TimeLive vs Clockify: Which Time Tracking Software Is Right for Your Team?

TimeLive and Clockify serve the same general category but are built around different priorities. Clockify was designed to be the most accessible time tracker on the market, starting free and scaling up. TimeLive has spent 19 years building a platform specifically for professional services teams that bill clients, track reimbursable expenses, meet compliance standards, and need their time data connected directly to payroll and accounting systems. This comparison covers every material difference between the two so you can make a decision based on your team’s actual needs.

TimeLive vs Clockify at a Glance

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Core Time Tracking

Both platforms cover the essentials: timer-based tracking, manual time entry, mobile apps, project and task structure, and billable versus non-billable flagging. Clockify adds idle detection, Pomodoro timer, auto-tracker (desktop app tracks active windows automatically), and a calendar view. TimeLive’s timer works on desktop and mobile and ties each entry directly to a project, phase, billing rate, and approval workflow from the moment it’s logged.

Where Clockify has an edge: idle detection, Pomodoro mode, and automatic tracking for users who forget to start timers are useful quality-of-life features that TimeLive does not currently offer.

Where TimeLive has an edge: every time entry is directly connected to billing rates, approval workflows, and accounting integrations at the point of entry, not as a downstream export.

Billing and Invoicing

This is the clearest difference between the two tools. TimeLive includes billing and invoicing at no extra cost on every plan, including the free plan. Clients are invoiced directly from approved timesheets, with per-client billing rates, white-label branding with the firm’s logo, and detailed time breakdowns. Invoices connect directly to QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, and Xero without re-entry.

Clockify includes invoicing on the Standard plan at $6.99/user/month. The feature is well-implemented but unavailable on the free or Basic plan. For a 10-person consulting firm that needs to send invoices, upgrading to Standard adds $69.90/month before any other features are considered.

Reporting and Analytics

TimeLive offers summary and detailed reports across daily, weekly, and monthly periods, exportable as PDF, Excel, and CSV. Administrators can build custom report types from scratch and group data by any combination of client, project, employee, department, or date range. This is the level of reporting depth that compliance-heavy teams and multi-client firms need.

Clockify’s reporting is solid and well-designed across paid tiers, with summary, detailed, and weekly views. However the report structure is fixed. Users can apply filters but cannot create new report types. One Clockify user on G2 noted they wished the platform offered more flexibility in personalizing reports to their own requirements.

For organizations that need to produce custom reports for different stakeholders, different billing structures, or DCAA audit documentation, TimeLive’s custom report builder is a significant operational advantage.

Attendance Tracking

TimeLive’s attendance module is standalone, meaning it operates independently without requiring the Timesheet module. Teams that need to track when employees are present and absent, manage shift scheduling, and run attendance reports without project-based time tracking can do so on the Attendance module alone at $4/user/month. This serves manufacturing teams, healthcare shift workers, and retail or field operations where not every employee tracks project time.

Clockify’s attendance tracking is available from the Standard plan but works within the timesheet structure. It is not a standalone module and requires users to be part of the broader project-based tracking workflow.

GPS Tracking and Kiosk Mode

Clockify currently offers GPS tracking on the Pro plan and kiosk mode (shared device clock-in with PIN) across paid plans. These are valuable for field service teams, construction crews, and distributed workforces that need location verification alongside time data.

TimeLive now includes GPS geofencing as a fully live feature. Managers can define virtual boundaries around any job site, office, or client location. Employees can only clock in and out while inside the boundary, with GPS coordinates stamped on every attendance record. Advanced polygon geofencing supports irregular sites such as construction zones and campuses. A Geofencing Activity Explorer shows entry, exit, and in-zone time per employee with exportable location reports. Kiosk mode for shared device clock-in is also now available. 

DCAA Compliance

TimeLive includes DCAA-compliant timekeeping built into the platform, covering daily time entry requirements, timesheet locking, correction documentation with reason codes, supervisor approval before changes, and a complete audit trail for every entry. This is required for any US government contractor that bills on a cost-reimbursement basis.

Clockify does not offer DCAA compliance. Audit logs are available on the Enterprise plan and timesheet locking from Standard, but the platform does not meet DCAA timekeeping requirements as a built-in compliance framework.

Cloud vs On-Premise Deployment

TimeLive offers both cloud and on-premise installation. For organizations with data residency requirements, security policies that prohibit third-party cloud storage of employee data, or environments requiring self-hosting, on-premise deployment is a material differentiator. One Capterra reviewer specifically chose TimeLive over other tools because it offered on-premise hosting when their team of 80-plus users outgrew a previous system ,  and noted that no comparable tool in this price range offered the same option.

Clockify is cloud-only. No on-premise option is available at any plan tier.

Integrations

TimeLive connects directly to QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, and Xero for accounting integration, and to hundreds of other applications via Zapier. A public API is available for custom integrations. See the full integrations list.

Clockify has a broader range of native integrations across project management tools including Asana, Jira, Trello, Notion, GitHub, Salesforce, ClickUp, and others, plus a well-documented API. For teams deeply embedded in project management ecosystems, Clockify’s native integration depth is wider.

Language Support and Customer Support

TimeLive supports 15 languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Chinese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Portuguese, Thai, Turkish, Russian, Romanian, Norwegian, and Hungarian. See: TimeLive multi-language support. Customer support is available via live chat, email, and phone.

Clockify supports English as its primary interface language with partial localization in some markets. Customer support is available via email and help documentation, with phone support on the Enterprise plan only.

What Users Say

TimeLive on Capterra (4.5 out of 5)

Common praise in TimeLive reviews: pricing value, on-premise hosting availability, responsive support team, and depth of features for the cost. Common areas of feedback: learning curve for new users, and the interface takes time to get familiar with.

Clockify on G2 and Capterra (4.5 out of 5)

Common praise in Clockify reviews: generous free plan, clean user experience, breadth of integrations, and strong free tier for small teams. Common areas of feedback: interface can feel cluttered with multiple projects, and some features require higher tiers than expected.

Pricing Comparison

TimeLive Pricing

Clockify Pricing

Cost at 25 Users: Timesheet, Billing, Expense, Time Off

Who Should Choose TimeLive?

• Consultants, architects, agencies, and freelancers who need to bill clients from timesheets without paying extra for invoicing.
• Government contractors that must meet DCAA timekeeping requirements as a contractual obligation.
• Organizations with on-premise deployment requirements due to security policy or data residency rules.
• Healthcare, manufacturing, and mixed workforce teams that need a standalone attendance module that works without project tracking.
• International teams needing a platform in 15 languages, including German, French, Chinese, Thai, and more.
• Firms that need fully customizable reports where administrators can build new report types from scratch.

Who Should Choose Clockify?

• Freelancers, startups, and small teams that need unlimited users on a free plan immediately, with no commitment or credit card.
• Teams that need GPS breadcrumb trail tracking showing routes taken during the workday. Clockify’s Pro plan GPS tracks team location and visited client sites. TimeLive’s geofencing restricts clock-in to defined zones with polygon boundary support , both are now live features but serve different GPS use cases.
• Organizations deeply embedded in Jira, Asana, Trello, Notion, or GitHub who need native out-of-the-box integrations with those project management platforms.
• Teams that do not need to bill clients and where the primary use case is internal time tracking, productivity monitoring, or team reporting.
• Companies that prefer starting free and unlocking features progressively as needs grow, rather than selecting modules upfront.

Pros and Cons Summary

Frequently Asked Questions

Is TimeLive cheaper than Clockify?

It depends on what modules you need. For a team that needs timesheet tracking and invoicing, TimeLive costs $4/user/month (Timesheet module, billing and expense freeree) versus Clockify’s $6.99/user/month (Standard plan required for invoicing). At 25 users that is a $74.75/month saving with TimeLive. However Clockify’s free plan supports unlimited users, whereas TimeLive’s free plan is limited to 3 users. See the TimeLive pricing page for full module details. 

Does TimeLive have a free plan?

Yes. TimeLive’s free plan includes the full timesheet feature and billing and invoicing for up to 3 users and 3 projects, permanently. No time limit and no credit card required.

Does TimeLive work with QuickBooks?

Yes. TimeLive integrates directly with both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online. Time data and invoices transfer without re-entry. See: how to transfer TimeLive timesheets to QuickBooks.

Is TimeLive DCAA compliant?

Yes. DCAA-compliant timekeeping is built into the TimeLive platform. It covers daily time entry requirements, timesheet locking, correction documentation with reason codes, and a complete audit trail for every entry. Clockify does not offer DCAA compliance.

Can TimeLive be installed on-premise?

Yes. TimeLive offers both cloud and on-premise installation. Clockify is cloud-only.

Does Clockify support DCAA compliance?

No. Clockify does not offer DCAA compliance at any plan tier. Government contractors on cost-reimbursement contracts must use a DCAA-compliant timekeeping system. TimeLive is one of the few tools in this price range that supports this requirement natively.

Which has better reporting: TimeLive or Clockify?

TimeLive offers a fully customizable report builder where administrators can create new report types from scratch and group data by any combination of criteria. Clockify’s reporting is well-designed with summary, detailed, and weekly views, but report types are fixed and customization is limited to filters.

Does TimeLive have GPS tracking?

Yes. TimeLive now includes GPS geofencing as a live feature. Managers can define virtual boundaries around any job site. Employees can only clock in and out while inside the geofence, with GPS coordinates stamped on every attendance record. Advanced polygon geofencing and a Geofencing Activity Explorer are also available. Clockify offers GPS breadcrumb trail tracking on the Pro plan, showing team location and client site visits while on the clock. 

Try TimeLive Free

TimeLive is built for professional services teams that need to track time, bill clients, manage expenses, and meet compliance requirements in one platform. The free plan includes the full timesheet feature and billing and invoicing for 3 users and 3 projects, permanently. Add expense tracking, time off management, attendance management, or advanced project management at $4/user/month as your team grows.