Best Time Tracking Apps for Freelancers (2026)
The best time tracking app for freelancers is one that fits your workflow, offers the features you need, and doesn't add unnecessary complexity. For Dutch freelancers (zzp'ers), the most popular choices in 2026 are Toggl Track, Clockify, Google Sheets, and Notion - each with distinct strengths depending on how you work.
What to Look for as a Freelancer
Before comparing specific tools, consider what matters most for your situation:
- Ease of use: Will you actually use it every day?
- Timer functionality: Do you need real-time tracking or is manual entry enough?
- Pricing: Free tier vs. paid features you actually need
- Integrations: Can it connect to your accounting system?
- Reporting: Do you need detailed reports or just totals?
- Mobile access: Do you work on the go?
- Dutch compatibility: Does it handle European date/time formats and EUR currency?
The Top Time Tracking Tools Compared
1. Toggl Track
Best for: Freelancers who want a polished, dedicated tracking experience.
Toggl Track is arguably the most well-known time tracking tool globally. It focuses exclusively on time tracking and does it well.
Key features:
- One-click timer with browser, desktop, and mobile apps
- Project and client organization
- Visual reports and dashboards
- Team features (for freelancers who collaborate)
- Idle detection and reminders
- 100+ integrations
Pricing (2026):
| Plan | Price | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 | Timer, basic reports, 5 users max |
| Starter | €9/user/mo | Billable rates, saved reports |
| Premium | €18/user/mo | Time estimates, project forecasting |
Pros: Beautiful UX, fast timer, reliable sync across devices. Cons: Billable rates require paid plan. No built-in invoicing.
For exporting your Toggl data, see our Toggl export guide.
2. Clockify
Best for: Budget-conscious freelancers who need features without paying.
Clockify gained popularity by offering a generous free tier that includes features competitors charge for.
Key features:
- Unlimited tracking on the free plan
- Timer and manual entry modes
- Billable vs. non-billable tagging
- Basic reporting and exports
- Browser extensions and mobile apps
- Kiosk mode (for on-site tracking)
Pricing (2026):
| Plan | Price | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 | Unlimited users, unlimited tracking |
| Basic | €4/user/mo | Time off, overtime, custom fields |
| Standard | €6/user/mo | Invoicing, scheduling |
| Pro | €10/user/mo | GPS tracking, budget alerts |
Pros: Most generous free plan. Invoicing on paid plans. Good value. Cons: Interface less polished than Toggl. Free plan shows ads.
3. Google Sheets
Best for: Freelancers who want zero cost, maximum flexibility, and already live in Google Workspace.
Not a time tracking app per se, but a legitimate option used by roughly 30% of Dutch freelancers.
Key features:
- Completely free
- Fully customizable format
- Formulas for calculations
- Shareable with clients and accountants
- API access for integrations
Pros: No subscription, no learning curve, total control. Cons: No timer, requires discipline, scales poorly.
For setup instructions, read our Google Sheets time tracking guide.
4. Notion
Best for: Freelancers who use Notion for project management and want everything in one place.
Notion isn't a time tracking tool, but its flexible database system can be configured for time tracking with custom properties and views.
Key features:
- Custom databases with date, number, and formula properties
- Multiple views (table, calendar, board)
- Templates for recurring entries
- Relation properties to link time entries to projects/clients
- API access
Pros: Powerful if you already use Notion. No extra tool needed. Cons: No built-in timer. Setup required. Can get complex.
See our detailed guide: Notion as a time tracking tool.
5. Harvest
Best for: Freelancers who want time tracking and invoicing in one tool.
Harvest has been around since 2006 and combines time tracking with invoicing and expense tracking.
Key features:
- Timer and manual entry
- Built-in invoicing from tracked hours
- Expense tracking
- Project budgets with alerts
- QuickBooks and Xero integration
Pricing (2026):
| Plan | Price | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 | 1 user, 2 projects |
| Pro | €11/user/mo | Unlimited projects, invoicing |
Pros: Invoice directly from tracked hours. Clean interface. Cons: Free plan extremely limited. Fewer integrations with Dutch tools.
6. Accounting Software Built-in Tracking
Tools like Moneybird and Simplicate include time tracking modules. These keep everything in one system but typically offer a basic tracking experience compared to dedicated tools.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | Toggl | Clockify | Google Sheets | Notion | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timer | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Sheets app | Notion app | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (limited) |
| Billable rates (free) | No | Yes | Manual | Manual | No |
| Invoicing | No | Paid plans | No | No | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Offline mode | Yes | Yes | Yes (with setup) | Limited | Yes |
| Custom fields | Limited | Paid | Unlimited | Yes | Limited |
| Dutch accounting sync | Via Synkr | Via Synkr | Via Synkr | Via Synkr | Limited |
Decision Framework
Ask yourself these questions to narrow down your choice:
"Do I need a timer?"
If yes: Toggl or Clockify. If you're fine with manual entry: any option works.
"How important is free?"
If very: Clockify (most features for free) or Google Sheets (truly free forever). Toggl's free plan is decent but limits features like billable rates.
"Do I want invoicing built in?"
If yes: Harvest (or Clockify paid plan). Otherwise, pair your tracker with your accounting software.
"Do I already use Notion for everything?"
If yes: Try Notion time tracking before adding another tool. But be honest about whether it actually works for daily tracking.
"How many entries per week?"
Under 10: Google Sheets works fine. 10-50: Toggl or Clockify. Over 50: Definitely a dedicated tool with good filtering and reporting.
The Integration Question
Whichever tool you pick, the real question for Dutch freelancers is: how do your tracked hours reach your accounting system?
Most Dutch accounting platforms don't have native integrations with popular time trackers. This means you're often stuck with:
- Manual re-entry (time-consuming, error-prone)
- CSV export + import (tedious, format mismatches)
- Custom API scripts (requires technical skills)
- Sync tools like Synkr (designed for this exact problem)
Synkr supports Toggl, Google Sheets, Excel, and Notion as source systems, and Moneybird, Simplicate, and e-Boekhouden as destinations. You pull your hours, review them, and push to your accounting system - no manual re-entry needed.
Our Recommendation
For most Dutch freelancers in 2026:
- Start with Toggl Free if you want a real tracking experience with timers. Upgrade to Starter when you need billable rates.
- Use Google Sheets if you're budget-conscious, track fewer than 15 entries per week, and value flexibility over convenience.
- Try Clockify if you want Toggl-like features without paying.
- Stick with Notion if you already have your project management there and don't mind the setup effort.
The Missing Piece: From Tracking to Accounting
Picking the right tracker is only half the puzzle. The real time sink for most freelancers isn't logging hours - it's manually re-entering them into your accounting software. That process alone costs an average of 30 minutes per week and is a common source of errors.
Synkr bridges this gap. Connect your time tracker (Toggl, Google Sheets, Excel, Notion) to your accounting system (Moneybird, Simplicate, e-Boekhouden) and sync your hours with one click. No re-typing, no CSV exports, no mistakes.
Our advice: Pick the tracking tool that fits your workflow (see the comparison above), then connect it to your accounting system via Synkr. Best of both worlds - a tracker you enjoy using, and hours that end up where they need to be automatically.
Start free with Synkr - your first connection takes less than 10 minutes.
For more on the sync workflow, read about syncing time entries: manual vs. automatic.