ClockingIT vs Kimai (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Kimai grades higher than ClockingIT: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Kimai grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Kimai
Open-source time tracking with invoicing, self-hosted or cloud
Which one is for you
Pick ClockingIT if
- Fits if you want tasks, a Gantt chart and timers in one free place
- Works for a small team that doesn't need integrations
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a clear price promise, since the site shows no plans
- Not for you if you need apps, as only the web is listed
- Too light for invoicing, with reports but no billing
- Watch out: the terms page says the hosted service's terms are being updated and gives none
Pick Kimai if
- Fits if you want your time tracking data on a server you control
- Works for freelancers and agencies who invoice clients straight from timesheets
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want an official phone or desktop app, because Kimai itself only runs in the browser
- Not for you if you want a free hosted plan, as the cloud gives a 30-day trial and nothing after
- Tight if you self-host and need expenses, custom fields or kiosk mode, since they're paid plugins, expenses at €99
- Watch out: cloud prices are in euros before tax, and on Professional kiosk mode and SAML show only with annual billing
- Too light for automatic tracking, since nothing records by itself
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAClockingITFair | 2.4GPAKimaiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree to get started with no plans listed, so what you might pay later is unverified. | BCloud Standard is €2.99 a user a month billed annually, or €3.99 monthly, and invoicing, exports and the API are already in it. That puts it in the cheaper quarter of the category. Professional is €3.99. Prices are in euros and exclude taxes. |
| Free plan and trial | BNo card needed to start, but no limits are published either, so we can't call it free forever. | BFree only if you host it. The open-source edition costs nothing on your own server, with unlimited users, customers and projects, and one person can stay on it. Extras like expenses are paid plugins, and Kimai Cloud has no free plan, just a 30-day trial. |
| Features | CTask timers, Gantt, boards, reports and chat. The site lists no invoicing or payroll. | CTime goes against customers, projects and activities, with budgets, reports, exports and invoices from your own templates, plus teams, roles and SAML login. But nothing tracks by itself, and on the self-hosted edition expenses, custom fields and kiosk mode are plugins you buy, expenses at €99. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up projects, tasks and users yourself. | CNo store rating on record. On the cloud it's a web app you sign in to, but it's one where you build the thing: customers, projects, activities and invoice templates before any of it reports. Hosting it yourself needs SSH access to a server. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only. No mobile or desktop apps and no integrations are listed. | CA browser, and that's it from Kimai itself. There's a JSON API and a short list of links, GrandTotal, Bexio and VS Code, but every phone and desktop app on its integrations page is made by somebody else, and some of them cost money. |
| Best for | a free hosted task and time tracker | open-source time tracking with invoices |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ClockingIT and Kimai. How we grade
Price against what you get
ClockingIT has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Kimai starts at about $3.34 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and ClockingIT starts $3.34 a month lower. Of the other time tracking apps on the chart, none scores higher than ClockingIT for less, and 8 score higher than Kimai for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Kimai is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- ClockingIT also covers wiki, tasks, kanban boards, Gantt & timelines and team chat.
- Kimai also covers invoicing.
At a glance
| ClockingIT | Kimai | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | €2.99 per user / month, billed annually (€3.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Self-hosted Kimai is free and open source (AGPL 3) with unlimited users, customers and projects. Extras such as expenses, custom fields and kiosk mode are paid plugins. The Kimai Cloud pricing page lists no free plan. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial of Kimai Cloud |
| Web | ||
| Made by | ClockingIT | Kevin Papst |
| Price read from | clockingit.com | kimai.org |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ClockingIT
- The site shows no pricing page or plans; it says only 'Free to get started', so any later charges are unverified.
- Its terms page says the hosted service's terms are being updated and publishes none yet.
- It is a hosted web app only; the site lists no mobile or desktop apps and no integrations.
Kimai
- Cloud prices are in euros and exclude taxes; the pricing page lists no free cloud plan, only a 30-day trial.
- On Cloud Professional, kiosk mode, SAML single sign-on, a custom domain and IP access restriction are shown only with annual billing.
- Kimai runs in the browser; the mobile and desktop apps on its integrations page are made by third parties, and some are paid.
- Self-hosting needs SSH access to a server, and plugins such as expenses (99 €) are bought separately.
Key features
ClockingIT
- Timer on every task
- Start a timer from any task; starting another logs the time spent on the task you left.
- Projects and tasks
- Tasks, dependencies and milestones in a list or Kanban board, with saved filters and an hours budget.
- Gantt chart and schedule
- Drag-and-drop scheduling and an interactive Gantt chart show the whole plan alongside a calendar and timeline.
- Time reports
- Break recorded time down by task, person, client, project or date, then export the results to CSV.
- Team collaboration
- Team chat, direct messages, forums and a private wiki sit next to the work, and unused tools can be turned off.
- Keyboard-friendly interface
- Keyboard shortcuts, a command palette and dark mode, in 21 interface languages.
Kimai
- Project time tracking
- Time is recorded against customers, projects and activities, with budgets and order numbers on projects. Every installation supports unlimited users with roles.
- Invoicing
- Invoices are created from timesheets with configurable templates and invoice numbers, grouping options for entries, and output formats such as PDF and DOCX.
- Reports and exports
- Recorded time is analyzed by user, customer, project, activity, tag and period. Timesheets export as XLSX, PDF, CSV or HTML, and exported records can be locked.
- Teams and permissions
- Teams group users into units such as departments. Assigning customers and projects to a team limits who can see and record time on them.
- Login and security
- Supports LDAP and SAML login through providers such as Google Workspace, Azure AD or Authentik, plus optional two-factor authentication with TOTP tokens.
- JSON API and plugins
- A JSON API reads and writes data for external apps. Plugins add functions such as expenses, task planning and a kiosk mode with barcode or RFID scanning.
Plans
ClockingIT
Free$0
Described on the site as free to get started, with no credit card required; no paid plans are listed.
Kimai
Self-hostedFree
The open-source edition on your own server, installed with Docker or over SSH. Community support; some features are paid plugins.
Cloud Standard€2.99
per user / month, billed annually (€3.99 billed monthly)
Hosted time tracking with billable hours, invoicing, data export, audit logs, the JSON API, 5 invoice templates and weekly backups.
Cloud Professional€3.99
per user / month, billed annually (€4.99 billed monthly)
Adds working hour accounts, vacation and sick leave, expenses, custom fields, task management, a customer portal and daily backups.
Ways to pay less
ClockingIT
No public discounts listed.
Kimai
- Annual discount
20 to 25% off Kimai Cloud with annual billing
Kimai's discount page says paid cloud plans cost 20 to 25% less when paid annually: Standard is €2.99 against €3.99 a month, and Professional €3.99 against €4.99.
- Nonprofit
Discounted annual cloud plan for nonprofits
Nonprofits, schools and clubs that register with an official email address and message support get a reduced annual cloud plan after a manual review.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ClockingIT or Kimai?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ClockingIT is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $3.34 a month for each person for Kimai. ClockingIT is free, and Kimai starts at €2.99 per user / month, billed annually (€3.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ClockingIT or Kimai?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both ClockingIT and Kimai have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.