As a business owner or manager, you know that the best use of your time and money is by being efficient. But, you don’t always have the time or knowledge to make this happen. In that case, time management apps are a great solution. We collected the top 10 options with pricing, features list, and what makes each one different.
If you’re a small business owner, or even just in management, then you know the struggle of finding ways to use your time efficiently. Not only yours but your employees too. However, having to keep track of every single second can feel like you’re micromanaging your team instead of working to support and motivate them. Does this sound like you? If it does then you’d probably benefit from a time management app.
To jump-start you in your search, we’ve collected the top 10 options out there and analyzed them for you. This way, you can make an informed decision on which one works best for your organization.
What are Time Management Apps?
Time management apps are software programs you can use to keep proper track of your time and manpower. It’s generally linked to a project management app, although some companies offer solely time management features. Most will allow you to centralize anything from to-do lists to calendars for different departments. Some even offer analytics as well as the ability to share tasks cross-functionally. It’s essentially a one-stop shop for all things organization.
Top Time Management Apps
Trello
Price. From U$D 0.00 to U$D 15.50 per month depending on company size and needs.
About. Trello is a software company at the top of the time management game. With names like Google, Pinterest, and Costco having chosen them you know they’re a trustworthy option. As of 2019, they had over 50 million registered users.
Things you can do. Create and share calendar views and tasks. Build your personal board and keep it private. Track project performance, and look into analytics via the Trello stats extension.
Things you can’t do. No time recording options, although the company has stated they’re considering it.
Special features. Trello offers a Chrome browser extension that allows you to transform any website you’re on into a card (view) on your account. Use it to save news clippings about your industry to read later.
Todoist
Price. From U$D 0.00 to U$D 5.00 per user and per month depending on company size and needs.
About. Todoist was created with the objective of freeing up mental space you should be using to expand your business or team. They offer to help organize every small and mundane detail into one convenient spot so you can focus on things software can’t do for you. Currently, they boast over 60k five-star reviews on the app store.
Things you can do. Share tasks between teams, create personal views, and build calendars based on departments and tasks. Analytic viewing is also available.
Things you can’t do. No time recording features, but they do offer integrations with other time recording apps.
Special features. Add noted via your email by forwarding any message to a special Todoist email address. Once you open them on your board they’ll be set up as a task or comment.
Otter.ai
Price. From U$D 0.00 to U$D 20.00 per user and per month depending on company size and needs.
About. Otter.ai was born from the mind of three tech industry developers with stints at Google, Facebook, Uber, and Crisco. They’re backed by venture investors who also supported brands like Tesla, Slack, and Twitter. Unlike some of the other options on this list, Otter.ai is specifically a time management app for note-taking.
Things you can do. Generate notes from live interviews and meetings. Automatically send a summary of said notes to participant’s emails, as well as analytics reflecting keywords used during the conversation. It’s also easy to integrate with other more fleshed-out time management apps.
Things you can’t do. Set up a calendar, share projects or tasks, keep a record of time used on each project.
Special features. Otter.ai is also a voice recording software. This is one of the better time management apps for taking notes during meetings, both written and verbal. No more having to assign someone to take notes, and you can even use it to transcribe podcasts or interviews.
Toggl
Price. From U$D 0.00 to U$D 15.00 per user and per month depending on company size and needs.
About. Toggl was born as a time tracking tool created from the founder’s personal needs. It was initially built as a way to offer more transparency for their clients, who wanted to know how the time they were paying for was being used. As a software development consultancy company, this wasn’t a simple thing to provide. And so, Toggl was born. Today, over 70k choose to use Toggle for their own needs. From freelancers to big companies, Toggl was designed to make everyone’s life simpler.
Things you can do. Create invoices, track time spent on different projects, set up your team’s schedule, create calendars and views. You can also set due dates, timers, and auto time tracking based on the software you have open at the time.
Things you can’t do. The Pomodoro timer isn’t available on the mobile app version.
Special features. They offer an extension called Toggl Hire, which allows you to centralize your hiring process if the job posting requires any type of testing. According to the numbers they provide, using this feature would allow you to decrease the time spent administering said tests by 80%.
Notion
Price. From U$D 0.00 to U$D 8.00 per user and per month depending on company size and needs.
About. Just like with the other names on this list, Notion was also created with the idea of bringing efficiency into everyday work life – no matter how big or small the company. You can create task lists, product roadmaps, and even a library of SOPs (standard operating procedures) for your Customer Care team. Backed by the same people who invested in Twitter, Stripe, and Coinbase just to name a few.
Things you can do. Everything your business heart desires. Create calendars with due dates and times, share project milestones and assign them to different teams. You can even create databases and keep track of older, archived company policies for future reference.
Things you can’t do. From the biggest requirements generally needed by users, there’s nothing Notion can’t do. However, their UX design and ease of use do have a steep learning curve. So if you’re looking for something you can learn quickly and squeeze for all it’s worth, this might not be the best option.
Special features. One of the most flexible time management apps, which means you can use it for work purposes, but also for personal ones. Keep your free time activities on a calendar view, and cross-reference them with your work ones to ensure the best time distribution possible.
ClickUp
Price. From U$D 0.00 to U$D 5.00 per user and per month depending on company size and needs.
About. A time management app nestled inside a project management program, ClickUp is a big contender on this list. Along with Notion (see above), ClickUp is one of the most customizable time mangement apps available. The list of things you can do within each view or board is endless, which means the app can be used both for work as well as personal purposes.
Things you can do. Create calendars linked to each type of view, build several views within one project. Add due dates and times, make visibility private, public, or partially restricted. Share views with people outside your organization without having to create a profile for them. Assign tasks across more than one department, and build project deliverables and milestones in one spot.
Things you can’t do. Nothing that would be imperative!
Special features. The whole app is a special feature. As opposed to Notion, which can be hard to learn, the UX is intuitive and easy. Their self-help articles are clear and to the point as well, making self-service solutions an achievable option when troubleshooting.
Remember The Milk
Price. From U$D 0.00 to U$D 39.99 per year depending on company size and needs.
About. Remember The Milk isn’t just known for having one of the best brand names out there. This project management app has been around since 2005 and is currently used by over 6 million people worldwide.
Things you can do. Create lists and tag them with premade properties. Build subtasks per project, share them with other team members, and attach files as needed via your own Dropbox account. Integrate with your Apple Watch, iPad, and laptop or desktop.
Things you can’t do. Reminders won’t pop up on your phone, only via email or SMS.
Special features. Smart Add, which allows you to add tasks to your to-do list by using pre-made tags. Things like due date, if it needs to be repeated, priority, etc. They also offer reminders via SMS, so even if you don’t have access to your email you won’t forget something important.
Flow
Price. From U$D 8.00 to U$D 18.00 per month per user depending on company size and needs.
About. Flow is currently used by some big business names out there. Companies like Red Bull, Apple, and Shopify are all under the brand’s client list.
Things you can do. Get updates on tasks assigned to you and ones you’ve assigned to other team members. Delegate sub-projects, set due dates, and get a bird’ eye view of everything via your calendar view. Sort, filter, and keep track of progress in real-time directly from your account.
Things you can’t do. Doesn’t have the level of customizing other companies on this list do (like ClickUp or Notion).
Special features. You can create tasks directly via your email by sending a message from any address to [email protected]. The system will automatically set it up on your account for you from there.
Harvest
Price. From U$D 0.00 to U$D 12.00 per month per user depending on company size and needs.
About. Harvest is one of the only names on this list that includes invoicing. More of an accounting management app than anything else, it’s still a great way to take tasks off your plate that software can do for you. Some of their clients you might recognize are LuluLemon, McDonald’s, Dell, and Conde Nast.
Things you can do. Track how many hours you’ve worked on a project so you can invoice your customer without mistakes. Centralize your invoicing and expenses in one place, and create a calendar to keep track of all the things to take care of on any given day.
Things you can’t do. Since this isn’t a project management software, you won’t be able to do things like creating projects and tasks.
Special features. The ability to send invoices and get paid from one spot.
Monday.com
Price. From U$D 0.00 to U$D 22.00 per month per user depending on company size and needs.
About. Monday was built to organize as much of your organization as possible. It was created in 2012 with the goal of helping companies scale efficiently. Today you can centralize all your project management needs, create visibility with employees working from home, and organize all your software development steps in one spot.
Things you can do. Create dependencies, email notifications, and set up time tracking. Automate regularly used flows, and even arrange for status updates to be sent to each stakeholder.
Things you can’t do. More than things you can’t do, Monday’s downfall is their confusing UX. Not as intuitive as other options on this list, it can be a detriment for those not used to time management apps.
Special features. One of the more customizable time management apps, which allows for a ton of flexibility for organizations of all sizes and needs.
Related Readings
Professional Leadership Institute (PLI) is an educational website providing professionals from all types of businesses with practical education in entrepreneurial leadership. To keep evolving your leadership toolkit, additional PLI resources below will be useful: