Software advice
Best AI Time Tracking Software in 2026
AI time tracking software is a program that records the hours people spend on clients, projects or tasks and uses machine learning or a language model to do part of the bookkeeping: grouping app activity into entries, drafting descriptions, filling timesheets or answering questions about logged hours. It differs from a plain stopwatch app, which waits for you to press start, and from payroll software, which only consumes the totals.
Quick answer
Timely ranks first for stated prices, ISO 27001 certification and EU hosting of its automatic tracker. Timing suits Mac users who want local capture with optional AI summaries. Clockify suits teams that mainly want a free or very cheap manual tracker.
Buying a time tracker with AI means deciding who does the remembering. A classic tracker asks every person to start and stop a timer. The newer kind watches the apps and documents on a computer, then proposes entries that the person approves. That second kind raises questions a stopwatch never did: what is recorded, who sees it, and which outside model reads it. The AI is also often thinner than the label, sometimes just a summary box or a chat over your own numbers. This ranking weighs how openly each vendor states prices and data handling, what its own pages say about AI, and how easy it is to leave. We read vendor pages in October 2026 and ran no accuracy tests.
The 12 best AI time tracking software in 2026, ranked
There is no score. Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. How we rank.
| # | Tool | Best for | Free plan | Entry price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timely | Agencies and consultancies that want timesheets drafted from background activity | Trial | $9 per user per month on yearly billing |
| 2 | Timing | Mac users who want local activity capture sorted into projects by rules | Trial | $10 per month for Professional, one Mac |
| 3 | Rize | Solo consultants who bill hourly and want automatic categories with AI-written descriptions | Trial | $9.99 per month for Basic, yearly billing |
| 4 | Clockodo | German-speaking companies that need work-time rules, holiday accounts and customer billing together | Trial | €3.80 per user per month for Basic, yearly billing |
| 5 | Memtime | Freelancers and small teams that want an offline timeline of their day in Mac, Windows or Linux | Trial | €15 per user per month for Basic |
| 6 | Toggl Track | Agencies and project teams that want timers, planning and capacity in one subscription | Yes | $9 per user per month for Starter |
| 7 | DeskTime | Managers of remote or office staff who want activity, attendance and productivity reports | Trial | €5.50 per user per month on yearly billing for Pro |
| 8 | Clockify | Small teams that want unlimited tracking at the lowest listed seat price | Yes | $3.99 per seat per month for Basic, yearly billing |
| 9 | Hubstaff | Distributed companies that pay contractors and staff by tracked hours and want GPS or activity data | Trial | $10 per seat per month, Team plan, as cited in its FAQ |
| 10 | TimeCamp | Small agencies that want a free tier, low per-seat tiers and an optional AI desktop tracker | Yes | $2.99 per user per month, Starter on annual billing |
| 11 | Time Doctor | Managers of distributed teams who want monitoring, attendance and AI-written briefings on workforce data | Trial | Quoted |
| 12 | Kimai | Freelancers and small firms that want billable hours, invoices and a self-hostable open source tracker | Trial | € 2.99 per user & month |
- 1
Timely
Timely sits first because its pricing page states three plans with user and project caps, its security page cites ISO 27001:2022 certification, and it names AWS data centres in the EU. The entry plan already lists AI categorization of tracked time. The cap of 5 users on Starter pushes growing firms to Premium quickly, and its pages did not give a training statement for the AI.
Strong on
- Pricing page states yearly and monthly prices plus user and project caps for each plan
- Security page cites ISO 27001:2022 certification and EU-based AWS data centres
- Starter plan already lists AI categorization and API access
Weak on
- Starter stops at 5 users and 20 projects, so teams outgrow it fast
- Pages read did not state whether customer data trains AI models
Skip it if: Teams above 50 people who want to avoid the Unlimited plan, or anyone needing a free tier. Starter caps at 5 users and 20 projects; Premium at $16 yearly lifts the project limit.
- 2
Timing
Timing takes second place because it explains where data lives: tracked times stay on the Mac unless sync is switched on, servers sit in Frankfurt, and the policy says its Google AI provider is EU-hosted and does not train on submitted data. Its AI summaries start on the Expert plan. It runs only on macOS, which removes it for mixed-OS teams.
Strong on
- Privacy policy says AI data is deleted after a short period and not used for model training
- Connect plan offers MCP so Claude Code or Codex can file activities into projects
- 30-day trial with no credit card is the longest in this ranking
Weak on
- Desktop app is macOS only, with no Windows or Linux client
- Expert price was not visible in the page text we read
Skip it if: Windows or Linux users, and managers who need staff oversight rather than personal capture. Professional excludes AI summaries; Expert adds them for two Macs, and Connect adds MCP at $168 yearly per user.
- 3
Rize
Rize ranks third because its pricing is explicit about the AI: plans differ only by monthly credit allotment, and extra credits cost $0.02 each. The privacy page says no AI training, no stored screenshots and a language model drafts descriptions you approve. SOC 2 Type II is still in progress, and the Pro plan at $23.99 is where reports and the API start.
Strong on
- AI credits are priced openly: packs from $10 for 500 credits, auto-reload at $0.02 each
- Suggestions stay private until the employee approves, edits or rejects them
- Security page lists no keystroke logging and 30-day deletion of optional Screen Text
Weak on
- Data runs on Google Cloud in US regions, which matters for EU buyers
- Individual plans are single-user, and AI pauses when credits run out
Skip it if: Teams wanting SOC 2 reports today or EU-only hosting, since the audit was still in progress. Basic includes 500 AI credits a month; team seats cost $29.99 yearly or $39.99 monthly with a two-seat minimum.
- 4
Clockodo
Clockodo is fourth because it pairs time tracking with German work-time features such as break deduction, overtime accounts and holiday quotas, and it prints clear per-user prices from €3.80. Its optional AI covers voice entry, description polish and invoice text only, which is narrower than activity capture. Its pages did not say where data is hosted.
Strong on
- Price list runs from €3.80 Basic to €11.40 Pro Plus per user, plus a one-user free plan
- Break deduction, target hours and overtime accounts are listed in the plan table
- 14-day trial of all features for any number of employees, no credit card
Weak on
- AI features are limited to voice entry and text drafting, not activity capture
- Pages read gave no data-hosting or AI-provider statement
Skip it if: Anyone expecting the software to watch app activity and fill timesheets on its own. Basic skips projects; Pro at €9.50 yearly adds project time tracking, and a free plan covers one user.
- 5
Memtime
Memtime is fifth because it states plainly that tracking data is stored only on the device and never on a server, and it covers Mac, Windows and Linux, which most automatic trackers do not. Nothing on its pricing or home pages describes AI, so it is automatic capture rather than an AI product. Prices are higher than timer apps.
Strong on
- Home page says tracking data is stored exclusively on the user's device
- Runs on Mac, Windows (including Server editions) and Linux
- Basic plan includes offline tracking, calendar integrations and unlimited custom reports
Weak on
- Pages read describe no AI or machine-learning features
- Entry price of €15 is above most timer-first competitors here
Skip it if: Buyers who specifically want AI summaries or natural-language questions about their hours. Quoted at shorter terms; the Connect plan at €22 adds project-software sync, and 2-yearly terms save up to 33 percent.
- 6
Toggl Track
Toggl Track lands sixth because its AI assistant, MCP connection and AI task features sit beside a mature timer product rather than on top of automatic capture. Its pricing page lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. Pages we read did not tie the assistant to a specific plan,, and the page notes that Toggl Track stays supported for existing users.
Strong on
- Pricing page cites SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 and says no screenshots are taken
- Toggl AI Assistant answers natural-language questions about logged time
- Add-ons for time off ($2) and capacity ($5 to $6) are priced per user
Weak on
- Plan inclusion of the AI assistant was not stated on pages we read
- Capacity and time-off features are paid add-ons on top of the plan
Skip it if: Buyers who want the software to record app activity on its own without timers. The Free plan covers a limited number of users; Premium at $16 adds profitability reports, approvals, SSO and Jira integration.
- 7
DeskTime
DeskTime is seventh because it is built for oversight: automatic app and URL tracking, screenshots, attendance and an AI summary of daily work. Its pages show ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certification and list prices from €5.50. That monitoring focus is a poor match for freelancers billing clients, and the pages did not say which plans include the AI summary.
Strong on
- Footer states ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certification
- Pricing lists Pro at €5.50 and Premium at €8.25 per user on yearly billing
- AI summary describes daily and weekly work in plain text
Weak on
- No free plan was listed on the pricing page
- Plan inclusion of the AI summary was not stated
Skip it if: Freelancers or creative teams that would find screenshots and productivity scoring intrusive. Prices exclude VAT; Premium is €8.25 yearly, Enterprise starts at 200 users, and the trial lasts 14 days.
- 8
Clockify
Clockify takes eighth place because the pricing page shows a free plan for up to 5 users, an auto tracker in that free tier, and seat prices from $3.99. That makes it the cheapest serious option here. Its pricing page names no AI features, so it is a timer and timesheet tool with automatic logging, not an AI tracker.
Strong on
- Free plan lists unlimited tracking, auto tracker, calendar and mobile and desktop apps
- Standard plan at $5.49 yearly includes invoicing, approvals and time off
- Pricing page shows a 20 percent saving on yearly seats
Weak on
- Pricing page describes no AI features, only timers, reports and automatic logging
- Every invited user occupies a paid seat, including owners and admins
Skip it if: Buyers who want AI-drafted descriptions, summaries or an assistant over their data. Free covers up to 5 users; Standard at $5.49 yearly adds invoicing, approvals and time off.
- 9
Hubstaff
Hubstaff closes the ranking because its plan prices could not be read from server-rendered text, only a $10 Team example in its FAQ, and its AI features (unusual activity detection, AI-ready workforce data) read as workforce analytics. It lists SOC 2 Type II and GDPR badges and a 14-day trial. It suits payroll-driven monitoring more than personal time capture.
Strong on
- Footer lists SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and HIPAA badges and links a trust center
- Pricing FAQ gives a 14-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee
- Product pages cover GPS job sites, invoicing and payments
Weak on
- Plan tiers and prices were not readable in server-rendered text
- Monthly seat changes are charged in full with no proration
Skip it if: Individuals or small teams who do not want activity monitoring and per-seat minimum rules. The pricing page renders plan tiers client-side; Insights, the analytics add-on, is priced separately in other Hubstaff pages.
- 10
TimeCamp
TimeCamp ranks tenth because its AI Time Tracker is a separate local-first desktop app billed by token usage, while the core product is a conventional timesheet tool with a free forever plan. Paid tiers are cheap at $2.99, $4.99 and $7.99 per user on annual billing. Token costs are estimated at about $6 per user monthly, which can exceed the plan itself.
Strong on
- Free forever plan has unlimited users and projects
- Paid tiers run $2.99, $4.99 and $7.99 per user per month on annual billing
- AI Time Tracker keeps its activity database on the device, per its privacy section
Weak on
- AI suggestions are billed by token usage on top of the seat price
- Screenshots, SSO and audit log sit on the top Ultimate tier
Skip it if: Buyers who want AI included in a flat seat price rather than metered separately. Starter is $2.99 annual or $3.99 monthly; the AI Time Tracker adds roughly $6 per user monthly in token usage.
- 11
Time Doctor
Time Doctor ranks eleventh because it is built for monitoring a remote workforce more than for personal time capture, and the plan prices did not render in the text checked. Its AI layer answers questions about team data and flags unusual activity, with an MCP connection for outside assistants. The site lists ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and HIPAA badges, and a 14-day trial with no card.
Strong on
- Premium adds an unusual-activity AI report and an office versus remote comparison report
- Site lists ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and HIPAA badges
- An MCP server connects workforce data to outside AI assistants and chat tools
Weak on
- Plan prices were not readable in the page text checked
- Screenshots and activity monitoring fit poorly with teams that object to surveillance
Skip it if: Freelancers or small teams that want private, personal time capture without monitoring features. Basic, Standard and Premium tiers exist, but prices were not readable in the page text; a 14-day trial is offered.
- 12
Kimai takes the last place because the pages we read name no AI feature, which this category is built around. As a time tracker it is cheap and broad: project hours, invoicing, EN 16931 e-invoices, SAML login, a JSON API and an open source edition under AGPL 3. The pricing page does not label its monthly and annual figures, and hosting region and certifications are not stated.
Strong on
- Cloud plans start at € 2.99 per user, and the self-hosted edition is open source under AGPL 3
- Invoicing with PDF and DOCX templates plus XML and PDF/A e-invoices (EN 16931, XRechnung 3.0)
- JSON API, LDAP and SAML login, and exports to XLSX, PDF, CSV and HTML
Weak on
- No AI or machine-learning feature appears on the pages opened
- Pricing page does not say which of the two Standard figures is monthly, and the Users field is blank
Skip it if: Teams that want automatic time capture, activity suggestions or AI summaries instead of entering hours themselves. Standard shows two figures, € 2.99 and € 3.99, with no billing period labeled; the self-hosted edition lists no price.
How these AI time tracking software were judged
How much of the timesheet does the AI actually fill in?
Most products here capture activity automatically and leave approval to you, and the AI part varies a great deal. Timely lists AI categorization of tracked time on its entry plan. Rize uses a language model to draft entry descriptions and tags, and you approve them before anyone else sees them. Timing offers AI summaries and an MCP link for agents such as Claude Code. Toggl names an AI assistant for natural-language questions. DeskTime shows an AI summary of daily work. Clockify and Memtime pages did not describe AI features, and Hubstaff sells analytics as an add-on. Test any claim with one real week.
What does AI time tracking cost per user in 2026?
As of October 2026, entry prices run from nothing to about $23 for a single user. Clockify has a free tier and lists Standard at $5.49 per seat on yearly billing. DeskTime starts at €5.50 per user on yearly billing. Toggl lists Starter at $9 and Premium at $16. Timely charges $9 on yearly billing, Clockodo €9.50 for the Pro plan, and Memtime €15 for Basic. Rize charges $9.99 for one person with 500 AI credits, rising to $23.99 for Pro. Timing lists $10 monthly for Professional. Hubstaff's FAQ cites $10 per seat for Team.
What does AI time tracking record, and is it used for training?
These tools see window titles, URLs and sometimes document names, so read the data statements before you install. Rize says it records no keystrokes or screenshots by default and that workspace data is not used to train shared third-party models, with SOC 2 Type II still in progress. Timing says tracked times stay on your Mac unless you enable sync, and that its Google AI provider does not train on your data. Memtime says tracking data stays on the device. Timely cites ISO 27001:2022 and EU data centres. Toggl lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. For Clockify and Clockodo, the vendor's policy was not checked for this.
How hard is it to switch time trackers later?
Switching cost depends on where your history lives. Local-first tools such as Timing and Memtime keep raw activity on your machine, so the entries you exported are all that moves. Cloud products hold clients, projects, rates and approvals, which take more rebuilding than the hours themselves. Rize lets you export past data after cancelling and keeps your account readable until the paid period ends. Clockify, Toggl and Timely list import or export options, so try a full CSV export before you commit. Rates, locked periods and invoices are the pieces that usually need a manual rebuild in a new system.
Which AI time tracker fits a freelancer, an agency or a large team?
A freelancer who bills hourly gets the most from automatic capture, so Rize, Timely or Timing fit, depending on the operating system. An agency of five to fifty people needs project budgets, approvals and invoicing, which favors Timely, Toggl or Clockodo. Teams in Germany that also need work-time rules, holiday accounts and overtime will find Clockodo built for that. A manager who wants attendance and activity visibility across staff looks at DeskTime or Hubstaff, and should decide first whether employees will accept monitoring.
How to choose an AI time tracker in three steps
- Decide what the tracker may see. Write down whether the tool may read window titles, URLs, calendar items and document names, and whether anyone besides the tracked person may see them. A freelancer can accept broad capture on a personal machine. A team lead has to agree the rules with staff, and in many countries with a works council. Products here differ sharply: Rize hides AI suggestions from the team until the person approves them, while monitoring suites show managers activity directly. Settle this question before comparing prices, because it removes half the field at once.
- Run one real week with approvals on. Install two candidates for a trial and use each for five working days on real client work. At the end of each day, count how many entries needed correction and how many hours were missed entirely. Vendor pages describe what the AI does, not how accurate it is on your messy desktop. Check that the trial includes the plan you would actually buy, since Rize, Timely and Toggl gate features by tier, and note the trial length, which runs from 7 to 30 days across these products.
- Price the plan with approvals and invoicing. The entry price rarely includes timesheet approval, billable rates, invoices or project budgets. Clockify moves those into Standard and above, Toggl into Starter and Premium, and Timely's Starter caps you at 5 users and 20 projects. Multiply the per-user price by the number of people who need an account, including part-timers and managers, then add the AI or analytics add-on if you want it. Compare yearly with monthly billing, because the listed saving runs from 15 to 33 percent, and ask whether seats can be removed mid-term.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI time tracking software in 2026?
Timely ranks first here because it states plan prices, cites ISO 27001:2022 certification, hosts on EU data centres and lists AI categorization on its entry plan. Timing is the pick for Mac users and Rize for solo professionals who bill by the hour. The order reflects how openly vendors document prices, data and limits, not accuracy tests.
Is there a free AI time tracker?
Not really. Clockify and Toggl Track have free plans, but their pages mostly describe timers and automatic activity logging, with an AI assistant only on Toggl. Clockodo offers a free plan for one user with some Pro features excluded. The tools with clearer AI features, such as Rize, Timely and Timing, offer trials of 7 to 30 days instead.
Does AI time tracking take screenshots of my screen?
It depends on the product. Rize states that it keeps no keystroke logs and no stored screenshots, and reads active-window metadata by default, with optional Screen Text that is deleted after 30 days. DeskTime lists screenshots as a feature for managers. Check each vendor's feature list and your own employment rules before turning capture on.
Can an AI time tracker work without sending data to the cloud?
Partly. Memtime says its tracking data is stored only on your device, and Timing says tracked times never leave your Mac unless you switch on sync. Both still need an internet connection for features such as AI summaries or integrations, so ask each vendor which functions send data out. Cloud-first tools like Timely, Toggl and Rize keep their data on vendor servers.
Which AI time tracker works on Windows and Linux?
Timing runs on macOS only. Memtime lists Mac, Windows and Linux, and Toggl, Timely, Rize and Clockify provide desktop or web apps beyond the Mac. Platform support changes by plan and release, so check each vendor's download page for your operating system before starting a trial, especially for the automatic capture agent.
How does AI time tracking differ from using a timer?
A timer relies on you to start it, stop it and label the work. AI time tracking records activity in the background and proposes entries afterward, so you edit rather than create. The gain is fewer forgotten hours. The cost is that the tool sees more of your screen, and that suggestions can be wrong, so you still review them.
Is automatic time tracking legal for employees?
Legality depends on the country and the data collected, so this page gives no legal advice. In Europe, tracking window titles or URLs of staff generally needs a stated purpose and information to employees, and sometimes works council approval. Tools differ: Rize lets employees reject entries, while monitoring suites report to managers. Ask your lawyer or data protection officer first.
How much should a small agency budget for AI time tracking?
As of October 2026, a team of ten should expect roughly $50 to $160 per month on yearly billing for the products here, using list prices from about $5.49 to $16 per user. Timely's Starter plan stops at 5 users, so a ten-person agency starts at its Premium plan. Add approval or analytics add-ons where the vendor sells them separately.