One of the first things you notice when you login to Freckle is the clean, attractive interface. Freckle is a different kind of time tracking application. It is entirely web-based and there is nothing to download. That has pros and cons. The pros are that you can start using it immediately and there is nothing to download onto your desktop; the con is that there is no automatic time tracking as there is with many other web and desktop based clients.

With Freckle, you enter the amount of time you have spent on a project, the client or project name and tags in three boxes at the top of the page. These boxes are available in every page on Freckle. Once you enter that information, it is available for statistics and reporting. Freckle automatically understands the times you enter – put 2h or 2 to enter a two hour time block.

Once you have added projects and timings, you can use the reports feature, available by clicking on the green tab at the top of the page. With a single click, you can look at activity for the current day, week or month or the previous week or month. You can also use the on screen calendar to look at other dates or time periods. Any reports you run can be saved. One of the most interesting tools is the Pulse feature, which gives you an overview of who’s doing what on which project. Freckle has a variety of billing plans and is a great tool both for freelancers undertaking occasional client jobs and for those running multiple projects.

Practical Uses:

• See how much time you have spent on that freelance client project
• Set time limits for projects to ensure that they stay on track
• Track productivity for your team
• Ensure that you have a handle on which hours are billable

Insider Tips:

• If the default 15 minute time block doesn’t suit you, go into project settings to set a new one
• Use the Pulse feature to compare different people’s input into your project
• Use tags to describe projects to help with filtering and reporting
• Use the on-screen calendar to set date parameters for reports

What we liked:

• The Freckle interface is modern and beautiful
• It’s easy to enter projects
• Once you have entered a project or client, it is available for future use via autocomplete
• The reports are extensive and attractive

What we didn’t like:

• Freckle does not have an automatic timer, instead relying on you to input project and task timings

Alternatives:

• IDidWork – ididwork.com
• RescueTime – rescuetime.com
• Slife – slifelabs.com
• Toggl – toggl.com
• Wakoopa – wakoopa.com

Company Info:

• Launched: December 2008
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: New York, NY
• Founded by: Thomas Fuchs, Amy Hoy
• Web site: www.letsfreckle.com

Costs:

• Free (1 user and 1 project)
• Plans from $12 to $98 per month

Rating:

• 4 out of 5 (great)