DeskTime vs OpenTimeClock vs TMetric

DeskTime

Freemium · From Free

Best for: Teams that want fully automatic productivity scoring with optional screenshot capture for remote or outsourced staff

OpenTimeClock

Freemium · From Free (unlimited users); Paid plan from $39/month

Best for: Businesses, schools, or nonprofits with large or fluctuating headcounts that need a free unlimited-employee attendance clock with GPS and PTO tracking

TMetric

freemium · From Free (up to 2 seats); paid plans from $7/user/month

Best for: Freelancers and agencies that need project budgets, alerts, and client invoicing on top of time tracking

DeskTime

OpenTimeClock

TMetric

DeskTime

Pros

• Fully automatic tracking removes the need for employees to manually start and stop timers.
• Built-in productivity scoring works out of the box with minimal configuration.
• Free plan available for single users, making it accessible for freelancers.
• Combines time tracking, scheduling, and invoicing in a single product.

Cons

• Screenshot capture and scheduling tools are gated behind the higher Premium tier.
• Employee monitoring features like screenshots can raise privacy concerns among tracked staff.
• Free tier is limited to a single user, so teams must move to a paid plan almost immediately.
• Enterprise pricing is not publicly listed and requires contacting sales.

OpenTimeClock

Pros

• Free plan supports unlimited employees, which is rare among time-tracking competitors that charge per seat.
• Paid plan is inexpensive relative to per-user competitors, especially for larger teams.
• Supports multiple clock-in methods, including GPS, facial recognition, and offline mode.
• Includes job costing and PTO accrual tracking typically reserved for pricier platforms.
• Nonprofit-friendly pricing and a free 'Sponsor Link' option for cost-conscious organizations.

Cons

• Free plan loses PDF/Excel report export after the initial 30-day trial period.
• Company does not publicly disclose a physical headquarters or leadership team, which may concern due-diligence-conscious buyers.
• Interface and design feel dated compared to newer, VC-backed time-tracking competitors.
• Smaller integration ecosystem with payroll and HR platforms than larger competitors like TSheets/QuickBooks Time or Deputy.
• Customer support is phone/email based with limited hours rather than 24/7 live chat.

TMetric

Pros

• Generous free plan with unlimited projects and clients for up to two seats
• Affordable per-seat pricing compared to many competing time trackers
• Timer can be embedded inside dozens of other web apps for frictionless tracking
• Strong budgeting and invoicing tools for freelancers and agencies
• Backed by Devart, an established developer tools company with decades of experience

Cons

• Interface and reporting feel more utilitarian than modern competitors like Toggl Track
• Screenshot and activity monitoring are gated behind the higher Business tier
• Fewer built-in integrations than larger time tracking platforms
• Mobile app functionality is more limited than the desktop and web experience
• Enterprise pricing is not published and requires contacting sales

DeskTime

• Remote team productivity monitoring — Distributed teams use DeskTime to automatically track work hours and understand productivity patterns without manual timesheets.
• Freelance client billing — Freelancers use DeskTime's automatic tracking and invoicing to accurately bill clients for hours worked on specific projects.
• Outsourced team verification — Companies working with outsourced or contractor teams use DeskTime's screenshot capture and productivity reports to verify billed work.

OpenTimeClock

• Small business payroll-ready time tracking — Small businesses use the free or paid plan to track hourly employee attendance and export data for payroll processing.
• Multi-site and field-service workforce tracking — Companies with mobile or multi-location employees use GPS geofencing and offline clock-in to verify attendance away from a central office.
• Nonprofit and school attendance tracking — Nonprofits and schools with large or fluctuating headcounts use the unlimited-user free tier to track staff or volunteer hours without per-seat costs.

TMetric

• Freelance Time and Billing Tracking — Freelancers track billable hours across multiple clients, set project budgets, and generate invoices directly from logged time.
• Agency Team Time Management — Agencies use screenshots, activity monitoring, and team timesheets to track how staff time is spent across client projects.
• Embedded Tracking Inside Existing Tools — Teams that already use Jira, ClickUp, or Redmine add TMetric's timer directly inside those apps to log time without switching tools.