TLDR (Summary)
The best time tracking software for consultants is Plutio ($19/month).
Standalone timers track hours but don't connect to clients or billing. Plutio time tracking links to engagements, the work, and automatic invoicing... so tracked hours become accurate bills without manual data transfer.
Consultants get engagement timers, project budgets, margin reports, and automatic invoice line items. See which clients and engagement types are most profitable.
Consultants using connected time tracking recover hours through automatic client and project linking.
For additional strategies, read our freelance time tracking guide.
What is time tracking software for consultants?
time tracking software for consultants is software that logs working hours against clients and projects, supporting accurate billing and margin analysis.
The distinction matters: simple timers track time, but consultant time tracking connects hours to specific clients, projects, and tasks. System connection supports accurate invoicing and margin visibility.
What consultant time tracking actually does
Core functions include starting and stopping timers on tasks, logging time manually when timers are not practical, categorizing hours by client, project, and activity, generating timesheet reports for billing, and converting tracked time to invoices.
Spreadsheets vs time tracking software
Spreadsheet time tracking requires manual entry, lacks timer capability, and disconnects from invoicing. Dedicated software captures time in real-time and connects to billing workflow automatically.
What makes consultant time tracking different
Consultants often work on multiple clients throughout a day, sometimes switching projects hourly. Tracking must be fast enough to capture these transitions without becoming its own administrative burden.
When time tracking connects to projects and invoicing, the complete billing workflow simplifies. Hours tracked become billable revenue without manual data transfer.
Why you need time tracking software
Consultants who grow beyond a handful of active clients face a compounding problem: every new client adds admin work that does not scale, and time-to-invoice conversion is where that admin tends to pile up.
Lead tracking, quoting, project management, payment follow-ups, and clients communication multiply with each engagement. Without a system that connects these functions, details fall through cracks, time-tracking tasks accumulate during busy engagements phases, and Spending evenings catching up on admin instead of resting or doing consulting work.
The unbilled hours problem
According to industry research, 36%. For consultants specifically, that means 10-15 hours per week spent on non-billable tasks: unbilled hours, inaccurate estimates, extra work, and responding to clients questions.
If you bill at $75/hour, those 10 hours of admin represent $750/week of potential billable time. That's over $3,000/month in opportunity cost, not counting the mental energy spent on context switching between consulting work and administrative tasks.
The fragmentation problem
You stack 4-7 disconnected tools: presentation tools, analytics, documentation, and email for client communication. Each tool handles one function, but none share data automatically.
Automated reports create daily friction: logging into multiple platforms to piece together a client's history, copying details from one system to another, manually cross-referencing entries with project scope, and hoping that the terms you quoted match what you're actually delivering. The cognitive admin work adds up, and the risk of errors increases with every manual handoff.
The inaccurate estimates epidemic
Inaccurate estimates affects nearly every consultant at some point. According to research, 50-70%, with the average invoice paid 20 days.
The issue compounds because consultants often work on multiple engagements with different schedules. Manual tracking across spreadsheets or disconnected tools leads to missed tasks, forgotten follow-ups, and opportunities left on the table.
The scaling tipping point
You hit a threshold around 8-12 active clients where the manual approach breaks down. At this point, you're either spending more time on admin than consulting work, or you're dropping balls. Tasks go out late, follow-ups get missed, and you start turning down good work because you can't imagine adding more complexity to an already chaotic system.
Connected time tracking software absorbs the admin work that would otherwise scale linearly with each new client. Plutio handles routine time-tracking tasks, tracking, and follow-ups automatically, leaving consultants to focus on the work that actually generates revenue.
Time tracking features consultants need
The essential time-tracking features for consultants connect hours logging and budgets with engagements delivery, time tracking, and clients communication while handling the unique patterns that consulting work requires.
Core time-tracking features
- Custom templates: Add your logo, brand colors, typography, and terms. Create different templates for hourly work, budget tracking, margin analysis. Set up once and apply with one click.
- Multiple payment methods: Accept credit cards through Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), bank transfers via ACH (typically 0.8%), or PayPal. Offering multiple options increases completion speed.
- Automated reminders: Configure reminders before due dates, on due dates, and after. Follow-ups send automatically without you drafting messages or remembering to check status.
- Recurring automation: Schedule recurring tasks for retainer clients that send automatically on set dates. Pair with automation to complete without either party taking action.
- Time-to-billing conversion: Select tracked time entries from engagements and convert directly to billable items. No copying hours from a time tracker. The description, duration, and rate pull automatically.
- Expense tracking: Log engagements expenses with receipts attached. Add to clients billing at cost or with markup (common practice is 10-15%).
Consultants-specific features
- Deposit collection: Request upfront payment before work begins. Industry standard is 25-50% deposit. Plutio should connect deposits to final billing automatically.
- Milestone billing: Split engagements payment across phases. Each milestone triggers its own action when you mark that phase complete.
- Revision tracking: When scope expands beyond contracted revisions, the billing should reflect additional work. Connect revision logs to billing so extra rounds generate accurate charges.
- Proposal-to-project flow: When a client accepts a proposal, the schedule should generate automatically based on the payment terms defined.
Platform features that multiply value
- White-label branding: Custom domain, logo, colors, and fonts. All clients-facing communications show your brand. clients never see the software vendor's name.
- Unified inbox: All clients messages, engagements comments, and notifications arrive in one place. Reply without switching to email. Conversation history stays attached for context.
- Permissions: Control who sees what. Contractors see only their assigned work. clients see their portal, not your internal notes or margins.
- Customizable navigation: Rename menu items to match how you talk about your work. Hide features you don't use to reduce clutter.
- Mobile apps: iOS and Android apps for full functionality on the go. Work from anywhere with the same capabilities as desktop.
- Automations: Create rules that trigger actions without your involvement. Set up once, runs continuously.
The deciding factor for consultants is integration depth. Time Tracking software that connects with proposals, contracts, projects, time tracking, and clients communication eliminates the duplicate data entry that consumes hours every week.
time tracking software pricing for consultants
time tracking software for consultants typically costs $10-20 per month for standalone tools, with integrated platforms providing complete functionality.
What consultants typically pay for time tracking tools
- time tracking software: $10-18/month per user
- standalone timers: $12/month per user
- a time tracker: Free-$11.99/month
- TimeCamp: $7-14/month per user
These tools track time but require separate systems for projects, invoicing, and client management.
Plutio pricing (January 2026)
- Core: $19/month: Unlimited time tracking plus projects, invoicing, contracts, scheduling.
- Pro: $49/month: Unlimited clients, team time tracking, advanced permissions.
- Max: $199/month: Unlimited team, advanced reporting, full white-labeling.
The ROI calculation for consultants
- Recovered revenue: 10-20% more billable hours captured
- At $150/hour: 4 additional hours/month = $600/month recovered
- Accuracy improvement: Eliminate invoicing errors and missed time
time tracking software ROI comes through recovered revenue. The hours previously missed pay for the platform many times over.
Why Plutio is the best time tracking software for consultants
Plutio handles time tracking as part of a complete platform where tracked hours connect to projects, clients, and invoicing automatically.
Integrated time tracking
Track time against projects with one click. Timers accessible from anywhere in the platform. Switch between clients throughout the day with quick context changes.
Task-level tracking
Time entries connect to specific project tasks. See exactly what work consumed which hours. Task completion reflects in tracked time automatically.
Budget visibility
Real-time display of hours consumed versus project budget. Alerts when projects approach budget thresholds. Prevent margin surprises before they occur.
One-click invoicing
Select tracked time entries and convert to invoice line items instantly. Hours, rates, and descriptions transfer without manual entry. Accurate invoices in seconds instead of hours.
Multiple rate support
Different hourly rates for different clients, project types, or work categories. Rates apply automatically when tracking against the relevant context.
Margin reporting
See time versus revenue per client and project. Identify which relationships are profitable and which consume more time than they return. Data-driven business decisions.
Client portal visibility
Share time reports through client portals when appropriate. Clients see work progress without requesting reports. Transparency builds trust.
Time tracking becomes part of the complete consulting workflow rather than an isolated logging exercise. Every tracked hour connects to billing and business intelligence.
How to set up time tracking in Plutio
Setting up time tracking in Plutio takes 30-60 minutes for initial configuration, with tracking benefits beginning immediately.
Step 1: Configure billing rates (15 mins)
- Set default hourly rate
- Configure client-specific rates where applicable
- Define project type rate variations
Step 2: Set up projects for tracking (15 mins)
- make sure active projects have budgets where applicable
- Connect projects to clients
- Create task structures for detailed tracking
Step 3: Configure tracking preferences (10 mins)
- Set default billable/non-billable status
- Configure rounding rules if used
- Set up browser extension or mobile app
Step 4: Build the tracking habit
Time tracking value depends on consistent use. Start timers when beginning work, stop when switching contexts. The habit forms within 1-2 weeks of consistent practice.
Tracking tips for consultants
- Track everything, including quick emails and calls
- Use descriptions to remember what work entries represent
- Review timesheets weekly to catch missed entries
Setup is quick; building the tracking habit takes 1-2 weeks. Consistent practice creates accurate data that transforms billing accuracy.
Time tracking templates for consultants
Time tracking templates define work categories and billing structures that organize consultant time data effectively.
Essential tracking categories for consultants
- Client work: Billable time on client the work
- Internal meetings: Team coordination and planning
- Business development: Sales, proposals, and marketing
- Administrative: Invoicing, email, and operations
- Professional development: Learning and skill building
Project-level time structures
- Discovery: Initial research and understanding
- Analysis: Core consulting work
- Documentation: Deliverable creation
- Presentation: Client meetings and reviews
- Revisions: Changes based on feedback
Tracking proven methods
- Use consistent categories across all projects
- Include brief descriptions with each entry
- Track in real-time rather than reconstructing later
- Review timesheets weekly for accuracy
Structured tracking categories support meaningful analysis. Well-organized time data reveals patterns that inform pricing and efficiency decisions.
Client portals for consultants: time visibility
Client portals can display time tracking data, providing transparency that builds trust and reduces billing questions.
Time visibility through portals
Choose what time data clients see: summary hours only, detailed entries with descriptions, or no time visibility at all. Configure per client based on relationship and project type.
Benefits of time transparency
When clients see work in progress, they understand where time goes. Billing surprises disappear because clients have context throughout the engagement.
Reduced billing questions
Invoices referencing time clients have already seen generate fewer questions. The connection between work and billing becomes obvious through ongoing visibility.
Trust building
Transparency signals honesty and professionalism. Clients who can verify time spent trust that billing reflects actual work performed.
When not to share
Fixed-fee projects may not benefit from time visibility. Some client relationships work better with outcome focus rather than time transparency. Configure visibility appropriately per situation.
Portal time visibility transforms billing from documentation review to ongoing transparency. Clients understand work in progress rather than only seeing final invoices.
How to migrate time tracking to Plutio
Migrating time tracking takes 30-60 minutes for initial setup, with tracking benefits beginning immediately for new work.
Step 1: Audit current approach (15 mins)
- List current tracking tool and workflow
- Identify rate structures and categories
- Note pain points in current process
Step 2: Configure Plutio tracking (30-45 mins)
- Set up billing rates and client-specific overrides
- Create project structures with budgets
- Configure tracking preferences
Step 3: Begin tracking new work
Start using Plutio for all new time tracking immediately. Build the habit with fresh work rather than migrating historical data.
What about historical time data?
Historical time entries typically do not need migration. Past invoices remain valid regardless of where time was tracked. Focus new tracking on connected workflow rather than recreating history.
Parallel operation period
If needed, run both systems briefly for ongoing projects. Complete active work in the old system while starting new projects in Plutio.
Migration support
Time tracking migration is among the simplest. No complex data transfer required. Benefits begin with the first time entry in the new system.
Time tracking migration is low-risk and high-reward. Begin tracking immediately and build the habit that transforms billing accuracy.
