Free + Paid Tools (2024)
Time. It’s the thing business owners never seem to have enough of. Your day’s packed with tasks, meetings, and endless emails. It feels like a race against the clock.
Enter time management apps. These handy tools are designed to streamline how you handle your daily tasks. They help you sort out your to-dos, remind you of deadlines, and keep you focused.
We’ve handpicked 10 of the best time management apps out there. Each one offers unique features to help manage your workload effectively. From simple time calendars to advanced project trackers, there’s an app for every business need.
1. Clockify
G2 rating: 4.5/5
Best for: Businesses with distributed teams
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Clockify is a time tracking tool used by more than two million people. It’s great for keeping track of work hours across various projects. The best part? It’s completely free for an unlimited number of users. You can use it in your browser, or install it on your phone or computer for more convenience.
Everyone from small businesses and freelancers to NGOs and big Fortune 500 companies use Clockify. If you need extra features like tracking expenses, getting notifications, or scheduling reports, there’s a Pro version available for $7.99 per user, per month (billed annually).
Key features:
Unlimited features and team members
Visualizations and reports for data analysis
Accurate timesheets with advanced features
Android and iOS mobile apps
Browser extension for Google Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge with auto start/stop, reminders, a Pomodoro timer, and more
Clockify is an all-around solution for anyone who needs to manage their time more effectively.
2. Dropbox
G2 rating: 4.4/5
Best for: Document sharing among teams
Dropbox is an intuitive, user-friendly file storage service offering advanced collaboration features. While it’s pricier than alternatives like Google Drive, you get plenty of integrations that work with your existing applications.
Dropbox also has synced desktop folders that let you access files anywhere. Plus, it’s constantly adding new services like digital signatures to help streamline your work.
Key features:
Centralize document management and access in one place for better organization.
Secure files with password protection, set access permissions, and easily recover important changes.
Share document updates in real time to facilitate smooth collaboration with your team.
Dropbox’s free version comes with two gigabytes of storage, which is great for getting started. But if you find yourself needing more, there’s a paid option that offers up to two terabytes.
3. Toggl
G2 rating: 4.6/5Best for: Automatic time tracking and project management
Toggl is this versatile app for tracking just how much time you spend on different tasks. You can track time as you go or add it manually later. Keep everything neat by organizing your entries by team, client, or project. You can even tag them and add notes, so you remember what each task was about.
For those leading a team, Toggl is a lifesaver. Simply invite your team members to the project, and you can all track time together. This helps you see where everyone’s time is going. Plus, if you choose a paid plan, Toggl gives deeper insights to improve your time management.
Key features:
Track task times and see who’s working on what
Review your time across days, weeks, or months to spot time-management patterns
Sync Toggl across your devices using its mobile and desktop apps, as well as browser extensions
Toggl is available for iOS, Android, and MacOS. There’s a free version to get you started. If you need more, there’s a Starter plan for $9 per user, per month, a Premium for $18, or you can get a custom price for an Enterprise account.
4. RescueTime
G2 rating: 4.1/5
Best for: Enhancing focus and productivity management
RescueTime is a handy time-tracking app that shows you just how much time you spend online. It looks at everything you do in a day, like the apps you use and how long you hang out on your favorite websites. This allows you to pinpoint where you might be losing precious time and identify patterns that could be hampering your productivity.
To help you stay focused on your goals, RescueTime Premium offers a handy feature: it can block those websites that often distract you. This way, you can concentrate on what’s important without the temptation to drift off-task.
Key features:
Stay on top of your tasks with reminders to keep your time on track
Get a clear picture of your day with detailed reports and daily summaries
Find more effective ways to use your time and boost overall productivity
RescueTime is super accessible. It works on iOS, Android, OS X, Windows, and Linux. So, whatever device you’re using, RescueTime has got you covered.
You can start with RescueTime Lite for free. If you want the full experience, including those focus-boosting features, Premium is available for $9 per month with a 14-day free trial.
5. MyLifeOrganized
G2 rating: n/a
Best for: Streamlining and prioritizing daily tasks
MyLifeOrganized is more than your average to-do list app. It’s a daily planner that lets you easily organize your tasks. You can drag and drop, star, flag, and sort tasks in a neat interface. Got a massive task? Break it down into smaller subtasks right in the app to help you start chipping away at it.
The paid features of MyLifeOrganized are pretty cool. It automatically creates smart lists based on your deadlines and priorities, showing you what needs immediate attention. Another neat feature is geo-based reminders, which ping you about tasks whenever you’re near one of your intended locations.
Key features:
MyLifeOrganized breaks down big projects into manageable steps and alerts you about urgent tasks
Add tasks quickly without opening the app—just send an email and the app sorts it out
Sync your tasks across devices with cloud-based access for paid subscribers
MyLifeOrganized works on iOS, Android, and Windows. Pricing varies, from a free version to a one-time payment of $59.95.
6. Focus Booster
G2 rating: n/a
Best for: Tracking and optimizing productivity
Focus Booster is a nifty, free Pomodoro app designed to help you cut through distractions. With its free version, you can track up to 20 Pomodoro sessions each month. That’s about 83 hours of time tracking each month.
When you go for a paid plan, things get even better. You unlock a dashboard that really shows you where your time goes. Plus, all your sessions are recorded automatically. This means you can look back, see what you’ve done, and figure out how productive you’ve been.
Key features:
Simple to-do lists to keep track of all your tasks
An easy-to-use Pomodoro timer
The ability to track Pomodoro sessions across your devices, even when you’re offline
Focus Booster offers two plans: a free one and a Professional plan for $4.99 a month.
7. Evernote
G2 rating: 4.4/5
Best for: Note taking
Evernote is one of the first, and many would say best, note-taking apps out there. With Evernote, you can create detailed notes, scan images, record voice memos, attach documents, and clip content from the web.
This app is a powerhouse for task management. It organizes all your personal and professional projects in one place. Plus, its search function lets you quickly find information, whether it’s in handwritten notes, images, or attached files.
Key features:
A home dashboard for an organized overview of your content
Task management within notes to keep track of to-dos
Google Calendar integration to view events and related notes together
A 200-megabyte note size, ideal for storing large files like high-resolution photos and presentations
You can use Evernote on any device—computer, tablet, or phone—even when you’re offline.
8. Remember the Milk
G2 rating: 4.4/5
Best for: Task reminders and personal use
Have you ever gone to the store for one thing and come back with everything but that thing? That’s exactly why Remember the Milk exists. It started as a simple way to remember groceries, but now it’s so much more. This time management app keeps you on top of everything.
You can color-code your tasks and break big projects into smaller parts. Plus, you can attach files from Google Drive or Dropbox and share your lists with others to keep everyone in sync. The app can send reminders through email, text, IM, or even Twitter.
Organize your tasks into multiple lists
Use Smart Lists to automatically create lists from your searches
Stay updated across all your devices with offline syncing
Remember the Milk is available on Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, and as a browser extension. You can start with the free version, and if you need more features, it’s $40 a year.
9. Harvest
G2 rating: 4.3/5
Best for: Growing businesses
Harvest is a time- and expense-tracking app that gets you to see time as a precious resource. It’s packed with solid time-tracking features and dishes out visual reports showing how you and your team use your time.
Harvest also plays nice with lots of other tools. You can connect it with Trello, Asana, GitHub, and more. A key highlight is its ability to track billable time so you can charge for every minute you work.
Key features:
Track billable time effortlessly and create invoices instantly to bill your clients
Plan ahead with forecasting tools and ensure your team has enough time for all your projects
Quickly check if projects are staying within budget
You can use Harvest on Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac. It costs $12 per month per user.
10. Focus@will
G2 rating: n/aBest for: Boosting productivity and focus via neuroscience
Focus@will is a different kind of time management app. Instead of lists and reminders, it plays music and soothing sounds to help you focus and get more done.
You get to choose playlists depending on your role or your thinking style, like whether you’re a student or an entrepreneur, or if you lean toward creative or logical tasks. Just plug in some info about yourself, hit Play, and start working!
Key features:
Custom music and sounds designed for your work habits.
Research-backed approach that can quadruple your productivity.
Syncs across your devices, so your focus stays sharp whether you’re at home or at the office.
You can use Focus@will on Android, MacOS, and iOS. Pricing starts at $7.49 per month if you pay yearly, or $9.99 for month-to-month. There are team accounts, too.
Benefits of using a time management app
Running a business and keeping track of time can be a juggle. A time management app steps in right when you need it. You might start with guesswork, but as your team grows, the need for a time tracking app becomes clear.
Here’s what a good time management app can do:
Manage workloads: When your team works on different things, it’s tough to see who’s overloaded. A time management app shows you this. You balance tasks better and prevent burnout.
Improve collaboration: These tools help you set priorities. With features like Kanban boards, you see who’s doing what. Everyone stays updated on each task’s status.
Track time and boosts productivity: It comes with time tracking and detailed reports. This shows how your team spends their time. You spot the time-wasters and fix them. Your team gets more done.
Give accurate project costs: You understand the real cost of projects through time tracking. This helps in making better estimates for future work. You save money by knowing where every hour goes.
If you’ve got a team or just need to manage your own time, a time management tool is a smart pick.
Taking control of time
When running a business, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by tasks and deadlines. You might find yourself missing opportunities to streamline processes and manage your workload better. Achieving a balance in managing your professional tasks is essential for success.
Time management apps are tools that can help. They give you ways to organize your day better, leading to higher productivity and less stress. With these apps, you can make sure you’re using your time wisely, not just for work, but also for life.
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