QuickBooks Time vs Toggl Track: Full Comparison
QuickBooks Time is built for field crews that need GPS proof and a line into QuickBooks payroll. Toggl Track is a fast, simple timer for small teams.
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Our quick verdict on both tools
Pick QuickBooks Time if your crew works out in the field and you already run payroll through QuickBooks. Pick Toggl Track if you want the simplest possible timer for a small team or agency and do not need GPS or payroll built in.
Start tracking freeWhat this comparison covers
QuickBooks Time and Toggl Track are both time tracking tools, compared here side by side so you can see how they differ.
If neither tool fits because you bill clients and want budgets, approvals, and invoicing tied to the same tracked hours, TimeTracker is a third option worth a look. See more options on the alternatives pages linked in the FAQs below.
Compare the two products at a glance
Both tools solve time tracking. Here is what each one includes, side by side.
QuickBooks Time
Owned by Intuit and built to sync natively with QuickBooks Online and Payroll, so timesheets and payroll share one data source.
- Best for
- Small and mid-size field service or construction businesses already running QuickBooks Online or Payroll.
- Pricing
- No free plan. Time Premium $20/mo base + $10/employee/mo; Time Elite $40/mo base + $12/employee/mo. Intuit now also sells Workforce Premium and Elite alongside these.
- GPS time tracking with location breadcrumbs
- Geofencing to remind staff to clock in (Elite)
- Scheduling by shift or job
- Mileage tracking for field staff
- Job and project costing
- Native two-way QuickBooks sync
Toggl Track
Known for simplicity and polish: the timer starts in one click and setup takes minutes, making it the most frictionless daily time tracker in the category.
- Best for
- Freelancers, small teams, and agencies who want fast, one-click time tracking with no learning curve.
- Pricing
- Free plan for up to 5 users. Starter $9/user/mo, Premium $18/user/mo (billed annually), Enterprise custom pricing.
- One-click timer with autotracker
- Idle detection
- Unlimited entries, projects, clients on Free
- Built-in Pomodoro timer
- 100+ integrations plus browser extension
- Billable rates and budget alerts (Starter+)
- Profitability analysis (Premium)
See how they stack up
Pricing, best fit, and top strengths for both tools, side by side.
Pricing checked 2026-07-30. Confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Which one fits your team
Choose QuickBooks Time when…
You already run payroll through QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Payroll.
Hours sync natively into QuickBooks, so a manager does not have to re-key timesheets into a separate payroll run.See how
Your team works on job sites, not at a desk, and you need proof they clocked in there.
GPS location breadcrumbs attach to every clock-in, so a manager can confirm someone was on site, not just that a timer was running.See how
You want staff reminded to clock in the moment they arrive at a job site.
Geofencing on the Elite plan sends a reminder as soon as someone crosses into a job site boundary, which cuts down on missed punches.See how
You need to know what a specific job or project actually cost in labor.
Job and project costing rolls tracked hours up against labor cost, so you can see if a bid was priced right after the work is done.See how
You schedule crews by shift or by job and want that tied to the same timesheets.
Scheduling is included on every plan, so a shift schedule and the timesheet it produces live in one place.See how
Your staff drive between job sites and you need mileage on record.
Built-in mileage tracking logs drive time next to the job, so mileage reimbursement does not need a separate app.See how
Choose Toggl Track when…
You want the fastest possible timer with almost no setup.
A one-click timer and a clean interface mean a new hire can start logging real hours the same day, no training needed.See how
You do not use QuickBooks and just need clean hours to bill a client.
Billable rates and simple client and project tags cover invoicing needs without tying you to any one accounting system.See how
You want a free plan before committing any budget to a timer.
The free plan covers unlimited tracked time, projects, and clients for up to 5 users, with no cost to try it out.See how
You want to see if a project is still on budget while the team is still working on it.
Budget alerts on the Starter plan and up flag a project once it crosses a set number of hours, catching overruns early.See how
You want a full profitability view, not just hours against a budget.
Premium plan profitability analysis compares cost to billed rate per project, useful once client work needs a margin check.See how
You already run a lot of other software and want the widest integration list.
Toggl Track connects to 100 plus tools plus a browser extension, which covers most stacks without custom work.See how
Popular features
Employee time tracking your team will actually use
One click starts a timer, or people type hours in by hand. Every entry ties to a client, project, and task, so the record stays clean.
Explore Time Tracking→Bill for every hour you earn
Mark each entry billable or non-billable while you work. Approved hours roll straight into reports you can bill from.
Explore Billing→See where the time really goes
Break hours down by client, project, and team member. Find the work that pays off and the projects that run over.
Explore Reports & Dashboards→Use cases this solves
Frequently asked questions
- Is QuickBooks Time more expensive than Toggl Track?
- Yes, usually. QuickBooks Time has no free plan and charges a base fee plus about $10 per employee a month on Premium. Toggl Track has a free plan for up to 5 users and starts at $9 a user a month on its paid Starter tier. See how billing works on the billing page.
- Which tool is better for a field service or construction crew?
- QuickBooks Time, by a clear margin. Its GPS breadcrumbs and geofenced time tracking were built for crews on job sites. Toggl Track has no GPS or geofencing at any price.
- Does Toggl Track sync with QuickBooks?
- Toggl Track can export hours or connect through Zapier, but it does not have the native two-way payroll sync that QuickBooks Time has. If a QuickBooks payroll run is the main need, see payroll integration to understand what that sync covers.
- Which tool is easier to learn for a new team?
- Toggl Track wins here. Its time tracking starts with one click and needs almost no training. QuickBooks Time takes longer to set up because of scheduling, job costing, and payroll configuration.
- Can QuickBooks Time track mileage for field staff?
- Yes. Built-in mileage tracking logs drives between job sites automatically. Toggl Track has no mileage feature, since it is built for desk-based billing, not field work.
- Does Toggl Track show if a project is still profitable?
- On the Premium plan, yes. It compares cost to billed rate per project, similar to how project profitability tracking works elsewhere. QuickBooks Time is built for job costing and labor cost, not client billing margins.
- Which tool has a real free plan?
- Toggl Track does. Its free plan covers unlimited time tracking, projects, and clients for up to 5 users. QuickBooks Time has no free tier at all, only paid Premium and Elite plans.
- Can I schedule shifts and track time in the same tool?
- With QuickBooks Time, yes. Shift scheduling is included on every plan and ties into the same timesheets. Toggl Track has no built-in scheduling feature.
- Do I need QuickBooks Online to use QuickBooks Time?
- No, you can use it standalone, but most of its value comes from the native sync with QuickBooks Online or Payroll for job costing. Without QuickBooks in your stack, Toggl Track's simpler billing setup may fit better.
- What if neither QuickBooks Time nor Toggl Track fits what I need?
- Both tools are strong at what they focus on: field payroll sync for one, a fast simple timer for the other. If you bill clients and want budgets, approvals, and invoicing tied to the same tracked hours, it is worth checking a wider list of options before you decide.
Not sure which tool fits your team?
See how QuickBooks Time and Toggl Track stack up against a third option built around client billing, budgets, and invoicing in one place.
See TimeTracker