Best Tools to Track Freelancers’ Work Hours

Since a freelancer is not a full-time employee, they are not obliged to attend all your meetings and calls, so there is no need to monitor every minute of their time. They plan their own working hours and tasks, and unnecessary control may look like an invasion of personal space. This will not speed up the work; in fact, it may lead to irritation and slow it down. Freelancers tend to be engaged in multiple projects at the same time and if every client bombards them with questions, they won't be able to commit to any of their work.
So, what can a business owner do to keep an eye on their freelancers and be confident the promised results are delivered? Time-tracking software is a popular tool to manage freelancers. In addition to monitoring functions, the software enables efficient organization of the workflow and helps build trust for both parties. Such services provide:

• Work Process Transparency. The client can see what work has been done and how much time it took.
• Work Time Tracking. The client pays only for the hours spent on the task.
• Fostering Trust. The employer monitors the execution process and becomes more loyal to the remote specialist.
• Confidentiality. All project data is accessible only to the freelancer and the client.

Here are some of the most popular time-tracking tools:

• CrocoTime. This program is installed on the freelancer's computer and visually displays how many hours they spent on a task and how productive they were.
• My Hours. This service allows you to set project reminders, establish a budget, calculate salaries, track working hours, record expenses for other programs, and monitor progress. It easily integrates with other services via API.
• Timely. This time-tracking program uses an AI algorithm that checks each action of the freelancer and matches it with your project. You control the time spent on work and the budget, while the freelancer creates a convenient schedule and keeps track of deadlines.
• Clockify. This application allows you to set up projects by client (convenient if there are multiple tasks) and track billable and non-billable time. With this service, both the client and freelancer can monitor the percentage of completion and the freelancer's salary based on hours worked.
• Harvest. This service calculates and shows the client the billable and non-billable hours, allows for report generation, and invoice creation. The remote employee can set timers and reminders for each client or project.