Costlocker vs Ruddr (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ruddr grades higher than Costlocker: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ruddr grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Costlocker
Time and cost tracking that shows profit per project for agencies
Ruddr
Professional services automation with time tracking and billing
Which one is for you
Pick Costlocker if
- Fits if you run an agency and want project profit next to the hours
- Makes sense if you only pay for the people who actually log time
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $20 against $12 on a yearly plan
- Skip it if you are a freelancer, as one plan means no cheaper tier for light use
- Not for you if you need ready-made integrations, as only the API and Make.com are listed
- Watch out: it is aimed at agencies and may carry more than a small team needs
Pick Ruddr if
- Fits if you are a consultancy that tracks project profit by the hour
- Works for firms that want time, invoices and utilization together
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you just want hours, as $14 is well above the middle for time trackers
- Tight if you need resource allocations or multicurrency, both on the $24 plan
- Not for you if staff are mostly non-billable, since you pay for half the members below 50% billable
- Watch out: no refunds, and after 24 locked months prices can rise up to 10%
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACostlockerFair | 2.2GPARuddrFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$12 per active user a month billed yearly, or $20 monthly. The dearest tenth of time tracking starts at $12. | D$14 a billable user a month on annual billing, $17 monthly, and resource planning and multicurrency are on the $24 plan. The category's dearer quarter starts at $10. |
| Free plan and trial | C30-day free trial with no card needed, and no free plan. | CA 30-day trial with no card. No free plan. |
| Features | CTime, costs, expenses and budgets in one plan, but integrations are limited to the API and Make.com, per the listing. | BTime, budgets, utilization, expenses and invoicing on Team, with an API and MCP server. Plan and forecast tools are Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Projects, clients and budgets have to be built before the profit view is any use. | CNo store rating on record. Projects, rate cards and budgets take setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows and iPhone apps with an API; no Android app on record and only the API and Make.com for integrations. | BWeb and a Mac app, with QuickBooks, Xero, Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack and an API. No phone apps listed. |
| Best for | agency profitability with time tracking | time and profit tracking for service firms |
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: Costlocker and Ruddr. How we grade
Price against what you get
Costlocker starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ruddr starts at $14 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Ruddr scores higher, and starts $2 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other time tracking apps on the chart, 37 score higher than Costlocker for less, and 18 score higher than Ruddr 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
- Ruddr also covers invoicing, expense tracking and dashboards.
At a glance
| Costlocker | Ruddr | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $12 per active user / month, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly) | $14 per billable user / month, billed annually ($17 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Costlocker | Ruddr |
| Price read from | costlocker.com | ruddr.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Costlocker
- There is a single plan, so no free tier and no cheaper tier for light users.
- The $12 price needs yearly billing; monthly billing is $20 per active user.
- Integrations are limited to the API and Make.com; no native apps by name are listed.
- Aimed at agencies, so it may carry more than a freelancer needs.
Ruddr
- Non-billable members are free only while at least 50% of workspace members are billable; below that, you pay for half the members.
- Resource allocations, multicurrency, revenue recognition and sales pipeline need the Pro plan.
- The pricing FAQ says it does not provide refunds, only prorated credit when billable members are removed.
- After 24 locked months, increases can occur once per 24-month period and be no more than 10%, per its pricing FAQ.
Key features
Costlocker
- Profitability insights
- Compares projects, clients and teams on revenue against cost, so unprofitable work shows up and high-value clients stand out.
- Time tracking
- Logs billable and non-billable hours per project, with apps for Mac, Windows and iOS alongside the web app.
- Cost and expense tracking
- Records labor costs, subcontractors, overhead and other expenses next to the hours, not only time.
- Budget control
- Sets a budget per project and compares it with actual cost as work is logged, to catch overruns early.
- Active-user billing
- Only active users are billed. A deactivated user keeps their data, and unused prepaid time becomes credit on the next invoice.
- API and Make.com
- Connects to other tools through its developer API and through Make.com.
Ruddr
- Timesheets and time tracking
- Staff log time against projects and tasks, with attachments on entries and, on Pro, multistep approval and timesheet attestation.
- Project budgets and profitability
- Track project budgets, utilization and profit analysis, with Kanban boards and tasks for the work itself.
- Invoicing and expenses
- Invoices, payments, credit notes, expense reports and tax tracking are on the Team plan; multicurrency is Pro.
- Resource planning
- Resource allocations, plan-and-forecast and variance reporting are Pro features, along with project health tracking.
- Revenue recognition
- Pro supports several revenue recognition methods and automated recognition, with rate cards at workspace, client and project level.
- AI assistant, API and MCP server
- Both plans include an AI assistant, an API and an MCP server for connecting outside tools.
Plans
Costlocker
All-Inclusive Plan$12
per active user / month, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly)
One plan with unlimited projects and clients, desktop apps, API access and chat and email support.
Ruddr
Team$14
per billable user / month, billed annually ($17 billed monthly)
Time tracking, projects, budgets, expenses, invoicing, utilization, standard reports, API and SSO.
Pro$24
per billable user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
Adds multicurrency, multistep approvals, resource allocations, revenue recognition, sales pipeline and a sandbox.
Ways to pay less
Costlocker
- Annual discount
40% off with yearly billing
The pricing page states a 40% discount on the yearly plan compared with monthly billing.
Ruddr
- Nonprofit
10% nonprofit discount
The pricing FAQ says nonprofits get 10% off annual plan pricing.
- Annual discount
Lower rates with annual billing
Team is $14 billed annually against $17 monthly; Pro is $24 against $30.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Costlocker or Ruddr?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Costlocker is cheaper to start with: $12 a month for each person, against $14 a month for each person for Ruddr. Costlocker starts at $12 per active user / month, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly), and Ruddr starts at $14 per billable user / month, billed annually ($17 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Costlocker or Ruddr?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Costlocker nor Ruddr has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Costlocker and Ruddr run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Costlocker lists Windows and iOS apps. Both list a web app and a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.