Best Time Tracking Software in New Zealand (2026)

Why NZ freelancers need time tracking

If you’re freelancing or contracting in New Zealand, time tracking isn’t just about knowing where your hours go. It’s about staying on the right side of the IRD.

Here’s the thing most people don’t think about until it’s too late: once your turnover crosses $60,000 in any 12-month period, you’re legally required to register for GST. And once you’re GST-registered, you need to keep detailed records of every taxable supply you make — including what you charged, when, and for what. Time records feed directly into that.

The IRD requires you to keep business records for at least seven years. That means the hours you logged for a client in 2026 could be requested during an audit in 2033. If your “records” are a notebook on your desk or a spreadsheet you haven’t backed up, you’re in a precarious position.

Beyond compliance, there are practical reasons NZ-specific freelancers need decent time tracking:

• Invoicing in NZD. Most global tools default to USD. You need something that either natively supports NZD or lets you set your own currency without friction.
• GST on invoices. Your invoices need to show GST separately if you’re registered. Not every time tracker’s invoicing handles tax display properly.
• NZST timezone. Sounds trivial, but some tools don’t handle NZST/NZDT correctly. When your timer says you stopped at 5pm but the log says 4am UTC, reconciliation becomes a headache.
• Record keeping for billable hours. Whether you’re a designer in Auckland, a developer in Wellington, or a consultant in Christchurch, accurate hour tracking is the foundation of getting paid correctly.

What to look for as a NZ freelancer

Not every time tracking tool works well for New Zealand users. Here’s what to prioritise:

• NZD currency support — can you invoice in New Zealand dollars without workarounds?
• GST handling — can invoices show 15% GST correctly?
• Timezone support — does it handle NZST/NZDT properly?
• Invoicing built in — separate invoicing apps mean double entry and more cost.
• Affordable for solo operators — NZ freelancers typically operate lean. A $30/month tool needs to justify itself.
• Data export — for your accountant, for Xero integration, or for IRD if they come knocking.

With those criteria in mind, here are 6 tools worth considering.

1. HeyGopher — Best all-in-one for NZ freelancers

HeyGopher combines time tracking, invoicing, expense tracking, and project management in a single app. For NZ freelancers, the key advantage is that you don’t need to stitch together three or four separate tools — you track your hours, and those hours flow straight into an invoice denominated in NZD with GST calculated automatically.

The voice assistant is genuinely useful. You can say “log 1.5 hours for Smith & Co on the brand refresh” and it captures the entry without you touching a form. There’s also an automatic Mac time tracker that runs in the background and captures what you’re working on — handy if you forget to start timers.

HeyGopher supports NZD natively, handles GST on invoices, and stores everything in UTC with proper timezone display. The free tier includes time tracking and basic invoicing, and the Solo plan is US$6/month (roughly NZ$10).

The honest trade-off: HeyGopher is newer than Harvest or Toggl, so it has fewer third-party integrations. If you need a direct Xero sync or Slack integration, that’s not here yet. But if you want one tool that handles time, invoicing, and expenses without the integration tax, it’s hard to beat on value.

Pricing: Free tier available. Solo plan US$6/month (~NZ$10/month).
NZD invoicing: Yes, native.
GST support: Yes, configurable tax rates on invoices.
Best for: NZ freelancers and contractors who want one app instead of three.

2. Harvest — Best established option

Harvest has been around since 2006 and it’s the tool a lot of NZ agencies and freelancers default to. Time tracking is solid, project budgets work well, and the invoicing is reliable. If your clients are already on Harvest, there’s a good chance you’ll end up using it too.

For NZ users, Harvest supports NZD invoicing and you can configure tax rates for GST. The reporting is good enough for most accountants, and CSV exports make it easy to feed data into Xero or your tax return.

The downside is price. At US$12/seat/month (roughly NZ$20), it’s one of the more expensive options — especially when you consider that it doesn’t include expense tracking, has no voice features, and hasn’t shipped significant new features in years. For a solo NZ freelancer, that’s NZ$240/year for a time tracker and basic invoicing.

Pricing: US$12/seat/month (~NZ$20/month).
NZD invoicing: Yes.
GST support: Yes, configurable tax.
Best for: Freelancers whose clients are already on Harvest, or those who value a long track record.

3. Toggl Track — Best free time tracker

Toggl Track is excellent at one thing: tracking time. The free tier is generous — unlimited tracking, projects, and clients — and the browser extension makes it easy to start a timer from almost anywhere. The interface is clean and fast, and it handles timezones correctly (including NZST/NZDT).

The problem for NZ freelancers is that Toggl doesn’t do invoicing. At all. You’ll track your hours in Toggl, then export them and manually create invoices in Xero, FreshBooks, or another tool. That’s double handling, and it means you’re paying for two subscriptions instead of one.

If you already use Xero for invoicing and just need a clean time tracker to feed into it, Toggl is a great choice — especially at the free tier. But if you want time-to-invoice in one workflow, you’ll be frustrated by the gap.

Pricing: Free tier (generous). Paid plans from US$9/user/month (~NZ$15/month).
NZD invoicing: No invoicing at all.
GST support: N/A.
Best for: NZ freelancers who already have invoicing sorted and just need solid time tracking.

4. Clockify — Best free option for small teams

Clockify’s free tier is its main selling point: unlimited users, unlimited projects, unlimited time entries. For a small NZ studio or partnership that needs basic time tracking without per-seat costs, it’s a reasonable starting point.

The catch is that invoicing is locked behind the Pro plan at US$7.99/user/month (~NZ$13/user). Once you’re paying for that, the value proposition gets murkier — especially compared to tools that include invoicing from the start. The interface also leans enterprise, which can feel heavy-handed for a solo operator.

Clockify does support NZD and configurable tax rates on its paid invoicing tier. Timezone handling is fine. But the overall experience doesn’t feel like it was designed for the NZ freelancer or small business market — it’s a global tool that happens to work here.

Pricing: Free tier (time tracking only). Pro plan US$7.99/user/month (~NZ$13/user) for invoicing.
NZD invoicing: Yes, on paid plan.
GST support: Yes, configurable tax on paid plan.
Best for: Small NZ teams or studios who want free multi-user time tracking.

5. Xero — Best if you’re already using it

Xero is the default accounting tool for most NZ businesses, and it does include basic time tracking in its Standard and Premium plans. If you’re already paying for Xero (and most NZ freelancers are, or their accountant insists on it), using its built-in time tracking avoids adding another subscription.

The reality, though, is that Xero’s time tracking is an afterthought. There’s no timer, no desktop app, no browser extension, and no way to quickly capture time without navigating to the Projects section. It works if you log hours retroactively at the end of each day, but it’s painful for real-time tracking throughout the day.

The advantage is obvious: your time entries are already in the same system as your invoicing, GST returns, and bank reconciliation. No exports, no syncing, no double entry. For NZ compliance specifically, it’s hard to beat having everything in one accounting system.

Pricing: NZ$56–NZ$88/month (Standard – Premium plans). Time tracking included in Projects add-on (NZ$11/month).
NZD invoicing: Yes, native — it’s a NZ company.
GST support: Yes, deeply integrated.
Best for: NZ freelancers already on Xero who want to avoid adding another tool.

6. TallyHo — NZ-made time and job tracking

TallyHo is a New Zealand–built job management tool aimed at trades and service businesses. It includes time tracking, job scheduling, quoting, and invoicing — all designed for the NZ market. If you’re a tradie, landscaper, or service-based contractor, TallyHo understands your workflow better than a generic Silicon Valley time tracker.

The NZ-specific advantages are real: pricing in NZD, GST handled correctly out of the box, and support during NZ business hours. The job management features — scheduling, quoting, job costing — are things most freelancer-focused tools don’t offer.

The downside is that TallyHo is built for field service and trades, not knowledge workers. If you’re a designer, developer, or consultant billing by the hour, the interface and workflow won’t feel like home. It’s also more expensive than most options on this list, reflecting its broader feature set.

Pricing: From NZ$30/month for solo. Higher tiers for teams.
NZD invoicing: Yes, native.
GST support: Yes, built for NZ.
Best for: NZ trades, service businesses, and contractors who need job management alongside time tracking.

Side-by-side comparison

Tool	Price (solo, ~NZD)	Invoicing	NZD	GST	Expenses	Best for
HeyGopher	Free / ~$10/mo	✓	✓	✓	✓	All-in-one
Harvest	~$20/mo	✓	✓	✓	✕	Established
Toggl Track	Free / ~$15/mo	✕	N/A	N/A	✕	Pure tracking
Clockify	Free / ~$13/user	Paid only	Paid only	Paid only	✕	Free teams
Xero	$56–$88/mo	✓	✓	✓	✓	Accounting
TallyHo	From $30/mo	✓	✓	✓	✓	Trades/service

Which should you pick?

There’s no single right answer — it depends on what you do and what you already use. Here’s how we’d break it down:

• If you want one tool for time tracking, invoicing, and expenses — and you want it affordable — go with HeyGopher. The voice tracking and automatic Mac time capture are genuinely useful features you won’t find elsewhere at this price. The free tier is enough to see if it fits your workflow.
• If you’re already on Xero and your time tracking needs are simple (logging hours at end of day rather than real-time), Xero’s Projects add-on avoids adding another subscription. It’s clunky for real-time tracking but unbeatable for NZ compliance.
• If you only need time tracking and already handle invoicing elsewhere, Toggl Track’s free tier is excellent. Clean, fast, and handles timezones properly.
• If you’re in trades or field services, look at TallyHo. It’s built for NZ, priced in NZD, and understands job-based workflows that generic freelancer tools don’t.
• If your clients are on Harvest, staying on Harvest makes sense for collaboration — even if the pricing feels steep for what you get.
• If you need free team tracking, Clockify is fine as a starting point — just budget for the paid tier when you need invoicing.

Whatever you choose, the key for NZ compliance is this: pick something you’ll actually use consistently, make sure it exports data cleanly, and keep your records for seven years. Your future self (and your accountant) will thank you.