Track Time, Bill Right: The Best Tools for Billable Hours in 2025

Billing accurately for your time is essential to maintaining profitability. Whether you're a freelancer or a project manager in a service-based business, time tracking and knowing which hours are billable is critical. If you're using spreadsheets or vague estimates, you may be losing income. A billable hours tracker helps you log hours, assign them to clients and tasks, and ensure that every billable minute is invoiced.

This guide explores what to look for in a billable hours tracker, highlights five of the best tools available, and explains how the right solution can support project-based teams in managing time and increasing revenue.

What Are Billable Hours?

Billable hours refer to the time that businesses and professionals spend working on tasks that can be charged to a client. These are typically tracked for services like consulting, legal advice, design, development, and other client-based work.

To be billable, the time must be directly related to client tasks. Internal meetings, admin work, or team training may be logged, but they’re usually non-billable. A proper billable hours tracker helps you log both and keep your financial reporting accurate.

Why You Need a Tool to Track Billable Hours

A time tracking system designed to support billable work can:

• Improve Invoice Accuracy: Avoid disputes or delays by backing every invoice with a detailed breakdown of hours worked.

• Enhance Time Management: Time trackers help individuals and teams understand where their time goes, allowing for better prioritization and planning.

• Strengthen Project Management: Project timelines become more predictable when past data tells you how long tasks actually take.

• Boost Resource Management: See who is overbooked or underutilized and reallocate work accordingly.

• Increase Profitability: Time is money. Missing even a few billable hours per week can significantly reduce revenue.

Features to Look for in a Billable Hours Tracker

When evaluating a solution, make sure it offers:

• Time tracking by project, task, and user
• Billable vs. non-billable hour distinction
• Hourly rate support (custom per project or person)
• Integration with invoicing tools
• Exportable or visual reports
• Support for resource management and project planning
• Mobile or desktop apps for on-the-go tracking

Some tools go a step further by offering automatic time capture, productivity tracking, or even AI-powered suggestions. However, simplicity and accuracy remain the most essential aspects.

Top 5 Billable Hours Trackers in 2025

1. TaskFord – Best for Project-Based Teams

TaskFord brings together time tracking, resource management, and project management in one tool, built specifically for service teams and agencies.

Key Features:

• Track time at the task level
• Flag hours as billable or non-billable
• Assign hourly rates per team member or project
• Generate reports by client, team, or project
• Visual dashboards for capacity planning

Pros:

• Unified view of tasks, time, and team capacity
• Designed for teams billing clients by the hour
• Modern, clean interface

Cons:

• Invoicing features are not yet built in
• Still in early release phase

Pricing:

• Free plan: For individuals or very small teams
• Pro plan: Contact TaskFord for details

Best For:

Teams needing a billable hours tracker that supports time, task, and resource coordination across multiple projects.

2. Toggl Track – Best for Simplicity

Toggl Track is a widely loved tool for individual professionals and teams who want an easy-to-use interface without skimping on features.

Features:

• Start/stop timers and manual entries
• Assign billable status to tasks
• Hourly rate tracking
• Reports for project and team performance
• Integrations with Asana, Trello, Jira, and more

Pros:

• Minimal learning curve
• Works across web, desktop, and mobile
• Great browser extension

Cons:

• No built-in invoicing
• Not ideal for advanced project management

Pricing:

• Free plan: Up to 5 users, unlimited time tracking
• Starter plan: $10/user/month includes billable rates and reporting filters

Best For:

Freelancers and small teams focused on time tracking over complex project coordination.

3. Harvest – Best for Time Tracking + Invoicing

Harvest combines time tracking with built-in invoicing and light expense tracking, making it ideal for agencies and consultancies.

Features:

• Log time via browser, mobile, or integrations
• Set billable rates per task or team member
• Create invoices from time logs
• Visual reports for time, cost, and budget
• Integrates with QuickBooks, Asana, Trello, and more

Pros:

• Invoicing and expense tracking included
• Clean, professional UI
• Useful reporting features

Cons:

• Resource planning features are limited
• Not built for complex project management

Pricing:

• Free plan: 1 user, 2 projects
• Pro plan: $11/user/month for unlimited projects and invoicing

Best For:

Consultants, freelancers, and small agencies who need billing and project management in the same tool.

4. Clockify – Best Free Plan for Teams

Clockify is a great option for small-to-medium-sized teams that want accurate time tracking without a large budget.

Features:

• Time entry with manual or live timers
• Label hours as billable or non-billable
• Assign hourly rates
• Export data to Excel or PDF
• Project dashboards and calendar view
• Kiosk mode for shared devices

Pros:

• Fully functional free plan
• Easy for teams to adopt
• Works offline

Cons:

• Report customization limited on free plan
• Interface could be more modern

Pricing:

• Free plan: Unlimited users and tracking
• Basic plan: $3.99/user/month adds time audit, admin features, and branded reports

Best For:

Teams looking for a robust billable hours tracker without needing invoicing or deep analytics.

5. Everhour – Best for Integration with Project Tools

Everhour is a powerful time tracker designed to integrate directly with tools like Asana, Trello, ClickUp, and Basecamp, making it a natural choice for teams already using these platforms.

Features:

• Time tracking directly inside project management tools
• Billable hours and budget tracking
• Detailed timesheets and reports
• Optional invoicing features
• Resource management capabilities

Pros:

• Excellent integration with popular project tools
• Accurate time logs linked to tasks
• Team availability and scheduling

Cons:

• Interface can feel cluttered
• Learning curve for first-time users

Pricing:

• Free plan: Up to 5 users
• Lite plan: $8.50/user/month includes time tracking and reporting

Best For:

Teams that use Asana or Trello and want an embedded billable hours tracker.

Choosing the Right Tool for Your Needs

The best billable hours tracker for you depends on your use case:

• Solo freelancers: Tools like Toggl Track or Clockify (free or low-cost) offer everything needed for basic tracking and billing.
• Client-based agencies: Harvest supports team tracking and invoicing, with scalability and team permissions.
• Project-focused teams: TaskFord offers task-level tracking alongside resource and project management, ideal for businesses managing multiple active projects.
• Budget-sensitive teams: Clockify offers strong features at a low entry cost.
• Tool-heavy teams: Everhour works well if you’re already committed to a project management platform.

Think about:

• How you bill (hourly vs fixed-fee projects)
• What you need to report (for internal tracking or client invoices)
• Who’s tracking time (just you or an entire team)
• What other tools you need to integrate

Also, consider long-term scalability: your billable hours tracker should grow with your team, offering deeper analytics, task planning, and resource management tools as needed.

Final Thoughts

Using a billable hours tracker not only ensures you're paid fairly, it also gives you valuable data for managing time, people, and projects more effectively. Whether you're flying solo or leading a cross-functional team, these tools can save you time, reduce billing errors, and help you get paid faster.

If your team relies on accurate time tracking to stay profitable, and also needs better visibility into who’s working on what and when, then TaskFord is worth keeping an eye on. With time, task, and resource features built into one platform, it’s built to help teams succeed, not just track hours.

Learn more:

• Mastering Billable Hours: Tips and Tricks for Accurate Tracking
• What Most People Miss When Using a Time Tracker for Work Hours
• 5 Myths About Time Tracking That Are Holding Your Projects Back