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Toggl Track vs Kimai

A side-by-side look at Toggl Track (the paid SaaS) and Kimai (the open source alternative). Use this page to decide if the switch fits your team and workflow.

Toggl Track Kimai
Tagline Lightweight time tracker for freelancers and teams. Self-hosted time tracker with invoicing and reports.
License Proprietary SaaS AGPL-3.0
Pricing Free up to 5; Starter from $9/user/month; Premium from $18. Free to self-host · optional paid hosted plan
Self-host option No Yes — difficulty 2/5
Hosted cloud available Yes (only option) Yes
Desktop apps Varies by product Web only
Mobile apps Official apps typically available iOS, Android
Ad slot — between tables

Best for

Full time tracking plus invoicing on your own server.

Kimai strengths

  • Teams, projects, customers and invoices in one tool.
  • REST API plus mobile clients.
  • Easy PHP/MySQL deployment on any VPS.

Kimai weaknesses

  • UI is functional rather than polished.
  • Some reports need the paid plugins or plugin-store extensions.
  • Smaller ecosystem of integrations than Toggl.

What's the catch with Toggl Track?

  • Reporting depth is gated to higher tiers.
  • Invoicing is a separate product (Toggl + Plan).
  • Historical data exports not friendly for self-hosted analytics.

Still unsure?

Check the full list of alternatives to Toggl Track: see Toggl Track alternatives, or learn more about Kimai on its project page.

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