Best Time Tracking Software for Client Retainers and Billable Work (2026)
The best time tracking software for client retainers is rarely just the fastest timer. Agencies need to see budget burn, separate billable from non-billable work, approve hours, handle overages, and turn approved time into invoices.
Reviewed by Marcus Taylor · how we score · Last updated 2026-06-30 · compare tools · affiliate disclosure
At a glance
| Tool | Index | Ease | From | Free | Best for |
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Choosing the right tool
Do the retainer maths first. Teamwork is the stronger fit if you need hourly or fixed-fee recurring budgets, monthly or quarterly periods, and surplus or deficit carry-forward. The trade-off is that you are buying into a project-management system, not just a timer.
Trace the invoice path before you choose. Harvest is the cleanest option if tracked time needs to become invoices and online payments through Stripe or PayPal. The catch is payment fees can apply, and Free accounts have restrictions until Stripe is connected.
Choose Toggl Track if adoption is the main risk. Its Free plan covers web, desktop, mobile, browser extensions, calendar integrations, and productivity reports. The limitation is retainer handling: Fixed Fee Projects sit on Premium and Enterprise, and Toggl is better for tracking and reporting than full retainer operations.
Separate billable, non-billable, and internal work from day one. Toggl Track supports billable rates across workspace, member, project, project member, and task levels, while Teamwork supports several rate types and project-level overrides. Bad tagging still ruins the reports, so keep the setup simple enough that the team uses it.
Check approvals, notes, and profitability reporting against your client risk. Harvest adds features such as profitability reporting, timesheet approvals, required notes, activity log, and SAML SSO on Enterprise. That is useful for mature agencies, but overkill if a freelancer only needs a timer and a monthly invoice.
Watch the fees that catch people out. Toggl Track paid plans are billed by licence, and vacant licences remain billable until removed. Harvest payment collection can involve Stripe or PayPal fees. Teamwork includes AI in paid plans for an introductory period, with usage-based AI credits due in September 2026.
FAQ
What is the best time tracking software for client retainers?
Choose Teamwork if retainers, project budgets, capacity planning, and delivery work need to live together. Choose Harvest if the priority is billable time, invoices, and payment collection. Choose Toggl Track if the team needs a low-friction timer and cleaner reporting, while retainer rules sit elsewhere.
Can Toggl Track handle retainers?
Toggl Track can support flat-fee or per-period work through Fixed Fee Projects on Premium and Enterprise, including projects on retainer. It is a good tracking and reporting tool, but it should not be treated as a full retainer-management platform with rollover and deficit controls.
Is Harvest better than Toggl Track for invoicing?
Harvest is the better fit if invoices and online payment collection are central to the workflow, because it supports invoicing, expenses, Stripe, and PayPal Standard. Toggl Track can generate downloadable PDF invoices and send invoices one way to QuickBooks, but it is not the stronger payment-collection choice.
Should an agency use Teamwork instead of a separate time tracker?
Use Teamwork if time tracking is tied to projects, retainers, workload, and client delivery. Its Free plan is limited to up to 5 projects and 5 users, while retainer features sit higher up the product, so a simpler team may still prefer Harvest or Toggl Track.
How are the tools in this ranking scored?
We score tools on ease of use, feature depth, how well they scale with client work, and price and value. The same underlying tool data powers our reviews, rankings and comparison pages.