5 Best Developer Time Tracking Tools for Projects and Productivity
Ask an engineering manager where last sprint’s hours went, and you’ll usually get a shrug and a Jira board. While that has been used as evidence of work done, it lacks information or a breakdown of where the time was actually spent and whether it was productive.
Stack Overflow’s Developer Survey found that for 30% of developers, knowledge silos affect their productivity 10 times a week or more when someone won’t share information across the organization. Usually, issues like answering questions, investigating bugs, code reviews, and technical discussions are tracked in project management apps. That is where developer time-tracking tools come in.
Beyond recording hours, these tools identify bottlenecks and productivity blockers, provide clear, concise data on billable hours, and offer credibility to clients. This guide will provide you with the information you require to make an informed decision.
Selection Criteria for the Top Time Tracking Apps for Developers
Choosing a time tracking app for developers is always a challenge for management because the nature of the work is not clearly defined. Changes and debugging are priority-based, so context switching is inevitable.
A study shows that interruptions are costly, and by the transitive property, productivity takes a hit because developers switched between roughly 59% of their daily tasks and never resumed 29% of the tasks they interrupted. So, you cannot choose a tool that adds to the turmoil. Keeping everything in view, we tested the apps against the following criteria:
Automatic & Accurate Time Tracking (25%)
To ensure this, we assessed how effectively each tool records working hours through automatic timers.
Integration Depth (20%)
Multiple tests were done to examine compatibility with development and project management tools. It was checked how smoothly time tracking fits into existing workflows.
Reporting (20%)
This process includes generating detailed reports that cover all productivity aspects, including project hours and time allocation across tasks.
Billable Hours and Invoicing (15%)
As an essential part of client work, the tool should clearly specify billable and non-billable hours, hourly rates, project budgets, and invoice generation for client projects.
Cross-Platform Compatibility (10%)
A fitting tool supports Windows, macOS, Linux, web browsers, and mobile devices for flexibility.
Onboarding and Ease of Use (10%)
A worthwhile tool should be easy to incorporate into your daily workflow. This section covers interface usability, initial setup, learning curves, and the integration process.
Top 5 Developer Time Tracking Tools Reviewed
1. TimeBee
TimeBee is a developer time tracking tool that approaches developer time tracking from a workforce management perspective. Beyond recording project hours, it provides several features that clarify an employee's overall behavioral trends. These features include attendance records, activity visibility, productivity reporting, and project cost information.
This combination suits distributed development agencies managing contractors, fixed working hours, remotely hired developers, and multiple client assignments.
Key Features
TimeBee offers automatic time tracking and online timesheets that record and organize developers' working hours. To improve accuracy for developers' time, the app also offers manual entries and offline tracking. This accuracy is important because billable and non-billable hours are calculated based on these records.
TimeBee also has a one-click time clock. Additionally, overtime tracking records hours worked beyond scheduled shifts, while idle time tracking identifies periods of inactivity during working hours.
Reporting Capabilities
TimeBee provides productivity reports that track the time spent on tasks and projects. These records are accompanied by screenshots and detailed time utilization.
TimeBee also tracks time spent on applications and websites, which forms the basis for calculating developer productivity. Managers can view daily, weekly, and monthly reports that show productive and non-productive hours for individual developers and the entire team. This data is further consolidated into quarterly reports.
Integrations with Development Tools
TimeBee integrates tools that are essential for developers, such as Trello, GitHub, GitLab, Asana, ClickUp, and Jira. In addition, it can be integrated with more than 40 tools.
Pricing
TimeBee offers a 14-day free trial and Basic and Premium subscription options. Rates are usually based on team size, and multiple customization options are available.
Overall, among the developer time tracking tools reviewed, TimeBee is particularly suitable for development agencies that need to manage project hours and team activity across distributed teams.
2. Toggl Track
Toggl Track is a time tracking tool that focuses on ease of use. It allows developers to record their working hours without extensive details on employee monitoring. The platform essentially provides time tracking features that include project tracking and timesheets. It also offers a few reporting features.
This makes Toggl Track suitable for freelance developers, small development teams, and agencies that need accurate project time records without monitoring employee activity.
Key Features
Toggl Track offers one-click timers, manual time entries, and offline time tracking. Developers can start tracking while working on a task and assign the recorded hours to a specific project. It also provides calendar-based tracking, where developers can review their daily activities and identify missing time entries.
Going into further detail, Toggl Track includes idle time detection and a Pomodoro timer. Further, it sends reminders to help developers maintain consistent time records. It works across mobile and web applications.
Reporting Capabilities
Toggl Track provides summary and detailed reports that show the time spent on projects and tasks. Managers can review how development hours are distributed across tasks. They can also compare actual working time with project estimates.
Its paid plans include billable hours, labor costs, and project profitability. The Premium plan also includes project dashboards and timesheet approval.
Integrations with Development Tools
Toggl Track integrates with development tools such as Jira, GitHub, GitLab, etc. Moreover, it supports Asana, Trello, and several other project management applications through its integrations and browser extensions.
Pricing
Toggl Track offers a free plan for up to three users. On annual billing, its Starter plan costs $9 per user per month, and Premium costs $16 per user per month. Additionally, Enterprise pricing is available on request. A 30-day trial is available for paid features.
Overall, Toggl Track is suitable for development teams that want to track project hours and billable work without introducing extensive employee monitoring.
3. Everhour
Everhour is a time-tracking tool that records working hours directly within existing project management applications. Instead of maintaining separate project records, developers can track time against the tasks and issues they are already working on.
This approach makes Everhour suitable for software development agencies managing several client projects, particularly when project budgets, billable hours, and task estimates need to be monitored together.
Key Features
The most highlighted features of the app are one-click timers, manual time entries, timesheets, and task-based time tracking.
Apart from that, Everhour includes project budgets, task estimates, billing rates, expense tracking, and invoicing. Managers can set project budgets and receive alerts when recorded hours approach predefined limits.
Reporting Capabilities
Everhour provides detailed reports that cover time spent on projects and tasks.
Its reporting features also distinguish billable and non-billable hours, project costs, and budget usage. Reports can be customized using project information, team members, and time periods.
Integrations with Development Tools
Everhour integrates with Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Asana, ClickUp, Linear, and other project management tools.
Pricing
Everhour offers a free plan for up to five users, which covers basic time tracking and reporting without integrations.
Its Team plan costs $8.50 per user per month when billed annually. A 14-day free trial is also available. Larger organizations can request customized pricing.
Overall, Everhour is suitable for development teams that rely heavily on project management applications and need time tracking, budgeting, and client billing in the same workflow.
4. Clockify
Clockify is a time tracking tool that provides project time records, timesheets, and reporting features for development teams. Its main advantage is that small teams can start tracking their working hours without paying for a subscription.
Beyond basic time tracking, Clockify includes project management and billing, which makes it suitable for freelance developers and startups.
Key Features
Clockify offers one-click timers, manual time entries, online timesheets, and calendar-based time tracking.
The platform also provides offline time tracking through supported applications, allowing developers to continue recording hours when their internet connection is unavailable.
Its paid plans introduce additional features such as timesheet approvals, attendance tracking, overtime records, project budgets, scheduling, and invoicing. Developers can also use Clockify across desktop, mobile, and web applications.
Reporting Capabilities
Clockify provides summary, detailed, and weekly reports that show how working hours are distributed across projects, tasks, and developers.
Its higher-tier plans provide additional financial reporting, which includes labor costs, project profitability, and budget estimates. These features can help development agencies compare project expenses with the revenue generated from client work.
Integrations with Development Tools
Clockify supports integrations with Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Asana, ClickUp, and Trello.
Clockify also provides integrations with more than 100 web applications, although the level of integration varies between platforms.
Pricing
Clockify offers a free plan for up to five users. Its paid plans start at $3.99 per user per month for Basic, followed by Standard at $5.49, Pro at $7.99, and Enterprise at $11.99, annually.
Overall, Clockify is suitable for development teams that need affordable time tracking with the option to introduce more advanced project and billing features as their requirements grow.
5. Hubstaff
Hubstaff is a developer time tracking and workforce management tool that combines project time records with employee activity monitoring. In addition to tracking working hours, it provides attendance information, productivity reports, project budgets, and payroll management features.
The app suits distributed development agencies for remote developers and multiple client projects.
Key Features
Hubstaff offers automatic time tracking, manual time entries, online timesheets, and one-click timers. Developers can record working hours against assigned projects and tasks, while managers can review their recorded time.
Hubstaff also supports employee scheduling, attendance management, and payroll-related processes. However, activity levels do not necessarily reflect the quality of development work, particularly during activities such as code reviews, debugging, and technical research.
Reporting Capabilities
Hubstaff provides time and activity reports that cover individual developers and teams. Its productivity reports include information about active and idle periods along with screenshots.
Hubstaff also provides project budget reports, payment information, and invoice-related records. These can help agencies compare development costs with project budgets and calculate payments based on recorded working hours.
Integrations with Development Tools
Hubstaff integrates with Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Asana, ClickUp, Trello, and other project management applications.
It offers more than 30 integrations, including connections with accounting and payroll tools. However, integrations are not available on its Starter plan.
Pricing
Hubstaff offers a 14-day free trial. Its Starter plan costs $4.99 per user per month, Grow is $7.50, Team costs $10, and Enterprise is $25 when billed annually.
Overall, Hubstaff is suitable for remote development teams that require project time tracking alongside employee monitoring, attendance management, and payroll-related features.
Conclusion
Each one of the developer time tracking tools offers a different combination of features that suits your requirements. The right choice largely depends on your team structure, i.e., whether you’re managing freelancers, contractors, remote developers, or an in-house development team. Before choosing one, evaluate your team’s workflow, budget, and specific tracking requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to track developer productivity without affecting workflow?
The best way when it comes to tracking developer productivity is to use automatic time tracking tools that can easily integrate with existing development platforms. You should focus on task completion and time allocation.
Can time tracking tools help reduce project costs?
Yes. Time tracking tools identify budget overruns, project costing, unplanned work, and inefficient resource allocation.
How do you monitor remote developers without micromanaging?
A more suitable approach is to set clear deliverables and review progress regularly. It is best to focus on completed tasks and outcomes.
What are the common challenges of implementing time tracking in software development teams?
The most common challenges, more often than not, can include resistance from the developers, inaccurate time entries, frequent context switching, integration difficulties, and additional administrative work.
Is automatic time tracking more accurate than manual timesheets?
Generally yes, as automatic time tracking reduces forgotten entries and estimates based on memory. However, manual corrections are necessary to account for offline activities and incorrectly categorized work.
About the Author
Alex Wood – a technology and productivity writer at TimeBee. He writes about time tracking, employee productivity, project management, and tools that help teams manage their work more efficiently. His goal is to make workplace technology easier to understand and help businesses improve workflows, manage time, and stay organized.
