Timely vs Toggl Track: Which Should You Choose?

Timely vs Toggl Track: Which Should You Choose?

January 5, 2023

Can’t decide on Timely vs Toggl Track for your organization? We are here to help you!

Time tracking is an important business process. However, the usual ways to track time – paper timesheets and Excel sheets – are on their way out of use.

Simply put, filling in and reviewing paper timesheets is difficult and time-consuming. The same can be said for Excel tables. Especially so if the employees create them from scratch every time.

On the other hand, dedicated time tracking solutions have become the main way to get an insight into employee time. Timely and Toggl Track are some of the most famous time tracking platforms.

Let’s see how these two solutions compare in features and pricing.

Timely vs Toggl Quick Comparison

 

toggl vs timely

Timely Intro

Timely is an automatic time tracking solution. The platform focuses on being as subtle and running in the background. This makes it a great solution for teams that want to dedicate as much time as possible to work.

 

Some other similar solutions manage their time tracking through employee monitoring. This includes keystroke tracking and screenshots. Timely opposes these methods and respects employee privacy.

Timely runs in the background and captures all device activity during the day. The app is synchronized across multiple devices, including smartwatches. Thus, it is a great solution for remote teams.

Other important features the app offers are planning, team, and project management. This makes it a good option for organizations that want a bit more out of their time tracking solution.

Toggl Track Intro

Toggl Track is one of the three products Toggl offers. It is a time tracking software solution with project and task management options as well. In other words, it measures up to Timely quite well.

The time tracking process is highly automated as well. Namely, Toggl Track monitors specific keywords related to different projects. This way the time is accounted for and allocated to the right clients.

Again, there is no screenshot option. However, Toggl Track monitors active applications and the websites the users are active on during the workday.

Toggl is also available on a multitude of devices and Oss. Hence, it is also a good solution for remote and field teams.

Timely vs Toggl Detailed Comparison

As you can see, the two applications are pretty similar. We are here to help you differentiate between them. Hopefully, you’ll be able to decide which approach suits you and your team better.

Let us go through the most important features of both apps.

1. Time Tracking

Time tracking is the main purpose of both applications. We are going to compare this feature within both apps to help you make an informed decision.

A. Timely Time Tracking

As we have previously stated, Timely tracks employee time automatically. The platform allows all users to work without interruptions.

The time tracking feature is completely hands-off, so the team can focus on their tasks without worrying about forgetting to make a time entry.

The platform monitors user activity in different apps during their working hours. Then, it automatically creates timesheets based on that information. Automation eliminates human error completely.

All information is completely private and only the employee can assess it. this only changes once the employee is ready to submit their data. The employees also control the information they share.

The data is presented in a color-coordinated calendar view for maximum clarity.

B. Toggl Track Time Tracking

Toggl tracks employee time automatically as well. However, the application also offers the option of manual entries with the help of a time clock.

The manual method relies on a simple Start/Stop button that the employees press to track time absolutely accurately. Making entries this way is quite simple and very quick. That is to say, the employees won’t be losing precious time on tracking.

The automatic time tracking component relies on keywords. Different projects are marked with their own keywords, and the system allocates time to the specific project as soon as it registers them.

The platform also monitors user activity – apps, URLs, and documents used during work.

2. Project Management

Both applications offer some project management features. How do they compare? Let’s see!

A. Timely Project Management

Project management features Timely offers are extremely convenient. This is true as you can plan tasks ahead of time and have an overview of upcoming tasks.

The task lists are easily manageable, and users can prioritize different tasks as the need arises.

Project budgeting and progress tracking are features any project manager will look forward to. Timely shows both how the project is going and whether it’s on track when it comes to costs.

This way, project managers will have a real-time overview of project health. Again, this element is calculated automatically, so there is no need for guessing.

B. Toggl Track Project Management

Toggl Track also offers great project management options. The application shows exactly where the team spends its time and resources. This allows managers to keep an eye on budgets and time constraints.

Project profitability is an important issue for any organization. Simply put, your team can work hard and manage projects with great efficiency. Yet, if the projects are unprofitable it all comes crashing down.

This is why Toggl Track focuses on tracking project profitability. The app makes sure the projects bring the company more money than they cost.

The tracking features ultimately show how much time and resources are needed for a project of a certain size. In other words, they allow you to make accurate estimates both for your team and the clients.

3. Reports

Measuring employee time is futile if you aren’t getting any information back from it. In other words, a time tracking tool needs to give great reports. How does Timely vs Toggl Track compare in this aspect?

A. Timely Reports

Timely delivers a large variety of diverse and useful reports. They can be viewed on a week-to-week basis, or you can customize the time range manually.

The employees can see exactly where their time goes and use these reports to plan weeks ahead based on the information.

The reports give information on the most important aspect of the company too. So, you can track profitability, estimates vs real time spent on specific tasks, etc.

B. Toggl Track Reports

Toggl Track offers fewer reporting options. They are still useful, especially for smaller teams.

  • Summary reports show both total hours and the percentage of billable hours within them. This report is shown as a graph for full comprehension.
  • Detailed reports concern how time was spent within a specific period. You can filter through the information to make sure you’re seeing only necessary information.
  • Weekly reports are useful if you want to see how a specific employee spent their work week.

4. Payroll Management

Many time tracking solutions offer a payroll feature. After all, it is logical for a tool that has all data on employee time to be able to help you calculate how much to pay your workers.

However, neither Timely nor Toggl have any payroll features. It is important to acknowledge this, as different companies need different features.

5. Invoicing

Again, we are observing an aspect of business that can be addressed through time tracking software. To put it simply, the users are tracking their time and allocating it to different projects.

How does Timely vs Toggl Track stand in this field?

A. Timely Invoicing

Timely offers a billing feature, even though the website doesn’t explain the specifics. It does promise accurate billing, though, which means users can at least calculate the amount of money they’re making.

B. Toggl Track Invoicing

Toggl doesn’t include an invoicing feature. It does offer numerous integrations, though, so you’ll be able to use them to create invoices.

6. Integrations

Different companies require different functions. That is to say, you may already be using business-related software and want to improve efficiency by adding a time tracking solution.

The question of interaction between these tools arises. So, let us see how Timely and Toggl Track work along with other apps.

A. Timely Integrations

Timely offers a good number of integrations with different types of business software.

  • Time tracking integrations are available to help you see the most valuable tools you have
  • Sync integrations allow you to synchronize data between Timely and project management and accounting apps
  • Invoicing integrations help you create invoices for your clients as accurately as possible
  • Automation integrations turn different Timely activities into actions in other apps

B. Toggl Track Integrations

Toggl also focuses on seamless integrations with a variety of tools.

  • Calendar integrations connect tracked time and plans to show how well you’ve estimated your projects
  • Communication app integration allows you to continue sharing information and documents
  • HR and Accounting integrations help you calculate payroll and manage the workforce
  • IT and web development apps keep your IT team happy as they can continue using their favorite tools
  • Project management integrations help you understand workflow and identify issues

User Reviews

toggl timely reviews

Not Happy with the Options? How About an Alternative?

If you’re interested in a simpler and more affordable solution, we could have an alternative for you in Time Analytics.

Time Analytics time tracking

Even though it is a much simpler platform, Time Analytics offers several advantages over both Toggl Track and Timely.

Time Analytics – Features & Benefits

A. Time tracking

This feature helps accountants to track their time and increase productivity and service profits:

  • Time tracking on each specified task, project and client
  • Start timer or add time manually
  • Mark hours as billable
  • Add notes to project time entries
  • Billing and labor rates
  • Automatic cost allocation to the projects
  • Time-off tracking of attorney team (vacation, sick leaves, daily breaks)

B. Timesheets

  • Detailed timesheet showing each time entry per project, client and task
  • Weekly timesheet with breaks
  • Timesheets reviews and edit by manager
  • Timesheet filtering and export in Excel

C. Time reporting

  • Productivity insights – time utilization, total hours vs capacity
  • Insights in billing efficiency and billable hours per clients and services
  • Revenue and profits reporting based on billing and cost rates
  • Reporting on billable hours and non-billable for each employee
  • Insights in overtime hours

E. Create transparent and accurate invoices

  • Review all services and tasks your team did for clients
  • Review billable hours for each client
  • Export invoice to the Excel and make final adjustments

Support options

  • In-app chat and 60+ written tutorials
  • Email support
  • Booking 1:1 live demo

Security

  • Data hosted in – Amazon Web Services (AWS)
  • Amazon Web Services ISO 27001 Compliance
  • Encryption with SSL encryption (HTTPS)
  • Data back-ups every day

Pricing Comparison

Both Toggl Track and Timely are more complex solutions. This, of course, means more expensive plans. Toggl Track offers a free plan for small teams with limited functionality. However, any company with over 5 employees has to set aside quite a sum to use the platform.

Time Analytics, on the other hand, offers two more affordable plans. You can get Starter for $4.99 per team member per month. Optimum costs $8.45.

Time analytics pricing

To Wrap It Up

Timely and Toggl Track are well-established time tracking solutions. Both applications rely on monitoring user activity and creating timesheets based on apps and URLs the employees use. Toggl Track even has a keyword-based feature that helps determine employees’ activities more accurately.

Toggl has an exquisite design that is bound to catch the eye of companies with younger staff. On the other hand, Timely is straightforward and offers great organizational features.

Both applications are great for remote teams, as they are available on multiple platforms and operating systems.

Hopefully, you are now more informed on the features, pros, and cons of both platforms and can make an informed decision.

Finally, if you are looking for a simpler and more affordable solution, you can take a look at our product as well.

Join thousands of companies that grow with Time Analytics

WTS
Finexepertiza
ASW
BIB
Arcadius
Fidelis
Miras Managment
Zabriskie studio