As someone who’s worked with multiple creative agencies—both as an in-house project lead and a consultant—I can tell you firsthand how tricky time tracking can get. You’ve got designers in Figma, copywriters bouncing between docs, clients changing briefs mid-project, and deadlines that are more fluid than firm. In this environment, agency timesheet software isn’t just helpful—it’s mission-critical. But not all tools are built for the fast-paced, often chaotic nature of creative work.
The truth is, creative agencies need timesheet tools that are flexible, intuitive, and team-friendly. You don’t want your designers dreading time logging or your account managers manually calculating billable hours every Friday. You need software that fits seamlessly into your agency’s culture and workflow. In this article, I’ll walk you through the key features to look for and highlight some of the best timesheet tools I’ve personally used or seen agencies thrive with.
Why Time Tracking Is Especially Tricky for Creative Teams
Time tracking sounds simple in theory—log the hours you worked on a project, assign it to a client, and you’re good to go. But for creative teams, this process quickly becomes complicated.
First off, creativity doesn’t always happen in clean, trackable blocks. A designer might spend an hour sketching ideas, another two hours tweaking a layout, and another 30 minutes reviewing feedback—across different platforms and mediums. A copywriter could brainstorm a tagline for two hours, only to have the client pivot to a completely different campaign. How do you accurately log time for work that’s nonlinear, iterative, and often interrupted?
Then there’s the fact that many creatives are allergic to clunky software. If your timesheet tool requires too many clicks or feels like a spreadsheet in disguise, your team won’t use it consistently. And that leads to underreported hours, poor invoicing accuracy, and strained client relationships.
That’s why choosing the right agency timesheet software is so important. You need something that fits how your team already works—and enhances it.
What to Look for in Timesheet Tools for Creative Agencies
Before diving into specific tools, it’s worth outlining what features really matter for creative teams. These are based on real needs I’ve seen across small studios, mid-sized agencies, and even global creative firms:
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Ease of Use: The best tool is the one your team will actually use. Look for intuitive interfaces, mobile apps, and minimal data entry.
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Project-Based Tracking: Creatives work on multiple clients and campaigns at once. Your tool should make it easy to assign hours to specific projects and tasks.
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Real-Time Insights: Agency leaders need to know how much time is being spent on which projects to monitor profitability.
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Integration-Friendly: Whether it’s Slack, Asana, Trello, or Figma, your timesheet tool should integrate smoothly with the rest of your tech stack.
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Custom Reports & Invoicing: Billable vs. non-billable time, client-specific reports, and easy invoice generation are all crucial.
Now let’s take a look at the tools that actually deliver on these fronts.
Harvest: The Classic That Still Works
Harvest has been around for years, and there’s a reason many agencies still rely on it. It’s simple, streamlined, and built with client-based businesses in mind. I’ve used Harvest with a design agency that had over 25 people, and adoption was surprisingly smooth—even among the less tech-savvy creatives.
The real strength of Harvest lies in its balance. It’s powerful enough for project managers and finance teams to pull in-depth reports, but it’s easy enough for designers to log time without frustration. It also integrates beautifully with project management platforms like Basecamp and Trello, which many creative teams still love.
If your agency bills hourly or needs clean, client-ready invoices, Harvest is worth serious consideration.
Toggl Track: Best for Minimalist Teams
Toggl is what I call the “no excuses” tool. The UI is so clean and so fast that there’s really no reason not to use it. I’ve recommended Toggl to small creative teams and freelancers who need something lightweight but powerful. It’s especially good for teams that don’t want to mess with a lot of settings or structure.
Toggl Track supports tags and project labels, which helps you organize time entries across clients, tasks, and team members. The reporting is straightforward, and you can export reports easily for invoicing or project reviews.
There’s also a browser extension that lets you track time directly from tools like Asana, Trello, or even Google Docs. That makes it super convenient for creatives who don’t want to switch tabs just to start a timer.
Float + Timelogging: A Smart Combo
Float is known more for its resource planning and scheduling features than time tracking. But combined with its time logging functionality, it becomes a great solution for agencies that want to match scheduled hours with actual logged time.
I worked with a branding agency that used Float to schedule weekly capacity for their designers and then tracked time to compare projected vs. actuals. This not only improved time reporting accuracy but also helped with future project estimations.
Float isn’t the best standalone agency timesheet software if you’re only looking to track hours, but when paired with resource management needs, it offers a powerful dual solution.
Clockify: Great for Growing Agencies
Clockify is one of the best free tools out there, and it scales well as your team grows. I’ve seen agencies start with Clockify when they were just three people, and continue using it even after hitting 20+ team members.
What I like about Clockify is that it offers the core functionality of more expensive tools—project time tracking, team timesheets, billable rates, and detailed reports—without forcing you to upgrade too soon. It also supports unlimited users even on the free plan, which is a blessing for cash-conscious agencies.
The mobile app is solid, and the web dashboard is clean and fast. It may not have the polish of Toggl or the depth of Harvest, but for many agencies, it hits the sweet spot.
Monday.com with Time Tracking: For Visual Workflows
If your agency already uses Monday.com for project management, you might not need to adopt a separate timesheet tool. The time tracking widget in Monday.com lets team members log time against specific tasks directly from their project board.
What makes Monday a strong contender is its visual layout. For agencies that are highly visual or collaborative—think motion studios, web design shops, or creative production teams—having timelines, tasks, and time logs all in one place is a huge win.
The catch? Monday’s time tracking is a bit basic, so it might not satisfy finance teams who need advanced reporting. But for tracking task progress and managing day-to-day work, it’s a useful option.
FunctionFox: Designed for Creatives
FunctionFox is one of the few agency timesheet software solutions built specifically for creative professionals. It’s a bit old-school in design, but its features are extremely thoughtful. It includes timesheet tracking, project management, client retainers, and detailed reporting—all focused on the needs of creative businesses.
One boutique agency I consulted with chose FunctionFox because of its comprehensive approach to managing both time and budgets. They liked being able to assign hourly rates per team member and track how much of the retainer had been used for each client.
While the UI could use a refresh, FunctionFox’s specificity to creative agency life makes it a worthy mention.
So, What’s the “Best” Timesheet Tool?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here—and honestly, that’s a good thing. The best agency timesheet software is the one that meets your current workflow needs and can evolve as your agency grows.
For smaller teams or freelancers, Toggl Track or Clockify offer ease and affordability. For agencies that prioritize detailed invoicing and reporting, Harvest or FunctionFox shine. If your team is big on planning and forecasting, Float or Monday.com might be better fits.
What matters most is adoption. A fancy tool doesn’t help if your team avoids using it. Choose something that feels natural to your workflow and easy for everyone to engage with—creatives, managers, and clients alike.
And don’t be afraid to trial a few options. Most tools offer free trials, and testing them in your real work environment is the best way to understand what’s truly going to work for your agency.
If you’re a creative agency navigating the chaos of client deadlines, billable hours, and project pivots, the right timesheet tool can bring clarity and control. Hopefully, this breakdown gave you some real-world insight into which tools might be the best fit for your team—not just in features, but in culture and usability.
