Right now, I am looking to implement timesheets in my company. We have grown and need to keep track of things via app solutions rather than eyeballing and guessing. Here some reasons for why I need better and more accessible data:
- Knowledge of what we are spending time on
- Ability to clock billable time and auto send for billing
- Ability to quantify work time spend versus revenue generated
- Assist project managers to track time per project and team members
- Cost of sales process
- Project time planning
- Attendance/PTO time management
We could build this in excel, Airtable, or combine something like Notion and a Google calendar. This means we would need someone who is great at making tools with excel and Airtable integration. Though I am great fan of both these applications I am thinking it’s not the best solution for our needs.
Ideally, I want all of this in a centralised system that links to billing, HR, and projects. We use Office 365 across the board so something that easily integrates with Outlook, SharePoint etc would be ideal. Checking around with other business owners and some online ‘Best 10 systems’ articles I have come up with a short list of 5 systems to that fit our requirements.
Price Basic Plan: Free, unlimited users
Features Included: Unlimited tracking, Time tracker, Timesheet, Kiosk, Auto tracker, Calendar, Mobile & desktop app, Pomodoro timer, Idle detection & reminders, Tracking integrations, Team activity, Reports, Export & share data, Billable rates.
Integrations: Zapier, Jira, Outlook, Google Calendar, Pumble, Quickbooks ++
Customers: HP, Siemens, Verison, UCLA, Cisco
Ownership: This is owned by cake.com, a US company
Price Basic Plan: free for up to 10 users, $29 for the first 30 users and $0.05 per additional user
Features included: Real-time clock in & out with GPS, Unlimited jobs (clients, projects, etc.), Payroll integration, Basic scheduling, including open shifts, Unlimited checklists, forms, and tasks.
Integrations: Google, Zapier, Lightspeed, Teams, FB, Outlook, Shopify
Customers: Sodexo Magic, UGS Private Security, Sodastream, ESP Pros ++
Ownership: Startup, based in Isreal with 3 founders. Legal Entity is Mobilesson Ltd. Tel Aviv and Connecteam, Inc. in New York.
Price Basic Plan: Free, unlimited users, or $1.50/user if includes billing
Features Included: Timesheets, Unlimited users, Unlimited projects, Web, desktop & mobile apps, Time Clock Kiosk, Geofencing
Integrations: Airtable, ClickUp, Asana, Jira, Teams, Notion, Outlook, Google +++
Customers: Accenture, BDO, PWC, Roche, Crowe
Ownership: TimeCamp. Inc. USA
Price Basic plan: Free for up to 5 users, then $9/mth per user.
Features Included: Timesheets, reports, filters and grouping, timesheet approvals, export data, time audits.
Integrations: Asana, GitLab, Jira, Notion, Google, Outlook, Slack, Quickbooks +++
Customers: FullStack Labs, Finnair, Danfoss, Netguru, Wise, SAP
Ownership: Toggl OÜ, Estonia
Price Basic plan: Free forever, unlimited users
Features Included: Time tracking, attendance tracker, productivity all geared for multiple industries such as consultants, freelancers, industry, healthcare.
Integrations: there is a huge amount of integrations from known accounting systems, Google, MS365, Slack, Sage, Salesforce ++++
Customers: Tesla, PizzaHut, JLL, pepsi, Neom, Hyundai, Harvard
Ownership: Asim Qureshi, UK company
In my time I must have implemented and used more than 15 time-management systems. The first one was built in RPGII on System36. This wasn’t sophisticated at all and simply spat out a report that could then be used to issue invoices to our customers. Then we implemented a DOS based system called Tempo, Followed by Sumtotal, Workday. Every year or so there was a new system.
The main objective was to log time in a system that could spit out draft invoices to be approved by sales or project managers then emailed to customers. If we were lucky it integrated to accounting for revenue updates.
Since those heady days a lot has happened to timesheet systems. Though the selection process largely remains the same. What does it cost, is it manageable, easy to set up and use, is the data accessible, how does it integrate with our other systems, how secure is the data, is it DORA compliant (driven by our customers’ jurisdictions), do I like the look and feel of the system, what is support like if I am paying for it, and who are their customers.
Finally, will it be an aid or a hindrance to your operations – this is the most important question to ascertain.
Business Advisor | Champion of Strategic Growth & Sustainable Innovation
Lone Andersen is a dynamic business leader, serial investor, and startup founder with a global track record of driving growth and sustainability. From advising governments on waste management in Singapore, Rwanda, and Bangladesh to scaling B2B and B2C ventures across Asia, Europe, and Australia, Lone’s expertise spans industries and borders. Known for her sharp strategic insight, she empowers founders, investors, and startups to establish and expand in Thailand and ASEAN. With a passion for sustainable business practices, Lone is the trusted partner for those aiming to scale smart, grow sustainably, and lead with impact.
