I'm neck-deep in looking at various options for doing basic time tracking and invoicing just for me, not a whole agency. I've wasted a ton of time on this and figured I'd tap the collective wisdom here. Up until about a year ago I used a pretty simple timer on my Treo and an Excel spreadsheet for the invoices. Then I migrated over to iPhone/MacLand, and I've used an online timer called Toggl and iWork Numbers, but Toggl is buggy and the Numbers thing each month was getting to be a pain.
I've looked at stand-alone apps and web apps, and despite the recurring cost, I'm leaning toward a web app, as I do work at a variety of client sites and don't always have access to my personal laptop. Here's what I'm looking for: 1. Time tracking that can use either time as you go, or direct entry 2. Ability to track multiple projects in a day 3. Multiple clients, and for each client, multiple projects 4. The ability to track number of hours against a total for a given project 5. The ability to track number of hours against a monthly amount for a given project 6. Basic invoicing - create a PDF and email it 7. Invoicing that allows me to bill multiple projects in one invoice 8. When billing multiple projects, show subtotals for hours and dollars 9. A way to have custom info for each client invoice (vendor#, cost centers, etc.) 10. Some ability to track invoice payments Nice to have features might be: - iPhone access - A way to track prospective clients and make them active once a contract is signed Stuff I really don't need: - Task management / to do lists (I'm using OmniFocus) - Checkbook functions - Electronic payment / client logins - Project management So far, I've looked at: - Harvest - so far my top contender, but it doesn't do #5, 8 or 9. But the design is lovely and it doesn't waste my time. - CreativeProOffice - seems like overkill for what I need - Cashboard - looks promising, but I haven't spent the time to really evaluate it - Blinksale - invoicing only (I could consider Harvest + Blinksale, but then we're talking $24 a month) - Simply invoices - same issues as Blinksale (invoice only) but a bit less cost - Freshbooks - could be a contender - if anyone's used it, let me know! - SimplyBill - also looks promising For stand alone applications I've looked at: - Billings - looks pretty good, but can't invoice two projects at once - Office Time - Does what I need, but clunky timing - On the Job - looks good and is cheap, but doesn't appear to be well supported - TimeNet - clunky and hard to use - TaskTime4 - can't send one invoice for two projects together to a client - iBiz - overly complex and can't send one invoice for two projects - Studiometry - expensive but can do everything & then some, but seems overly complex and tedious for what I need So as you can see, I've looked at a lot of stuff and given myself a massive headache and no income to show for it. If any of you have used these programs, or know of something better that meets my basic needs, I'd be forever grateful for your advice! Thanks Michael -- Michael B. Moore • Pure InfoDesign • www.pureinfodesign.com ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
