The 6 Best Time Tracking Apps for Freelance Translators on a Mac in 2026

Timing is the best pick for most freelance translators on a Mac. It records apps, websites and documents automatically and adds billing reports, from $9 a month billed annually. Dayflow is the best free option for seeing where every hour of a per-word job went. Timemator suits translators who want a $39 one-time purchase, and Clockify Free suits those who prefer a timer.

This ranking is for freelance translators who work on a Mac and get paid by the word, the page or the project rather than by the hour. The job you are hiring a tracker for is usually not billing time to clients. It is finding out what each job paid you per hour once terminology research, client queries, revision rounds, quality checks and invoicing are counted. With that number you can tell which clients and subjects are worth keeping and what to quote next time. A time tracker for Mac that only runs when you remember to press start will miss the hours that make per-word work less profitable than it looks.

Dayflow is our product, so read its ranking with that in mind. It ranks second, behind Timing (see our Timing alternative page), because it is free and records the whole workday without timers. That suits translators who move between a CAT tool, dictionaries, browser research and email all day. Dayflow does not win two criteria that matter here. It does not turn hours into billing, because it has no invoicing. It also does not follow you across devices, because it is Mac only (macOS 14 or later). The other four tools are Timemator, Clockify (see Clockify for Mac), Toggl (formerly Toggl Track) (see Toggl for Mac), and Tyme.

Quick comparison

Tool	Best for	How it tracks	Price
Timing	Automatic tracking plus billing-ready reports	Records apps, websites and documents automatically	From $9/month billed annually, or $11 billed monthly
Dayflow	A free record of everything a job took	One screen frame every 10 seconds, then AI writes a timeline	$0, optional Pro at $20/month
Timemator	Paying once instead of subscribing	Rules start and stop timers by app, file or project	$39 one-time (2 devices)
Clockify	A free timer with cheap invoicing later	Timer, timesheet and a desktop auto tracker	Free; paid plans from $3.99/seat/month billed annually

Quick picks by use case

Best overall: Timing. It combines automatic capture with billing status tracking and reports. Professional costs $9 a month billed annually or $11 billed monthly.

Best free: Dayflow. It costs $0 and is MIT licensed. It shows where the hours on a per-word job went without any timer. Pro is optional at $20 a month.

Best one-time purchase: Timemator. It costs $39 once for the Mac app on 2 devices. It records hourly rates and revenue per task.

Best free timer and cheapest invoicing: Clockify. The Free plan covers up to 5 users. Invoicing starts on Standard at $5.49 per seat a month billed annually, or $6.99 billed monthly.

Best for translation teams and agencies: Toggl. Starter costs $9 per user a month billed annually, or $12 billed monthly. Profitability reports are on Premium at $16 billed annually or $24 billed monthly.

Best for translators who also interpret on site: Tyme. It costs $4.99 per user a month billed annually ($59.99 a year), or $6.99 billed monthly. It adds geofence clock-ins, mileage and expenses.

How we compared them

Per-word freelancers need a tracker that captures unbilled time and turns it into a rate. Bosses are not part of the picture, so the weights reflect what a solo translator needs.

• Captures the hidden hours (25%). High scores record research, email and admin without a timer. Low scores depend on you starting and stopping timers by hand.
• Turns time into a rate per job (25%). High scores attach hours to clients with rates, revenue, billing status or invoicing. Low scores give you hours with nothing to compare them against.
• Keeps client material private (20%). High scores keep data on the Mac by default or let you choose where processing happens. Low scores put everything in a vendor cloud with no choice.
• Cost for one person (15%). High scores are free or a one-time purchase. Low scores are subscriptions that put the features you need on higher tiers.
• Review and recall (15%). High scores give you AI summaries, a readable timeline or exports you can check when a client questions a job. Low scores give you raw entries only.

We compared the tools using each vendor’s own pricing and product pages on 2026-10-04, and Dayflow’s published facts for version 2.2.0. No benchmark was run, and the scores below are judgments.

The 6 best time tracking apps for translators on a Mac, ranked

1. Timing (score: 8.4/10)

Timing is a Mac-only automatic tracker. It records time across apps, websites and documents, down to specific URLs and Mail threads. For a translator, that means terminology lookups in the browser and the email thread with a project manager both get logged, even if you never started a timer. You assign the activity to projects afterward. The vendor lists AI-powered suggestions for time entries and AI activity summaries on all plans.

Billing is where Timing pulls ahead for this audience. It has billing status tracking, customizable reports with report rounding, and a GrandTotal invoicing integration depending on plan. Tracked times are stored locally and leave your Mac only if you opt into sync.

Pricing:

• Professional: $9 a month billed annually, or $11 billed monthly.
• Expert: $11 billed annually, or $14 monthly.
• Connect: $16 per user a month billed annually, or $20 monthly.

There is a 30-day trial with no credit card required.

The limits: there is no free tier, it is Mac only, and the Professional plan covers 1 Mac with limited web app access.

Pick it if you want automatic capture and billing-ready reports in one app and are fine paying a subscription.

2. Dayflow (score: 7.8/10)

Dayflow is our free, open-source Mac app. It records the screen at one frame every 10 seconds and has AI write the day into a readable timeline. Because it works from screen frames rather than app names, the timeline describes what you were doing, whether that was a browser-based CAT tool, a glossary or client email. You get the whole shape of a per-word job, including the unpaid parts, without remembering to start anything.

Recordings and the timeline are stored on your Mac. You choose where the AI analysis happens:

• Local AI runs through Ollama or LM Studio and keeps screenshot analysis on-device.
• Your own provider or Dayflow Pro process selected screenshots off-device.

You can export a date range as Markdown from Settings → Export.

Dayflow costs $0 under the MIT license. Pro is optional at $20 a month for managed cloud analysis.

The limits: it has no invoices, payroll approvals or website blocking. It is Mac only and needs macOS 14 or later. Its AI summaries can miss or misinterpret work, so check them before you rely on them for a client.

Pick it if you want to know where the hours on each job really went, without paying or running timers.

3. Timemator (score: 7.4/10)

Timemator is a Mac tracker built around auto-tracking rules. The rules start and stop timers based on the app, file or project you have open. It also has a traditional manual timer and an activity timeline on the Mac.

Many translators keep each job in its own file or folder. If you do, a rule tied to that job can log the hours without a timer. Timemator also records billable hours with hourly rates and revenue, so the real-rate number sits next to the hours. CSV import and export feeds an invoicing tool. iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps cover work away from the desk. The vendor states private data stays on your device, with iCloud sync and automatic backups.

Pricing:

• Timemator for Mac: $39 one-time for 2 devices.
• Timemator for iOS: $7.99 one-time, bought separately.

There is a 30-day trial, and it is also available through Setapp.

The limits: rules only fire for the apps, files or projects you set them up for, so research in an unrelated tab depends on how you write the rules. No AI features are listed, and it runs on Apple platforms only.

Pick it if you dislike subscriptions and are willing to spend an hour setting up rules.

4. Clockify (score: 7.0/10)

Clockify is a cross-platform tracker built on timers and timesheets. It runs on web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and browser extensions, and it includes an auto tracker in the desktop app.

The Free plan covers up to 5 users. It includes unlimited tracking, the timer, timesheets, the auto tracker, calendar, reports and apps, which is enough to log hours per client at no cost. When you want to invoice from the same tool, invoicing starts on Standard.

Clockify also offers data hosting in the EU (Germany), the UK, the USA or Australia. That helps if a European agency asks where your work records are kept.

Pricing:

• Basic: $3.99 per seat a month billed annually, or $4.99 monthly.
• Standard: $5.49 billed annually, or $6.99 monthly.
• Pro: $7.99 billed annually, or $9.99 monthly.

The Pro trial lasts 7 days with no credit card. Our Toggl vs Clockify comparison goes deeper.

The limits: it is primarily timer and timesheet based, invoicing and approvals require a paid plan, and no AI features are listed.

Pick it if you want a free tracker that also works on a Windows machine running your CAT tool.

5. Toggl (formerly Toggl Track) (score: 6.4/10)

Toggl, formerly Toggl Track, is now presented as one product that combines time tracking with planning. It tracks with manual and real-time timers, timesheets and calendar integrations. The vendor also lists automated background tracking and a timeline in the desktop app, and states that it does not take screenshots or record keystrokes.

The Free plan is described as free forever for up to 3 users. It includes timers, focus mode, calendar integrations, tasks and boards. Billable rates require a paid plan.

Pricing:

• Starter: $9 per user a month billed annually, or $12 monthly.
• Premium: $16 billed annually, or $24 monthly. Adds profitability reports and timesheet approvals.
• Enterprise: contact the vendor.

Paid plans have a 30-day trial. Toggl AI answers natural-language questions about workspace data, and there is an MCP server. Data lives in Toggl’s cloud and syncs across web, desktop and mobile.

The limits: it is primarily timer and manual entry rather than a full automatic record. Its planning and capacity features are aimed at teams more than at a solo translator.

Pick it if you work inside a translation agency or collective that already runs on Toggl.

6. Tyme (score: 5.9/10)

Tyme is a timer app for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with a web login in beta. You start and stop timers from the app, from shortcuts or from your watch. Location-based clock-in and clock-out uses geofences and records breaks automatically.

That is less useful at a desk and more useful if you also interpret at venues. Expense and mileage tracking sit in the same app. Invoicing plugins such as GrandTotal, Lexware and sevdesk help if you already use one of them. Team mode with admin and member roles covers small collectives.

Pricing:

• Annual: $4.99 per user a month ($59.99 paid yearly).
• Monthly: $6.99 per user a month.

There is a 14-day trial. Plans sync across your devices, but the sync backend is not described on the pages we read. A Tyme MCP Server is listed for connecting AI assistants, and no built-in AI features are described.

The limits: no automatic app or window capture is listed, it runs on Apple platforms only, and there is no free tier.

Pick it if you split your time between desk translation and on-site interpreting and want geofence clock-ins plus mileage.

Full comparison table

Tool	Price	Automatic capture	AI summaries	Where data lives	Open source	Platforms
Timing	From $9/month billed annually ($11 monthly)	Yes, apps, websites and documents	Yes, AI activity summaries	Local, optional sync	No	Mac
Dayflow	$0, Pro $20/month	Yes, a screen frame every 10 seconds	Yes, AI-written timeline	On your Mac; analysis local or cloud by choice	Yes (MIT)	Mac (macOS 14+)
Timemator	$39 one-time (Mac), $7.99 one-time (iOS)	Rule-based timers by app, file or project	None listed	On device, iCloud sync	No	Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Clockify	Free; paid from $3.99/seat/month billed annually	Auto tracker in desktop app	None listed	Cloud (EU, UK, USA or Australia hosting)	No	Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extensions
Toggl (formerly Toggl Track)	Free; paid from $9/user/month billed annually	Background tracking listed in desktop app	Toggl AI answers questions on workspace data	Cloud	No	Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, browser extensions
Tyme	$4.99/user/month billed annually, or $6.99 monthly	No, timers and geofences	No built-in AI, MCP server listed	Cloud sync, backend not described	No	Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, web (beta)

How do you work out your real hourly rate on per-word jobs?

A per-word quote sets your income per job. It does not set your income per hour. That depends on everything around the translation itself:

• reading the brief
• building or checking a glossary
• research in the browser
• emails with the project manager
• revisions after review
• QA passes
• the invoice

Two jobs at the same rate can end up far apart once those hours are counted.

The formula is simple. Divide what the job paid by every hour it took, including the revision round and the client emails that came after delivery. The fee stays fixed while the hours grow, so every unpaid task you leave out makes the job look better than it was. The real hourly rate calculator runs the arithmetic for you once you have honest hours.

The hard part is getting those honest hours. Translators tend to start a timer when they open the CAT tool and forget it for everything else. That is why automatic capture carries the most weight in this ranking.

How each tool handles it:

• Timing records apps, websites and documents.
• Timemator starts timers from rules.
• Dayflow keeps a written timeline you can read back for each job.
• Clockify, Toggl and Tyme rely on you, or on a desktop auto tracker that you assign afterward.

If you suspect your own sense of how long jobs take is off, the time estimation test compares your guess with a clock. It is a short exercise, not a diagnostic. To log hours by hand per client, the timesheet template works with any of these tools.

Once you have a few months of hours per client, compare clients against each other rather than looking at single jobs. The useful question is which client, subject area or file type keeps pulling your hourly rate down. That tells you where to raise a quote, add a minimum fee or charge separately for revisions.

Is it safe to track time while translating confidential documents?

Many translation contracts include confidentiality clauses, so it matters what a tracker stores. This is not legal advice. Check what your agreements say about software that captures screen content.

Timer-based tools store time entries, not document text. Toggl states it does not take screenshots or record keystrokes. Clockify, Toggl and Tyme keep those entries in a cloud service. Clockify lets you pick EU, UK, USA or Australia hosting.

Timing stores tracked times locally unless you opt into sync. Timemator keeps data on the device with iCloud sync.

Dayflow is different, because it records the screen, so its recordings contain whatever client text was visible. Here is where that material goes:

• The recordings and the timeline are stored on your Mac.
• With Local AI, screenshot analysis stays on-device as well.
• With your own cloud provider, selected screenshots go to that provider under its own terms.
• With Dayflow Pro, the privacy policy says screenshots are deleted after processing, and Activity Data may be kept for sync.

Asking a cloud assistant about your Dayflow data also sends that data into the conversation. The local and cloud processing page lays out each mode. For confidential files, Local AI is the setting to use. If a contract rules out any screen capture at all, use a timer app instead.

Where Dayflow is the wrong pick

Dayflow is a record of your day, not a billing system. In these situations another tool wins:

• You invoice from your tracker. Dayflow has no invoicing. Timing with its GrandTotal integration, Clockify from the Standard plan, or Tyme with its invoicing plugins will serve you better.
• You want rates and revenue attached to each job. Timemator records hourly rates and revenue. Timing adds billing status tracking and rounded reports. Both turn hours into money more directly than a timeline does.
• You need hours precise enough to bill line by line. Dayflow’s AI summaries can miss or misinterpret work. Timing’s per-app and per-document records are the safer basis for hourly billing.
• You track on your phone or watch. Dayflow is Mac only. Timemator and Tyme both have iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps.
• You work in a team or agency. Toggl and Clockify are built for shared workspaces, with team reports and approvals on paid plans.
• Your contract forbids screen capture. Clockify or Timemator log time without recording what is on screen.
• Your Mac runs an older macOS. Dayflow needs macOS 14 or later, so check each alternative’s requirements on its vendor page.

How much do they cost?

Tool	Plan	Price
Dayflow	Free	$0 (MIT licensed)
Dayflow	Pro	$20 per month
Timing	Professional	$9 per month billed annually, or $11 billed monthly
Timing	Expert	$11 per month billed annually, or $14 billed monthly
Timing	Connect	$16 per user per month billed annually, or $20 billed monthly
Timemator	Timemator for Mac	$39 one-time (2 devices)
Timemator	Timemator for iOS	$7.99 one-time
Clockify	Free	$0, for up to 5 users
Clockify	Basic	$3.99 per seat/month billed annually, or $4.99 billed monthly
Clockify	Standard	$5.49 per seat/month billed annually, or $6.99 billed monthly
Clockify	Pro	$7.99 per seat/month billed annually, or $9.99 billed monthly
Clockify	Enterprise	$11.99 per seat/month billed annually, or $14.99 billed monthly
Clockify	CAKE.com Bundle	$12.99 per seat/month billed annually, or $15.99 billed monthly
Toggl (formerly Toggl Track)	Free	$0, free for up to 3 users
Toggl (formerly Toggl Track)	Starter	$9 per user/month billed annually, or $12 billed monthly
Toggl (formerly Toggl Track)	Premium	$16 per user/month billed annually, or $24 billed monthly
Toggl (formerly Toggl Track)	Enterprise	Contact vendor
Tyme	Annual	$4.99 per month per user ($59.99 annual payment)
Tyme	Monthly	$6.99 per month per user

The cheapest sensible setup costs $0. Use Dayflow to see where the hours on each job went, and Clockify Free to log hours per client. If you would rather pay once and have rates and revenue in the same app, Timemator for Mac at $39 is the lowest-cost paid option that stays yours.

The bottom line

If you want automatic tracking and billing reports in one Mac app, pick Timing. If you want to know what per-word jobs really cost you in hours without paying or running timers, pick Dayflow and turn on Local AI for confidential work. If subscriptions bother you, Timemator at $39 once is the answer. If you need something free that also runs on Windows, Clockify is the answer, with Toggl for agency teams and Tyme for translators who also interpret on site.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best time tracking app for freelance translators on a Mac?

For most translators on a Mac, Timing is the strongest all-round pick. It records time across apps, websites and documents automatically, then adds billing status tracking and reports with rounding. Professional costs $9 a month billed annually or $11 billed monthly, with a 30-day trial and no credit card. If you want something free, Dayflow records the whole workday at $0.

Is there a free time tracker for freelance translators on Mac?

Yes. Dayflow is $0 and MIT licensed, records the screen at one frame every 10 seconds and has AI write a timeline of your day. Clockify has a Free plan for up to 5 users with timers, timesheets, an auto tracker and reports. Toggl has a Free plan for up to 3 users, but billable rates need a paid plan.

How do I calculate my real hourly rate as a translator paid per word?

Divide what the job paid by every hour it took, not only the hours spent translating. Include terminology research, client queries, revision rounds, quality checks and invoicing. You need tracked time per job to do this, which is why a tracker that captures work without a timer helps. Dayflow's free real hourly rate calculator does the arithmetic once you have the hours.

Does Dayflow create invoices for translation clients?

No. Dayflow has no invoicing, so another tool is the better choice if you bill from your tracker. Timing integrates with GrandTotal for invoicing depending on plan, Clockify includes invoicing from its Standard plan at $5.49 per seat a month billed annually, and Tyme connects to invoicing plugins such as GrandTotal, Lexware and sevdesk.

Which Mac time tracker can I buy once without a subscription?

Timemator is the one-time purchase in this group. Timemator for Mac costs $39 as a one-time payment and covers 2 devices. The iOS app is a separate $7.99 one-time purchase. There is a 30-day trial. It uses rules to start and stop timers based on the app, file or project you have open, and tracks hourly rates and revenue.

Can a time tracker see the hours I spend inside a CAT tool?

It depends on how the tracker captures time. Timing records apps, websites and documents, and Timemator can start timers from rules tied to an app or file. A tracker that reads app names may log a browser or a virtual machine as one block. Dayflow works from screen frames, so its timeline describes what was on screen, though AI summaries can misread work.

Is it safe to use a screen-recording time tracker with NDA documents?

Read your client agreements first, because Dayflow's recordings contain whatever was on screen. Those recordings and the timeline are stored on your Mac. With Local AI, screenshot analysis also stays on-device. With your own cloud provider or Dayflow Pro, selected screenshots are processed off-device. If an NDA rules out any screen capture, a timer app such as Clockify or Timemator is safer.

Which time tracker works on both Mac and Windows for translators?

Clockify and Toggl both list Mac and Windows apps, along with web and mobile apps. Clockify also lists Linux. That matters if your CAT tool runs on a separate Windows PC. Timing and Dayflow are Mac only, while Timemator and Tyme cover Apple platforms only. Tyme also lists a web login that is still in beta.

Do I need to track time if I charge per word?

You do not need it to bill, but you need it to know whether a per-word rate pays enough. Two jobs at the same rate can earn very different hourly amounts once research, revisions and client email are counted. A few months of tracked time per client shows which clients, subjects and language pairs are worth keeping and what to quote next.