Image: Olia Danilevich

Developer time tracking offers more than just a way to log billable hours. It provides critical insights into how you work, where your time goes, and how to optimize your productivity. The right tool should do this by tracking your time consistently and accurately, and staying out of the way so that you focus on what you love most: coding.

But with so many options available, finding the right time tracking software for developers means understanding your specific needs and workflow challenges. Here, we’ll explore the time tracking options for various developer scenarios, from freelancers and entrepreneurs to agencies and in-house teams, before listing the top 10 apps you should consider.

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Different Apps for Different Devs

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to time tracking for developers, and the tool a friend or colleague recommends might not be the right tool for you. Before you begin, take a moment to consider what you want to get out of your ideal developer time tracking solution.

Are you looking for a detailed account of how you spend your time? Do you want to improve your project management processes? Or ensure you quote and invoice accurately? Is privacy important to you?

It’s also worth taking a moment to evaluate whether you want an automatic or manual time tracking tool. Manual solutions require you to start and stop a timer, giving you control over how much time you attribute to a particular project, but increasing the risk of human error. Automatic time trackers, on the other hand, run in the background, recording your activity with little to no effort from you. This typically makes them more accurate, while helping you to work consistently with no irritating disruptions. Most developers will likely enjoy a time tracking tool that offers both options, but everyone’s needs are unique.

Finally, you might want to consider how you structure your work, as this could influence your choice of app. Let’s explore this in a bit more detail.

Freelance Developers and Contractors

If you’re a freelancer or contractor, you probably have to account for your time in order to get paid. Whether you bill your clients hourly, per day or per project, you need a tool that makes it easy to log billable hours vs non-billable hours and produce reports for invoices.

Your solution therefore needs to be fairly comprehensive. You should be able to track every minute for every project you work on. This includes work you do that isn’t in front of your laptop, such as billable calls and in-person meetings. You’ll likely get a lot out of a hybrid manual and automatic time tracking solution. This will give you the freedom to start and stop a timer if necessary, with the reassurance that your tool’s automatic functionality is tracking your work as you shift between tasks.

Ultimately, your tool needs to be intuitive and convenient. The end goal is to spend less time tracking and more time coding and earning.

Entrepreneurs and Indie Makers

Entrepreneurs and indie developers working on side projects can benefit immensely from tracking their time. Nurturing this habit will not only help you run your finances, but also ensure you understand whether you’re investing adequately in the various parts of running your business.

If you’re a coder, designer, marketer and sales rep all rolled into one, you need to know where your hours are going. It can be all too easy to polish your code, for example, when you should be marketing your product. Conduct a time audit using your developer time tracking software and might find that your time allocation isn’t adequately balanced or that you’re easily distracted. This insight can help you adjust your schedule or set effective work goals that can help you grow your business.

Remember that, if you use it correctly, your time tracking solution also offers valuable insight on your work-life balance. It can be easy to overwork if you’re a solo operator. Keep an eye on your data, consistently working 12-hour days is a one-way ticket to burnout.


Image: Loe Moshkovska

Teams and Agencies

Running or working in any team-based environment where multiple devs collaborate on projects means you’re in the market for a team-wide time tracking solution. The right app should give you accurate insight into total hours per project and per developer, integrate well with your project management and accounting software, and offer excellent reporting functionality. Also keep in mind that your team might use a mix of operating systems (especially if you also hire freelancers or contractors from time to time). If this is the case, you’ll need a cross-platform solution, too.

A word of caution: be open and honest with your team about why you’re tracking their time. Emphasize your main priorities, whether you’re using it to oversee projects, quote and invoice, or manage your team’s capacity. Make it clear that you’re not trying to micromanage your devs’ time or watch over their shoulders. Instead, you’re trying to create a positive working environment where they feel supported with the tools they need to work productively, while ensuring your business’s profitability.

In-house Development Teams

Finally, if you run an internal dev team, your motivations for time tracking might be slightly different from the scenarios described above. You might be more focused on balancing workloads, for example, than billing anyone external. Your chosen tool should help to ensure that your team members maintain healthy work habits — making you aware if someone is consistently coding late into the night or spending too much time in meetings. These insights can help you adjust your team’s schedules and redistribute work accordingly.

Accurate time data can also help answer questions like: “Are we allocating too much time to maintenance vs new features?”, “Did we under-estimate the timeline for this project?” or “Are we spending too much time on code reviews each week?”. Look for developer time tracking software that offers insights into your coding patterns and integrate this data into your development workflows.

An In-Depth Look at Popular Developer Time Trackers

Now that you’ve given some thought into the kind of solution you might need, let’s take a look at some of the best options available to you.

1. Timing

Developer time tracking AI summaries dark mode
Best for: Mac-based developers wanting seamless background tracking with project-level detail.

Timing is a Mac-native automatic time tracking app built with developers in mind. It runs in the background while you work, automatically recording the apps, documents, webpages, and even code file names you work with.

Because Timing’s own developers would rather spend time on code than starting and stopping timers, they’ve ensured that Timing tracks time spent on each individual source code file you worked on automatically — without having to clutter your IDE with yet another plugin. As a result, whether you are coding in Xcode or VS Code, Timing captures the specific project or file open without you having to lift a finger. As a developer who frequently switches between many files, editors, terminals and browsers, you’ll know the value of this kind of functionality.


Why developers love it:

  • Visual timeline with AI-powered summaries: Timing’s color-coded timeline view is enhanced by AI-generated summaries that appear directly on your timeline. These summaries offer quick insights into your activities. This helps you understand how you’ve spent your time without having to manually review each app, document and website you’ve used. You can also drag and drop unassigned time blocks onto projects, making it easy to clean up your timesheet and ensure accurate reporting.
  • Auto-tracking with smart rules: Timing makes it easy to categorize your time into projects. By creating rules, any file path containing “client X” will immediately be assigned to project X (up to an unlimited number of projects). This accurate auto-tracking feature can save unnecessary filtering and clean-up time.
  • Filters: Timing can also evaluate the time you’re spending on different programming languages via its Filters feature. Filters are based on rules, so if you set a rule for “file path ends with .swift” or “file path ends with .js”, then you’ll be able to view all the time you’ve spent on these sorts of files. You can also set up a filter for time spent in the terminal app compared to your code editor.
  • Manual additions: While Timing manages most of your work automatically, you can still set a manual timer if you wish, giving you full control over your time-tracking. You can also manually add time for activities that take place while you’re away from your computer. Timing’s phone call integration helps to ensure that no time spent in meetings ends up unaccounted for.
  • Built-in APIs: Timing offers built-in APIs, both through AppleScript and the Web API. This allows you to integrate Timing seamlessly with your existing billing and project management systems. If you prefer a no-code solution, Timing also offers a Zapier integration that works alongside the Web API, making it easy to connect with numerous third- party services while maintaining the accuracy of Timing’s automatic time tracking capabilities.
  • Privacy focus: By default, all of your data is stored locally on your Mac, rather than the cloud. If you use its sync or team features, data is encrypted, and even team managers can only see totals per project, not detailed logs of apps or filenames. This developer-friendly privacy design means you can track your work without feeling like you’re being watched.
  • Excellent third-party integration: Timing supports all of your favorite software development tools, from AI apps, to project management software, and calendar integrations.
  • Dark mode support: Because every dev loves dark mode.

The drawback is that Timing is Mac-only. If you occasionally work on Windows or Linux, you might need an alternative. But if you’re as Mac loyal as Timing is, you’ll find its automation-focused processes are a game changer in terms of productivity and workflow optimization.

Price: Timing has a free 30-day trial. The three-tiered pricing plan comes with a 20%+ discount on annual billing. The Professional, Expert and Connect plans cost $9, $11 and $16 per month, billed annually.

2. WakaTime


Image: WakaTime

Best for: Developers who want to track coding time inside their IDE across any OS.

WakaTime takes a different approach: through it, you can install open-source plugins in order to see personalized coding metrics on your dashboard. That way, you get a picture of your programming. WakaTime supports dozens of editors, including VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Sublime Text, Vim and Xcode. It works by installing a plugin that logs your coding time per file, project, branch, language and more. This data is sent to your WakaTime account where you get dashboards and weekly reports.

Why developers love it:

  • Coding-specific insights: WakaTime provides granular stats, such as the number of hours coded per project, the time you spent on a particular file, and which languages you coded in the most. These patterns can be incredibly useful for your project management, quoting and invoicing processes.
  • Minimal distraction: There’s no need to start or stop a timer. The WakaTime plugin starts whenever you have your editor open and active and runs in the background. You focus on coding; it logs the minutes.
  • Cross-platform by nature: Because it’s tied to your editor, WakaTime works on any OS. This might be useful if you occasionally have to switch between Mac, Windows and Linux. As long as you have WakaTime in each IDE, all your coding activity will funnel into one account.

One important thing to note, however, is that WakaTime is limited to tracking coding time. It won’t automatically log anything outside your IDE, including the time you spend responding to emails, attending meetings, working in design tools, or browsing documents and websites. So if you need a full picture of your day, it’s best used in tandem with another tool. Also, while WakaTime offers a decent privacy policy, some users don’t like the idea of having their coding data uploaded to a third-party service.

Price: WakaTime is free to use forever, with one week of dashboard history. Its Basic and Premium plans cost $5.50 and $11 per month, billed annually. For companies, WakaTime offers a Team plan for $16.50 per dev per month and a Business plan for $19.25 per dev per month, both billed annually.

3. RescueTime

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Image: RescueTime

Best for: Developers looking to improve their general productivity and focus.

RescueTime is a well-known name in automatic time tracking, with a particular focus in productivity management. It runs while you work on your computer, logging how much time you spend on different apps and websites. It then classifies this data in terms of your productivity levels. For example, your coding tools might be marked “Highly Productive”, while time on social media or YouTube would be labelled “Distracting”. Every day, you’ll receive a breakdown and productivity score, which you can use to inform and improve your behavior over time.
Why developers love it:

  • Automatic activity logging: Like Timing, you don’t start or stop any timers. RescueTime automatically tracks active application names, window titles and website URLs while you work.
  • Productivity analysis: RescueTime also categorizes your activities on a scale from productive to distracting. With this data you can set goals (such as, “no more than 30 minutes on distracting sites per day”). You can also choose to receive alerts if you exceed your limits. It also offers FocusTime, which automatically blocks certain websites when you need to concentrate. You might learn to love this feature when you’re on a deadline.
  • Reports and timesheets: You can view and export detailed reports of where your time went, down to specific websites or files. This makes RescueTime useful in identifying time sinks — activities that are eating up time and might better be spent on deep work and billable time.

A shortcoming to be aware of is that RescueTime is less about project tracking than it is about personal productivity and habit-building. In fact, its project management features are somewhat limited. It doesn’t offer a per-project breakdown unless you manually tag time, which is a premium feature. If you’re trying to allocate enough time to coding everyday or curb your procrastination, RescueTime is a good choice. But you might want to look into other options if you want detailed project tracking.

Price: RescueTime comes with a 14-day free trial. Its Solo plan costs $6.50 per month billed annually or $78 a year. And its Team plan costs $6 per user per month billed annually or $72 a year.

4. ManicTime


Image: ManicTime

Best for: Developers who prefer a private, offline tracker that stores data locally.

ManicTime’s claim to fame is that all your data is stored locally on your machine, giving you full control and privacy. This makes it useful if you have privacy concerns, or if you regularly work without a reliable internet connection. ManicTime is similar to Timing in that it automatically logs which apps, documents and websites you use. You can then tag segments of time with project names or tasks for reporting. While it’s available on Windows, Mac and Linux, ManicTime does not offer full functionality across all three. It’s more Windows focused as its Mac and Linux versions are trackers only. They collect data but require connection to ManicTime Server or ManicTime Cloud for viewing reports and tagging.

Why developers love it:

  • Detailed timeline view: ManicTime presents your day as a timeline with color-coded bars for every app or document you use. This makes it easy to reconstruct what you worked on and for how long.
  • Tagging and notes: In real time and after the fact, you can select portions of your timeline and tag them as a certain project, task or activity. This helps you assign meaning to raw data for your reports. It’s a bit of a manual step, but it’s flexible. You can do it when it’s convenient for you, such as at the end of the day, rather than in the middle of your tasks.
  • Offline and private: Because it doesn’t require cloud sync, you can use ManicTime completely offline. All the tracking happens on your device. This is great if you’re working with sensitive data or if you don’t want your activity logs leaving your computer. That said, ManicTime does offer a cloud option if you prefer this approach.

One of ManicTime’s most significant challenges is its complex interface, which new users often find overwhelming. Its powerful tracking capabilities come at the cost of intuitive usability. It has multiple views, detailed timelines and extensive customization options that you really need to invest in if you’re going to master. If you’re looking for a quick, straightforward time tracking solution, you might find ManicTime a little frustrating.

Price: ManicTime offers an individual one-time license for $67, with team licenses starting at $120 for two. Its cloud subscription for individuals costs $7 per month for the Standard plan and $9 per month for the Ultimate plan, both billed annually. Its cloud subscription for teams costs $10 per user per month for the Standard plan and $13 per user per month for the Ultimate plan, both billed annually.

5. Toggl Track


Image: Toggl Track

Best for: Teams or individuals who need easy manual tracking and reporting.

If you’re looking for a cross-platform, manual-based timer, make sure Toggl Track’s on your radar. Popular for its simple interface, generous free plan, and strong integration functionality. Toggl Track makes it easy to log time to specific tasks or tickets. Since it’s a web-based app with native clients for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, it’s simple to track time from any device and sync seamlessly. If you’re looking for a pure Mac experience, the third-party Timery app gives Mac users a polished Apple-friendly interface.

Why developers love it:

  • Quick and easy: Toggl Track’s interface is simple. Type in a description of what you’re doing (“debugging login issue”), assign it to a project (and client, if you wish), and hit “Start”. When you’re done, just hit “Stop”. If you forget to start or stop, you can manually add or edit your entries. There’s also an idle detector to prompt you if you were away in the middle of your timer.
  • Team and project features: Toggl Track excels if you use it as part of a team. It’s easy to load multiple projects, clients and team members in its centralized dashboard.
  • Integrations and extensions: Toggl Track has browser extensions that integrate a start timer button into tools like Jira, Asana, GitHub or Trello. So if your development workflow is tied to tickets or tasks, you can start a Toggl Track timer right from the issue tracker. This can help you associate time with specific stories or bug IDs, which is useful for agile processes.

The downside to Toggl Track (and other similar manual tools) is that you need to remember to use it. If you or your team are forgetful about timers, or if you regularly switch between projects, tasks and tickets, you might miss chunks of time. To mitigate this, Toggle Track’s Timeline feature allows you to record your computer activity (once Toggle Track is running). With this data, you can fill in some of the gaps in your timesheets after the fact. Free plan users have reported some technical issues with this feature, however.

Price: Toggl Track has a free tier (limited to up to five users), followed by Starter and Premium plans at $9 per user per month and $18 per user per month respectively, both billed annually. Enterprise plan prices are available on request.

Other Noteworthy Tools

Looking for a few more alternatives? You might find one of the options below suits your needs best.

6. Harvest


Image: Harvest

Similar to Toggl Track, Harvest is a popular time tracking and invoicing tool. It can easily convert your tracked hours into professional invoices. It also integrates well with Asana and Trello to enhance your team’s workflow. Its insightful reporting tools also offer useful perspectives on the profitability of your projects. One limitation worth noting is its somewhat restricted customization options for reports. This can be a challenge if you’re looking for specific views of your data.

7. Clockify


Image: Clockify

Clockify offers its basic features for free, making it a useful time tracker for small teams who are budget conscious. It offers manual tracking and a web-based dashboard that is clean and accessible. This makes tracking hours straightforward whether you’re on your desktop or mobile. It’s sufficiently flexible for both freelancers and growing teams, however some Mac users find its UI less refined than they would like.

8. Timely


Image: Timely

Timely attempts to blend automatic and manual tracking. Its AI-powered “Memory” tracker logs your software usage (like an automatic tracker) and you then confirm or assign those to actual tasks on a calendar-like interface. Timely is cross-platform and could appeal to developers who are looking for automation but with more control over their scheduling. For example, you can plan two hours for “feature development” in Timely, and the Memory tracker will show what you actually did during that slot. This structured approach might suit developers who like time blocking.

9. Rize


Image: Rize

A newer automatic time tracker for both Mac and Windows, Rize focuses on habit-building. It gives you insights and nudges you to maintain healthy work patterns (like suggesting breaks if you work too long). While not developer-specific, its AI insights could help engineers working long hours to avoid burnout. Be aware that customizing the tool and becoming familiar with all its features may take a bit of time.

10. Editor/IDE Native Trackers

Some IDEs have built-in time trackers or plugins. For instance, JetBrains IDEs can use a plugin called Code Time or others to track coding time, and VS Code has extensions like “Code Stats”. These are similar in spirit to WakaTime, though WakaTime remains the most feature-rich and widely used.

For a more thorough review on additional apps that aren’t necessarily dev specific, take a look at our list of the best Mac time tracking apps for Mac here.

The Final Word on Time Tracking for Developers

The best developer time tracking ultimately depends on your specific needs and workflow. If you’re after a comprehensive and accurate automatic tracking with minimal interaction, Timing might be your ideal solution. For developers focused specifically on coding time across multiple IDEs, WakaTime provides specialized insights. If productivity improvement is your primary goal, RescueTime offers powerful analytics and focus features. Teams and agencies might benefit most from the collaborative features of Toggl Track or Harvest.

Remember that time tracking isn’t just about monitoring hours — it’s about gaining insights that help you work smarter. The best software development time tracking tool should save you time and give you valuable information, rather than creating extra work. The only way to know for sure whether you prefer Toggl vs. Timing vs. RescueTime is to give them a shot. Consider starting with a free trial of a few options to find what integrates best with your workflow.

Timing offers a free 30-day trial that you can get started with today. Download it and see how it transforms your time management processes, helps you make informed decisions about how you work, and allows you to focus on what you love best: getting into the code.