Assessing Toggl Track: Cost, Functions, and Competitor Comparisons
Straight up, searching for the ultimate time tracker to keep tabs on your grind? Ever puzzled about how long you're investin' in ain't-no-help-Me-Ho duties? You've prolly stumbled upon plenty ads for Toggl Track time tracker. If you're here, then you're likely wondering: is Toggl the one? Well buckle up, because we're gonna break it down in this deep, down-to-earth review of Toggl Track.
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What's Toggl Track?
Toggl Track is a time tracker with a twist: it's an automated one, helping freelancers, consultants, and remote teams keep tabs on their billable hours.
At its heart, Toggl Track is a simple start-and-stop timer to help you track your daily grind. Each plan includes automated idle detection, a built-in Pomodoro timer, and reporting features, so you can analyze your time usage and work smarter.
Track across devices, record hours by project, and use the mobile app and desktop app to get the job done - time will sync automatically. Basic time tracking in the free version is an excellent starting point for solo talents and little teams.
Upgrades offer more features like tracking billable rates, and time management for your entire squad (come on, big spender!). For enterprises, Toggl can build custom tailored plans with custom pricing.
Toggl Track shines when it comes to automating time tracking at a fundamental level. It's designed for freelancers and groups that aim for a dependable way to start tracking time, without getting too obsessed with other productivity metrics.
Toggl Track's meant for who?
Toggl has options for soloists, small teams, and massive teams, but their game plan for big teams looks a bit different from other time tracker options. Their plans make the most sense when you consider their history.
The origins of Toggl trace back to an Estonian software consultancy trying to log billable hours and provide more transparency to their clients. To conquer this, they whipped up the very tool we now recognize as Toggl Track. The team planned to keep the software in-house, but one client fell in love with it so much they wanted to buy it. The rest is history, kid.
Today, Toggl still operates from that vantage point. While other time trackers prioritize big companies, Toggl feels most kin to the freelancers, consultants, and independent contractors they once were. They showcase this in their anti-surveillance policy[1]. In the policy, Toggl vows never to implement proof of work features. Their goal is to protect individual privacy above all else.
This is a sweet relief for anyone who has ever worked under a micro-manager[2]. This policy also assists freelancers recognize the line between reasonable proof of work and constant demands for updates from uptight clients. But don't think there's no point in features asking for more transparency in remote teams - Toggl Track won't deliver it.
Next, let's take a gander at some pros and cons of Toggl Track.
Toggl Track's upsides and downsides
The wholesome reporting, planning, and analysis tools come with the paid plans, but since Toggl Track keeps a laser-focus on basic time tracking, all the features not related to time tracking will feel less robust than offerings by other competitors.
As a time tracker built for freelancers and agencies, it's shocking that there are no built-in tools for invoicing. Invoicing issues were pointed out by Toggl Track users[3]:
Users also expressed some difficulty switching projects and correcting time[3], as well as the absence of a pause feature - Toggl Track creates a new session each time you stop and restart the timer, which might make taking a break appear like a task switch.
In summary, plenty of peeps love Toggl Track and find it handy. It ain't the champ for every team, but this is a solid bet if you're after straightforward time tracking.
Let's look deeper into some of Toggl Track's specific features.
User interface and experience
Toggl Track's user interface is easy to navigate. As this app's core is merely a start-and-stop timer, it oughta be simple and intuitive. The layout and design are perfect for solo talents and small squads. Most users agree that switching devices is just as pleasant, whether it's browsers, mobile apps, or desktop applications. Even when team members create a session on one gadget and the timer is already in motion on another, Toggl Track will recognize this and sync data.
However, things get a mite complicated when you add team members. Organizing time tracking within a group can be a hassle, and some organizations discover that team members simply don't track time at all.
It makes sense that Toggl's interface functions better for individual talents and small squads since that's their specialty. Groups that need to up their time tracking game might find that some trial and error is involved.
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Managing team members and projects
When it comes to team management, Toggl Track handles the basics, but there's room for improvement when compared to other time trackers on the market. It does provide a few helpful features to help you keep your team organized, though. You can set reminders, send email alerts about project deadlines, and see your team's workload from one handy dashboard. With the free version, you can create multiple projects without limits, but upgrading is mandatory to develop sub-tasks within those projects.
If you're hankering for productivity data or proof of work features, Toggl Track isn't your ticket. Since this tool doesn't capture any productivity metrics, you're liable to miss some early signs of trouble in your workflow. Some users also mentioned they'd want scheduling tools within the software, to help facilitate decisions about shifts and cover based on available time and deadlines.
Payroll and invoicing
The time your team tracks in Toggl Track can prove a valuable ally for payroll needs, though you'll need to do it manually or relish an integration to make it happen. Filling timesheets with accurate data is preferable to submitting regularly with inaccurate data.
If you're in the billable hours club, Toggl's Free plan or higher can be beneficial for keeping tabs on your hours. Assembling invoices directly from tracked time makes for a reliable method to bill clients, though billing is a manual process. No built-in invoicing tool is available.
Reporting
Keeping tabs on time alone ain't much help if you can't draw insights from that time. Reporting powers that up.
Summary reports break down tracked time in various ways, showing you how much time was allocated to distinct projects or the hours logged on a specific day. Detailed reports provide a more thorough look at tracked time, letting you correct time entries. Toggl Track offers the option to save reports so they're easy to find. But only upgrading to a Premium or Enterprise plan will allow you to schedule reports via email.
Reporting in Toggl Track is easy to understand. You can examine different time frames, projects, or team members quickly, with data analysis to boot. While paid plans offer more functionality, such as saving and scheduling reports, basic teams might find the simplicity perfectly acceptable. Complex teams that need more visibility and oversight are better served exploring time tracking solutions with more robust time audit alternatives.
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Start your 14-day free trial## Toggl Track integrations
Toggl currently sports over 100 integrations for apps such as Asana, Todoist, Slack, Trello, and Salesforce. Applying these integrations, Toggl Track turns into a powerful tool for enhancing productivity.
Project management software
- Asana
- Trello
- Jira
- Notion
- Toggl Plan
HR & accounting
- Xero
- Spidergap
- Zoho Books
Help desk & customer support
- Salesforce
- Freshdesk
- Zendesk
Bonding Toggl Track with your favorite tools can extend its power. One perk: some native integrations include timer buttons within everyday tools, like Jira and Salesforce.
Toggl Track pricing
If you're running a little group with 5 or fewer employees, you'd be hard-pressed to beat the cost of the freebie Toggl plan - it's on the house. The Starter plan, at $10 per user per month, offers fewer features and less team management capability than other time trackers at the same coin. Toggl Track delivers its most useful team management features in their Premium plan, which sets you back $20 per user per month. Times that by each person, and it doesn't come cheap.
On the hunt for a Toggl Track substitute? Go the distance with Hubstaff
Hubstaff's an ideal Toggl Track alternative, offering smart features such as offline time tracking and an easy-to-access dashboard.
If you yearn for more visibility, Hubstaff beats Toggl with 18 varied reports to view activity, expenses, and project budgets[4]. Proof of work and idle time detection features tilt the scales further. With these offerings in your corner, you'll never doubt if team members are billing you for time spent on other clients - now ain't that a sight for sore eyes? Custom invoicing and integrations with Asana, Wrike, and other PM tools make Hubstaff an excellent pick for larger teams.
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Is Toggl Track the one for you?
Toggl Track's charm lies with freelancers. Solos in design, copywriting, or social media, you'll dig the easy setup and anti-surveillance ethos if you're cutting your chops in those fields. You can focus on your workflow with a clean, simple interface that logs time invisibly.
If you're a corporate bigwig (or team lead) hankering for team management features, Toggl Track leaves much to be desired. Toggl Track's team management features falter in comparison to other time tracking solutions, and the absence of productivity data is a significant miss for expanding teams.
Making assumptions based solely on surveillance tools isn't something folks should condone. But with the right proof of work features, you can gain deeper understanding and trust with your team - translating to greater creative output for everyone. Even freelancers need software features, such as screenshots and activity tracking, as these insights help build confidence with clients - you can prove what you're billin' for is legit.
Toggl Track FAQs
Is Toggl Track truly free?
Toggl Track does offer a free plan with limited features, such as basic time tracking and reporting capabilities. Refer to their site [5] for more details on Toggl Track plans.
Which is the best automated time tracking software – Toggl Track, Hubstaff, or Clockify?
Finding the ultimate automated time tracker depends on your needs and priorities. Some may prefer Toggl's simple interface, while others may embrace Hubstaff's productivity tools or Clockify's scheduling features[5]. Assessing these tools is key to find one that fits your team's requirements.
How does Toggl Track help with reporting?
Toggl Track offers various reporting options, including weekly, summary, and detailed reports. Users can customize data visualizations and export reports as CSV or PDF files[5].
- Hubstaff's blog offers insights on time tracking management better suited for larger teams seeking improved productivity.
- While Toggl Track may lack built-in features like invoicing and sub-task development, its user interface is easy to navigate on devices and syncs data across them.
- Toggl Track offers basic team management functions such as reminders, project deadlines monitoring, and project creation, but lacks scheduling tools and productivity data like other time trackers.
- Hubstaff provides more robust reporting features than Toggl Track, offering 18 different reports for activity, expenses, and project budgets, among other advantages.
- If you're searching for an alternative to Toggl Track, consider Hubstaff's smart features like offline time tracking and its dashboard for improved visibility, as well as custom invoicing, and integration with popular project management tools.
