Toggl Track review: is it right for sole traders?

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Toggl Track review: is it right for sole traders?

If you bill by the hour or need to track time across multiple clients and projects, Toggl Track is one of the most widely used tools for the job. It's been around since 2006, has over 5 million users, and has a reputation for being straightforward to use without a lot of setup. Here's what it offers for sole traders specifically.

What is Toggl Track?

Toggl Track is a time tracking app that lets you log hours by client, project and task. You start a timer when you begin work, stop it when you're done, and Toggl organises everything into reports you can use for invoicing, reviewing where your time goes, or sharing with clients.

It works across web, desktop (Windows, Mac and Linux) and mobile (iOS and Android), and syncs automatically across devices. There's also a browser extension that lets you start timers directly from tools like Trello, Asana, GitHub and others.

What does the free plan include?

The free plan is genuinely capable for most sole traders who just need reliable time tracking. It includes:

• Unlimited time tracking

• Unlimited projects and clients

• Basic reporting - view and export time logs as PDF or CSV

• Calendar integration

• Mobile and desktop apps

• 100+ integrations via the browser extension

• Idle detection - Toggl notices when you've stopped working and asks whether to discard that time

• Pomodoro timer built in

The main limitation of the free plan is that it doesn't include billable rates. You can track time against projects and clients, but you can't set an hourly rate and have Toggl calculate what you're owed. You'd need to do that step manually or via your invoicing tool.

For sole traders who track time primarily to understand their own workload, or who invoice at a flat project rate rather than hourly, the free plan covers everything they need.

What do the paid plans add?

Paid plans are priced in US dollars and billed per user per month. For a sole trader working alone, the relevant options are:

• Starter - from $9 per user per month, billed annually (approximately £6.75 at the time of writing). Adds billable rates at project and client level, time rounding for invoices, time estimates with budget alerts, and more detailed reporting.

• Premium - from $18 per user per month, billed annually (approximately £13.50 at the time of writing). Adds profitability reports, timesheet approvals, fixed fee project tracking, and priority support.

For most sole traders, the free plan or Starter is sufficient. Premium is aimed at agencies and teams managing multiple people's time.

All new accounts get a 30-day free trial of Premium features - no credit card required. This is a good way to test the billable rates and reporting features before deciding whether the paid plan is worth it for your situation.

Does it handle invoicing?

Toggl Track doesn't have built-in invoicing in the traditional sense - you can't create and send invoices directly from the app. What it does do is give you accurate, exportable time data that feeds into your invoicing process.

It integrates directly with a number of invoicing tools including FreshBooks, Zoho Invoice and QuickBooks, which means you can pull your tracked hours straight into an invoice without manually copying figures across. If you use a tool that isn't natively supported, Zapier connections cover most other options.

You can find invoicing tools that work well alongside Toggl Track in our Invoicing directory.

Who is it best suited to?

Toggl Track works well if you:

• Bill clients by the hour and need accurate records of time worked

• Work across multiple clients or projects and want to see clearly where your time goes

• Want a free tool that's reliable and well-supported

• Use other apps for invoicing and want time data to feed into them

• Need something that works on mobile as well as desktop

It's less suitable if you:

• Want an all-in-one tool that handles time tracking and invoicing in the same place - Harvest is a closer fit for that

• Need billable rates without paying for a subscription - the free plan doesn't include this

• Want something with no learning curve at all - Toggl Track is simple, but there is a short setup process to organise clients and projects before it becomes useful

How does it compare to Clockify?

Clockify is the most obvious free alternative. It also offers unlimited time tracking on its free plan and includes billable rates at no cost - which Toggl Track doesn't. For sole traders who need billable rates and don't want to pay, Clockify has the edge on the free tier.

Toggl Track's advantages are its interface - which most users find cleaner and more intuitive - and its idle detection and calendar integration on the free plan. It also has a stronger reputation among freelancers who've used both. Whether that's worth the trade-off on billable rates depends on how you work.

You can compare both alongside other time tracking options in our Time Tracking directory.

Toggl Track at a glance

• Free plan: yes - unlimited tracking, unlimited projects and clients, basic reporting

• Paid plans: from $9/user/month, billed annually (approximately £6.75 at the time of writing)

• Billable rates: Starter plan and above only

• Invoicing: no native invoicing, but integrates with FreshBooks, Zoho Invoice, QuickBooks and others

• Mobile app: yes (iOS and Android)

• Desktop app: yes (Windows, Mac, Linux)

• 30-day free trial of Premium: yes, no credit card required

• Best for: sole traders and freelancers who need reliable time tracking across multiple clients and projects

Prices are in US dollars and correct at time of publication. Check the Toggl Track website for current pricing before signing up.

Directory

Tax Filing Software

Accounting & Bookkeeping

Business Banking

Invoicing

Expense & Mileage Tracking

Receipt Capture

MTD Software

Time Tracking

Spreadsheet & Planning Tools

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