Best Time Tracking & Payroll Apps (2026)
Our free calculators are perfect for a quick total. But once you're tracking a whole team every week, an app saves real time. Here's an honest comparison of the tools worth your money — and the ones with a genuinely free tier.
Disclosure: we may earn a commission if you sign up through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which tools we recommend or how we rank them.
| App | Best for | Free tier | Starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clockify | Best free time tracker | Yes (generous) | Free; paid from ~$4/user/mo |
| Toggl Track | Best for freelancers | Yes | Free; paid from ~$9/user/mo |
| Homebase | Best for hourly & shift teams | Yes | Free; paid from ~$20/location/mo |
| QuickBooks Time | Best for QuickBooks payroll | Trial only | From ~$20/mo + per user |
| Gusto | Best all-in-one payroll | No (trial) | From ~$40/mo + per person |
| Hubstaff | Best for remote teams | Trial | From ~$7/user/mo |
| Deputy | Best for scheduling + time | Trial | From ~$4.50/user/mo |
| When I Work | Best simple scheduling | Trial | From ~$2.50/user/mo |
| Deel | Best for global & contractor payroll | No (demo) | From ~$49/contractor/mo; EOR from ~$599/mo |
| Rippling | Best for scaling teams (HR + IT + payroll) | No (demo) | From ~$8/user/mo (modular) |
The picks in detail
Clockify
Best free time trackerThe most generous free plan — unlimited users and projects. Great if you just need to log and total hours without paying.
Toggl Track
Best for freelancersOne-click timers and clean reports. Ideal for solo workers and freelancers billing by the hour.
Homebase
Best for hourly & shift teamsTime clock + scheduling + team messaging built for restaurants, retail and shift work. Strong free tier for a single location.
QuickBooks Time
Best for QuickBooks payrollFormerly TSheets. The obvious pick if you already run QuickBooks payroll — hours flow straight in.
Gusto
Best all-in-one payrollFull payroll, benefits and time tracking in one place. Best when you want to actually run payroll, not just track hours.
Hubstaff
Best for remote teamsTime tracking with optional activity/productivity monitoring and automated payments. Built for distributed teams.
Deputy
Best for scheduling + timeStrong shift scheduling paired with a time clock and award/overtime interpretation. Popular with healthcare and hospitality.
When I Work
Best simple schedulingDead-simple employee scheduling with a time clock add-on. Easy for managers and staff to pick up fast.
Deel
Best for global & contractor payrollHire and pay contractors and employees in 150+ countries with compliance, contracts and taxes handled. Overkill for a single local team, essential the moment you pay people abroad.
Rippling
Best for scaling teams (HR + IT + payroll)Unifies payroll, benefits and device/IT management in one system. Strong when you are scaling headcount and tired of stitching disconnected tools together.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free time tracking app?
Clockify has the most generous free plan — unlimited users and projects at no cost. Toggl Track and Homebase also offer solid free tiers. If you only need to total hours, our free calculators do that with no sign-up at all.
Do these apps calculate overtime automatically?
Most paid plans apply overtime rules, and some (like Deputy) interpret state and award rules. For a quick, free check of federal or state daily overtime, use our overtime calculator first.
Which is best for a small hourly team?
Homebase is purpose-built for hourly and shift teams and has a usable free tier for one location. If you also need full payroll, Gusto or QuickBooks Time are stronger.
Just need a quick total?
Skip the sign-up — use the free Time Card Calculator, Overtime Calculator or Biweekly Timesheet Calculator.