Toggl vs Clockify (2026): Price, Free Plans, Linux
Toggl vs Clockify is the default budget-tracker showdown, and in 2026 the honest answer shifted. These two have been the go-to free timers for years, but Clockify's June 2026 free-plan changes narrowed the price edge that used to settle it. Here is the verdict first, then a scored breakdown, current prices, and where an automatic tool changes the question entirely.
- Choose Clockify if the free plan and the lowest paid price decide it. Its seats undercut Toggl at every tier, and it ships a native Linux app.
- Choose Toggl if a cleaner interface and stronger reports are worth paying a little more, and you want fewer surveillance features in the mix.
- Choose neither if you would rather time were captured automatically and turned into invoices. Both are manual at heart, so that job goes to a different kind of tool, like BillNotch.
Both are capable and well-supported. The question is which of price, polish, or automation you are optimizing for.
Toggl vs Clockify: the scored verdict
Eight axes, each scored out of five for both tools, with a one-line reason. Prices behind the scores were checked on the vendors' own pages on September 5, 2026.
| Axis | Toggl | Clockify | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 3 / 5 | 5 / 5 | Clockify's paid seats undercut Toggl at every comparable tier. |
| Free plan | 4 / 5 | 3 / 5 | Both cap near five users; Clockify moved invoicing and exports to paid. |
| Tracking UX | 5 / 5 | 4 / 5 | Toggl's interface is the smoother of the two to live in. |
| Reports | 5 / 5 | 4 / 5 | Toggl's reporting runs deeper; free Clockify reports cap at 31 days. |
| Invoicing | 2 / 5 | 3 / 5 | Clockify's Standard tier bundles invoicing; Toggl has none native. |
| Automatic capture | 3 / 5 | 3 / 5 | Both log your activity to review; neither sorts it into projects. |
| Privacy / screenshots | 4 / 5 | 2 / 5 | Clockify's Pro tier adds optional screenshots and GPS; Toggl has neither. |
| Linux | 2 / 5 | 5 / 5 | Clockify ships a native Linux desktop app; Toggl's is web only. |
The scores split cleanly: Clockify takes price and Linux, Toggl takes interface, reports, and privacy. Nobody runs away with it, so the decision comes down to your one priority.
Pricing in 2026
This is the clearest, most verifiable difference: Clockify's paid seats cost less than Toggl's at every comparable tier. If sticker price is your deciding factor, Clockify wins that outright.
| Plan level | Toggl Track | Clockify |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, up to 5 users | $0, up to 5 users |
| Entry paid | Starter $9/seat/mo | Basic $3.99/seat/mo |
| Billing tier | (invoicing is not native) | Standard $5.49/seat/mo |
| Mid paid | Premium $14/seat/mo, then $18 | Pro $7.99/seat/mo |
| Top published tier | Enterprise (custom) | Enterprise $11.99/seat/mo |
Prices are the annual per-seat figures, checked on Toggl and Clockify on September 5, 2026; monthly billing runs higher on both (Clockify's tiers are $4.99, $6.99, $9.99, and $14.99 month to month, and Toggl's Starter is around $10). Two details decide how the table reads. Clockify's Standard plan at $5.49 is the one that includes invoicing, so for anyone who bills clients the real gap to Toggl's $9 Starter is wider than the entry rows suggest. And Toggl's Premium is $14 per seat for your first annual year, then it renews at $18, so budget for the second-year number, not the first.
The free plans compared
For years the summary was "Clockify gives you unlimited free users, Toggl is nicer." The first half is no longer true.
As of June 2026, CAKE.com (Clockify's parent) capped the Free plan at 5 active users, replacing the old unlimited-headcount model, and moved several features to paid: billable rates, invoicing, CSV and Excel export, kiosk, shared reports, and project estimates. Free reporting is now limited to a 31-day range at a time, there are API and webhook limits on the free plan, and PDF export stays free while CSV and Excel go paid. The full breakdown is in Clockify's free-plan changes explained.
Toggl's free plan covers "a limited number of users," widely read as up to about five, though Toggl does not state an exact figure. The practical effect: both free tiers now sit at roughly five users, so Clockify's longstanding headcount edge is effectively gone. What Clockify free still keeps is genuine, though: unlimited time tracking and unlimited projects for those five users, plus its free Auto tracker.
The invoicing detail people get wrong
A common claim is that "neither tool invoices for free." After June 2026, that claim is essentially right, and it is worth stating precisely why.
Toggl has no native invoicing; it exports billable time for you to invoice elsewhere, and billable rates sit behind the paid Starter plan. Clockify free, after June 2026, has no invoicing at all: that now lives on Standard at $5.49. So the takeaway holds: neither gives you real client billing for free. To bill from your hours on either, you are on a paid plan.
The tracking experience
At their core, both are manual timers: you press start when you begin and stop when you finish. Each adds a way to recover time you forgot to log.
- Toggl Track pairs the manual timer with a local Timeline that records the apps and sites you used, so you can drag those blocks into entries later.
- Clockify pairs its manual timer and timesheet with an Auto tracker that does the same job, plus a kiosk mode and an approval workflow (approvals are paid in 2026).
The important limit is shared: neither uses AI to sort your tracked time into the right project or client. Both keep a private activity recorder, but a human still assigns and approves every entry, so neither is fully passive. If removing that manual sorting step is the real goal, it helps to understand what genuine passive time tracking looks like before you choose, because both Toggl and Clockify stop short of it.
Reports
Toggl is the stronger reporting product. The dashboards read cleanly, summaries are quick, and profitability analysis arrives on Premium. It is the common reason people pay Toggl's higher seat price.
Clockify's reporting is broad and capable, and arguably more generous on paid tiers for the money, but its free reports are now capped at a 31-day window, which bites if you review long ranges.
Invoicing
If turning tracked hours into a client bill matters, Clockify is the better of the two, and it is still limited.
Clockify's Standard plan ($5.49) includes invoicing and recurring invoices, built from your billable time. Toggl has no native invoicing pipeline; it hands billing to accounting integrations and exports billable time for invoicing elsewhere. Neither is invoicing-first the way Harvest is, so if billing is central, see how the shortlist that includes it stacks up in Harvest vs Toggl, or look past all three to a tool that builds invoicing in.
Automatic capture and privacy
Both tools include a private activity recorder (Toggl's Timeline, Clockify's Auto tracker) that logs the apps and sites you used. Useful, but it does not sort your day into billable projects. You still do that part.
Privacy is where they diverge, and it is under-examined in most comparisons. Clockify's Pro tier adds optional screenshots and GPS tracking, along with activity monitoring, which some small teams find intrusive. Toggl has neither. If you track sensitive client work and want fewer surveillance features, Toggl is the lighter-touch option, and privacy-first tools that keep window titles server-side or on-device go further still.
Linux
If you work on Linux, this line decides it, and it is the opposite of what many comparison articles assume.
Clockify ships an official desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. A native Linux build is genuinely uncommon in this category. Toggl Track's desktop app is Windows and macOS only: its Linux desktop client was retired, though the web app runs fine in a Linux browser. So for a Linux user who wants a real desktop tracker, not a tab, Clockify is the one that supports you natively. If Linux is the hard constraint, the best time tracking software for Linux rounds up the wider field.
Toggl vs Clockify: who should pick which
A short decision guide, stating the consensus honestly rather than as fact:
- Lean Clockify if price matters most, you want native Linux, or you need invoicing without paying Toggl's higher seat cost. Its Standard tier at $5.49 bundles billing for less than Toggl's $9 Starter.
- Lean Toggl if you value the interface and the reporting, and you would rather avoid the screenshot and GPS features Clockify adds on Pro. "Toggl wins on UX" is a widely held opinion, not a benchmark, but it is the usual reason people pay the premium.
- Either way, expect to assign time to projects by hand, and do not expect free client billing.
For a lot of teams the real choice is temperament and budget, which is why it is worth naming the one thing both leave on your plate.
The third option: capture that also invoices
The thread through everything above is that both Toggl and Clockify still need a person in the loop: to start or review the timer, then sort entries into projects, then (on a paid plan) turn that into a bill. If that manual chain is the part you actually want gone, that is a different category of tool, and it is the one BillNotch is built for.
Be straight about price first: BillNotch is not the cheapest option here. Pro is $9 a month for one seat, which is more than Clockify's $3.99 Basic. If lowest sticker price is your goal, Clockify wins and it is not close.
What BillNotch trades that for is a different workflow. Its desktop app runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and records your active window automatically, so there is no timer to start. Keyword rules, with optional AI for the fuzzy cases, sort that activity into client projects, and billable status is inherited per project. The live billable total becomes a PDF invoice or a CSV export in the same app, and the Revenue Leak Finder flags billable time you tracked but never invoiced, the kind of revenue leak that manual sorting tends to create. Window titles can stay on each device, pricing is flat (Pro $9/mo, Team $12/seat/mo), and there is a 14-day trial with no card.
The honest framing: if you want a cheap, familiar timer and do not mind the manual steps, Clockify or Toggl is a fine answer, hard to beat on cost. For the direct feature tables, here is BillNotch vs Clockify and BillNotch vs Toggl. To widen the field, see the best Clockify alternatives, the Clockify alternative switch guide, or the Toggl alternative guide, with full numbers on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Clockify or Toggl better?
It depends on your priority. Clockify wins on price, with a strong free plan and cheaper paid tiers, and it ships a native Linux app. Toggl wins on interface polish and reporting, and it avoids the screenshot and GPS features Clockify adds on Pro. If you want time captured automatically rather than by manual timers, look past both to an automatic tracker such as BillNotch.
Which is cheaper, Toggl or Clockify?
Clockify is the cheaper of the two at every comparable tier: Basic is $3.99 per seat annually against Toggl's $9 Starter, checked September 5, 2026. Toggl costs more but bundles a smoother experience. For a predictable flat bill that also includes invoicing, BillNotch starts at $9 a month for one seat with no per-feature usage charges.
What are the disadvantages of Clockify?
Reviewers cite interface clutter and that useful extras sit behind paid tiers. Since June 2026 the free plan caps at five users, and invoicing, exports, and billable rates moved to paid. Higher plans add screenshots and GPS, which some users find intrusive. It is still capable and cheap, but the experience is a step below Toggl's.
Does Toggl or Clockify do invoicing?
Clockify includes invoicing on its Standard plan ($5.49); Toggl has no native invoicing and exports billable time for invoicing elsewhere. Neither is invoicing-first the way Harvest is. If turning tracked hours into client invoices matters, use a tool that builds it in, such as BillNotch, which tracks automatically and issues PDF invoices from the same data.
Do Toggl or Clockify track time automatically?
Both are primarily manual start and stop, each with a private activity recorder you review afterward. Neither reconstructs your day passively or sorts it into projects. Automatic trackers like BillNotch and Memtime record the active application in the background, so you recover billable time that manual timers forget, which is often the real difference in a freelancer's monthly total.
Which is more private, Toggl or Clockify?
Toggl is the lighter-touch option: it has no screenshots or GPS. Clockify adds both on its Pro tier, alongside activity monitoring, which can feel intrusive to a small team. Neither is a privacy-first design. Tools built around privacy keep sensitive data local or server-side; BillNotch, for example, can keep window titles on each device and never sends them to third parties.
How much does Toggl cost?
Toggl Track has a free plan for up to five users. Paid tiers are Starter at $9 per seat per month and Premium at $14 for the first year, then $18, both on annual billing. Toggl has no native invoicing, so billing is exported to other tools. Prices checked September 5, 2026.
How much does Clockify cost per month?
Clockify keeps a free plan capped at five users. Paid tiers on annual billing are Basic at $3.99 per seat, Standard at $5.49 which adds invoicing, and higher plans that add screenshots and GPS. Month-to-month pricing runs higher than the annual rates. Checked September 5, 2026.
Why do companies use Clockify?
Companies choose Clockify for its low cost and generous entry point: a free plan, cheap paid tiers from $3.99 a seat, invoicing on Standard, and a native Linux app. Larger teams also use its Pro monitoring features like screenshots and activity tracking, though those can feel intrusive.