Memtime vs Timely: Which Is Better for Automatic Timesheets in 2026?

Timely is the better fit if you want AI to draft timesheet entries for you to approve, need mobile apps, or manage a team's budgets. Memtime is better if recorded activity must stay on your device, you also work on Windows or Linux, or you sync entries to one of 100+ billing tools. Dayflow, our free Mac app, suits personal records, not billing.

Memtime and Timely both record your work in the background so you never start a timer, but they split on who writes the timesheet and where the raw activity lives. Memtime keeps its recorded activity on your device and leaves you to turn the timeline into entries, while Timely keeps a private timeline in its cloud service and has AI draft the entries for you to approve.

A disclosure before anything else: we make Dayflow, a free, open-source Mac app that also records your day automatically. It appears below as a third option and is labeled as ours. This comparison is based on each vendor’s own pricing and product pages as checked on October 4, 2026, plus Dayflow’s published facts for version 2.2.0. Nothing here was benchmarked. For single-tool detail, see our Memtime comparison and Timely comparison.

Quick comparison

Tool	Best for	How it tracks	Price	Platforms
Memtime	Freelancers and billing teams who want activity data kept on-device	Records programs, documents, email, calls, meetings and browser tabs into a timeline; you create the entries	From $14 per user/month billed annually (Basic); no monthly billing option	Mac, Windows, Linux
Timely	Agencies and teams that bill hours and want AI-drafted entries	Memory tracker records web and desktop apps into a private cloud timeline; AI drafts entries for approval; manual timer included	From $9 per user/month billed yearly or $11 billed monthly (Starter)	Web, desktop app, iOS, Android
Dayflow (ours)	One person on a Mac who wants a readable record of the day	Records one screen frame every 10 seconds; AI writes the day into a timeline	$0 (MIT); optional Pro at $20/month	macOS 14 or later

Key takeaways

• The core trade is data location versus automation. Memtime states recorded activity stays on your device. Timely runs as a web service and uses AI to draft and allocate entries.
• Timely is cheaper to start. Starter is $9 per user per month billed yearly. Memtime’s lowest plan is $14 billed annually, and it offers no month-to-month billing.
• Memtime covers more desktop platforms; Timely covers phones. Memtime lists Mac, Windows and Linux but no mobile app. Timely lists iOS and Android, though the pages checked did not name its desktop operating systems.
• Neither has a free tier. Both offer 14-day trials. Memtime’s trial needs no payment details and does not convert to a subscription.
• Dayflow is not a timesheet tool. It is free and keeps recordings on your Mac, but it has no invoicing, payroll approvals, team reports or website blocking.

What does Memtime do better?

Keeping activity data off servers. This is Memtime’s clearest advantage. The vendor states that automatically recorded activity is stored exclusively on the user’s device and is not uploaded. If you work for clients with strict confidentiality rules, such as legal or accounting work, which Memtime names among its target fields, that statement matters more than any feature list.

Recording breadth. Memtime records time in every program, document, email, call, meeting and browser tab. The Premium plan adds call system integrations for tracking phone calls, which is useful if a good share of your billable time happens on the phone.

Platform coverage on the desktop. Mac, Windows and Linux are all listed. If you switch between a Mac laptop and a Linux workstation, Memtime is the only tool here that covers both.

Getting entries into other software. From the Connect plan up, Memtime syncs time entries to more than 100 project and billing tools. If your invoices come out of a separate billing system, this is the path that avoids retyping.

Admin controls. Premium includes SSO, SAML and SCIM, along with built-in project management and custom reports.

A low-commitment trial. Fourteen days, no payment information, and it does not roll into a subscription. You can test it on real client work without remembering to cancel.

Long-term pricing. If you know you will stay, the 2-yearly rate drops Basic to $12 per user per month.

What does Timely do better?

Writing the timesheet for you. Timely’s Memory tracker records work in the background, then AI drafts timesheet entries, auto-completed and auto-allocated to projects, for you to approve. Memtime lists no AI features, so with Memtime the step from timeline to entry is yours. If the reason you want automatic tracking is to stop writing timesheets, this is the feature that does it.

AI categorization. Timely also lists AI time categorization, which sorts activity without you building rules first.

A manual timer when you want one. Timely includes a timer alongside the automatic tracker. That helps for work away from the computer, like a whiteboard session or a site visit.

Mobile apps. Timely lists iOS and Android. Memtime has no mobile or Chromebook app.

Monthly billing and a lower entry price. Starter is $9 per user per month billed yearly, or $11 billed monthly. Memtime’s billing periods are quarterly, annual and 2-yearly only.

Team and budget management. Premium and above add team and budget management plus project management and accounting integrations. Unlimited adds capacity reporting and overtime tracking. A Tasks add-on is listed from as little as $5 per person.

One caveat for Mac users: Timely lists a desktop app, but the vendor pages read for this article did not confirm which desktop operating systems it supports. Check Timely’s site before you commit.

Head-to-head table

Capability	Memtime	Timely	Dayflow (ours)
Automatic capture	Yes: programs, documents, email, calls, meetings, browser tabs	Yes: Memory tracker across web and desktop apps	Yes: one screen frame every 10 seconds
Manual timer	Not listed	Yes	Not listed
AI features	None listed	AI-drafted timesheet entries and AI time categorization	AI writes the day into a readable timeline
Invoicing	Not listed; syncs entries to 100+ project and billing tools (Connect and above)	Not listed; accounting integrations (Premium and above)	No
Team reports	Custom reports and built-in project management	Team and budget management (Premium+); capacity reporting (Unlimited)	No
Website blocking	Not listed	Not listed	No
Data location	Recorded activity stored only on your device, per vendor	Cloud service; timeline private, only approved entries shared	Recordings and timeline on your Mac; analysis local or cloud depending on mode
Free tier	None; 14-day trial	None; 14-day trial	Yes, $0
Platforms	Mac, Windows, Linux	Web, desktop app, iOS, Android	macOS 14 or later
Open source	No	No	Yes, MIT

Pricing compared

Tool	Plan	Price
Memtime	Basic	$14 per user/month billed annually, $18 billed quarterly, $12 billed 2-yearly
Memtime	Connect	$21 per user/month billed annually, $26 billed quarterly, $18 billed 2-yearly
Memtime	Premium	$29 per user/month billed annually, $35 billed quarterly, $23 billed 2-yearly
Memtime	Enterprise	Custom, 50+ seats, contact sales
Timely	Starter	$9 per user/month billed yearly, or $11 billed monthly (max 5 users)
Timely	Premium	$16 per user/month billed yearly, or $20 billed monthly (max 50 users)
Timely	Unlimited	$22 per user/month billed yearly, or $28 billed monthly
Timely	Enterprise	Custom, contact sales
Dayflow (ours)	Free	$0
Dayflow (ours)	Pro	$20/month

For one person, the yearly bill depends on whether your entries need to land in other software.

If you only need the timesheet itself, the cheapest fits are Memtime Basic at $168 a year billed annually ($216 billed quarterly, or $288 for two years on the 2-yearly rate) and Timely Starter at $108 a year billed yearly ($132 billed monthly). Note that Starter caps you at 20 projects, which a freelancer with many small clients can hit. The facts we have do not say which Timely plan includes the AI timesheet drafting, so see the vendor’s pricing page before assuming Starter has it.

If your entries must flow into project or billing software, the comparison shifts. Memtime’s integrations start at Connect, $252 a year billed annually. Timely’s project management and accounting integrations start at Premium, $192 a year billed yearly or $240 billed monthly. At that level Timely is $60 a year cheaper on annual billing.

Memtime also lists prices in euros and pounds, for example Basic at 12 EUR or 11 GBP per user per month billed annually. Dayflow is $0, or $240 a year if you choose Pro. If you want to see what that subscription means against your billable rate, the real hourly rate calculator does the math.

When should you choose Memtime?

• Your clients or your field require that raw activity data never leaves your machine, and the vendor’s on-device statement settles that for you.
• You work across Mac, Windows or Linux and want one tool on all of them.
• Phone calls are a real part of your billable time and you want call system integrations (Premium).
• You already invoice from a project or billing tool and want entries synced there (Connect and above).
• You need SSO, SAML or SCIM for your team.
• You do not mind reviewing a timeline and writing entries yourself, since no AI drafting is listed.

When should you choose Timely?

• You want AI to draft and allocate timesheet entries so your job is approving, not writing.
• You need a mobile app, or a manual timer for time spent away from the computer.
• You manage a team and want budgets, capacity reporting or overtime tracking.
• You prefer monthly billing, or want the lowest entry price of the two.
• You are comfortable with a cloud service, given that the vendor states timelines are private and only approved entries are shared.

Where do both fall short?

Both tools are built around one outcome: billable time entries. For a team that bills by the hour that is the right design. For one person on a Mac who mainly wants to know what they actually did all day, it leaves gaps.

Neither is free or open source, and both charge per user on a subscription. Memtime gives you a detailed timeline but no AI to make sense of it. Timely has the AI, but the record lives in a cloud service. Neither describes producing a readable account of the day, the kind you could paste into a standup, a weekly review or a work journal.

That gap is where Dayflow fits, with clear limits. Dayflow records one screen frame every 10 seconds, and AI writes the day into a timeline you can read. Full recordings and the timeline are stored on your Mac. You choose where the analysis happens:

• Local AI: a supported model runs on your Mac through Ollama or LM Studio, so screenshot analysis stays on-device. It needs your own hardware resources.
• Your own provider: selected screenshots go to the AI provider you configure, under that provider’s charges and terms.
• Dayflow Pro ($20 a month): Dayflow manages cloud analysis. Under the privacy policy, Pro deletes screenshots after processing and may retain activity data for sync.

The trade-offs are spelled out on our local and cloud processing page. You can export any date range as Markdown, which is enough to fill in a timesheet template by hand or hand the history to another tool, as shown in exporting your work history. If your goal is a Mac timesheet without manual entry, that guide walks through the approach.

What Dayflow does not do: produce billable entries, sync to billing software, invoice, run payroll approvals, report on a team or block websites. AI summaries can also miss or misread work, so check them before you share them. If you are still choosing among the wider set of options, our guide to picking a time tracker for Mac covers more tools.

When is Dayflow the wrong pick?

Be direct with yourself about the job.

• You bill clients from your timesheets. Dayflow writes a timeline, not approved, project-allocated entries. Timely is the stronger pick here because its AI drafts the entries for you. Memtime wins if those entries must sync to one of 100+ billing tools while activity stays on-device.
• You run a team. Dayflow has no team reports. Timely’s team and budget management, capacity reporting and overtime tracking are built for that.
• You use Windows or Linux. Dayflow runs only on macOS 14 or later. Memtime covers Mac, Windows and Linux.
• You need to track from your phone. Dayflow has no mobile app. Timely lists iOS and Android.
• You need SSO, SAML or SCIM. Memtime Premium lists all three.
• Your Mac runs something older than macOS 14. Dayflow will not install.

The bottom line

For automatic timesheets, Timely is the better fit for most people who bill hours, because its AI turns the background record into draft entries you approve, it costs less to start, and it adds mobile apps and team budgeting. Confirm its Mac desktop support on the vendor’s site first.

Memtime is the better pick when data location decides it: the vendor says recorded activity stays on your device. It also wins if you work across Windows or Linux or need entries synced into an existing billing tool, as long as you accept writing the entries yourself.

Dayflow, our app, does not compete on timesheets. It is the free, open-source choice for one person on a Mac who wants a readable, AI-written record of the day with the option to keep analysis local. If invoices depend on the output, choose Timely or Memtime.

Frequently asked questions

Is Memtime or Timely better for automatic timesheets?

It depends on who should write the entries. Timely's AI drafts timesheet entries from its Memory tracker and you approve them. Memtime records a detailed timeline and you turn it into entries yourself, but the vendor states the recorded activity never leaves your device. Pick Timely for less manual work and Memtime for local data and Windows or Linux support.

Does Memtime upload my activity data to the cloud?

According to Memtime's own pages, automatically recorded activity data is stored exclusively on the user's device and is not uploaded to a server. Time entries you choose to sync to project or billing tools on the Connect plan and above go to those tools, so check what each integration receives before you connect it.

Does Timely work on a Mac?

Timely lists a web app, a desktop app, and iOS and Android apps. The vendor pages we checked on October 4, 2026 did not name the desktop operating systems, so confirm Mac support on Timely's site before you start the 14-day trial. The web app runs in any browser regardless of the desktop question.

Is there a free version of Memtime or Timely?

No. Neither vendor lists a free tier. Both offer a 14-day trial. Memtime says its trial needs no payment information and does not convert into a paid subscription. If you need a free automatic tracker on a Mac, Dayflow is $0 and MIT licensed, though it does not produce billable timesheet entries.

How much does Memtime cost per year for one person?

Memtime Basic is $14 per user per month billed annually, which is $168 a year. Billed quarterly it is $18 a month, or $216 a year. The 2-yearly option is $12 a month, which is $288 for two years. Integrations with project and billing software start at Connect, $21 a month billed annually, or $252 a year.

Does Memtime have AI features?

Memtime's pricing and product pages list no AI features as of October 4, 2026. It records programs, documents, email, calls, meetings and browser tabs into a timeline, and you build time entries from that record. Timely, by contrast, lists AI timesheets that auto-complete and auto-allocate entries, plus AI time categorization.

Can Dayflow replace Timely or Memtime for billing clients?

No, and here the other tools win. Dayflow has no invoicing, no payroll approvals and no team reports, and it writes a readable timeline rather than billable entries. If clients pay by the hour, Timely's AI-drafted entries and accounting integrations, or Memtime's sync to 100+ billing tools, fit the job far better than Dayflow.

Which automatic time tracker works on Linux?

Of the three tools covered here, only Memtime lists Linux, alongside Mac and Windows. Timely lists web, a desktop app, iOS and Android without naming the desktop operating systems on the pages checked. Dayflow runs only on macOS 14 or later. Memtime does not offer mobile or Chromebook apps.

Is Dayflow actually free?

Yes. The Dayflow app costs $0 and is MIT licensed. An optional Pro plan at $20 a month has Dayflow manage the cloud analysis. You can instead run a local model through Ollama or LM Studio so screenshot analysis stays on your Mac, or use your own AI provider, whose charges and terms apply.