• Field service businesses
• Teams needing GPS
• Companies wanting monitoring

Pricing: Starter: $7/user/month.

Pros:

• ✓ GPS tracking included
• ✓ Payroll features
• ✓ Mobile apps

Cons:

• ✗ Can feel surveillance-heavy
• ✗ Interface complexity
• ✗ Higher pricing tiers for features

Quick Comparison

Which Should You Choose?

Choose TrackLabs if:

• You want automatic tracking (no forgetting)
• Your team works on computers
• You need accurate billable hours
• You have remote/hybrid team
• You want best value for features

Choose Clockify if:

• Budget is extremely tight
• Basic tracking is sufficient
• You're just getting started

Choose Toggl if:

• You prioritize simple UX
• Manual timers work for you
• Team is very small (< 5 people)

Choose Harvest if:

• You need invoicing built-in
• You bill clients by the hour
• Budget allows for higher pricing

Choose Hubstaff if:

• You have field service team
• GPS tracking is essential
• You need employee monitoring

Implementation Tips

1. Start with Trial

Test 2-3 options before committing. What looks good on website might not work for your team.

2. Involve Team in Decision

They'll be using it daily. Get their input on usability and features.

3. Keep It Simple

Don't enable every feature day one. Start basic, add complexity as needed.

4. Communicate Why

Explain to team: "This helps us understand workload and bill accurately"—not "We're watching you."

5. Review Data Weekly

Actually use the data you're collecting. Weekly reviews identify issues early.

ROI for Small Businesses

Example:

• 10-person team
• Average rate: ₹1,500/hour
• Before time tracking: Lose 30 min/person/day to poor tracking
• Lost revenue: 10 × 0.5 hrs × ₹1,500 × 220 days = ₹16.5 lakhs/year
• Software cost: ~₹1.5 lakhs/year
• Net gain: ₹15 lakhs/year

Even capturing 50% of lost time delivers massive ROI.

Conclusion

For most small businesses, TrackLabs offers the best combination of accuracy (automatic tracking), ease of use, and value. It solves the "forgetting to track time" problem that plagues manual systems.

For ultra-tight budgets, Clockify provides free basic tracking. For teams needing invoicing, Harvest bundles both. For field service, Hubstaff's GPS tracking is valuable.

The key is choosing software your team will actually use consistently. The best features mean nothing if adoption fails. Start simple, prove value, then expand.