Timely vs Toggl Track – Best Pick for Busy Teams in 2026

Time tracking has become essential for businesses, freelancers, and remote workers seeking to maximise productivity and accurately bill clients. Two platforms consistently lead discussions in this space: Timely and Toggl Track. Both promise to streamline time management, yet they approach time tracking through fundamentally different philosophies.

This comprehensive comparison examines features, pricing, user experience, and practical applications to help you choose the right tool for your needs. Whether you’re a solo freelancer seeking automatic time capture or a team leader requiring detailed project analytics, understanding these platforms’ unique strengths will guide your decision.

What is Timely?

Timely operates as an automatic time tracking platform that captures work activity without manual input. Unlike traditional time trackers that require users to start and stop timers, Timely runs silently in the background, recording applications used, websites visited, and documents edited throughout the day.

Founded in 2014, Timely has evolved from a basic scheduling tool into a comprehensive time intelligence platform. The software emphasises automatic data capture and AI-powered insights, helping users understand their work patterns without the administrative burden of manual time entry.

Key Timely Features

Automatic Time Capture: Timely’s signature capability tracks all computer activity automatically, including applications, websites, and documents. This eliminates the need for manual timer management whilst ensuring complete time accountability.

AI-Powered Time Categorisation: Advanced machine learning algorithms analyse captured activity and automatically categorise work into relevant projects and tasks, reducing manual organisation requirements.

Privacy-First Design: Despite comprehensive activity tracking, Timely maintains user privacy by allowing individuals to control what data gets shared with teams and clients.

Real-Time Insights: Comprehensive dashboards provide immediate visibility into time allocation, productivity patterns, and project progress across individuals and teams.

Memory Aid Timeline: Visual timelines help users recall their daily activities when creating timesheets, ensuring accurate time reporting even hours or days later.

What is Toggl Track?

Toggl Track, developed by Toggl OÜ, represents a manual time tracking solution focused on simplicity and flexibility. Originally launched in 2007, Toggl Track has become one of the most popular time tracking tools globally, serving millions of users across various industries.

The platform operates through a straightforward start-stop timer mechanism, allowing users to track time across different projects, clients, and tasks. Toggl Track prioritises user control and conscious time management over automatic capture, making it ideal for those who prefer deliberate time tracking.

Key Toggl Track Features

Simple Timer Interface: One-click time tracking with easy project and task assignment makes starting and stopping work sessions effortless across devices.

Comprehensive Reporting: Detailed time reports with filtering options help users analyse productivity patterns and generate client invoices based on tracked hours.

Project Organisation: Hierarchical project structure with clients, projects, and tasks enables detailed time allocation and accurate billing for complex work arrangements.

Team Collaboration: Team features include shared projects, time tracking permissions, and collaborative reporting for project management and resource allocation.

Extensive Integrations: Over 100 integrations with popular productivity tools, project management platforms, and accounting software streamline workflow efficiency.

Feature Comparison: Timely vs Toggl Track

Time Tracking Approach

Timely specialises in automatic time capture that requires minimal user intervention. The platform tracks:

• Application usage and active windows
• Website visits and browsing patterns
• Document editing and file management
• Meeting participation and communication
• Keyboard and mouse activity levels

Toggl Track provides manual time tracking through user-initiated timers. Users can track:

• Project-specific work sessions
• Task-level time allocation
• Client work with detailed descriptions
• Billable versus non-billable hours
• Time estimates versus actual duration

Data Accuracy and Completeness

Timely’s automatic approach ensures comprehensive time capture without gaps or forgotten sessions. The platform records all computer activity, providing complete visibility into work patterns and eliminating the common problem of untracked time.

Toggl Track’s manual approach depends on user discipline and memory. While this provides greater control over what gets tracked, it often results in incomplete time records due to forgotten timers or retrospective time entry.

Privacy and Control

Timely offers granular privacy controls despite comprehensive tracking. Users can:

• Review all captured data before sharing
• Delete sensitive or personal activity
• Control team visibility settings
• Anonymise specific applications or websites
• Set private time periods

Toggl Track provides natural privacy through manual control. Users decide exactly what gets tracked and shared, making it inherently more private but potentially less comprehensive.

Reporting and Analytics

Timely provides advanced analytics with insights including:

• Productivity scoring based on work patterns
• Automatic project time allocation
• Team performance comparisons
• Real-time project progress tracking
• Burnout risk identification

Toggl Track offers comprehensive reporting with features including:

• Detailed time breakdowns by project and client
• Billable hours calculation and invoicing
• Team productivity summaries
• Custom report generation
• Time tracking goal monitoring

Pricing Comparison

Timely Pricing Structure

Timely offers tiered pricing based on features and team size:

Starter Plan: Basic automatic tracking for individuals with essential reporting features

Premium Plan: Advanced AI categorisation, team features, and enhanced privacy controls

Unlimited Plan: Complete feature access with unlimited projects, clients, and integrations

Enterprise: Custom solutions with dedicated support and advanced security features

Toggl Track Pricing Structure

Toggl Track provides straightforward pricing options:

Free Plan: Basic time tracking for up to 5 users with limited reporting features

Starter Plan: Enhanced reporting and project organisation for small teams

Premium Plan: Advanced features including time audits, project templates, and priority support

Enterprise: Custom solutions with advanced permissions, dedicated support, and enhanced security

Use Case Analysis

When to Choose Timely

Timely excels for users who:

• Struggle with manual time tracking consistency
• Need comprehensive activity visibility for productivity analysis
• Work across multiple projects simultaneously
• Require accurate time allocation without administrative overhead
• Want to identify productivity patterns and time wasters

Consultants, agencies, and knowledge workers often find Timely’s automatic approach particularly valuable for ensuring complete time accountability without workflow disruption.

When to Choose Toggl Track

Toggl Track works best for users who:

• Prefer conscious control over time tracking
• Need simple, reliable timer functionality
• Focus on specific billable project work
• Require extensive third-party integrations
• Want team collaboration without privacy concerns

Freelancers, small agencies, and project-based teams often prefer Toggl Track’s simplicity and flexibility for tracking specific client work.

User Experience and Interface Design

Timely User Experience

Timely’s interface focuses on data visualisation and timeline review. The platform presents captured activity through intuitive timelines that help users understand their work patterns and create accurate timesheets.

The learning curve involves understanding how to interpret automatically captured data and configure privacy settings. Users must develop habits around reviewing and categorising their daily activity.

Toggl Track User Experience

Toggl Track prioritises simplicity with a clean, minimalist interface. The prominent timer and easy project selection make starting time tracking effortless across desktop and mobile devices.

The learning curve centres on developing consistent time tracking habits and setting up project structures. Users must remember to start and stop timers throughout their workday.

Integration and Workflow Efficiency

Timely Integration Capabilities

Timely provides integrations with common productivity tools including:

• Project management platforms
• Calendar applications
• Communication tools
• File storage services
• Accounting software

These integrations enhance automatic data capture and provide additional context for time categorisation.

Toggl Track Integration Ecosystem

Toggl Track offers extensive integration options with over 100 supported tools including:

• Project management platforms (Asana, Trello, Monday.com)
• Development tools (GitHub, GitLab, Jira)
• Communication platforms (Slack, Microsoft Teams)
• Accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero)
• CRM systems (Salesforce, HubSpot)

These integrations enable seamless timer management directly within existing workflows.

Accuracy and Billing Considerations

Timely for Client Billing

Timely’s automatic capture ensures no billable time gets lost, but requires careful review to separate billable from non-billable activities. The platform’s AI categorisation helps, but users must verify accuracy for client billing.

The comprehensive activity record provides excellent backup documentation for disputed hours and helps justify time allocation to clients.

Toggl Track for Client Billing

Toggl Track’s manual approach provides precise control over billable time tracking. Users can assign specific hourly rates, mark sessions as billable or non-billable, and generate professional invoices directly from tracked time.

The platform’s billing features include automated invoice generation, expense tracking, and integration with accounting software for streamlined financial management.

Team Management and Collaboration

Timely Team Features

Timely’s team functionality includes:

• Real-time project progress visibility
• Team productivity comparisons
• Automatic workload balancing insights
• Collaborative time review processes
• Privacy controls for sensitive work

These features help managers understand team capacity and identify potential burnout risks without micromanaging individual activity.

Toggl Track Team Features

Toggl Track offers comprehensive team management with:

• Shared project hierarchies
• Team member permissions and access controls
• Collaborative reporting and dashboards
• Time tracking approval workflows
• Team productivity analytics

The platform’s team features focus on project visibility and resource allocation rather than individual activity monitoring.

Making the Right Choice

Your decision between Timely and Toggl Track should align with your time tracking philosophy and practical requirements.

Choose Timely if you:

• Struggle with consistent manual time tracking
• Need comprehensive activity visibility
• Work across multiple projects simultaneously
• Want to eliminate time tracking administrative overhead
• Require detailed productivity insights

Choose Toggl Track if you:

• Prefer conscious control over time tracking
• Focus on specific billable project work
• Need extensive third-party integrations
• Want simple, reliable timer functionality
• Require traditional team collaboration features

Getting Started with Your Choice

Both platforms offer opportunities to test their capabilities before committing to paid plans.

For Timely, start with the automatic tracking feature and spend time reviewing the captured data. Focus on understanding the timeline interface and configuring privacy settings that match your comfort level.

For Toggl Track, begin with the free tier to explore the timer functionality and project organisation features. Experiment with different project structures and reporting options to understand how the platform fits your workflow.

Consider running parallel tests using both platforms for a week. This direct comparison provides concrete evidence of which approach better serves your time tracking needs and work patterns.