Comparison

DeskTime vs Timesheet IO

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

Timesheet IO

Effortlessly track your work hours, projects, and breaks with this intuitive time tracking application. Generate detailed reports, manage billable hours, and simplify invoicing. Offers smart reminders and export options to enhance productivity and financial organization.

Highlights
  • One-tap time tracking
  • Timesheets for projects and tasks
  • Track billable hours and breaks
  • Expense tracking
  • Detailed reports and statistics
  • Export to Excel and CSV
  • Smart break reminders
Features
Read full description

Timesheet — the time tracker for freelancers, contractors, and self-employed professionals. Log billable hours in seconds. Start a timer with one tap, photograph a receipt to log an expense, and turn tracked work into invoice-ready timesheets. No clutter, no admin overhead — just precise time tracking on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Built for people who get paid by the hour Whether you bill clients, log overtime for HR, or track personal projects, Timesheet keeps every minute accounted for. Add notes, tags, rates, and mileage to each entry. Tag work as billable, paid, or invoiced. Export to Excel or CSV when it's time to bill. Smart automation that respects your battery • Location-based timer — start tracking automatically when you arrive at a client site • NFC tag automation — tap an NFC sticker to start or stop the timer • Wi-Fi triggers — start the timer when you connect to your office network • Smart Break Reminders with three modes: – Time-based: simple interval reminders – Health-aware: uses Apple Health (heart rate, steps) to suggest breaks – Adaptive: learns from your personal work patterns • Forgotten timer detection — get notified when a timer has been running unusually long • Tracking reminders — learns when you usually work and nudges you if you forget to start Powerful on every Apple device • Apple Watch app — start, stop, and check elapsed time from your wrist • CarPlay — start, pause, and stop the timer from the car screen, with automatic mileage on the drive • Control Center toggle and Action Button support (iOS 18) • Home Screen widgets — at-a-glance daily, weekly, and monthly totals • Siri Shortcuts and Universal Links — automate your workflow • Dark Mode, Dynamic Type, full accessibility support Built-in reports and exports • Daily, weekly, monthly statistics with project breakdowns • Export to Excel (.xlsx) and CSV with custom sorting • Work Patterns — evenings, nights and weekends worked, computed on device • Local backup and restore • Offline-first — works without an internet connection Privacy-first by design • Your data stays on your device unless you opt into Cloud Sync • No ads, no third-party trackers • Local SQLite database Timesheet Plus — Continue your work on every device • Cloud sync between iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch • Automatic, GDPR-compliant cloud backups • Smart tag suggestions based on project and time of day Timesheet Pro — Everything Plus, plus the tools serious freelancers and small teams need • Calendar Sync — your tracked hours appear in iOS Calendar automatically • Invoices from your phone — PDF with your branding, ready to send • AI Insights — work rhythm, projects, finances and breaks • Web app access at my.timesheet.io — manage everything from any browser • Advanced analytics and reports with custom export fields • Scheduled email reports to clients • Team collaboration with shared projects and role-based permissions • QuickBooks and Zapier integrations • API access for developers • Priority support Timesheet Plus and Pro are auto-renewing subscriptions. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage and cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Questions or feedback? Contact us anytime: office@timesheet.io Download Timesheet today and take control of your time. Privacy Policy: https://timesheet.io/en/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

DeskTime4 screens
Timesheet IO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Timesheet IO at 4.5 against DeskTime's 2.3. Timesheet IO also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (54% vs 33%). DeskTime's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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. Timesheet IO sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. DeskTime asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Timesheet IO holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Timesheet IO has 96 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 54% of Timesheet IO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DeskTime ships an update every 6 months, Timesheet IO every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
DeskTime versus Timesheet IO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeskTimeTimesheet IO
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (6 ratings)4.5 (96 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews54.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings696 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB105 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperDeskTimeTimesheet - Mobile Time Tracking OG

Customer experience

DeskTime

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

Timesheet IO

All ratings96 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral4.2%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive54.1%
Neutral18.0%
Negative27.9%

Bugs and requests

DeskTime

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Timesheet IO

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App disappears from phone, data loss
  • Settings do not save (24hr time, km, rounding)
  • Location-based automation inconsistent
  • Cannot set task status after update
  • App becomes completely unusable after updates
Show 11 more
  • Stuck on loading screen
  • Widget not reliable
  • Dark mode text unreadable
  • App loses context when switching
  • Cannot add break time
  • Tasks not shown properly in reports
  • Cannot adjust timestamps using keyboard
  • Tasks defaulting to not billable
  • Ability to save folder color for projects lost
  • Bug suite à mise à jour (no access to tasks/export)
  • Fehler direkt beim Start (pulsating logo only)

Requested features

7 requests
  • Guest mode for testing
  • Ability to value amount field independently of hourly rate (for fixed fees)
  • Yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly statistics view
  • Dark mode implementation
  • Ability to add bonus pay or salary for non-hourly projects
Show 2 more
  • Option to not send telemetry to timesheet.io
  • Use own storage providers for backups and restores

In-app purchases

None

DeskTime

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Timesheet IO

Subscriptions4
  • Timesheet Plus Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Timesheet Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Timesheet Plus Yearly$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Timesheet Pro Yearly$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Donate a coffee$3.99

Questions

Is DeskTime free?
DeskTime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Timesheet IO free?
Timesheet IO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DeskTime or Timesheet IO?
Timesheet IO is rated higher. DeskTime averages 2.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Timesheet IO averages 4.5 from 96 ratings.
Do DeskTime or Timesheet IO have ads?
Neither DeskTime nor Timesheet IO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DeskTime or Timesheet IO?
DeskTime ships an update every 6 months, and Timesheet IO every 2 weeks. Most recently, DeskTime was updated on September 7, 2026 and Timesheet IO on September 18, 2026.

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