Kimai vs solidtime

Kimai

• Teams that want to host their own time tracking data
• Freelancers and agencies invoicing clients from timesheets
• Organizations that need EU hosting and open-source code

solidtime

• Freelancers who want a free tracker for one user
• Teams that prefer open-source software hosted in the EU
• Companies that want to self-host under an annual license

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.

solidtime

• Prices are in euros and exclude VAT.
• The free Solo plan is limited to 1 user and has no billable rates, invoicing, estimates, PDF reports or shareable reports.
• The free self-hosted edition leaves out invoicing; that needs a Business license from €49 a year.
• The site lists a web app, desktop apps and a browser extension, but no iOS or Android app.

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.

solidtime

Timer, calendar and timesheet

Track with a live timer, drag entries on a calendar, or fill a weekly grid with one row per project and task. Breaks are tracked apart from work time.

Desktop activity tracking

The macOS, Windows and Linux apps record which app and document is in focus and detect idle time. That activity stays on the device until it becomes a time entry.

Reporting and exports

Reports filter by member, project, client, task, tag or billable state and export as CSV, Excel or ODS. PDF reports and read-only report links need Professional.

Invoicing

Billable entries become invoices with tax rates, discounts, EU reverse charge, PDF output and structured e-invoices. Invoicing is part of Professional and the Business license.

Projects, roles and access

Projects carry a rate and a budget, and five built-in roles control who sees what. Team support and access management are Professional features.

Imports and API

Data can be imported from Toggl, Clockify, Harvest, another solidtime instance or generic CSV files, and an API gives other tools access.

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.

solidtime

• Solo (cloud)Free

  1 user. Time entries, clients, projects, tags and tasks, calendar and timesheet views, breaks, desktop activity tracking and reporting.

• Professional (cloud)€8

  per user / month, billed annually (€9 billed monthly), excl. VAT

  Adds team support, access management, billable hours and rates, invoicing, estimates, rounding, PDF and shareable reports and priority support.

• Open Source (on-premise)€0

  Self-hosted deployment with all core features. Invoicing and the private Docker registry are not included.

• Business (on-premise)From €49

  per year, excl. VAT, for one organization

  Self-hosted license with invoicing. €49 a year for 1 user, €199 for 5, €699 for 20 and €1,499 for 50; 100 users on request.

• Enterprise (on-premise)Custom

  For larger companies: everything in Business, plus priority support and custom terms.

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.

solidtime

• Annual discount

  Save 11% with annual billing

  The pricing page labels annual billing "save 11%": cloud Professional is €8 per user a month billed annually against €9 billed monthly.