Time tracking tools fall into three families: timesheet apps where people record time by hand or with a simple timer, cloud trackers with optional screenshots, activity levels and payroll features, and self-hosted trackers that run on your own computer. They differ in how much they record, who holds the data and how they are priced.
The families
| Family | What it usually does | Where data lives | Typical pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timesheet apps | Timers, manual entries, project reports; usually no monitoring | Vendor's cloud | Free tiers and per-user plans |
| Cloud trackers with monitoring | Timers plus screenshots, activity levels, app usage, payroll and invoicing | Vendor's cloud | Per user per month |
| Self-hosted trackers | Timers, screenshots, activity, reports, payroll, hosted by you | Your computer | One-time or low yearly |
Examples exist in each family; we do not rank them. Check each product's own site for current features and prices.
Where Clockgauge sits
Clockgauge is in the third family: it includes consented screenshots, activity levels, clients and projects, budgets and payroll balances, hosted on your computer and bought once.
Questions to ask
- Do you need screenshots and activity, or only hours?
- Do you accept data held by a vendor?
- Do you have someone to look after a host computer?
- What is the cost over three years?
A quick decision guide
- Only need hours for clients: a timesheet app may be enough.
- Need screenshots and activity from a hosted service and are happy with per-user billing: a cloud tracker.
- Want data on your own computer and a one-time cost: a self-hosted tracker.
Questions people ask
Do I need monitoring at all?
Not always. If you only need hours for billing, a simple timesheet app may be enough.
Categories are general; individual products vary.
Try Clockgauge
Clockgauge is an employee and freelancer time tracker that runs on your own computer: timers, consented random screenshots, activity levels, clients, projects and tasks, budgets, payroll balances and reports, paid once instead of per user per month..