Clockify, Toggl Track, TimeCamp, Harvest and ActivTrak all have free plans. They differ mainly in how many people can use them and in what is held back for paid tiers. Free plans cover timers and basic reports well. Screenshots, attendance and automatic tracking with app and website reports are paid features almost everywhere. BirdsEye has no free plan and offers a 14-day free trial.
Key takeaways
- Five well-known tools have a free plan, each with its own user limit.
- None of them includes screenshots on the free plan.
- Free plans suit freelancers and teams of two to five who are happy with timers.
- A free trial of a paid tool tells you more than a free plan with the features removed.
Which tools have a free plan?
Clockify
Clockify has a free plan for up to five people and a 7-day trial of Pro.
Timers and timesheetsToggl Track
Toggl Track has a free plan for up to three people and a 30-day trial.
Timers, no monitoringTimeCamp
TimeCamp has a free plan with unlimited users.
Timers and billingHarvest
Harvest is free for one seat and two projects, and its paid plans have a 30-day trial.
Timers and invoicingActivTrak
ActivTrak has a free plan for three people and a 14-day trial of its paid plans.
Workforce analytics
What do the free plans leave out?
| Tool | Free plan or trial | App and website tracking | Screenshots | Attendance and leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clockify | Free plan for up to 5 people, 7-day trial of Pro | Timer and timesheet first. An auto tracker runs in the desktop app | Pro plan, $7.99. Blurred by default, taken while a timer runs | Time off and attendance on Standard, $5.49 |
| Toggl Track | Free plan for up to 3 people, 30-day trial | A private activity timeline that only the user sees | None, by policy | Not listed |
| TimeCamp | Free plan with unlimited users | Premium plan, $6.99 | Ultimate plan, $9.99 | Starter plan, $3.99 |
| Harvest | Free for 1 seat and 2 projects, 30-day trial | None. Manual timers and timesheets | None | Not listed |
| ActivTrak | Free plan for 3 people, 14-day trial of paid plans | Every plan | Paid add-on | Not listed |
Read across the last three columns. In most of these products, automatic tracking, screenshots or attendance sit on a paid plan, and no free plan here includes screenshots.
Which tools offer a free trial instead?
| Tool | Entry price per user per month | Free plan or trial | Screenshots | Attendance and leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BirdsEye | $5 billed annually, $6 monthly | 14-day free trial, no card | Every plan, with blur | Every plan |
| Hubstaff | $4.99 billed annually, $7 monthly | 14-day free trial | Monthly caps on Starter and Grow, unlimited on Team | Time off and scheduling on Team, $10 |
| Time Doctor | $6.67 billed annually, $8 monthly | 14-day free trial | Every plan | From Standard, $11.67 |
| DeskTime | $6.42 billed annually, $7 monthly | 14-day free trial | Premium plan, $9.17 | Absence calendar. Shift scheduling on Premium |
| Insightful | $8 billed annually, $10 monthly | Free trial | Included. On-demand and high-frequency captures are paid add-ons | Time and attendance included |
A trial gives you the whole product for a short time. A free plan gives you part of the product for as long as you like. For a decision about a team, the trial usually tells you more.
When is a free plan enough?
A free plan is enough when
- You are a freelancer or a team of two to five
- You only need hours per project or client
- Everyone is disciplined about timers
- You do not need attendance or proof of work
It stops being enough when
- The team grows past the user limit
- Hours are reconstructed on Friday from memory
- A client asks for evidence of time worked
- You need attendance, leave or late starts
- Payroll depends on the numbers
What does "free" cost?
Not money. Time and accuracy.
Hidden costs of a free timer
- Minutes each day starting, stopping and fixing timers
- Small tasks that never get recorded
- Unbilled time on client work
- A week reconstructed on Friday
- A move to another tool when you outgrow the limit
For a team that bills by the hour, one unrecorded hour a month per person costs more than a paid plan. See how to track billable hours.
What do you pay when you outgrow the free plan?
- Clockify$3.99
- TimeCamp$3.99
- Hubstaff$4.99
- BirdsEye$5
- DeskTime$6.42
- Time Doctor$6.67
- Toggl Track$9
- Harvest$9
- ActivTrak$10
List prices per user per month on annual billing, checked on 11 November 2026.
Entry plans are not equivalent. If you need app tracking, screenshots and attendance together, the plan that includes all three costs more at most vendors.
- BirdsEye Starter$5
- Clockify Pro$7.99
- Insightful Analytics$8
- DeskTime Premium$9.17
- TimeCamp Ultimate$9.99
- Hubstaff Team$10
- Time Doctor Standard$11.67
List prices per user per month on annual billing, checked on 11 November 2026.
Toggl Track, Harvest and ActivTrak do not sell those three together as one plan.
The full cost picture is in how much does employee monitoring software cost?
How should you test a tool before you pay?
Write down the one thing you need
Accurate payroll hours, client billing or attendance.
Pick two tools
One free plan and one free trial that covers the need.
Run both with three people for two weeks
Real work, not a demo project.
Compare the records
Which one matched the hours people actually worked?
Ask the three people
Which one got in the way less?
Is there free employee monitoring software?
Rarely in a form a team can use. ActivTrak has a free plan for three people and a 14-day trial of its paid plans. ActivTrak sells screenshots as a paid add-on. Among time trackers, the free plans leave out screenshots and activity reports.
If monitoring is what you need, be careful with tools that are free and unknown. Monitoring software sees everything on a computer. Choose a vendor that publishes who it is, what it records and how long it keeps the data. See what is employee monitoring?
What does BirdsEye offer instead of a free plan?
A 14-day free trial of the full product, with no credit card.
BirdsEye trial and entry plan
- Free trial
- 14 days, no card needed
- After the trial
- From $5 per user per month on annual billing, $6 monthly
- Seat minimum
- None. One person is enough
- Included at $5
- Automatic app and website tracking, screenshots with blur, productivity scoring, attendance with leave and holidays, live dashboard
- Not included
- Payroll, invoicing, GPS and an employee mobile app
BirdsEye is the right trial if you want time recorded automatically and attendance from the same data. If you want a free timer for a few people, the tools above are a better place to start. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free time tracking software?
It depends on your team size and needs. TimeCamp has a free plan with unlimited users. Clockify has a free plan for up to five people and a 7-day trial of Pro. Both are timer-based.
Is there free time tracking software with screenshots?
Not among the well-known tools. Clockify includes screenshots on its Pro plan at $7.99, blurred by default and taken while a timer runs. TimeCamp includes screenshots on its Ultimate plan at $9.99. Harvest takes no screenshots. Toggl Track takes no screenshots, by policy.
Is BirdsEye free?
No. BirdsEye has a 14-day free trial with no credit card, then paid plans from $5 per user per month on annual billing.
Are free time trackers safe to use?
The tools named here are established vendors with public pricing and policies. Be cautious with unknown free monitoring software, which has broad access to a computer.