[Timetracker]
Embarking on the journey of efficient time management within Jira, users often find themselves at a crossroads when choosing from the huge variety of time-tracking plugins available on the Atlassian Marketplace. With so many apps (The Jira time-tracking category has 301 apps at the time of writing this paragraph), choosing the right time-tracking solution can be a daunting task for users and admins, and differentiating one tool from another can be a pain for us vendors.
In this comprehensive analysis, we delve into six carefully selected plugins, with a keen focus on meeting the needs of both small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and enterprises alike. Our exploration will unravel these plugins’ functionality, user-friendliness, and administrative features, providing insights that cater to the distinct requirements of different user personas (users, managers, admins) and organizational scales. As one of the vendors in this bustling marketplace, we understand the importance of providing teams with a time-tracking solution that seamlessly integrates with their Jira workflows and enhances productivity.
Let’s embark on this exciting journey to uncover the perfect work-logging companion for your Jira projects, and gain a deeper understanding of the strengths and capabilities offered by these outstanding apps.
Why do you need a Time-tracker app for Jira?
While Jira comes equipped with a basic time-tracking feature, questions pop up on the Atlassian Community weekly about the limitations of its user experience or the types of reports that provides. The strategic integration of an additional plugin can significantly enhance the time-tracking experience. These supplementary plugins often offer advanced functionalities, providing a more nuanced and customizable approach to time management. From detailed reporting and analytics to specialized features like tracking worklogs or implementing specific business rules, these plugins address the limitations of Jira’s native time-tracking capabilities. Moreover, they cater to diverse user needs, from individual contributors to project managers and administrators, offering a more tailored and efficient solution. Questions about
Top apps for SMBs
For Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) navigating the Jira landscape, a time tracker plugin should be a versatile ally, combining simplicity with robust functionality. The emphasis is on user-friendly interfaces, ensuring that time tracking becomes an asset, not a hindrance. Customizability to suit the specific needs of smaller teams is crucial, allowing seamless integration into existing workflows without overwhelming users with unnecessary features. Cost-effectiveness is a pivotal factor for SMBs, making affordability and value for money key considerations. The ideal time tracker should strike a balance between providing essential features for efficient time management and avoiding unnecessary complexities, ensuring that SMBs can harness the power of Jira without breaking the bank or compromising functionality.
Reminder, this is our app, so this is the best in everything of course. 
Joking aside, we do pride ourselves in offering the most customizable methods for manual time-tracking, as well as providing the most comprehensive feature set in our price range. We have API connections for potential integrations (including BI and Calendar tools), and reports enriched with custom data and billing info. We also admit where we have room for improvement: for 2024, we aim to create more dynamic and robust reports inside the app.
User base:
~2.7k companies
Pricing
40 $/month for 100 users, monthly plan
239 $/month for 1000 users, monthly plan
Strengths:
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Diverse and highly customizable methods for manual time tracking
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Custom tags & billing info
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API connections
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Reports on Issues
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Log work on behalf of another user
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Permission controls
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Dashboard gadgets
Weaknesses:
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Lack of Timesheet approval & direct invoicing
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Lack of cost-tracking
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No worklog editing on the Timesheet
Time-tracking expertise seems to run deep in Eastern Europe, as SolDevelo, the makers of the app Worklogs, is the second Polish company in the list, and the third from the region (EverIT’s HQ is based in Hungary). The app offers easy-to-use worklog reports in customizable 3 layers inside the app or even easier-to-read dashboard gadgets. The neat thing about Worklogs’ Timesheet is that it also enables worklog management directly on the timesheet. On the other hand, it’s lacking in integrations, adding extra info to the worklogs and in the time-tracking UI, features which our Timetracker provides for the same price.
User base:
~5k companies
Pricing
40 $/month for 100 users, monthly plan
235 $/month for 1000 users, monthly plan
Strengths:
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3 layer deep Timesheet reports
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Edit worklogs from Timesheet
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Dark mode
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Dashboard gadgets
Weaknesses:
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No improvement on native Jira Time tracking on Issues
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Lack of auto-time tracking
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Lack of Timesheet approval & invoicing
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Lack of API connection
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Lack of extra worklog info
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Lack of calendar integrations
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Lack of cost-tracking
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Lack of permission control
If the only improvement you want for your Jira time-tracking experience is reports, we recommend Timesheet Tracking, developed by Switzerland-based Touchdown Software. Their focus is highly customizable worklog reports, and they deliver on that front with a 3-layer deep Timesheet. Other than that, there is only a calendar view for creating and editing worklogs, which uses the native Jira time tracking screen, which might be lackluster compared to the sophistication of the Timesheet report, especially for the users who do the bulk of the work with the worklogs.
User base:
over 20k companies
Pricing
75 $/month for 100 users, monthly plan
427 $/month for 1000 users, monthly plan
Strengths:
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Advanced, filterable reports
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Multi-layered Timesheets
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Table and Chart reports in one dashboard
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Good for basic capacity planning
Weaknesses:
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No UX improvement over native Jira time-tracking
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No classic Timesheet report view
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Lack of permission control
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Lack of custom tags/billings
Top apps for Enterprise users
In the realm of large enterprises harnessing the power of Jira, the need for a robust time tracker plugin becomes paramount. For these sprawling organizations, scalability, customization, and integration capabilities are key requisites. A time-tracking solution should seamlessly accommodate diverse teams working on multifaceted projects, offering the flexibility to adapt to intricate workflows and reporting structures. Integration prowess is equally critical, ensuring cohesion with existing tools and systems. Beyond individual user needs, administrative control is pivotal, necessitating features for centralized management, extensive reporting, and compliance adherence.
Timesheets by Tempo is “The Great Old One” time-tracking plugin of Jira, and every other time-tracking tool shall be grateful to it in one way or another. Used by over 31 thousand companies, it covers over 25% of the whole Jira Time tracking market alone. As you can see from the tables below, it pretty much covers all of the needs a user, manager, or admin might have, but being this big has some downsides. In the past years, Tempo has turned its focus away from the narrower time-tracking business, moving to cover larger aspects of the Strategic Portfolio Planning area with Enterprise customers in mind. To fuel this growth, it became the most expensive time-tracking tool of the marketplace, and in the tight economic situation of 2023-2024, smaller companies might want to consider paying for only the features they use, thus looking for alternatives.
User base:
over 31 thousand companies
Pricing
412 $/month for 100 users, monthly plan
1715 $/month for 1000 users, monthly plan
Strengths:
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Robust features for manual time tracking with usage-based AI suggestions
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Timesheet approval and invoicing feature
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Calendar and BI tool integrations
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Part of a whole Strategic Portfolio Suite
Weaknesses:
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Cost
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Worklog data is stored separately from Jira, making it harder to leave/switch from Tempo
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Utilizing the whole feature set would require several apps (Costs!)
One of the most dynamically growing time-tracking apps is not one, but two different plugins. Clockwork by Polish Platinum Marketplace Partners Herocoders comes in two editions, with a free app and a paid one. The main strength of both apps is the multitude of automated timers they provide for their users, either through manual start/stop timers, or based on Issue statuses. While the free version is sufficient for small teams or less frequent usage, after a while you’ll run out of the limited timers or will want to explore the more advanced reports that Clockwork Pro offers.
User base:
over 12 thousand companies (combined with users of the Clockwork Free)
Pricing
110 $/month for 100 users, monthly plan
470 $/month for 1000 users, monthly plan
Strengths:
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Robust features for automatic time tracking
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Timesheet reminders
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Free alternative for users with fewer needs (Clockwork Free for SMBs)
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custom tags & billing
Weaknesses:
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Lack of graphic reports
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Lack of Jira Dashboard gadgets
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Lack of Timesheet approval & invoicing
One of the major end-goals of time tracking (next to proper invoicing to clients and cost tracking is) planning the workload of teams, and for those mainly interested in this solution, Activity Timeline is an ideal plugin. Developed by Tallin-based Platinum Atlassian Marketplace Partner Reliex packs a two-in-one punch for teams looking not just for time-tracking, but for a capacity planner in the same tool as well. While its time-tracking experience might not be that improved over the native Jira solution from the average user’s perspective, managers and admins will enjoy the seamless way its worklog reports can directly lead to more informed, data-driven decision-making in the area of creating plans for your company. Plus, since it’s also using the native worklog data of Jira, it’s super easy to use Activity Timeline together with another, more UX-focused time tracker tool.
User base:
~2.8k companies
Pricing
250 $/month for 100 users, monthly plan
1450 $/month for 1000 users, monthly plan
Strength:
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Multiple PM needs solved by one app (ie. Capacity Planning)
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Timesheet approval
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Easy integrations
Weaknesses
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Basic offering for manual and auto-time tracking
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Only a handful of built-in reports on worklogs
Feature comparison tables
Features aimed at users
| User features | Top apps for SMBs | Top apps for Enterprise | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timetracker by EverIT | Worklogs by SolDevelo | Timesheet tracker by Touchdown | Timesheets by Tempo | Clockwork by Herocoders | Activity Timeline by Reliex | |
| Manually create worklogs | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Start and Stop timers manually | ✔ manually | X | ✔ manually | ✔ manually | ✔ manually and automatically | ✔ manually |
| Log work for others | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Reports for Estimated & Remaining time | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Improved Issue-based worklog editor | ✔ | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Calendar-like worklog editor | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Timeline worklog editor | ✔ | X | X | X | X | X |
| Editable timesheet | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ beta | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| View my work | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Compare worklogs to working hours | ✔ with Fillchecker | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Available for Jira Mobile | ✔ | X | X | Separate app | ✔ | Separate app |
| Round to nearest minute or quarter of hour on reports | X | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Round up time on worklog editor | ✔ | X | X | X | X | X |
| Smart Issue picker | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Google / Outlook Calendar integration | X | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Worklog creation reminder | ✔ with Fillchecker | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| Daily / Weekly / Monthly completion overview | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | X | X |
| Bulk edit worklogs | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | X | X |
| Repeating worklogs | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | X | X |
| Personizable log work screen | ✔ | X | ✔ | ✔ | X | X |
Features aimed at managers
| Manager features | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual price on Cloud, 1000 users | 2,395$ | 2,350$ | 4,275$ | 17,155$ | 4,700$ | 14,500$ |
| Filter Timesheets by projects, users, Issue types, Components & more | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Breakdown Timesheets by different attributes | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Export Timesheets and worklogs | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Create reports for a relative date range | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| View reports as a Chart or Graph | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | ✔ |
| Dashboard Gadget | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | ✔ |
| Compare worklogs to working hours | ✔ with Fillchecker | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Reports for Estimated & Remaining time | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Mark work as Billable | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Add tags/lables without a custom field | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| Billings settings on project level | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | X | ✔ |
| Approve Timesheets | X | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Lock worklog editing | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Require descriptions on worklogs | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Google / Outlook Calendar integration | X | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Timesheet completion check | ✔ with Fillchecker | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Notifications | ✔ with Fillchecker | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| BI integration possibility | ✔ via API | X | X | ✔ via API | ✔ via API | ✔ via API |
| Sum up on Epic level | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Save/Load/Share reports | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Features aimed at admins
| Admin features | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concurrent running timers | 1 per user | X | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | X |
| Access worklogs via API | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Create, Update, Delete worklogs with API | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | X | ✔ |
| Log work for others project permission | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| Set as Time Tracking Provider | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Require descriptions on worklogs | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| Restrict reporting past or future time | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Configure working hours at a global, project or user level | kindof | kindof | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Set non-working issues | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | X | ✔ |
| Set non-working hours of days | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| Create own teams | ✔ Jira teams | ✔ Jira teams | ✔ Jira teams | ✔ Tempo teams | ✔ Clockwork teams | ✔ Jira teams |
| EU Data Residency | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| US Data residency | X | X | X | ✔ | X | X |
| Using Jira worklog data | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | ✔ | ✔ |
| Worklog data available after uninstall | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X some fields will be hidden | ✔ | ✔ |
Disclaimer:
This blog post originally appeared on EverIT's blog on 2024.02.08. EverIT has joined catworkx (part of TIMETOACT GROUP) on 2025.01.01.