A time tracking app records when your people work, what they work on and for how long, then turns it into timesheets you can approve and pay from. For UK employers it is also evidence: of hours worked, minimum wage compliance and holiday. Here is how to choose the right one, how TeamTrackin compares with Clockify and Breathe HR, what to look for if you need offline tracking, and how to build your own if you really must.
A time tracking app is software that records the hours employees work, by timer, clock-in or automatic background tracking, and turns them into timesheets, reports and payroll-ready data.
For UK employers, the best time tracking app for employees is one that captures hours automatically, works offline for field staff, handles UK GDPR properly and exports cleanly to payroll. TeamTrackin does all four in one platform, from $3.59 per user per month billed annually, with a 14-day free trial. Clockify suits teams that only need a simple tracker, and Breathe HR suits small UK businesses whose main need is HR admin.
The legal backdrop matters. UK employers must be able to show that workers were paid at least the National Minimum Wage, with records kept for six years, and that they stay within Working Time Regulations limits. A time tracking app is the simplest way to hold that evidence.
What Is a Time Tracking App?
A time tracking app is software that records how long people spend working, and on what. It replaces the paper timesheet, the spreadsheet and the end-of-week guess with a record made at the moment the work happens.
Most time tracking apps capture time in one of three ways:
- Timers and manual entry. Someone starts and stops a timer, or types in hours after the fact. Simple, but only as accurate as people's memory.
- Clock-in and clock-out. Staff record the start and end of a shift, often from a phone. This suits hourly, shift and field work.
- Automatic tracking. A small desktop agent records working time in the background, so nobody has to remember to press anything.
The output is the same whichever method you use: timesheets, reports and data you can export to payroll or turn into client invoices.
An employee time tracking app is built for the employer's side of that job. Beyond a timer, it adds approvals, role-based permissions, leave and overtime tracking and an audit trail: the features a business needs when it is paying people for the hours recorded. That is the difference between a personal time tracker and a tool you can run payroll from.
A time tracking app is software that records how long people spend working and on what, using timers, clock-ins or automatic tracking. An employee time tracking app adds approvals, permissions, leave and overtime tracking and an audit trail, so a business can pay people accurately and prove the hours it paid for.
Time Tracker, Timekeeper, Time Sheet: What's the Difference?
People search for the same thing under half a dozen names, and the words overlap. Here is how they are normally used.
| Term | What it means | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
| Time tracker | The tool or timer that records working time | A desktop agent, a mobile app or a start/stop button |
| Time sheet / timesheet | The record itself: hours worked per day, week or pay period, often split by project | A weekly sheet submitted for approval and payroll |
| Timekeeper | A person or system responsible for recording hours; traditionally a clerk or site supervisor | Construction sites, payroll teams, and the phrase "timekeeping" |
| Time clock | A device or app where staff clock in and out | Wall-mounted terminals, shared kiosks, mobile clock-in |
| Time and attendance | The wider system that combines clock-ins, absence and shifts | Rota-based businesses such as retail and care |
"Timesheet" as one word and "time sheet" as two mean the same thing; the one-word spelling is now standard. Our guide to what a timesheet is covers the formats and how minutes convert to decimal hours.
"Timekeeper" is a generic word, so when you search for it you may be looking at a category or at a product that happens to share the name. In practice a good time tracking app does all of it: the tracker captures the hours, the timesheet records them, and the timekeeping, meaning approving, correcting and exporting, becomes a ten-minute job instead of a day-long one.
Why UK Employers Need a Time Tracking App
Time tracking is not a legal requirement in itself. But several UK obligations can only be met if you hold a reliable record of hours worked, and when there is a dispute the burden of proof tends to sit with the employer.
For hybrid and remote teams the problem is sharper. Nobody sees when someone logs on, so the timesheet is the only evidence. For agencies and consultancies it is also the invoice: an inaccurate record costs money twice, once in payroll and once in billing.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by type of worker and sector, so check GOV.UK or take advice before setting your policy.
The 4 Types of Time Tracking App
"Time tracking app" covers four quite different kinds of product. Knowing which one you are shopping for narrows the field fast.
| Type | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-alone timer and timesheet apps | Freelancers and small teams who just need hours logged. Clockify is the best-known example. | Approvals, leave, payroll and HR usually live elsewhere, so you end up stitching tools together. |
| HR suites with a time and attendance add-on | UK small businesses whose main need is holiday, absence and employee records. Breathe HR is a popular example. | Time tracking is secondary and usually a paid add-on to the HR plan. |
| Monitoring-first tools | Teams that need detailed activity and screenshot data. | Heavier privacy duties under UK GDPR and ICO guidance, and trust suffers if the rollout is handled badly. |
| All-in-one workforce platforms | Remote, hybrid and field teams that want time, projects, HR and payroll behind one login. TeamTrackin sits here. | More to set up than a single timer, although one bill and one login replaces several subscriptions. |
None of these is wrong. A five-person agency billing hourly may be perfectly happy with a stand-alone tracker. The trouble starts when you grow: leave, overtime, payroll and client reporting arrive, and the simple tool needs three others bolted on.
9 Features to Look for in an Employee Time Tracking App
Use this as a checklist when you compare vendors. If an app fails more than two of these for your situation, keep looking.
Automatic tracking as well as timers
Timers and manual entry depend on memory. Automatic background tracking records working time without anyone pressing start, which is why hours from automatic tools usually survive an audit and hours from remembered ones often do not. Keep manual entry as a fallback, with a manager approval step.
Timesheets that build themselves
The timesheet should assemble from the tracked time rather than being typed up on Friday afternoon. Look for daily and weekly views, a clear submit-and-approve flow, and the ability to correct an entry with a visible note.
Offline mobile clock-in
Field, site and shift staff lose signal. The app should record the clock-in on the phone and carry on regardless, then reconcile once the device reconnects. Section 8 explains what to ask a vendor.
GPS or geofenced clock-in
For hourly staff working at client sites, location-verified clock-in shows that the person was where the timesheet says. It should be limited to the moment of clocking in and out, not continuous tracking.
Overtime, leave and absence tracking
Hours only mean something next to the rules around them. Overtime approvals, holiday booking and absence records in the same system save you reconciling two sources before every payroll run.
Payroll and accounting integrations
Retyping hours into payroll is where errors creep in. Check the app exports to the tools you actually use; UK teams commonly need Xero or QuickBooks, plus a clean CSV for anything else.
Project and client time
Agencies and consultancies need hours split by project, task and client so they can bill accurately and see which jobs lose money. Tracking against projects should be as easy as tracking a shift.
Reports and an audit trail
You want daily, weekly and monthly reports, and a record of who changed what and when. If an employee or HMRC questions a figure, the audit trail is your answer.
Privacy controls and UK GDPR compliance
Role-based access, encryption, retention controls and optional, switchable screenshots. If an app records more than you need, the ICO expects you to be able to justify it; the best tools make the least intrusive setting the default.
Best Time Tracking App for Employees: TeamTrackin
TeamTrackin is an all-in-one workforce management platform that combines time tracking, optional productivity insight, project management, HR and payroll behind one login. As a time tracking app for employees it does the part most tools leave to people: it records the hours itself.
A small desktop agent for Windows, Mac and Linux tracks working time in the background, and the hours flow into timesheets that are ready to approve. Field and shift staff clock in from the TeamTrackin app on Android or iPhone using GPS, and it keeps working if the signal drops. Approved hours export to the tools UK businesses already use, including Xero and QuickBooks, as well as FreshBooks, Gusto, Deel and PayPal.
- Automatic tracking: hours are captured in the background, so timesheets do not depend on memory
- Timesheets that build themselves: review, approve and export in bulk instead of chasing people
- Offline mobile clock-in with GPS: built for staff who work away from a desk
- Payroll and accounting integrations: Xero, QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Gusto, Deel and PayPal
- Privacy by default: screenshots are optional and off by default, with role-based access and encryption
- One platform: time, projects, leave, overtime and payroll reporting in a single login
Who it suits best. Remote and hybrid companies, agencies billing by the hour, and UK small and medium-sized businesses with field or shift staff who have outgrown spreadsheets and a stand-alone timer. TeamTrackin has a UK office in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and reports more than 2,000 teams on the platform and a 4.9 out of 5 rating from over 600 reviews.
Where it may not be the right fit. If you are a solo freelancer who only needs a free timer, you do not need an all-in-one platform. TeamTrackin is priced in US dollars, from $3.59 per user per month billed annually, and Shift Scheduling and Mobile Clock-In is an add-on rather than part of the base plan, so price your own mix before you commit. There is a 14-day free trial with no card required.
TeamTrackin vs Clockify vs Breathe HR
These three come up together because they solve overlapping problems from different directions. Here is how they compare on the things UK employers ask about most.
| What you're comparing | TeamTrackin | Clockify | Breathe HR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | All-in-one workforce management for remote, hybrid and field teams | Stand-alone time tracking and timesheets | Core HR admin for UK small businesses |
| How time is tracked | Automatic desktop tracking, timers and mobile clock-in | Timer, timesheet, kiosk and an optional auto tracker | Clock-in by kiosk, desktop or app via its time and attendance add-on |
| Offline | Mobile clock-in keeps working if the signal drops | Offline tracking in its apps | Not publicly documented; ask the vendor |
| Payroll and accounting | Xero, QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Gusto, Deel, PayPal | 100+ app integrations | Payroll exports, including to Xero |
| HR, leave and overtime | Included in the platform | Time off sits on paid plans | Leave and absence are the main product |
| Pricing model | From $3.59 per user per month, billed annually | Free plan, with paid tiers adding features | Per business per month by headcount; core plans from about £24 a month for 1-10 people |
| Try before you buy | 14-day free trial, no card | Free plan | Free trial |
Competitor details are based on public information and change often. Confirm current features and prices on each vendor's website.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Clockify if you want a free or low-cost tracker for a small team and are happy to run approvals, leave and payroll in other tools. It does the basics well.
Choose Breathe HR if holiday, absence and employee records are your real headache and time tracking is a nice-to-have. Breathe is built for UK small businesses and its time and attendance is an add-on to that.
Choose TeamTrackin if the hours themselves are what you need to get right: accurate, automatic and tied to projects, payroll and compliance, across people who are not in the same room. It replaces the stand-alone timer, the spreadsheet and much of the glue between them.
Looking for the Clockify login?
Clockify accounts are accessed through Clockify's own website. TeamTrackin is a separate product with its own login. If you have outgrown a stand-alone tracker and want time, projects, HR and payroll in one place, you can start a 14-day TeamTrackin trial without a card and run it alongside your current tool while you compare.
Stop estimating hours. Start tracking them.
Automatic time tracking, timesheets and payroll exports, free for 14 days.
Best Time Tracking App That Works Offline
Offline tracking matters more than most buyers expect. Site visits, rural coverage, basements, trains and unreliable venue Wi-Fi all create gaps where an app that needs a live connection simply loses time, and lost time is lost pay or lost billing.
Ask any vendor these five questions before you rely on offline mode:
- Does it record on the device and sync later? Or does the clock-in fail without a signal?
- Which timestamp is used? The phone's clock or the server's, and what stops someone changing it?
- Can managers see which entries were recorded offline? They should be able to review them.
- Does location capture still work without a signal? GPS can work offline even when data does not.
- What happens when two edits clash after reconnecting? Clear rules prevent silent overwrites.
Among the tools in this guide, TeamTrackin's mobile clock-in app is built to keep working if the signal drops, and the hours flow into attendance, reports and payroll. Clockify's mobile app can also track time offline and sync when you reconnect. For Breathe HR, ask the vendor, as its offline behaviour is not documented publicly.
Which is best? If you manage hourly or shift-based staff who work away from a desk, TeamTrackin's Shift Scheduling and Mobile Clock-In combines GPS-verified clock-in, offline mode, rotas, a live map and no-show alerts, with the hours landing straight in payroll. If you only need a personal offline timer, Clockify's mobile app will do the job.
Whatever you choose, treat offline entries as ones to review rather than ones to trust blindly. A weekly glance at anything recorded offline takes minutes and closes the biggest loophole.
Employee Time Tracking and UK GDPR: What the ICO Expects
Tracking working time is normal and lawful. What the Information Commissioner's Office cares about is how you do it. Its guidance on monitoring workers, published on 3 October 2023, says that while data protection law does not prevent monitoring, it must be necessary, proportionate and respect workers' rights.
In practice, that means four things when you introduce a time tracking app:
- Be transparent. Tell staff what is recorded, why and for how long, in plain language, before you switch anything on.
- Have a lawful basis. Identify it up front and document it. Tracking hours for payroll is usually straightforward; anything beyond that needs more thought.
- Do a data protection impact assessment. The ICO recommends one even where it is not strictly required, and expects you to record your reasoning if you skip it.
- Choose the least intrusive setting. If hours are all you need, do not capture screenshots or activity data as well. Staff working from home can expect greater privacy.
Screenshots in TeamTrackin are optional and off by default, access is role-based, and data is encrypted in transit and at rest. That makes the least intrusive configuration the starting point rather than something you have to engineer. You still need your own policy and impact assessment, because the legal duty sits with you as the employer.
This is general information, not legal advice. Take advice on your own circumstances.
How to Create a Time Tracking Web App (and Whether You Should)
You can build one. A basic time tracking web app is a well-understood problem, and if time tracking is your product, or your needs are genuinely unusual, building may make sense. Here is the outline in six steps.
Define who it is for and what finished looks like
Write down the roles (employee, manager, finance), the approval flow, and the output you need, usually a weekly timesheet and a payroll export. Decide now whether you need project time, leave, overtime and mobile clock-in, because each one roughly doubles the surface area.
Design the data model
Three tables get you surprisingly far: users, projects and time entries. Store every timestamp in UTC with a timezone-aware type, add a status column for draft, submitted and approved, and enforce at database level that an entry cannot end before it starts.
Build the timer and manual entry
Create start and stop endpoints, block overlapping entries for the same person, and log every edit with who made it and why. Most bugs in homemade trackers come from timezones, daylight-saving changes and entries left running overnight.
Add timesheets, approvals and reports
Roll entries up into weekly timesheets, let managers approve or reject with a comment, and export to CSV. Then add the reports finance will ask for: hours by person, by project and overtime against budget.
Handle offline use and sync
If staff work without signal, queue entries locally in the browser or app with a service worker and IndexedDB, then sync when connectivity returns. You will need clear rules for conflicts, and a way for managers to see which entries were recorded offline.
Secure it and meet UK GDPR
Add authentication, role-based access and encryption in transit and at rest. Decide how long you keep records, giving six years for minimum wage evidence, and complete a data protection impact assessment if you capture anything beyond hours.
To make step two concrete, here is the heart of a minimal data model in PostgreSQL:
CREATE TABLE time_entries (
id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
user_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES users(id),
project_id UUID REFERENCES projects(id),
started_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
ended_at TIMESTAMPTZ,
note TEXT,
status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'draft', -- draft | submitted | approved
CHECK (ended_at IS NULL OR ended_at > started_at)
);That is the easy part. The cost is everything around it: mobile apps, offline sync, integrations with payroll, security reviews, UK GDPR, support and maintenance for as long as people use it. Here is what the choice looks like for a 25-person team.
The build and the subscription are in different currencies, but the gap is wide enough that exchange rates do not change the conclusion. $3.59 is the entry price and add-ons or higher plans cost more. Substitute your own day rate, team size and scope; the answer rarely flips unless the product is highly bespoke.
Our advice: build only if the tracker is the thing you sell. If it is a tool you use to run your business, a platform like TeamTrackin gets you accurate hours, timesheets, offline clock-in and payroll exports on day one rather than in a year.
Rolling It Out: The 4 Metrics That Prove It Worked
The best time tracking app fails if people resent it. Roll out in a way that makes the benefit obvious to them as well as to you:
- Explain the why. Accurate pay, no more end-of-week reconstruction, and protection if hours are ever questioned.
- Start with a pilot team. Run one team for a pay period, fix the awkward bits, then widen.
- Set the rules in writing. What is tracked, who sees it, how corrections work, and when timesheets must be approved.
- Review on a rhythm. Approve timesheets weekly, not monthly, so errors are caught while people still remember the week.
Then measure whether it is working. These four numbers tell you quickly:
Why UK Teams Choose TeamTrackin as Their Time Tracking App
Most teams do not come to TeamTrackin because they want another tool. They come because the timer, the spreadsheet, the HR system and the payroll export have stopped agreeing with each other. TeamTrackin puts the time in one place and lets everything else read from it.
See how TeamTrackin's employee time tracking software works →
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a time tracking app?
A time tracking app is software that records how long people spend working and on what, using timers, clock-ins or automatic background tracking. It turns that record into timesheets, reports and payroll-ready data. An employee time tracking app adds approvals, permissions, leave and overtime tracking and an audit trail, so a business can pay people accurately for the hours recorded.
- What is the best time tracking app for employees?
For most UK businesses with remote, hybrid or field staff, TeamTrackin is the best time tracking app for employees, because it tracks hours automatically, builds timesheets, offers offline mobile clock-in and exports to payroll in one platform. Clockify suits teams that only need a simple, low-cost tracker, and Breathe HR suits UK small businesses whose main need is HR administration.
- Which app is best for employee time tracking?
It depends on what you are tracking and why. If you need accurate, automatic hours for payroll and client billing across remote and field teams, TeamTrackin is the strongest all-round choice. If you need a free personal timer, Clockify works. If time tracking is a minor extra to a UK HR system, Breathe HR's time and attendance add-on may be enough.
- What is the best time tracking app that works offline?
For hourly and shift-based staff who work away from a desk, TeamTrackin's mobile clock-in app keeps working if the signal drops and feeds hours into attendance, reports and payroll, alongside GPS clock-in and shift scheduling. Clockify's mobile app also supports offline tracking for individuals. Always ask a vendor how offline entries are timestamped and flagged to managers.
- How do I create a time tracking web app?
Define the roles and outputs, design a simple data model of users, projects and time entries, build timer and manual entry with overlap checks, add weekly timesheets and manager approvals, handle offline sync, then secure it for UK GDPR. A basic version takes around 60 developer days, before mobile apps, integrations and ongoing maintenance, which is why most employers buy rather than build.
- What is the difference between a time tracker, a timekeeper and a time sheet?
A time tracker is the tool or timer that records working time. A time sheet, also written as one word, timesheet, is the record of hours worked per day, week or pay period. A timekeeper is traditionally the person or system responsible for recording hours. A good time tracking app covers all three.
- How do I log in to Clockify, and is TeamTrackin an alternative?
Clockify accounts are accessed through Clockify's own website, not through TeamTrackin. TeamTrackin is a separate product with its own login at teamtrackin.com/login. If you have outgrown a stand-alone tracker and want time, projects, HR and payroll in one platform, TeamTrackin offers a 14-day free trial with no card required.
- Does Breathe HR have time tracking?
Breathe HR is UK HR software for small and medium-sized businesses, and time tracking is available through its Rota, Time and Attendance add-on rather than the core HR plan. If accurate time capture, project time or remote tracking is your main need, a dedicated time tracking app such as TeamTrackin is usually the better fit.
- Is employee time tracking legal in the UK?
Yes. Data protection law does not prevent employers from tracking time, but the ICO says monitoring must be necessary, proportionate and transparent, with a lawful basis and, ideally, a data protection impact assessment. Tell staff what is recorded and why, and choose the least intrusive settings. This is general information, not legal advice.
- How much does TeamTrackin cost?
TeamTrackin starts from $3.59 per user per month billed annually, and one price covers time tracking, projects, HR and payroll. Shift Scheduling and Mobile Clock-In is available as an add-on, so you only pay for the people who work shifts. There is a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Figures in this guide are attributed inline to the TUC (as reported by HR Review), HMRC's National Minimum Wage manual and the ICO, and were checked in October 2026. Competitor features and prices change often, so confirm them with each vendor. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
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