AI-powered automatic tracking vs a simple weekly timesheet. Two different approaches to the same problem.
Timely uses AI to automatically track everything you do on your computer and suggests time entries. Hourly takes the opposite approach: a simple weekly timesheet where you manually log hours. If you want a tool that watches your activity and fills in your timesheet for you, Timely is innovative. If you prefer full control over what you log, with a faster and cheaper experience, Hourly is the better fit.
| Feature | Hourly | Timely |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (Beta) | $11-$28/user/mo (no free plan) |
| Free plan | ✓ Yes (Beta) | ✗ 14-day trial only |
| Tracking method | Manual weekly timesheet | AI automatic tracking |
| App/website monitoring | ✗ No surveillance | ✓ Background tracking |
| AI timesheet suggestions | Manual entry | ✓ AI-powered |
| Hourly rates per project | ✓ Free | ✓ All plans |
| Revenue tracking | ✓ Real-time | ✓ Billable reporting |
| PDF reports | ✓ Monthly export | ✓ Live dashboards |
| Team management | Solo-focused | ✓ Up to 50 users |
| Integrations | Focused on core | ✓ Asana, ClickUp, Gmail, etc. |
| Desktop app | ✓ Native macOS | ✓ Mac & Windows (for tracking) |
| Privacy approach | ✓ No monitoring | Tracks app & website usage |
| Planning mode | ✓ Built-in & free | Capacity planning |
| Spreadsheet & card view | ✓ Both layouts | Timeline view |
| Monthly timesheet | ✓ Day & week summary | ✓ Available |
| Data hosting | EU (AWS, GDPR) | EU-based |
Timely has no free plan. The Starter plan costs $11/user/month (limited to 5 users and 20 projects), Premium is $20/user/month, and Unlimited is $28/user/month. For a solo freelancer, that's $132-$336/year — a significant commitment.
Hourly is free during the Beta with all features included. Even when paid plans launch, the pricing will be designed with solo freelancers in mind, and Beta users receive a permanent discount.
Timely's key innovation is automatic time tracking. A desktop app monitors which applications and websites you use throughout the day, then uses AI to suggest time entries. This eliminates the need to remember what you worked on, but it requires running a background tracker on your computer.
Hourly takes the manual approach. You open the weekly timesheet, select a project, enter the duration, and add an optional description. It takes 10 seconds per entry. There's no background process, no app monitoring, and no AI deciding how you spent your time. You're always in control.
Timely is explicit about not using screenshots or keystroke logging. However, it does track which applications and websites you use throughout the day. For some freelancers, this feels intrusive — especially when personal and work activities overlap on the same machine.
Hourly collects only the data you explicitly enter: project names, durations, and descriptions. Nothing runs in the background, nothing monitors your screen, and nothing gets recorded without your active input.
Sign up for free during our Beta and discover a time tracker that's built specifically for the way freelancers work.
Start tracking for free