Tidst vs Clockify
Both are time trackers, built around quite different expectations.
Clockify gives you a large toolkit: timers, timesheets, manual entries, automatic desktop activity tracking, reports, invoicing, team controls and a long integration list. Tidst does considerably less on purpose: it starts with work you already finished and asks what belongs on the timesheet.
I make Tidst
So this is not an independent review. Clockify's details were checked against their own pages on 1 October 2026; check them again before deciding, because plans change.
The clearest way to tell them apart
Two facts, both from their pricing pages, that between them explain most of the difference:
- Clockify records what your computer did, and can invoice on a paid plan
- Their auto tracker logs the apps and websites you use, and it is on the free tier. Billable rates, invoicing, expenses and labour-cost profitability start on paid tiers.
- Tidst prices your finished work, and never records your computer
- Client rates, agreements, costs, effective hourly rate, reports and live share links are all free. It does not issue invoices; it gets the billable work ready for whatever does. And automatic activity tracking is not available at any price, because it is not that kind of product.
They answer different questions, and that is the useful thing to know before picking one.
Side by side
| Tidst | Clockify | |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Individual freelancers | Individuals and teams |
| Timer | Yes | Yes |
| Manual entries | Yes, or type a line like "2h call with Wave 6" | Yes |
| Timesheet | Your week day by day, drag entries between days | A grid of projects against days |
| Automatic desktop activity tracking | No, at any price | Yes, from the free plan |
| Finished tasks come back for review | The core model | Not its model |
| Task tools | Asana, ClickUp, Google Tasks, monday.com, Notion, Todoist, Trello: finished tasks become review items | A timer button in Asana, ClickUp, monday.com, Notion, Todoist, Trello and many more, via browser extension |
| Calendar | Google Calendar, Outlook: meetings become review items | Google Calendar, Outlook: read-only view you can create entries from |
| Desktop apps | No | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Mobile | Installs to the home screen as a web app | Native apps |
| Browser extension | No | Yes |
| Team administration | No | Yes |
| Billable rates | Free | Basic plan and above |
| Costs and expenses | Free, carried into the billing extract | Pro plan and above |
| Invoicing | No, it hands the billable work to your invoicing system | Standard plan and above |
| Profitability | Effective hourly rate per client | Labour cost vs charge, Pro and above |
| Free plan | Everything, one user | Yes, up to five users |
Clockify's column was checked against clockify.me on 1 October 2026. Prices are left out on purpose: they change, and a stale figure on a competitor's behalf is worse than none. See their pricing page for current numbers and plan limits.
Where the workflow starts
Clockify expects you to record time: with a timer, a timesheet grid, a manual entry, or by letting the auto tracker watch your desktop and turning that activity into entries afterwards. It gives you several routes and lets you pick.
Tidst has one route and builds everything on it. Finished tasks from the task tools you connect, and relevant calendar meetings, arrive in The Queue. You confirm the duration and decide what belongs on the timesheet. There is a timer, but it is one way in rather than the foundation.
If you like having options, Clockify has more of them. If having options is the part you never get around to, that may not be an advantage.
Task tools work in opposite directions
Clockify puts a start/stop timer inside Asana, ClickUp, monday.com, Notion, Todoist, Trello and dozens of other web apps through a browser extension, tracking time while you work, in the place where your tasks already are.
Tidst reads finished tasks server-side from the projects and boards you connect, and brings them back for review afterwards. A task you tick off on your phone still reaches The Queue; a browser extension cannot follow you there.
Choosing
Clockify is the better fit if you
- want a timesheet grid to fill in
- want automatic desktop activity tracking
- need native desktop and mobile apps
- work with a team, or will soon
- need labour cost against client charge
- want a long list of integrations
Tidst may fit better if you
- already keep client work in Asana, ClickUp, Google Tasks, monday.com, Notion, Todoist or Trello
- would rather review finished work than record it as it happens
- want calendar meetings in the same review flow
- want client rates, costs and profitability without paying for a plan
- do not want your apps and browser activity recorded
- work alone and are not going to use team features
Clockify is the broader product by a wide margin, and its free plan is genuinely generous. Tidst's argument is only that the recording step does not have to come first.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Tidst a replacement for Clockify?
- Only if you want a much smaller tool. Clockify is a broad platform with timesheets, desktop apps, automatic tracking, team administration and a long integration list. Tidst does one workflow: review the work you already finished, then log it.
- Can I invoice from either of them?
- From Clockify, on their Standard plan and above. Not from Tidst at all. It prepares the billable work for a client and period and you issue the invoice in your own accounting system. If having the invoice inside the time tracker matters to you, that is a real reason to pick Clockify, so check their current pricing rather than taking my word for it.
- Does Clockify track my computer activity automatically?
- It can. Clockify's auto tracker records the apps and websites you use and is available from their free plan. Tidst does not offer this at any price. It reads only the sources you connect.
- Does Tidst have a timesheet?
- Yes, a week shown day by day with each entry under its day. Drag an entry to another day, or select several and move or delete them together. It is a list per day rather than a grid of projects against days, so if filling in a grid is how you like to work, Clockify has that and Tidst does not.
- Is there a Tidst mobile app?
- Not a native one. Tidst installs to your home screen as a web app and runs full-screen, but it needs a connection. Clockify has native mobile and desktop apps.
- Which works better with my task manager?
- They connect for opposite reasons. Clockify puts a start/stop timer inside Asana, ClickUp, monday.com, Notion, Todoist, Trello and many other web apps through a browser extension. Tidst reads the tasks you finished in those tools, plus Google Tasks, and brings them back for review, so a task ticked off on a phone still reaches The Queue.
- Can I track expenses?
- In both. In Tidst it is free: add a cost to a client, and billable costs go into the billing extract beside the hours. Clockify has expenses from its Pro plan.
- Can I bring my Clockify history into Tidst?
- Yes. Export a detailed CSV report from Clockify and Tidst reads it directly, with no account connection needed. Entries, projects, clients, billable status and historical rates all carry over, and nothing is written until you have reviewed exactly where each project will land. See the import guide for the exact steps.
- Which one is free?
- Both have a free option. Everything currently in Tidst is free for one person, including client rates and profitability, which Clockify puts on paid tiers. Clockify's free plan covers up to five users and includes the auto tracker, with billable rates, invoicing, expenses, labour-cost profitability and advanced controls on paid tiers.
Record it, or review it.
Choose Clockify if you want a complete toolkit and expect to use its timesheets, apps, automatic tracking or team features.
Choose Tidst if your needs are narrower, and starting from work you already finished sounds more natural than recording it as it happens.
No trial · No credit card
Already on Clockify? Your history comes with you. How to import it
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