Tool profile
Kimai: cost, fit and limits
Kimai is an open source time-tracking application maintained by Kevin Papst in Austria that records project hours, bills them through invoice templates and runs either as a hosted cloud service or as a self-installed AGPL 3 program for teams and freelancers.
What to know first
Kimai comes in two forms: a cloud service with Standard and Professional plans priced per user, and a self-hosted open source edition installed with Docker or manually. Standard shows € 2.99 and € 3.99 per user and month, and the page does not label which figure is annual. No AI feature is named anywhere on the pages opened, so Kimai records time that people enter rather than suggesting it.
Kimai at a glance
| Maker | Kevin Papst, Austria |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Free trial only |
| Entry price | € 2.99 per user & month |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Time Tracking Software in 2026, rank 12 of 12 |
| Website | kimai.org |
Who Kimai is best for
Freelancers who invoice by the hour
Billable hours, configurable invoice templates in PDF and DOCX, and timesheet export to XLSX, PDF, CSV or HTML cover the path from tracked time to a bill without a second tool.
European firms needing e-invoices
Kimai generates XML and PDF/A e-invoices compliant with EN 16931 and XRechnung 3.0, which matters for German public-sector clients and others that refuse plain PDF invoices.
IT teams that prefer to host their own tools
The AGPL 3 edition runs through Docker or a manual install, with LDAP and SAML logins and optional TOTP two-factor, so identity stays under the company's own control.
Kimai plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | € 2.99 and € 3.99 per user and month | Project time tracking, billable hours, invoicing, export, audit logs, five custom invoice templates, weekly backups and email support. The page does not label which figure is annual. |
| Professional | € 3.99 and € 4.99 per user and month | Standard plus working hour account, public holidays, vacation and sick leave, expense tracking, custom fields, tasks, customer portal, kiosk mode, daily backups, SAML, custom domain and ten invoice templates. |
| Self-hosted (AGPL 3) | Not published | The open source edition installed through Docker or a manual install. The pricing page shows no price for it. |
Checked November 2026.
What Kimai does
- Time-clock mode
- Restricts users to punch-in and punch-out records, which suits shift settings where staff should not edit their start and end times afterwards. The vendor's page names no limit on how many users can sit in this mode.
- Customer Portal
- Shares client and project statistics through a secret URL, optionally password protected, so a client can see hours spent without being given a login. The page does not state whether the link can be revoked or expires.
- E-invoices
- Produces XML and PDF/A e-invoices compliant with EN 16931 and XRechnung 3.0, alongside the configurable PDF and DOCX invoice templates described elsewhere. The page names no limits on invoice volume.
- Authentication options
- LDAP and SAML logins are supported, with optional two-factor authentication through TOTP tokens. SAML on the cloud service is listed under the Professional plan. The self-hosted edition needs its own identity setup.
- JSON API
- Lets external apps read and write data. The pages opened do not list rate limits or endpoints, so the depth of the API is not verified.
How Kimai handles your data
The cloud terms say trial account data is deleted no later than four weeks after the trial if no paid contract follows. After a contract ends, the provider may delete account data permanently after a 30-day retention period, and data under statutory retention duties is kept longer. The terms mention a separate failover computer center but name no hosting location. They do not mention AI training, and no certification such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001 appears on the pages opened.
Where Kimai falls short in practice
- No AI on the pages read. The homepage describes no AI or machine-learning feature, so there are no activity suggestions, auto-categorization or summaries. Every entry comes from a person or the API.
- Price figures are ambiguous. Each plan shows two numbers per user and month, and the page never says which is annual. A buyer should confirm the billing period before budgeting.
- Caps are not published. The Users field on the pricing page is blank, and limits on customers, projects and activities are not stated. Per-user pricing also grows directly with headcount.
- Backups differ by plan. Standard backs up weekly and Professional daily. A team that cannot lose a day of entries needs the dearer plan or its own backup routine on the self-hosted edition.
Works with
Alternatives to Kimai
Kimai: common questions
Is Kimai free?
Kimai has a self-hosted open source edition under AGPL 3, and its pricing page lists no price for it. The cloud plans each show a Start for free button, and the cloud terms describe trial accounts. Cloud prices begin at € 2.99 per user and month.
Does Kimai have AI features?
No. The homepage and pricing pages opened name no AI or machine-learning feature. Kimai records hours that people enter or send through its JSON API, so teams wanting automatic capture or AI summaries should look at other tools in this category.
Why does Kimai show two prices per plan?
The Standard plan shows € 2.99 and € 3.99, each labeled per user and month, but the page does not say which is billed annually. The same applies to Professional at € 3.99 and € 4.99. Confirm the period with the vendor.
Can Kimai create e-invoices?
Yes. Kimai produces XML and PDF/A e-invoices compliant with EN 16931 and XRechnung 3.0, and it also offers configurable invoice templates in PDF and DOCX. Standard includes five custom templates and Professional includes ten. Check the template count for your plan.
Where does Kimai host cloud data?
The cloud terms do not name a hosting country. They mention a separate failover computer center without a location. Anyone who needs a fixed region can self-host the AGPL 3 edition on infrastructure of their own choosing. The terms name no certification either.