The Pros and Cons of Toggl

By Ann Gregson

Time tracking software is an incredibly effective tool for businesses, and Toggl is one of the more popular applications on the market right now. It is a great piece of software that makes time tracking easy and helps you to improve productivity and profitability overnight. 

If you are looking for a time tracking application to manage your employees and monitor productivity levels, read on to find out more about Toggl and how it could benefit you. 

How Does Toggl Work?

Toggl is a time tracking app that can be used to simply replace paper timesheets, but it is most effective when used to track specific tasks. By tracking each individual task, employees can get a clear breakdown of exactly how they are spending their time each day. This then allows them to identify inefficiencies and make changes so they can be more productive. 

The tracking system in Toggl is so easy to use, so you do not need to provide any extensive training for your employees when you implement the software. The one-click timers make it simple to set a timer for a new task, and you can run multiple timers at once. Switching between timers is easy as well, so if you are alternating between tasks, you can still track the total time spent on each task. If you do not have a timer running, Toggl will send you a quick reminder, so you can make sure that you are always tracking your productivity. 

Toggl works seamlessly across your phone and computer, which means that you can start a timer in your browser and then stop it on your phone. Having that flexibility is very important in the modern office where people are moving around a lot and may not necessarily be working at their desk all day long. 

Compatibility with hundreds of different applications means that you can always have your Toggl button available, so you can start and stop trackers without needing to switch back and forth between different pieces of software. 

Toggl also has a great reporting feature so you can review all of your time tracking data and make sense of it. You will get a detailed breakdown of exactly how much time you spend on a task over a given time period. You can even assign a billable rate to a task so you can see exactly how time spent translates into profit. This is incredibly useful for employers and freelancers because it allows you to see which tasks are making you money, and which tasks are wasting time without generating any value. The reports can easily be exported to Excel, PDF, and CSV in an easy to read format. 

Toggl also caters for people that want to use a manual time tracking system instead of real-time tracking. There is an intuitive calendar feature that allows you to make time tracking entries manually at the end of the day or the week. Toggl can also turn calendar entries into time stamps with the click of a button, so you don’t need to make manual entries for things like weekly meetings, for example. The CSV import feature allows you to add data from other sources, like project management tools, so this information can be included in reports that you create using Toggl. 

All reports can be subjected to a time audit, so any entries that are suspiciously short or long will be automatically removed. This prevents an accidental click of the Toggl button from skewing the results of your time tracking. The email report scheduling tool allows you to automatically generate reports and email them over to the relevant person, all you need to do is click the Toggl button when you start and finish a task and the rest is handled for you. 

Project Management With Toggl 

Toggl is particularly effective for project management and it can help to increase productivity in a big way. It allows you to set time estimates for a project and the individual tasks within that project. By using the time tracking tools, you can then see whether you are meeting your targets or whether you are falling behind. This allows you to keep track of progress and also helps you to create more accurate estimates for future projects as you are able to see which tasks take longer than expected and which ones are completed quickly. 

Alerts throughout the project can tell managers and employees when a certain percentage of their time for a given task has passed. This shows you whether you are on track to complete a task on time and encourages people to increase their productivity if they are falling behind. 

Toggl has a great project template feature which means that it is quick and easy to set up time tracking for similar projects, and all previous projects can be archived so progress can be compared to similar work that you have completed in the past. 

The Pros and Cons of Using Toggl

Pros 

Toggl is an incredibly effective way to track time spent on different tasks. This allows employees to manage their time more effectively and you will notice a big improvement in productivity. It is also very effective for project management and tracking, and it will help to ensure that all projects come in on time. If projects are delayed, the detailed reports that Toggl creates will help you to identify exactly why they were not completed on time, so you can improve next time. 

The user interface is so simple and intuitive, so you do not need to provide extensive training to your employees when you implement Toggl. It is also compatible with a wide range of applications, so it will work seamlessly with the existing software that you have in place. Toggl is incredibly easy to set up compared with other time tracking apps, so you can get started right away without too much disruption. 

Employers can get a daily, weekly, or monthly email with a time tracking report from their employees, so they have a clear picture of productivity in their business. This allows them to identify specific tasks that are slowing people down, so changes can be made to boost productivity. 

The free version of Toggl offers an extensive range of services and although you will not have access to all of the reporting and project management tools, there are enough features for employees to track time and export their own reports. It’s a great way to test out the application and see some of the benefits to your business. If you do want more extensive features, Toggl offers a starter and a premium package, so you have a lot of flexibility in terms of the amount that you want to pay and the features that you want to use. 

Cons 

Although Toggl is a great application for time tracking, there are some downsides. If you are looking for an extensive piece of software that has a wide range of features outside of time tracking, then Toggl is not the right choice. It does not include things like invoicing or scheduling, for example. It is one of the best apps out there for time tracking, and it does that incredibly well, but it does not go further than that. 

The price is also a big issue for a lot of business owners because Toggl is a lot more expensive than other time tracking apps on the market. The cost may be worth it for a large office that is using all of the different features but it is not very cost effective for manufacturing or agricultural industries, for example. In those sectors, the time tracking needs are a lot more basic and paying for Toggl means paying a lot of money for features that you don’t really need.  

What Do Customers Say About Toggl? 

The best way to know whether an application is worth investing in is to look at the testimony of companies that are already using it. These are just some of the great things that people have to say about Toggl.

‘Overall, my experience with Toggl has been great. I use it every day and have never had any major issues/concerns with using it.’

‘I am highly satisfied and willing to recommend it to other freelancers who are looking for a reliable time tracker app.’

‘Sometimes when I work, I get distracted and lose track of how much time I’ve spent on something. Using Toggl has helped me keep better track of how I’m spending my time, so that I can see at a glance what I’ve been doing and when.’

However, not all of the reviews are good and some customers did not find Toggl very useful. Here’s what they had to say. 

‘For a small company it seems to be too expensive (a lot of features are not really needed for us) so we decided to choose a different app.’

‘The customer service is non-existent! You would encounter bugs while switching in between workplaces. The more entries you add up, the slower the desktop application becomes!’

‘Looked to be a fairly straightforward tracker, but it wasn’t’

All reviews taken from Capterra.com 

The Bottom Line 

Time tracking applications are an incredibly effective way to manage employees, increase productivity, and identify inefficiencies in business. They are also a good tool for freelancers that need to ensure that they are utilizing their time effectively and create accurate invoices for clients. 

Some customers find that Toggl is overcomplicated, especially if you do not need to use a lot of the features, and the price is very high. If you are just looking for a simple way to track time spent on tasks and nothing more, it may not be worth paying for Toggl and you should look into some of the cheaper alternatives. 

However, Toggl is one of the most comprehensive time tracking applications out there, with a wide range of features. In an office setting, it can be very useful because it has a lot of good project management tools that help you to keep track of progress and find ways to increase productivity.