What is the difference between Clockify and Timely?

Clockify is best for Teams that need free time tracking without user limits, while Timely is best for Teams that hate manual time tracking and want AI to handle it. Clockify starts at Free and Timely starts at $9/user/mo.

Is Clockify or Timely cheaper?

Clockify starts at Free and is free. Timely starts at $9/user/mo.

Is there a free alternative to Timely?

Yes, Clockify offers a free tier (Free for unlimited users).

Clockify vs Timely

Clockify is free time tracking tool with unlimited users and projects, while Timely is AI-powered automatic time tracking that logs your work without manual input. The biggest difference up front: Clockify is free, while Timely starts at $9/user/mo. Clockify is built for teams that need free time tracking without user limits, whereas Timely targets teams that hate manual time tracking and want ai to handle it.

At a glance

	Clockify	Timely
Best for	Teams that need free time tracking without user limits	Teams that hate manual time tracking and want AI to handle it
Starting price	Free	$9/user/mo
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
AI time tracking	—	✓
Automatic capture	—	✓
Project budgets	—	✓
Project management	✓	—
Reporting	✓	—
Team management	—	✓
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

Timely

Strengths

AI-powered automatic time capture — no manual timers needed
Private timeline means only you see the raw data before sharing
Great at capturing meetings and context switching
Clean, modern interface

Weaknesses

AI isn't perfect — you still need to review and adjust entries
More expensive than simpler alternatives like Clockify
Requires a desktop app for full functionality
No free tier — only a 14-day trial

Try Timely → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Clockify is completely free (Free for unlimited users), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Timely starts at $9/user/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Clockify offers Project management, Reporting and Time tracking that Timely lacks. Timely brings AI time tracking, Automatic capture and Project budgets that Clockify does not have.

Where each tool shines: Clockify's biggest strengths are: completely free for unlimited users — unbeatable value. simple interface that requires zero training. Timely's biggest strengths are: ai-powered automatic time capture — no manual timers needed. private timeline means only you see the raw data before sharing.

Watch out for: With Clockify, users commonly note that free plan lacks advanced reporting and invoicing. With Timely, the main complaint is that ai isn't perfect — you still need to review and adjust entries.

Choose Clockify if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that need free time tracking without user limits
Budget is a hard constraint — Clockify is free, Timely is not
You specifically need Project management and Reporting
You care about simple interface that requires zero training

Choose Timely if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that hate manual time tracking and want ai to handle it
You specifically need AI time tracking and Automatic capture
You care about private timeline means only you see the raw data before sharing