Toggl does one thing very well: it lets you track time. But if you bill retainer clients, the gap between tracking and transparent billing matters. Read about why clients question invoices to understand why visibility is the real issue.
The problem is what happens after you've tracked your time. Toggl gives you data. It doesn't help you bill that data, doesn't give clients visibility into it, and has no concept of a retainer — a recurring relationship with included hours, overage rates, and monthly invoicing.
So every month Toggl users export hours, copy them into a spreadsheet or invoicing tool, do the billing manually, and send the invoice. It works, but it's friction that introduces errors.
At a glance
| Tool | Time tracking | Invoicing | Client portal | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retallio | ✓ | Automatic | ✓ Live view | Retainer freelancers | $19/mo |
| Harvest | ✓ Excellent | ✓ Built in | ✗ | Time + invoicing | $12/mo |
| Clockify | ✓ Good | ✓ Basic | ✗ | Free option | Free |
| Timely | ✓ Automatic | ✗ | ✗ | Forget timers | $9/mo |
| Bonsai | ✓ Good | ✓ Built in | ✗ | All-in-one | $21/mo |
1. Retallio — Best for retainer billing and client transparency
Retallio is built specifically for retainer billing. You track time in the app, your client gets a portal where they can see their hours and invoice building as the month progresses, and invoicing happens automatically when the month closes.
The key difference from every other tool on this list is the client portal. Clients don't wait for the end-of-month invoice to know where they stand. They check anytime. This eliminates most invoice disputes before they start.
✓ Best for
Solo freelancers and small consultancies on monthly retainers who are tired of explaining invoices every month.
Price: Free for 1 client, $19/month for up to 10 clients.
2. Harvest — Best Toggl alternative with invoicing built in
Harvest has been the go-to alternative to Toggl for freelancers who need invoicing. You track time, set project budgets, and generate invoices directly from your tracked hours. The Stripe integration means clients can pay online.
It doesn't have a client-facing portal — clients still see the invoice at month end. But if invoice disputes aren't your main pain point and you just want tracking and invoicing in one place, Harvest is a solid choice.
Price: Free for 1 seat and 2 projects, $12/month after that.
3. Clockify — Best free Toggl alternative
Clockify is the most popular free time tracking tool after Toggl. The free tier is more generous, and it has basic invoicing and project budgets that put it ahead of Toggl for retainer work.
Still lacks a client portal, but if you want a free tool with more billing features than Toggl, Clockify is worth a look.
Price: Free for most features. Pro plans from $3.99/user/month.
4. Timely — Best for freelancers who forget to start timers
Timely tracks your time automatically. It runs in the background, captures what you're working on based on apps and calendar, and you review and assign time in bulk rather than starting and stopping timers.
For freelancers who are consistently bad at remembering to log time, this is genuinely useful. Trade-off: it's more expensive and requires more access to your computer activity.
Price: From $9/user/month.
5. Bonsai — Best all-in-one Toggl alternative
Bonsai combines contracts, proposals, time tracking, invoicing, and expense management in one platform. If you want to consolidate freelance tooling, it's the most comprehensive option on this list.
For retainer-specific features it's decent but not deep — no client portal, basic retainer tracking. But if you're using separate tools for contracts, tracking, and invoicing, Bonsai can replace all of them.
Price: From $21/month.
Which one to choose
💡 Decision guide
Clients keep questioning invoices → Retallio. Need invoicing added to Toggl → Harvest. Want free with more features → Clockify. Keep forgetting timers → Timely. Want one tool for everything → Bonsai.
For retainer billing specifically, pair any tool with a solid retainer agreement so hours and scope are agreed before work starts. For a broader comparison including billing and portal features, see best freelance billing software in 2026.