It's easy to lose track of time. After all, you are busy and multitasking between jobs every day. But even as you are ticking off all those pending to-dos, it's important to keep an eye on where you're spending your precious time. For a freelancer, it's vital to account for all those billable hours.

Thankfully, there are tools that help you do just that with minimal hassle. Here are the best time tracking apps you should try.

1. HourStack (Web, Android, iOS)

HourStack is a simple time tracking tool. You can tell at a glance how your week looks like with the Kanban interface.

You can create new entries for tasks, move their slots around to any part of the day or week, and even drag them to increase their allocated duration.

HourStack lets you organize your workspace into various projects and labels. The built-in timer tells you precisely how much time you've left for a task. At the end of the day, the app's comprehensive insights and charts show how much time you've saved.

To streamline your workflow, you can integrate the app with Slack, Todoist, Google Calendar, and others.

Want to track time on team projects? HourStack has Professional and Enterprise flavors for teams.

HourStack has Android and iOS time tracking apps but on your computer, you will have to rely on its web app. You can try it for free for 14 days and after that, you will have to shell out at least $7 every month.

Download: HourStack for Android | iOS (Free trial, Subscription plans)

2. Timely (Web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS)

Timely stands out with a set of smart abilities and a modern design. Like HourStack, Timely has a flexible layout where you can drag and drop your task blocks.

You can view your data by hours, projects, and members if you're in a team. Use the tool to display productivity reports and use them as supports for the budget set for each project.

Timely's biggest highlight is its automatic tracking module called Memory.

It is a separate and optional install for Windows and macOS. Configure the AI and it will track just about everything you do on your phone or computer. It groups the data and suggests time entry logs so that you don't have to do it manually.

For instance, if you went to Starbucks and fired up Microsoft Powerpoint, Timely will recommend that you add that window to your dashboard as a meeting. Timely can be plugged into several third-party apps such as Google Calendar for an even more hands-free experience.

Of course, there are critical privacy concerns surrounding Timely's Memory facility. While Timely explicitly says it doesn't misuse your information, your digital security will always hang in the balance when Memory is active. Fortunately, Timely is a competent time tracking platform without that as well.

Timely has different pricing plans. There is a 14-day trial option where you don't need to enter your credit card credentials.

Download: Timely for Windows | macOS | Android | iOS (Free trial, Subscription plans)

3. Toggl (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS)

Toggl dashboard

Toggle doesn't overwhelm you with a vast dashboard. It just asks you to add your task for the moment with the One-click timers. This includes Toggl Buttons for Chrome and Firefox.

You can set up automatic real-time tracking or enter time data manually at the end of the day or week.

The dashboard captures your complete progress. Toggl also prepares exhaustive insights and reports for your clocked hours.

Related: Is the Paid Version of Toggl Track Worth It?

Like any good time tracking software, Toggl offers all the standard features you would need for personal or team projects. This includes the ability to juggle between multiple projects, teams, and tags. Also, you can add billable rates to your time entries if you're charging a client by the hour.

Toggl has a Basic Free plan. You can try out the paid plans for 30 days and then subscribe.

Download: Toggl for Desktop | Android | iOS (Free, Subscription plans)

4. Harvest (Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Web)

Harvest time tracking dashboard

Harvest is a feature-rich time tracking tool that bets on a cleaner UX to assist you in handling your time. Its apps feature easy-to-understand elements and bold typography that anyone can master in a matter of minutes.

On the home page, you have access to your timesheet and weekly overview. You can effortlessly add new tasks, begin timers, and view what your teammates are up to. On top of that, you will find dedicated tabs for managing your budget, projects, and reports.

What's more, Harvest also works like an invoicing app which lets you instantly create a bill for the tracked time and expenses.

A key advantage of choosing Harvest is that it offers a free version for a single person with two projects. For more, you will have to go for the different pricing plans.

Download: Harvest for Windows | macOS | Android | iOS (Free, Subscription plans)

5. TimeCamp (Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web)

You can think of TimeCamp as the ideal mashup of all the services we've discussed so far. The time tracking tool has a minimal feel that is both pragmatic and modern.

TimeCamp comes with nearly every tool a time management software should have. You can either log your day through a Kanban styled dashboard or do it step-by-step in the day view. You can segregate tasks by projects and generate extensive reports for insights.

If you install TimeCamp's desktop app, you can also keep tabs on your computer time and breaks. That's not all. TimeCamp offers 114 integrations with third-party apps like Slack, Trello, Evernote, Podio etc.

TimeCamp is free for individuals as long as you only want to track your time. To utilize advanced features like third-party add-ons, you will have to opt for one of the pricing tiers.

Download: TimeCamp for Windows | macOS | Android | iOS (Free, Subscription plans)

6. Clockify (Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Web)

Clockify is one of the most widely adopted time-tracking platforms. The reason behind that is that it's the only free time tracking app---regardless of the team size. There are premium packages for a few extra perks but the majority of users won't feel the need to upgrade.

Clockify has the usual array of time-tracking features. There's a no-frills dashboard which allows you to create new entries, start timers, and analyze your historical data. Plus, Clockify has a Time Tracker section that puts your existing and previous tasks in reverse chronological order. Like the rest, Clockify can develop reports and has apps for all the major operating systems.

Download: Clockify for Desktop | Chrome | Firefox | Android [Broken URL Removed] | iOS (Free)

Get Better at Managing Your Time

Time management is essential if you want to get the most out of your day. And with these apps, it will be much easier for you to track your hours.

But just having a time management tool in your arsenal probably won't cut it. You will also need to understand how you can stick to your plans. To do that, here are a bunch of surefire ways to follow through on your time management goals.