This list of the best free time tracking apps in 2026 includes Toggl, TMetric, ActivityWatch, Magicflow, Rize, Clockk, and Gryzzly. Each app provides a way to start tracking time without spending money—either through a permanent free plan or a generous no-cost trial period. These tools have been selected for their genuinely free offerings, making it possible for anyone to begin improving productivity today.
Whether you are a freelancer, a small team, or someone who values data privacy, these apps meet you where you are. Use this guide to compare the free options, understand what each includes, and decide which time tracker fits your workflow without straining your budget. Every pick here has been evaluated for its free tier’s depth and practicality.
How we picked these time tracking apps
We evaluated each app for the depth of its free offering, clarity of pricing, fit for common use cases, and reliability. Only apps with a genuinely free plan or a no-cost trial made the cut. We prioritized those that offer unlimited time entries, useful features like reporting or integrations, and transparent upgrade paths. None of these picks require a credit card upfront or push hidden fees.
Related shortlists: 5 Best Free Project Management Software in 2026 and 10 Best Free Team Collaboration Software in 2026.
Also worth a look: 7 Best Time Tracking Apps in 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Key features | Pricing | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toggl | solo users and small teams who want a robust free plan with unlimited entries and integrations. | One-click timers, Auto tracker, Detailed reports | Free — up to 3 users, unlimited time entries | Free plan |
| TMetric | freelancers and small teams needing free billable-hour tracking and live profitability insights. | Billable-hour tracking, Live profitability, One-click invoicing | Free — up to 2 seats | 14-day free trial |
| ActivityWatch | privacy-conscious users who want a fully open-source, local-first time tracker with no costs. | Open source, Local-first privacy, Cross-platform | Free — fully open source, no feature gates or usage limits | Free plan |
| Magicflow | productivity enthusiasts who want a free trial that tracks deep work and context switching alongside well-being. | Context-switch tracking, Deep work sessions, Sleep and exercise log | Free — 30-day trial with time tracking and productivity metrics | 30-day free trial |
| Rize | professionals seeking a free trial that combines automatic time tracking with focus coaching. | Automatic tracking, Focus coaching, AI daily summaries | Basic — $9.99/month billed annually | 7-day free trial |
| Clockk | billing-focused freelancers who want a free trial with background tracking and daily timesheet summaries. | Background tracking, Client auto-sort, Daily Timesheet Cheatsheet | Insight — $8/user/month billed annually | Free trial, no credit card required |
| Gryzzly | teams already using Slack or Microsoft Teams who want a free trial of native time logging with budget alerts. | Slack and Teams native, AI budget alerts, Project profitability | TIME plan — €10/user/month billed yearly | 14-day free trial |
The best time tracking apps in 2026
Here are our top picks, each with details on their free plan or trial and where paid plans begin. The first three—Toggl, TMetric, and ActivityWatch—offer permanent free plans that can sustain solo users and small teams indefinitely. The remaining apps provide generous free trials that let you test advanced capabilities before committing.
1. Toggl
Free time tracking software for busy teams.
Toggl is best for: solo users and small teams who want a robust free plan with unlimited entries and integrations.
Toggl offers a generous free plan for up to 3 users with unlimited time entries and one-click timers. Its 100+ integrations and detailed reports make it ideal for freelancers and small teams. Paid plans start at $9/user/month for advanced features.
Key Toggl features
- One-click timers — start and stop tracking from desktop, browser or mobile in a tap
- Auto tracker — detects idle time and suggests entries you forgot to log
- Detailed reports — breaks down hours by project, client or team member
- 100+ integrations — connects to Asana, Trello, Jira and dozens of other tools
- Cross-platform apps — native apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android
Toggl pricing
- Free — up to 3 users, unlimited time entries
- Starter — $9/user/month
- Premium — $16/user/month
- Enterprise — custom pricing
- Free trial: Free plan
2. TMetric
Time tracker with real-time project profitability.
TMetric is best for: freelancers and small teams needing free billable-hour tracking and live profitability insights.
TMetric's free plan covers up to 2 seats with billable-hour tracking and real-time profitability monitoring. It's perfect for those who need to see project margins at a glance. Paid plans are priced on request.
Key TMetric features
- Billable-hour tracking — auto-tracks time and applies rates by client or project
- Live profitability — see project margins update in real time as hours log
- One-click invoicing — turns tracked hours straight into client invoices
- Payroll and time off — handles payroll calculations and time-off requests
- 50+ integrations — connects to Asana, Jira, Trello and other project tools
TMetric pricing
- Free — up to 2 seats
- Professional — pricing on request
- Business — pricing on request
- Enterprise — custom pricing
- Free trial: 14-day free trial
3. ActivityWatch
Open-source time tracker.
ActivityWatch is best for: privacy-conscious users who want a fully open-source, local-first time tracker with no costs.
ActivityWatch is completely free and open source, with all data staying on your device. It automatically tracks window and website activity with no accounts or servers. Optional patronage starts at $5/month to support development.
Key ActivityWatch features
- Open source — free forever, MPL-2.0 licensed, no feature gates or ads
- Local-first privacy — all data stays on the device, nothing sent to a server
- Cross-platform — works on Windows, Mac and Linux with matching features
- Window and website tracking — logs active apps and browser tabs automatically
- Extensible — community watchers and visualizations extend what it tracks
ActivityWatch pricing
- Free — fully open source, no feature gates or usage limits
- AW Pro patronage — from $5/month to support development (optional)
- Free trial: Free plan
4. Magicflow
Track your productivity, context switching and deep work.
Magicflow is best for: productivity enthusiasts who want a free trial that tracks deep work and context switching alongside well-being.
Magicflow provides a 30-day free trial with automatic time tracking, context-switch counts, and focus metrics. It uniquely logs sleep and exercise to connect habits to output. Pro plan costs $8/month billed annually.
Key Magicflow features
- Context-switch tracking — counts how often focus breaks across the day
- Deep work sessions — flags long, uninterrupted blocks of focused time
- Sleep and exercise log — connects wellbeing habits to productive output
- Weekly and monthly reports — shows trends in focus over time
- Automatic capture — tracks activity in the background with no manual timer
Magicflow pricing
- Free — 30-day trial with time tracking and productivity metrics
- Pro — $8/month billed annually
- Free trial: 30-day free trial
5. Rize
The most advanced time tracker ever created.
Rize is best for: professionals seeking a free trial that combines automatic time tracking with focus coaching.
Rize offers a 7-day free trial of its automatic tracking and AI daily summaries. It flags context switches and integrates with calendars to improve focus habits. Basic plan starts at $9.99/month billed annually.
Key Rize features
- Automatic tracking — logs work sessions without starting or stopping a timer
- Focus coaching — flags context switches and short sessions that break deep work
- AI daily summaries — turns a day's activity into a readable recap
- Calendar sync — compares planned meetings against actual time spent
- Data export — download full history any time, even after cancelling
Rize pricing
- Basic — $9.99/month billed annually
- Pro — $23.99/month billed annually
- Max — $39.99/month billed annually
- Enterprise — custom pricing
- Free trial: 7-day free trial
6. Clockk
AI-powered time tracking that runs in the background.
Clockk is best for: billing-focused freelancers who want a free trial with background tracking and daily timesheet summaries.
Clockk's free trial requires no credit card and runs fully in the background. It auto-sorts time by client and emails a ready-to-approve daily timesheet. Paid plans start at $8/user/month.
Key Clockk features
- Background tracking — runs quietly, no manual start/stop timers required
- Client auto-sort — organizes apps, sites, email and calendar entries by client
- Daily Timesheet Cheatsheet — emails a ready-to-approve summary each morning
- Retroactive editing — fix or reassign time after the fact without losing accuracy
- Built for billing — designed around accurate, defensible client invoices
Clockk pricing
- Insight — $8/user/month billed annually
- Studio — $15/user/month billed annually
- Agency — $20/user/month billed annually
- Free trial: Free trial, no credit card required
7. Gryzzly
Effortless time tracking for your team and projects.
Gryzzly is best for: teams already using Slack or Microsoft Teams who want a free trial of native time logging with budget alerts.
Gryzzly offers a 14-day free trial that lets team members log time directly inside Slack or Teams. It sends budget alerts and tracks project profitability in real time. Paid plans start at €10/user/month.
Key Gryzzly features
- Slack and Teams native — team members log time without leaving chat
- AI budget alerts — predicts budget overflows before a project goes over
- Project profitability — compares tracked hours against budget in real time
- Effortless reminders — nudges teammates who haven't logged their day
- Team reporting — rolls up hours and budgets across every active project
Gryzzly pricing
- TIME plan — €10/user/month billed yearly
- BUDGET plan — €15/user/month billed yearly
- Enterprise — custom pricing for teams over 100 people
- Free trial: 14-day free trial
Which time tracking apps should you choose?
For solo users who need unlimited time entries and integrations, Toggl‘s free plan is hard to beat. Freelancers and small teams should consider TMetric‘s free two-seat plan. If you value privacy and open-source software, ActivityWatch is the clear choice. For those who want a productivity coach with a free trial, Rize offers a week to test its automatic tracking. Clockk‘s free trial requires no credit card and is ideal for billing-focused professionals. Magicflow‘s 30-day trial gives you deep focus metrics, while Gryzzly‘s trial integrates directly with Slack or Teams.
We recommend starting with Toggl or TMetric for their substantial free plans, or ActivityWatch if you want data sovereignty. For a limited-time test drive, Rize, Clockk, Magicflow, and Gryzzly each offer a generous trial period that lets you explore advanced features risk-free. The best app is the one you will actually use consistently—and every pick here gives you a genuine opportunity to try before you buy.
