As a busy agency owner, you can’t afford to waste time tracking employee hours or preparing client invoices.
You need a time tracking app that automates timesheets, billing, and team management to increase productivity and retain customers.
However, there are so many platforms to consider. How do you decide which is best for your agency?
In this article, we’ll take a look at the 7 best time tracking tools for agencies and cover key features and integrations that will help your agency earn more.
5 things you need in a time tracking tool
Apps and software solutions worth investing in don’t just track your time. Ideally, we’d like a tool that provides several features such as:
1. Automation: The chosen tool should automate time tracking for maximum accuracy and optimized data collection. Choose a tool that automatically starts tracking your time and provides proof of work on a regular basis.
2. Resource Allocation: To improve productivity, you need software that predicts timelines and estimates costs. Invest in tools with cost control and team management capabilities.
3. Integration: To really save time, you need software that works with your tech stack. Prioritize apps that integrate with project management and accounting apps.
4. Employee Friendliness: To engage your team, you need a solution that gives employees some control over the monitoring process. Look for tools with options to edit time, blur screenshots, and disable autostart.
5. Scalability: You need tools that scale as your agency grows. Find a software solution that offers unlimited projects, screenshots, and data history.
Top 7 time tracking tools for agencies
So which software can help your agency succeed? Check out 7 of the best agency time tracking tools.
1. Time Doctor
Time Doctor is an employee-friendly time tracking tool that equips teams to do their best work and ultimately helps agencies build a better workforce.
Over 250,000 users, including proven agencies like RepStack and Vulpine Interactive, trust Time Doctor for time tracking, workforce management, and cost control.
Time Doctor works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android devices, helping your team manage time and avoid distractions wherever they work.
feature
Time Doctor offers several unique features that improve agency productivity.
time tracking options
Time Doctor offers multiple options for employee time tracking, allowing your team to choose which method to use while collecting valuable time input data.
Interactive mode allows team members to manually start and stop trackers. Simply select or create a task and start tracking using the web or mobile app.
If interactive mode causes too much data loss, your team can use silent mode to automatically track time. This option will start tracking time when the device is powered on.
activity tracking
Want to know how hard your team is working to maximize your agency’s profitability? Time Doctor has an idle time tracking feature that monitors keyboard and mouse movements. Flag time with no measurable activity.
Time Doctor can also record your employees’ work activities with screenshots and screen recordings at preset intervals. Employees can obfuscate sensitive data.
Screen recording makes it easy to provide proof of work to your clients. This feature increases transparency, demonstrates agency accountability, and builds trust.
As upUgo’s Luke Sarttain explains in this testimony, these features are invaluable when you have an offshore team.
team scheduling
Need to make sure you have enough coverage to meet client deadlines? Time Doctor’s scheduling tools let you create both ongoing shifts and one-time work hours.
Whether you have a hybrid team or a fully remote team, this tool helps keep team members from overworking.
With Team Scheduling enabled, you can also use Time Doctor’s reports to monitor attendance and ensure your team can start working on time.
payroll consolidation
Whether you’re a full-time employee or a freelancer, Time Doctor’s payroll integration makes payday much smoother.
The platform can be used to configure payment terms for salaried or hourly employees. You can also use this tool to create timesheets and process payments automatically.
Time Doctor integrates with payroll apps like Gusto, PayPal, and QuickBooks, so your team gets paid on time every time.
productivity report
How does your team’s active work time compare to idle time? How much time do you spend on specific projects or client accounts?
Time Doctor’s time tracking reports provide actionable insights you can use to find efficiency issues and improve productivity.
These reports also help you control project costs and create more accurate forecasts. They can also be used to identify and replace less profitable clients.
Employee benchmarking
When you want to level up your team, you need to know what kinds of productivity metrics are possible and how to guide your team to reach them.
Time Doctor’s benchmarking tool highlights your team’s top performers and analyzes their workflows. You can use these insights to reward high-performing employees and help other members of your team to break free of deadlocks and work more efficiently.
experience analysis
Improving productivity is probably an important goal if you’re actively growing your agency. But trying too hard can burn you out over time.
Use Time Doctor’s work-life balance widget to identify employees who are working excessive hours or exhibiting abnormal activity levels.
From there, you can help those team members on the right course. This way they improve their time management and stay engaged. And retain the best talent for longer.
price
Time Doctor has a 14-day free trial (no credit card required). Paid plans start at $7 per user per month.
Customer evaluation
Captella: 4.5/5 (480+ reviews)
G2: 4.4/5 (320+ reviews)
2. Rescue time
rescue time A productivity assistant with time tracking, goal setting, and coaching tools.
feature
- Set daily focus goals based on your schedule and company data
- Coach your employees to improve productivity and reach their goals
- Increase output by allowing focus sessions that block distracting sites
- Focus, distraction, flow and overwork reports to improve work-life balance
price
RescueTime offers a free version with basic features. Paid plans start at $6.50/month.
Customer evaluation
Captella: 4.6/5 (130+ reviews)
G2: 4.1/5 (80+ reviews)
3. Harvest
harvest A time tracking dashboard with instant reports and time-saving integrations.
feature
- Provides a user-friendly time tracker on mobile and desktop apps
- Create reports with actionable insights designed to improve agency workflows
- Convert billable hours into invoices to get your clients paid faster
- Integrates with 50+ accounting and project management tools like Trello and Asana
price
Harvest has a free version for solo users. Paid plans for the platform start at $10.80/seat per month (when billed annually).
Customer evaluation
Captella: 4.6/5 (540+ reviews)
G2: 4.3/5 (775+ reviews)
4. Toggle track
toggle track A time tracker designed to increase profitability and improve your workload.
feature
- Provides one-click tracking to record employee time without interrupting workflow
- Monitor team member billable hours to streamline client billing
- Estimate client project costs and timelines to increase the profitability of your work
- We produce reports with actionable insights for employers and transparency for clients
price
Toggl Track has a free plan that supports up to 5 users. Paid plans start at $9 per user per month (when billed annually).
Customer evaluation
Captella: 4.7/5 (2100+ reviews)
G2: 4.6/5 (1500+ reviews)
5. Clocking
clocked is a popular time tracker and timesheet app designed to improve your productivity.
feature
- Provides timing tools such as automatic timers, timesheets and calendars
- Support team management with tools for scheduling, billing, and expense processing
- Provides reports on team activity, employee rates, and staff locations
- Forecast project labor costs to improve budget tracking and resource allocation
price
Clockify has a free perpetual plan that allows unlimited users. Paid plans start at $3.99 per user per month (when billed annually).
Customer evaluation
Captella: 4.7/5 (4400+ reviews)
G2: 4.5/5 (140+ reviews)
6. Time Note
time note A simple time tracking and project management software platform.
feature
- Seamlessly track work hours and allow users to add or edit existing time logs
- Generate monthly team timesheets to help increase productivity
- Streamline client billing and expense tracking by providing professional reports
- Simplify your workflow by integrating with popular project management tools
price
Timenotes plans start at $39 per year for solo users and $6.99 per month for small teams.
7. Desk time
desk time is a time tracking platform with various workforce management features.
feature
- Automatically start and stop time tracking, reducing the need for manual input
- Monitor URLs, apps and document titles to report employee work habits
- Estimate workforce rates and project costs to control expenses
- Equipped with Pomodoro timer and private time function to improve work-life balance
price
DeskTime Lite is free for one user. Paid plans for the platform start at $7 per user per month (when billed annually).
Customer evaluation
Capterra: 4.5/5 (475+ reviews)
G2: 4.6/5 (175+ reviews)
summary
Employee and freelancer time tracking is very important for digital and creative agencies. However, not all apps offer the features and benefits necessary to acquire and retain clients.
Time Doctor’s employee-friendly time tracking tools help agencies save time, streamline workflows, and improve client work.
Want to see Time Doctor in action? Get started in minutes by signing up for a 14-day free trial.
Liam Martin is the co-founder of Time Doctor. This software helps you be more productive and keep track of what your team is working on even when you’re working from home.
