Comparison

DeskTime vs EARLY

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

DeskTime

This app automatically tracks how employees spend their time online and offline, boosting productivity. It allows for project-based time tracking, cost calculation, custom reporting, and managing employee time off. The mobile version includes a timer and remote team performance viewing.

Highlights
  • Automatic time tracking
  • Project-based time tracking
  • Cost calculation
  • Customizable reports
  • Vacation and time-off planning
  • Mobile timer
Features
Read full description

DeskTime is fully automatic time tracking software that has proven to boost employee productivity by 30% within the first weeks of using it. See how you and your employees spend their time online and offline, track time by projects, and automatically calculate their costs based on workers' hourly rates. Additionally, generate custom reports for in-house use or your customers, plan employee vacations and time offs, calculate overtime pay, and store your team member's contact information in one place. The iOS app with mobile timer feature allows you to manually start and stop a timer on the app, fill in your idle time gaps, get a remote view of the office and see how teams are performing, what projects/programs they're working on, who's been late and more. Key Features: - mobile timer - see who's working, slacking, late, or absent in real-time - assign idle time gaps - view your profile - view and change your settings Let us know what you think, send feedback and questions to support@desktime.com

About

EARLY

This app offers a streamlined approach to time tracking, helping users understand how they spend their hours. It provides insightful reports and customizable features to boost productivity and improve work-life balance.

Highlights
  • One-tap time tracking
  • Real-time productivity data
  • Customizable reports and charts
  • Easy entry editing
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • Calendar view for reviews
  • Integrations with popular tools
Read full description

Discover a better way to track your time with EARLY. EARLY will help you own your time and maximise your productivity at work. Instantly start tracking your activities within the EARLY app and unlock actionable insights to optimise your workflow, improve work-life balance, and achieve your goals. What is EARLY? Effortless Tracking • Track time with one tap — spend 90% less time logging your hours. Boosted Productivity • Get precise, real-time data on how you allocate your time to improve focus and reduce distractions. Reports • Visualise and analyse time distribution with customisable charts and reports that reveal trends, patterns, and opportunities for easy improvement. Easy Editing • Quickly adjust, add, or delete entries so that your logs are always accurate. Cross-Device Sync • Seamlessly track time across your devices for consistent, updated logs wherever you are. Calendar • View time entries in a calendar format for easy daily and weekly reviews, where time tracking becomes key to your routine. Integrations • Sync with JIRA, Toggl, Harvest, Zapier, and many more to streamline time tracking within your existing workflow.

Screenshots

DeskTime4 screens
EARLY4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: EARLY at 4.5 against DeskTime's 2.3. EARLY also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (146 vs 6). DeskTime's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. EARLY sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.00 per month. DeskTime asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

EARLY holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EARLY has 146 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of DeskTime's written reviews are positive against 37% of EARLY's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DeskTime ships an update every 6 months, EARLY every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and June 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
DeskTime versus EARLY: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeskTimeEARLY
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (6 ratings)4.5 (146 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews36.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6146 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDeskTimeTimeular GmbH

Customer experience

DeskTime

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

EARLY

All ratings146 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral2.7%
Negative8.9%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive36.5%
Neutral17.5%
Negative46.0%

In-app purchases

None

DeskTime

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

EARLY

Subscriptions2
  • Personal Pro$14.001 Month
  • Personal Pro$139.001 Year

Questions

Is DeskTime free?
DeskTime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is EARLY free?
EARLY is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DeskTime or EARLY?
EARLY is rated higher. DeskTime averages 2.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while EARLY averages 4.5 from 146 ratings.
Do DeskTime or EARLY have ads?
EARLY shows ads; DeskTime does not.
Which is updated more often, DeskTime or EARLY?
DeskTime ships an update every 6 months, and EARLY every 4 weeks. Most recently, DeskTime was updated on September 7, 2026 and EARLY on June 9, 2026.

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