Kimai vs Toggl
We give Kimai a 3.4 GPA and Toggl a 3.6, out of 4.0. Kimai grades higher on value for money. Toggl grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
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
Toggl
Team time tracker with billing reports and capacity planning
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAKimaiVery good | 3.6GPATogglExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ACloud Standard is €2.99 a user a month billed annually, or €3.99 monthly, and that already includes invoicing, exports and the API. Most time trackers ask a good deal more. Professional is €3.99. Prices are in euros and exclude taxes. | BStarter is $9 a user a month billed annually, about what time trackers usually cost, and it brings billable rates and team reports. Monthly billing is $12, though. And timesheet approvals, profitability reports, Jira and Asana need Premium at $16, or $24 monthly. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree only if you host it. The open-source edition costs nothing on your own server, with unlimited users, customers and projects, though extras like expenses are paid plugins. Kimai Cloud has no free plan, just a 30-day trial. | AFree for up to 3 users, with manual and real-time timers, focus mode, Google and Outlook Calendar, and tasks on boards. A freelancer or a tiny team could stay on it. Billable rates and team-level reports start on Starter. |
| Features | ATime goes against customers, projects and activities, with budgets on projects. Then come reports, exports to XLSX, PDF and CSV, and invoices from your own templates. Teams and roles decide who sees what, and there's LDAP, SAML and two-factor login. That's the whole job. | AStart a timer, log hours later or fill in a week at a time, or let it record the apps and sites you used on a private timeline. Then come billable rates, revenue and margin reports, tasks on boards and timelines with estimates, workload reports, and an AI you can ask about your hours. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. On the cloud it's a web app you sign in to. Hosting it yourself is a different story: that needs SSH access to a server. | BWe have no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. You start a timer or type the hours in afterwards. Idle detection nudges you when the timer's running but your device has gone quiet. |
| Platforms and integrations | BIt runs in the browser, with a JSON API and links to GrandTotal, Bexio and VS Code. That's all from Kimai itself. The mobile and desktop apps on its integrations page are made by third parties, and some of them cost money. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and a browser extension, with an API, an MCP server and links to Slack, Salesforce, QuickBooks Online, GitHub and both big calendars. No Linux desktop app is listed, and Jira and Asana wait for Premium. |
| Best for | open-source time tracking with invoices | team time tracking with planning built in |
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: Kimai and Toggl. How we grade
Where they differ
- Kimai starts at €2.99 per user / month, billed annually (€3.99 billed monthly). Toggl starts at $9 per user / month, billed annually.
- Only Toggl lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Only Toggl lists a browser extension.
- Kimai is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Kimai also covers invoicing and reports.
- Toggl also covers tasks, kanban boards, Gantt & timelines and Pomodoro timer.
At a glance
| Kimai | Toggl | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €2.99 per user / month, billed annually (€3.99 billed monthly) | $9 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | 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 for up to 3 users: manual and real-time timers, focus mode, Google and Outlook Calendar integrations, simple planning with tasks and boards, and personal-level insights. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of Kimai Cloud | 30-day free trial of all features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Kevin Papst | Toggl |
| Price read from | kimai.org | toggl.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Toggl
- Agencies and consultancies that bill clients by the hour
- Teams that want time tracking and capacity planning in one tool
- Freelancers and teams of up to 3 who can stay on the free plan
- Employers who want time data without screenshots or keystroke logging
Worth knowing
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.
Toggl
- The free plan stops at 3 users, and billable rates and team-level reports start on Starter.
- Timesheet approvals, profitability reports, the Jira and Asana integrations and SSO need Premium.
- Monthly billing costs more: $12 instead of $9 per user on Starter and $24 instead of $16 on Premium.
- Desktop apps are listed for Windows and macOS; none is listed for Linux.
Key features
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.
Toggl
- Timers and manual entries
- Start a timer, log hours afterwards or fill in a week at a time. Idle detection prompts you when the timer is running but the device has gone quiet.
- Automated tracking
- Toggl can record which apps and sites you used and lay them out on a private timeline. You decide which of them become time entries.
- Focus mode and Pomodoro
- Timed work sprints with a Pomodoro timer, plus reminders when logged time is under or over a threshold you set.
- Billing and profitability
- Billable rates by workspace, member or project start on Starter. Premium adds labor costs, fixed fee projects and reports on revenue, cost and margin.
- Capacity and project planning
- Tasks sit on boards, lists, timelines and calendars with estimates against tracked time. Utilization and workload reports account for time off and working hours.
- Toggl AI
- Ask in plain language about hours logged or projects over estimate, or have it log time and create tasks. An MCP server and CLI connect Toggl to Claude, Cursor or Codex.
Plans
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.
Toggl
Free$0
Up to 3 users. Timers, focus mode, calendar integrations, tasks and boards with estimates, and personal-level insights.
Starter$9
per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Billable rates, team-level productivity and revenue reports, timeline views, milestones, and capacity basics such as PTO and public holidays.
Premium$16
per user / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly)
Labor cost and profitability reports, fixed fee projects, project dashboards, timesheet approvals, Jira and Asana integrations, and SSO.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Premium plus personalized onboarding, a dedicated customer success manager, custom roles and custom solutions.
Ways to pay less
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.
Toggl
- Annual discount
Up to 33.3% off with annual billing
The pricing page labels annual billing "Save 33.3%" and "4 months free". Premium is $16 per user a month annually against $24 monthly; Starter is $9 against $12, a 25% saving.
