What is the difference between Clockify and Kimai?

Clockify is best for Teams that need free time tracking without user limits, while Kimai is best for Teams that want full control over their time tracking data via self-hosting. Clockify starts at Free and Kimai starts at Free (self-hosted).

Is Clockify or Kimai cheaper?

Clockify starts at Free and is free. Kimai starts at Free (self-hosted) and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Kimai?

Both Clockify and Kimai offer free tiers.

Clockify vs Kimai

Clockify is free time tracking tool with unlimited users and projects, while Kimai is open-source time tracking application that you can self-host. Kimai is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Clockify is built for teams that need free time tracking without user limits, whereas Kimai targets teams that want full control over their time tracking data via self-hosting.

At a glance

	Clockify	Kimai
Best for	Teams that need free time tracking without user limits	Teams that want full control over their time tracking data via self-hosting
Starting price	Free	Free (self-hosted)
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
API	—	✓
Multi-user	—	✓
Project management	✓	—
Reporting	✓	✓
Self-hosting	—	✓
Time tracking	✓	✓

Clockify

Strengths

Completely free for unlimited users — unbeatable value
Simple interface that requires zero training
Works on web, desktop, mobile, and as a browser extension
Decent reporting even on the free tier

Weaknesses

Free plan lacks advanced reporting and invoicing
Interface feels basic compared to Toggl
Limited integrations on the free plan
No offline mode on the free tier

Try Clockify → Full review

Kimai

Strengths

Completely free and open source — no per-user fees
Self-hosted means you own your data entirely
Supports multi-user with roles and permissions
Active development community with regular updates

Weaknesses

Requires self-hosting — not a cloud SaaS you can just sign up for
Setup requires technical knowledge (PHP, MySQL)
Mobile experience is web-based, no native app
Fewer integrations than commercial alternatives

Try Kimai → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Clockify and Kimai are free, so this decision comes down to features and philosophy rather than budget.

Feature gaps: Clockify offers Project management that Kimai lacks. Kimai brings API, Multi-user and Self-hosting that Clockify does not have. Both share Reporting and Time tracking.

Open source: Kimai is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Clockify is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Clockify's biggest strengths are: completely free for unlimited users — unbeatable value. simple interface that requires zero training. Kimai's biggest strengths are: completely free and open source — no per-user fees. self-hosted means you own your data entirely.

Watch out for: With Clockify, users commonly note that free plan lacks advanced reporting and invoicing. With Kimai, the main complaint is that requires self-hosting — not a cloud saas you can just sign up for.

Choose Clockify if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that need free time tracking without user limits
You specifically need Project management
You care about simple interface that requires zero training

Choose Kimai if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that want full control over their time tracking data via self-hosting
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need API and Multi-user
You care about self-hosted means you own your data entirely