12 Time Tracking App Success Stories [2024]
A time tracking app is a tool used allows its user to clock in/out via an internet-connected device or to use a stopwatch to record the start and end of tasks. The time tracker apps also have analytics and reporting features that consolidate the data so that users can gain insights into time spent on different tasks, projects, and clients.
The growing need among managers and enterprises to improve employee productivity and adopt a remote work culture contribute to the high demand for time-tracking apps.
Therefore, if you are looking for the best App-based business, you may consider developing a time tracker application. Here is a high-level overview of some steps to get you started working on your business idea of the time tracker App
- Define the project scope
- Choose a software development methodology
- Formulate the approach for your development project
- Create a project team
- Develop the project plan with timelines
- Test the prototypes
- Find suitable API solutions
- Publish the Apps
In this list, you'll find real-world time tracking app success stories and very profitable examples of starting a time tracking app that makes money.
1. Time Doctor ($22M/year)
Liam Martin and his co-founder Rob Rawson conceived the idea for Time Doctor from a blend of personal frustrations and serendipitous encounters. Liam, who was struggling with managing remote tutors for his previous business, constantly faced disputes over billed hours and actual work done. His personal stress even led to serious health issues. Around this time, at South by Southwest, Liam met Rob, who had an early version of Time Doctor, developed for his internal team.
Intrigued by the potential of this tool to solve his own business issues, Liam saw a broader application for remote work management. Encouraged by their mutual experiences and a timely burst of entrepreneurial itch, they decided to refine the product together. They validated their concept by launching a beta version and eventually moved to a paid model, which revealed true user commitment and provided critical feedback. Throughout the ideation phase, they faced the challenge of balancing product development with market readiness and learned early the importance of charging for their tool to drive real user engagement and valuable insights.
How much money it makes: $22M/year
How many people on the team: 82
Discover how two founders transformed personal frustrations into Time Doctor, a bootstrapped SaaS juggernaut generating an impressive $22 million annually by leveraging strategic SEO, paid ads, and a focused remote work model.
2. Hubstaff ($6M/year)
Jared Brown, co-founder of Hubstaff, came up with the idea for the time tracking tool while addressing the issue of non-developer owners and managers not knowing how long development tasks should take. Realizing that there were very few software tools providing proof of work for freelancers, he saw a strong need for his product and started building a solution. Now, Hubstaff has grown to 10,000 paying customers and $6 million in annual recurring revenue.
How much money it makes: $6M/year
How many people on the team: 54
Hubstaff grew its time tracking app to 10,000 paying customers and $6 million in annual recurring revenue by solving a real problem in the market without any big incumbents, using SEO tactics and a differentiated product with proof of work features that answered the need for owners and managers to know how long development tasks should take, manage back-office tasks, and track remote team or freelancers' work.
3. Labor Sync ($2.22M/year)
Dean Logan, the co-founder and CEO of Labor Sync, came up with the idea for his business after struggling to keep track of his employees' time and losing money due to mismanagement. Realizing that other business owners with mobile workforces likely faced the same issues, Logan partnered with his father and IT guru Joe Burger to develop Labor Sync, an employee time and GPS tracking app. After saving $104,000 in just one year with the app, Logan knew he had a successful product on his hands.
How much money it makes: $2.22M/year
How many people on the team: 12
Labor Sync is a mobile application that provides business owners with the ability to track the time and GPS location of their mobile workforce and after just one year of use, they saved $104,000 across 45 employees despite starting off with no funds for advertising or marketing.
4. TIMEFLIP ($600K/year)
In the Summer of 2016, Pavel Cheshev and his partner Dmitry launched TimeFlip, an IoT solution for personal time management and productivity control. After experiencing the fragmented market of time tracking software, they were inspired to create a "physical" solution that would be easy to use and adapt to. With over 5,000 units sold to date and plans to expand into major retailers like Walmart and Best Buy, TimeFlip has proven to be a simple and user-friendly tool for tracking time.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $130K
How many people on the team: 5
TimeFlip, an IoT device that assists with personal time management and productivity control, has sold over 5,000 units globally, with half of the sales coming from North America, and has plans to expand into Walmart, Best Buy, and Home Depot in the near future.
5. Truein ($480K/year)
Ankit Tanna, the founder of Truein, came up with the idea for his business after realizing the pain points in attendance management for contractual and remotely deployed staff. He noticed that existing solutions lacked controls, transparency, and employee experience, so he leveraged AI and face recognition technology to create Truein. The business is currently generating an impressive $40,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR).
How much money it makes: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
How many people on the team: 20
Truein is a face recognition-based attendance solution that uses AI technology to address attendance use cases for contractual and distributed staff, boasting an MRR of $40,000 and targeting low and medium skill enterprise customers.
6. Monapp Calabs ltd ($300K/year)
Andrei developed Spapp Monitoring, an Android tracking app, as a side project while working as a web developer. After realizing its potential and the demand for tracking apps, he started working on it full-time in 2014. With around 2000 downloads per day at its peak, Spapp Monitoring became a profitable business that attracts users through SEO optimization and app store listings.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 2
Spapp Monitoring is an Android tracking app for parents and employers, started as a side project and now making $300k a year through organic traffic from Google Play and the company's website.
7. Ora ($252K/year)
Nikolay Mihaylov, along with his co-founders Vasil Enchev and Nikolay Yanev, came up with the idea for Ora PM while working at Codemotion in 2015. As they were managing their work with existing project management systems like Trello and Slack, they realized the need for a more sophisticated system with time tracking. Unable to find a suitable solution in the market, they decided to create their own project management system, which eventually evolved into Ora.
How much money it makes: $252K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 5
Ora PM is a project management system that generates an average monthly revenue of $21k, and is designed for use by individuals as well as companies with big projects.
8. Agiled ($120K/year)
Asad Ali, founder and CEO of Agiled, came up with the idea for his all-in-one business management software while running a web development agency. Frustrated with switching between multiple tools, he decided to create a centralized platform to help business owners efficiently manage their operations. Since launching in early 2020 and with the help of an Appsumo launch, Agiled has grown to serve over 5,000 companies and generate $10k/month in revenue.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 15
Agiled is a bootstrapped business management software company founded by Asad Ali that has generated $10k/month serving over 5,000 companies, with a goal of reaching $100k MRR by the end of next year.
9. SmartTask ($48K/year)
Shyamal Parikh, founder of SmartTask, came up with the idea for his project management tool while working in his father's unorganized business. He saw the need for a tool that could help businesses manage tasks and sales in a more efficient and organized manner. After personally visiting hundreds of businesses and validating the idea, Shyamal decided to build SmartTask and has since attracted notable clients such as Amul, Adecco, and ABB.
How much money it makes: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 8
SmartTask is a project management tool that has received $300K in seed funding this year and it currently has 40,000+ active users, serving prominent brands such as Amul, Adecco, Ecolab, and ABB, among others, aiming to make people 3x more productive.
10. HoursLogger ($10.2K/year)
Drew Haines, the founder of HoursLogger, came up with the idea for his time tracking and invoicing app while working as a software and accounting consultant with his brother. Frustrated with the complexity and lack of user-friendly options in existing solutions, they decided to build their own app that would be simple and intuitive, catering to small business owners like themselves. Through consistent iteration and soft launches, they gained traction and eventually integrated with QuickBooks, resulting in a significant increase in signups.
How much money it makes: $10.2K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 0
HoursLogger, a time tracking and invoicing app, was founded by two brothers who started the business as a side project over 6 years ago and made around $9k in passive income last year, with the app in a great position to grow.
11. Planndu ($8.4K/year)
Yarik and Kate, a Software Engineer and a Product Designer, came up with the idea for Planndu after realizing that existing productivity apps were difficult to operate and didn't effectively manage tasks. They decided to create a single app that combined all the necessary features for effective time management. Since launching in April 2022, Planndu has seen consistent growth in signups and subscriptions, with 851 new users joining last month and a 24% MoM growth in revenue from subscriptions. The founders have big plans for the future, including expanding to iOS and desktop platforms.
How much money it makes: $8.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
How many people on the team: 2
Planndu is a productivity app that offers a focus timer, task prioritization, and note-taking features to help users manage their time; the company's revenue from subscriptions has grown by a commendable 24% month-over-month with 851 new users joining last month, proving its success.
12. Klokki ($4.2K/year)
Stas Moor, the founder of Klokki, came up with the idea for his automatic time-tracking Mac app while working as a freelancer and facing the hassle of manual time tracking. He wanted to create a solution that provided a transparent and context-based experience. After splitting from his co-founder, he relaunched the app with a new name and identity, and successfully launched Klokki in May 2019.
How much money it makes: $4.2K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Klokki, an automatic time-tracking Mac app for freelancers and makers, was founded by Stas Moor and launched in November 2018; after being featured by Apple in 2019, the app saw 7000 downloads and brought in $400 in one month due to its new add-on feature.
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