Rescuetime or Toggl: Having trouble deciding? We are here to resolve your confusion!
With so much going on in your life, sometimes it can become overwhelming and you might end up falling behind on tasks.
That’s why time management and productivity tracking apps are must-haves.
These tools can help you stay organized, prioritize your tasks, and track your progress.
Moreover, these time tracking tools are designed to cater specific needs of specific organizations.
These tools can also boost your productivity, reduce stress, and help you achieve your goals more efficiently.
But here’s the problem.
Since so many time-tracking tools are available in the market, choosing the right one can become overwhelming.
So, here are the top two time-tracking app comparisons for you: RescueTime vs Toggl.
RescueTime vs Toggl at a glance
RescueTime and Toggl are two popular time-tracking apps that offer different time and productivity management approaches.
Need a tool to monitor your online activity or track billable hours for clients?
Here’s a comprehensive comparison to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each platform.
Keep reading to find your best fit!
RescueTime Overview
As the name suggests, RescueTime is designed for you to ‘rescue’ time from distractions and keep you focused and motivated.
It is one of the primary competitors of Toggl in the time-tracking market.
The first thing you would notice as soon as you install the tool is how little time it takes to configure it. Within hardly 1-2 minutes you are good to go.
You will hardly notice it as it runs in the background of your device.
Its seamless UI/UX, makes the central dashboard very easy to understand.
Though the app takes some time to understand your habits, it is highly customizable.
Still contemplating getting it? Check out RescueTime’s unique core features below:
Core features
Here are three top features of RescueTime that makes it one of the most loved time management and productivity boosting apps of all time!
- Automated time tracking
RescueTime is a time-tracking tool that automatically records your time spent on different applications and websites.
It also tracks idle time to give you a more accurate picture of your workday.
Additionally, you can manually enter time for offline activities.
However, RescueTime does not allow users to track the exact time spent on specific projects or activities.
Instead, you can tag apps and websites you use for work as Social Media, Communication, Design, Business, and Management, so that it doesn’t consider them as distractions.
- Block distractions
RescueTime allows you to ‘block distractions’ recreational websites and applications during designated work hours.
Thus, it designates ‘Focus sessions’ for completing your tasks in peace.
The ‘goal setting’ feature allows you to set specific goals/tasks and track progress towards achieving them.
Whereas, RescueTime’s AI-powered RescueTime Assistant’ does all that for you by creating a focused work environment.
- Reporting
The productivity report created by RescueTime helps you to measure where you are going wrong or what you are doing right.
Imagine it as your ‘Assistant’ who also offers personalized recommendations to improve productivity and reach your goals.
Pros of RescueTime
- Time tracking
Think of this feature as a class monitor you used to have in school.
RescueTime tracks the time you spend on various activities, such as work, entertainment, social media, etc., all day and provides a detailed report on how productive you were.
- Increased productivity
This time-tracking tool helps you identify the activities that consume most of your time. This way, you can adjust and reduce or eliminate them to increase your productivity.
- Selective Privacy
While RescueTime records and monitors the activities on your device, you can disable the feature for the apps and websites you don’t want to be monitored.
- Integrations
It works well with other apps like Trello, Asana, Zapier, Slack, Microsoft Office Suite, etc., making it easier to track your time and productivity.
Cons of RescueTime
- Limited functionality
RescueTime is primarily designed to track your time on your computer or mobile device.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t offer many functionalities like tracking billable hours, project monitoring, etc. that are commonly important for a freelancer or any professional.
- Privacy concerns
RescueTime collects data of your activities on your computer and mobile device. That level of monitoring can make many users uncomfortable.
- Inaccuracies
While RescueTime is generally accurate, it may not always capture the specific task or activity you’re working on, leading to inaccuracies in the time report.
- Cost
There is only so much you can do with the free version of RescueTime. To access all features, you have to pay a hefty monthly or annual subscription fee.
How much would you pay for RescueTime?
RescueTime has two types of services: RescueTime Lite and Premium.
The Lite is free, but it has limited features.
If you want to use the Premium one, you’ll need to pay.
The price of RescueTime premium is:
- Monthly: $12/month
- Annually: $6.50/month
There’s also a free trial for 14 days.
Find more information about RescueTime pricing.
Toggl overview
Toggl Track, a product of Toggl, is a user-friendly, versatile time-tracking application that simplifies the task of recording billable hours, employee work hours, projects, and tasks.
The app’s interface is extremely intuitive, straightforward to use, and offers great visual actionable insights.
What’s more, It goes beyond simple time tracking. Toggl Track can track against a fixed budget and recurring client retainers. So, not only will you save time, you’ll save money too.
It’s the go-to solution for freelancers, agencies, and small businesses.
Core features
Here are three unique features of Toggl that make it the favorite of professionals from diverse backgrounds.
- Activity & time tracking
Toggl is an extremely intuitive and powerful time-tracking app that offers both automatic and manual tracking features to accurately measure the time you are spending on various projects.
What’s best, it gets synced with your Google or Outlook calendar and track time spent in meetings.
That’s not all, you can customize the tracking by adding work-related apps and splitting them into categories, but it requires some adjustments to use effectively.
- Reporting
When you have a detailed report on where you can assess productivity, understand work habits, and determine billing hours, you can make better decisions.
That’s why Toggl Track generates 3 types of reports:
- Detailed report
- Summary
- Weekly report
- Project Management
If you are a project manager or own your solo business, Toggl Track’s project management dashboard gives you a comprehensive timeline of each project.
It further divides the time entries into billable and non-billable hours. So, you can invoice clients in a more efficient manner.
That being said, you can track projects against time estimates, measure your employees’ efficiency, and receive alerts when projects are nearing deadline.
You can also generate accurate budget estimates based on historical billing data.
Find more Toggl Track alternatives.
Pros of Toggl
- Intuitive design
You’ll certainly enjoy Toggl Track’s well-designed and easy-to-navigate interface, unique features such as the favorite bar and team notification, and time-rounding options.
- Comprehensive features
The app offers a range of features such as offline tracking, Pomodoro timer, and automatic time tracking that help boost productivity and efficiency.
- Great reporting
The app provides in-depth reports on productivity and project timelines.
So, now you can easily assess your team’s performance and identify areas for improvement and employees who need further training.
- Integrations
Toggl Track integrates with over 100 apps, including Zapier, Trello, and Xero.
So, it’s really easy to streamline your workflow and automate your to-do lists.
Cons of Toggl
- Limited free version
The free version of Toggl Track has limited features.
To access the full functionality, you have to upgrade to a premium plan.
- Steep learning curve
While Toggl Track is fairly easy to use, it can take you some time to get used to all of its features and customization options.
- Lack of project management tools
Albeit Toggl Track offers basic project management features, it may not be sufficient for larger teams working on complex projects.
Use this Toggl vs Time Doctor comparison to find the right tool for you.
How much would Toggl cost you?
Toggl has a free version with basic features like time tracking, reports, projects, and tasks.
The paid plans are:
Starter: $10/user/month
Premium: $20/user/month
The Enterprise module is highly customizable. You can try any of these plans free for 30 days, and if you pay yearly, you’ll get a 10% discount.
Find more information about Toggl Track pricing.
RescueTime vs Toggl: Tracking
Both RescueTime and Toggle meet your tracking needs. But which one does it better?
RescueTime
With RescueTime, you can keep track of the time you spend on different apps and websites, including idle time.
You can add offline activities manually, but it doesn’t track specific projects.
Instead, you can tag apps and sites as work-related so they’re not counted as distractions.
Toggl
Toggl is an easy-to-use time-tracking app with automatic and manual tracking features.
It syncs with your calendar to track time spent in meetings and lets you customize tracking by adding work-related apps.
However, it may require some adjustments to use properly.
RescueTime vs Toggl: Billable hour tracking & blocking distraction
RescueTime and Toggle both time-tracking tools are known for their unique features like blocking distractions during working hours and tracking billable hours. But what works better?
RescueTime
RescueTime’s AI-powered RescueTime Assistant’ creates a focused work environment by blocking distractions from pre-determined recreational websites and applications during designated work hours.
Toggl
Although Toggl can’t prevent you from browsing recreational websites and apps, it can certainly differentiate billable hours from non-billable hours. Thus, you can quote your clients without any hiccups.
RescueTime vs Toggl: Which one should you choose?
Here’s a summarized view of RescueTime vs Toggl Track based on ease of use, customer service, features, and value for money.
*source: capterra.com
Rescuetime vs. Toggl: Summary
While RescueTime focuses more on tracking your overall computer usage and giving you insights into how you spend your time, Toggl offers in-depth insight into time spent on specific tasks.
Also, If you’re hunting for an app that can block you from distractions during working hours, RescueTime should be go-to.
Whereas, if you’re looking for a simple and intuitive tool to track your billable hours or specific tasks, Toggl would be a better option.
However, if you’re looking for a tool that combines the best of both worlds and offers more comprehensive insights into your time usage, you might want to check out Time Analytics.
It is one of the best RescueTime alternatives and Toggl alternatives.
Would you consider an alternative?
Time Analytics is a new-gen time-tracking tool that cares about your right to privacy.
With Time Analytics, you can choose to start a timer automatically for focused work or enter times manually.
What’s more, as a Time Analytics user, you can manage team activities, track revenue and cost in real time and get smart, intuitive recommendations to boost your profitability.
RescueTime vs Toggl vs Time Analytics: Pricing comparison
Time Analytics is much more cost-effective than its peers. Here’s a simplified view of pricing for RescueTime vs Toggl vs Time Analytics.
Final Thoughts/Conclusion
To wrap it up, RescueTime and Toggl are both great time-tracking tools that cater to different needs.
But, if you are looking for a time-tracking tool that combines all the features of both RescueTime and Toggl in a single platform, Time Analytics should be your choice.
Be sure to give all three options a try before investing in them.
Here’s hoping you are one step closer to making the best decision!
