Five free Android time-tracking tools

By Jack Wallen January 13, 2015, 2:00 PM PST

Image
1
of 4

Introduction

If you’re an independent contractor or a small shop in needrnof an easy method of keeping tabs of work-related time, your tablet orrnsmartphone and a free app might be all you need to ensure you’re billable time isrnup to date and ready for invoicing. Of course, not all time-tracking apps arerncreated equal, but there are plenty of apps in the Google Play Store that offerrnall the features you need — and in some cases, more than you need.

But whichrnapps are best suited for the job? I tested a lot of them to find five Irnconsider to be at the top of the list. Let’s dig in and see if any of my picksrnwill suit your purposes.

Note: This gallery is also available as an article.

aTimeLogger

By default, there is a Work group, but it’s generic. You’llrnwant to create groups for each project so you can keep track of time forrnspecific tasks. (Otherwise, you’re just keeping time for Work, Sleep,rnTransport, etc.)

From the Groups tab, tap the + button and create a new grouprnspecific to a certain project or job. With that new group created, you canrnassociate items (such as work, travel, etc.) and track that time (and evenrntrack time for multiple items). The aTimeLogger app takes a bit of acclimation,rnbut once you’re accustomed to its usage, you’ll be good to go.

Timesheet (same name, different app)

In the window wherernyou add time to a project, you can add expense costs and mileage driven, asrnwell as notes and tasks. I will warn you about this app: Consider it a genericrntime-tracking tool. You won’t be adding a lot of subtasks to projects. In fact,rnI have been able to add only three tasks to select from. Because of this, you’llrnwant to create tasks like Sysadmin, Networking, Maintenance, or other genericrntasks you regularly do and need to keep track of. What I really like about thisrnapp is that its no-frills approach makes it easy for you to manually keep trackrnof time on your main projects or jobs. Sometimes, manual tracking is all yournneed.

Time Recording

The interface does a bit of a learning curve. Just adding clients andrntasks takes awhile to figure out, so be sure you read through the website to get your bearings first. Once you’rernup to speed, however, Time Recording is a powerful time-tracking tool.

By Jack Wallen

Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic, The New Stack, and Linux New Media. He's covered a variety of topics for over twenty years and is an avid promoter of open source. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen.

Account Information

Contact Jack Wallen

Your message has been sent
|
See all of Jack's content

PURPOSE This policy describes the organization’s employee privacy guidelines and outlines employee privacy expectations. From the policy: POLICY DETAILS The organization’s IT equipment, services and systems are intended for business use only. However, the organization acknowledges that staff, consultants and volunteers occasionally require opportunities to make or receive personal phone calls, access personal email, utilize ...

PURPOSE The purpose of this Security Response Policy from TechRepublic Premium is to outline the security incident response processes which must be followed. This policy will assist to identify and resolve information security incidents quickly and effectively, thus minimizing their business impact and reducing the risk of similar incidents recurring. It includes requirements for both ...

PURPOSE This policy from TechRepublic Premium provides guidelines for reliable and secure backups of end user data. It outlines the responsibilities of IT departments and employees to identify tasks and action items for each group. The policy can be customized to fit the needs of your organization. From the policy: IT STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES IT staff ...