If you have ever reached the end of a workday and had no real idea where your hours went, you are not alone. Most professionals underestimate how much time routine tasks actually consume. The result? Missed billing opportunities, overrun project budgets, and a nagging sense of inefficiency that never quite goes away.
Clockify fixes all of that.
Clockify is a time tracking software designed for teams of all sizes, and it has become one of the most widely used tools in the world for logging billable hours, managing project time, and understanding exactly how a workday is spent. Whether you are a freelancer tracking client hours, a manager monitoring a team, or a small business owner trying to make sense of where time is going, Clockify gives you the data you need.
Best of all? You can start for free.
This guide walks you through everything you need to know about how to use Clockify, from signing up and setting up your workspace to mastering every feature that matters.
What Is Clockify and Why Does It Matter?
Clockify is a cloud-based time tracking solution designed to help businesses monitor employee productivity, attendance, and billable hours.
It works on any device. You can track time on your browser, download the desktop app for Mac, Windows, or Linux, or use the mobile app on iOS or Android. Everything syncs in real time, so nothing falls through the cracks whether you are at your desk or on the go.
Clockify is certified to ISO/IEC 27001 and meets the standards of SOC 2 Type II as well as GDPR compliance. That means your data is protected to an internationally recognized security standard, which matters if you are handling client information or running a business.
What makes Clockify stand apart from many alternatives is that its free plan is genuinely useful. The free version of Clockify includes unlimited time tracking for an unlimited number of projects, tasks, and clients. You are not capped after a trial period or forced to upgrade to do basic work.
How to Get Started with Clockify
Getting started takes less than five minutes. There is no credit card required, and you do not need to install anything to begin.
Here is the exact sequence to follow when you first sign up:
- Create your free account at Clockify by entering your email and setting a password
- Set up your workspace, which acts as your central hub for all projects and team members
- Add your projects and clients so time entries have somewhere to go
- Invite team members if you are working with others
- Start the timer and begin tracking immediately
That is the full onboarding sequence. You can have your first time entry logged within minutes of creating your account.
Understanding the Clockify Dashboard
When you log into Clockify for the first time, you land on the Timer page. This is your home base.
The left sidebar gives you access to every major section:
- Timer — where you log time entries in real time
- Timesheet — where you enter hours for the day or week manually
- Calendar — a visual layout of your tracked time as blocks on a timeline
- Projects — where you create and manage all your work categories
- Reports — where you analyze how time has been spent
- Team — where you manage workspace members and their roles
- Dashboard — a quick overview of activity across the workspace
The interface is clean and deliberately simple. Most beginners can navigate it without any training because the layout follows a logical flow.
How to Track Time in Clockify
This is the core function, and Clockify gives you three different ways to do it so you can choose whatever fits your working style.
Method 1: The Real-Time Timer
The timer is the fastest and most accurate way to log work hours.
Here is how it works step by step:
- Click into the description field at the top of the Timer page and type what you are working on
- Select the relevant project from the project dropdown
- Add a tag if your workspace uses them (useful for categorizing time by type, such as "client call" or "deep work")
- Click the green Start button
- When you finish the task, click Stop
Clockify saves the entry automatically with the exact duration. No rounding, no guessing. The timestamp is precise to the second.
You can also run multiple timers and switch between them, which is useful if you get pulled into a different task mid-session.
Method 2: Manual Entry
Sometimes you forget to start the timer. That happens to everyone.
Employees can also manually add time for past activities. For example, if a member of a consulting team forgot to start the timer for a client meeting, the time can simply be entered afterward to ensure accurate time records.
To add time manually:
- Click the list icon in the upper right corner of the Timer page
- Enter a description and select your project
- Enter your start and end time, or type in the total duration
- Click Add
The entry is added to your log as if you had tracked it live.
Method 3: The Timesheet View
With Clockify timesheets, employees can log their hours for the day or for the entire week. A creative team, for example, might prefer to enter hours at the end of the work week so they avoid interrupting their creative flow.
The timesheet is a grid. Projects run down the rows, and days of the week run across the columns. You click a cell and type in the number of hours. It is fast and works well for anyone who prefers to batch their time logging at the end of each day or week.
Clockify also lets you save a week as a template. If your tasks repeat week over week, you do not have to re-enter everything from scratch. You can apply the template and just fill in the hours.
How to Set Up Projects and Clients
Before time tracking makes sense, your workspace needs structure. That starts with projects and clients.
Creating a Project
- Go to Projects in the left sidebar
- Click + Create project
- Name your project (for example, "Website Redesign" or "Content Strategy Q4")
- Choose a color to identify it visually in reports and timesheets
- Assign a client if this project belongs to a specific person or company
- Set the project as billable or non-billable depending on whether you charge for it
- Click Create
You can create as many projects as you need. The free plan includes unlimited time tracking for an unlimited number of projects, tasks, and clients.
Adding Tasks Within a Project
Inside each project, you can create tasks to break the work into smaller categories. This level of detail is what makes Clockify's reports actually useful.
For example, a project called "Brand Refresh" might have tasks like:
- Logo concepts
- Brand guidelines document
- Client presentations
- Revision rounds
- Final delivery
When team members track time against specific tasks rather than just projects, you can see exactly where hours are concentrated and where the work is taking longer than expected.
Adding Clients
You can link projects to clients, which makes reporting and billing much cleaner.
- Go to Clients under the Workspace settings
- Click Add client
- Enter the client's name
- Assign your relevant projects to that client
When you pull a report, you can filter everything by client and see a complete picture of how much time and money went into each account.
The Auto Tracker: Hands-Free Time Logging
Once activated, the Auto Tracker monitors and records how much time employees spend in different programs and apps. In addition to the pure duration, the Auto Tracker also records the names of the apps and documents employees use, website URLs, and the percentage of time they were inactive during the recorded activity blocks.
This is a powerful feature for anyone who works primarily on a computer and tends to forget to start or stop the timer. The Auto Tracker runs quietly in the background and captures everything automatically.
Key points about how it works:
- It runs through the desktop app (Mac and Windows)
- It records which application was active and for how long
- You can review your activity log at the end of the day
- You then convert activities into time entries with a single click
- Only the employee using the Auto Tracker can see their recorded activities, with full privacy guaranteed
This makes it a genuinely private tool. Managers cannot see the raw computer activity, only the time entries that employees choose to create from it.
The Calendar View: See Your Day at a Glance
Team members can use the Clockify calendar to visualize their workday and manage their time entries. On the Calendar page, employees see their time entries as blocks on a daily or weekly timeline. This makes it easier to spot overlapping entries or gaps in the schedule.
The Calendar view is particularly useful for:
- Spotting gaps in a day where time was not logged
- Identifying where work entries overlap (which points to an error)
- Reviewing how a week was actually structured compared to how it was planned
- Connecting your Google or Outlook calendar to see all scheduled appointments directly on the Calendar page
You can edit time entries directly in the calendar by resizing the blocks to adjust duration or dragging them to a new time slot. Every change syncs automatically across the app.
The Pomodoro Timer: Built for Focus
If staying focused is a challenge, Clockify has something most people overlook.
With Clockify's Pomodoro Timer, employees can work in 25-minute intervals followed by 5-minute breaks. This way, they can prevent burnout.
The Pomodoro technique is a proven time management method that breaks work into short focused sprints. By combining it with time tracking, you not only stay focused but also accumulate an accurate log of exactly how many focused sessions you completed on each project.
The Pomodoro Timer is available in:
- The desktop apps for macOS and Windows
- The browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox
You activate it through settings and it runs alongside your regular timer. When a session ends, you get a notification to take your break.
Idle Detection and Reminders
One of the quiet but genuinely useful features in Clockify is idle detection.
Once idle detection is activated, it recognizes when employees are away from their computer while the timer is running. If there is no mouse movement or keyboard input for a set number of minutes, the timer continues running but marks those minutes as idle time.
When you return to your computer and stop the timer, a notification appears asking what you want to do with that idle time:
- Discard idle time — removes the inactive period from the entry
- Discard and continue — removes idle time and keeps the timer running
- Keep idle time — counts it as worked time
- Add idle time as a new entry — creates a separate entry for it
This level of control means your time logs reflect actual productive work, not just time the timer happened to be running.
Clockify can also send reminders to your team members so they do not forget to track. Suppose an HR professional works Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00. If the timer is not started within 10 minutes of the start of work, Clockify reminds them to log their time. This reduces the risk of work hours being forgotten.
How to Use Clockify Across All Your Devices
One of Clockify's real strengths is that it works everywhere.
In addition to the web app, employees can track their time via the desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux) and the mobile app (iOS, Android).
Here is a breakdown of each platform and what makes it useful:
Web App (clockify.me)
- Full access to all features
- Works in any browser with no installation required
- Best for getting a complete overview of your workspace
Desktop Apps (Mac, Windows, Linux)
- Supports idle detection and the Pomodoro timer
- Tracks time even when your browser is closed
- Can log time offline and sync when you reconnect
Mobile Apps (iOS and Android)
- Track time from anywhere, including on job sites or client locations
- Supports GPS location tracking (on paid plans)
- Works offline with automatic sync when you are back online
Browser Extensions (Chrome, Edge, Firefox)
- Add a timer button directly in your browser toolbar
- Track time from within tools like Gmail, Trello, Asana, and Jira
- Right-click any highlighted text and choose "Start timer with description" to instantly begin tracking with that text as the entry description
Reading and Using Clockify Reports
Reports are where all your tracked time becomes actionable information. Clockify gives you three types:
Summary Report
The Summary Report shows you total time grouped by project, client, user, or task. It answers the question: where is time actually going?
You can filter by:
- Date range (today, this week, this month, or a custom range)
- Specific user or team member
- Project or client
- Task or tag
The visual breakdown makes it easy to see at a glance which projects are consuming the most hours and which team members are most active.
Detailed Report
The Detailed Report shows every individual time entry within the selected filters. This is useful when you need to review exactly what was logged and when, particularly for billing purposes or dispute resolution.
Weekly Report
The Weekly Report gives a day-by-day breakdown across the week. It is helpful for spotting patterns, such as whether most work happens on certain days or whether a particular team member is consistently working beyond their hours.
Export Options: All reports can be exported as PDF or CSV, which makes it straightforward to share data with clients, accountants, or managers outside of Clockify.
Note on the free plan: In the free plan, you can generate reports for a maximum time period of one month.
Managing Your Team in Clockify
If you are using Clockify with a team, there are several management features worth knowing.
Team Dashboard
The Team Dashboard helps managers keep track of what the team is spending time on. It shows the total logged time for all team members, what each team member is currently working on, and a detailed breakdown of team time by project.
This is especially useful in fast-moving environments where priorities can shift throughout the day. If a high-priority task suddenly needs attention, a manager can quickly check the dashboard, see who is available or on a lower-priority task, and reassign work in real time.
Even if an employee is not currently tracking time, managers can see their most recently recorded activity to ensure accountability.
User Roles and Permissions
Clockify lets you control what each user can see and do:
- Workspace Admin — full access to all settings, reports, and data
- Manager — can manage specific projects and view team reports
- Regular User — can track time and view their own data only
This layered permission system works well for agencies and businesses where not everyone needs visibility into financials or team-wide reports.
On the free plan, Clockify is limited to 5 users. For an unlimited number of users, an upgrade to the Basic plan is required.
Clockify Integrations: Connect Your Entire Workflow
One of the biggest advantages of Clockify for professional teams is how well it connects with other tools.
Clockify integrates with more than 100 web apps, including project management tools like Jira, Trello, and Asana; task management apps like TickTick and Todoist; communication and support apps like Freshdesk, Slack, and Zendesk; and CRM tools like Pipedrive and Salesforce.
With these integrations active, your team members can start and stop the Clockify timer from directly within the tools they already use. There is no need to switch between apps just to log a time entry.
For example:
- A developer working in Jira can click a timer button on any issue and Clockify automatically logs time against the matching project
- A support agent in Zendesk can track exactly how long each ticket resolution takes
- A project manager in Asana can see time logged against tasks without opening Clockify at all
This kind of integration removes the friction that causes people to forget or skip time tracking.
Clockify Pricing: Free vs. Paid Plans
Clockify's pricing structure is straightforward and one of the more transparent in the industry.
The free plan is genuinely functional. It gives you:
- Unlimited time tracking
- Unlimited projects, tasks, and clients
- Timer, timesheet, and calendar views
- Auto tracker
- Team activity dashboard
- Reporting (up to one month)
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Integration support for 100+ apps
For most individuals, freelancers, and small teams, the free plan covers everything needed to track work hours accurately.
Paid plans add time tracking features like time off and targets, while the Pro and Enterprise plans offer screenshots, advanced tracking, and more.
The paid plans range from $3.99 to $11.99 per user seat per month (billed annually) or from $4.99 to $14.99 per user seat per month (billed monthly).
Here is a quick breakdown of what each tier adds:
- Basic ($3.99/seat/month annually) — unlimited users, project templates, project status
- Standard ($5.49/seat/month annually) — time off management, billing rates, approvals
- Pro ($7.99/seat/month annually) — project budgets, labor cost tracking, screenshots
- Enterprise ($11.99/seat/month annually) — custom subdomain, advanced permissions, SSO
For growing businesses that need client billing, budget tracking, and approval workflows, the Standard or Pro plan delivers a strong return on a modest per-user cost.
Practical Tips for Getting the Most Out of Clockify
Once you are comfortable with the basics, these habits will help you get more value from the tool:
Be consistent with project naming. If you use different project names for the same type of work across different weeks, your reports will be harder to read. Create a clear naming convention and stick to it.
Use tags for work types. Beyond projects, tags let you categorize entries by type. Examples include "research," "writing," "meetings," "admin," and "client review." This gives you a second layer of insight in reports.
Log time in real time whenever possible. Manual entries are better than nothing, but they are almost always less accurate. The more you use the timer as you work, the better your data will be.
Review your reports weekly. Set aside 10 minutes at the end of each week to look at where your time actually went. The patterns you notice will help you plan the following week more intentionally.
Use the calendar view to audit your log. If you see large gaps between entries, those are hours that went untracked. The calendar makes it obvious where your log has holes.
Connect Clockify to your other tools. The browser extension in particular is a low-effort way to significantly improve how consistently you track time, because the timer is always one click away from wherever you are working.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Clockify really free?
Yes. Clockify has a 100% free version that lets you track as much time as you want, with no credit card required. The free plan has no time limit and does not expire.
How many users can use Clockify for free?
The free version of Clockify is limited to 5 users. Upgrading to the Basic plan is required for an unlimited number of users.
Can I use Clockify offline?
Yes. Both the desktop and mobile apps support offline tracking. Your entries sync automatically when you reconnect to the internet.
Is Clockify secure?
Yes, Clockify is a safe and reliable tool trusted by millions of users worldwide. It is certified to ISO/IEC 27001 and is also SOC 2 Type II and GDPR-compliant. Clockify data is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and protected both physically and electronically.
Can I track billable vs. non-billable hours?
Yes. Each project and each individual time entry can be marked as billable or non-billable. This distinction shows up in reports and is essential for accurate client invoicing on paid plans.
Does Clockify work on mobile?
Yes. The iOS and Android apps are full-featured and support all core tracking functions including the timer, timesheet, calendar, and reports.
Can I integrate Clockify with the tools my team already uses?
Yes. Even on the free plan, Clockify integrates with more than 100 web apps. These include Jira, Trello, Asana, Slack, Zendesk, Salesforce, and many others.
Where to Go From Here
Clockify is one of the most accessible time tracking tools available, and the free plan removes every barrier to getting started. Whether you are tracking your own hours as a freelancer, managing a small team, or running a consultancy that bills by the hour, the fundamentals covered in this guide give you a complete foundation.
Start by signing up, create your first project, and run the timer for your next task. Within a single workday, you will have real data about how your time is actually spent — and that information is the first step toward working more intentionally and profitably.