Toggl Track

What it does

Toggl Track is a time tracker. You start and stop a timer (in the browser, desktop app, phone or a browser extension), give the entry a description, and assign it to a client and project. Reports then show how many hours went to each client, project and type of task.

Free versus paid (as of 2026-09)

Toggl's pricing page lists a Free plan, described as free forever for a limited number of users, with manual and real-time timers, calendar integrations, tasks and personal reports. Paid plans are listed at $9 per user per month (Starter) and $16 per user per month (Premium), with an Enterprise tier on request. A solo freelancer can do everything this roadmap needs on the free plan.

Why a freelancer needs time data

• Fixed-price work: if you quoted $200 for a site and it took 25 hours, you earned $8 an hour. You only learn this if you track. After a few projects, your records make estimates far more accurate.
• Unpaid time: proposals, messages, calls, revisions and invoicing take real hours. Tracking them shows your true billable share, which is what your rate floor should be based on.
• Capacity: before accepting new work, your recent weeks show how many hours you really have.
• Clients who pay hourly: on direct hourly work, a clear time report attached to an invoice prevents arguments.

Toggl Track and Upwork

On Upwork hourly contracts, payment protection applies to time tracked with Upwork's own desktop app, with memos, within the weekly limit. Toggl Track does not replace it there; use Upwork's tracker for those contracts and Toggl for fixed-price, Fiverr and direct work.

How to use it well

1. Create one project per client and one tag for unpaid work such as proposals and admin.
2. Start the timer when you start, not from memory at the end of the day.
3. Review your hours every Friday: billable versus unpaid, and estimate versus actual on each fixed-price job.
4. Use what you learn to raise your estimate or price on the next similar job.

Common questions

Is it hard to keep up? The browser extension and a timer on your phone make it a two-second habit.

Alternatives? Many trackers exist, and a spreadsheet works too. The habit matters more than the tool.

Source: toggl.com pricing page, read 2026-09.