Clockify?

KINDAYou can build the valuable core, but the established product has meaningful operational complexity. Pick one narrow promise for v1.

BUILD FIRST

One specific customer type and one primary use case
A vertical slice that completes the main job without manual workarounds
Visible limits, review steps, and a fallback when an external dependency fails

LEAVE FOR LATER

Broad third-party integrations
High-scale collaboration, syncing, and permissions
Automation that can cause harm without human review

RESEARCH NOTES

What this tool actually does.

Checked 2026-09-06

Clockify is a web-based time tracker with desktop, mobile, and browser-extension clients. Core workflow: one-click start/stop timer, manual time entry, and weekly timesheet logging; entries are tagged with projects and tasks, optionally billable. Features include auto-tracker for app/website/activity monitoring, idle detection, Pomodoro break reminders, calendar view, kiosk PIN/QR/photo clock-in for shared devices, project status and forecast, hourly rates with cost/profit calculation, scheduling and team capacity planning, time-off requests, expenses, invoicing, and team roles. Reports can be filtered and exported to PDF/Excel. Time entries sync across devices, and the mobile app supports offline mode. Official marketing positions the core product as free to use.

SOURCES

RESEARCHED BUILD PROMPT

Give this to your coding agent.

Build a focused replacement for Clockify, a time-tracking app. The distinctive workflow: a user starts and stops a timer while working, assigns each time entry to a project and task (optionally marked billable), manually adds entries when they forget to start the timer, reviews a weekly timesheet grid, and runs filtered reports on who worked on what and how much money was earned per project. Implement user-facing requirements: (1) one-click timer with project/task picker and billable toggle, (2) manual entry form with date, duration, or start/end times, (3) weekly timesheet view with inline editing, (4) calendar view of entries, (5) projects list with status and forecast, (6) reports page with filters for project/team/date range, earnings totals, and CSV/PDF export, (7) team management with roles (admin/member) and hourly rates, (8) simple time-off request tracking, and (9) basic expense entries tied to projects. Technical requirements: React/Next.js frontend, Node/Express or Python FastAPI backend, PostgreSQL with Prisma or SQLAlchemy, REST API with JWT auth and role-based access, optimistic UI updates with offline queue using IndexedDB, and a scheduled job to flag idle sessions based on user activity heartbeat. Do not copy Clockify's brand name, logo, color scheme, layout, or marketing copy; create an original UI. Deliberately out of scope: native mobile apps, browser extension auto-tracking, kiosk hardware integration, invoicing with payment processing, integrations with Slack/Jira/QuickBooks, and team scheduling/forecasting beyond a simple project status field. Include a README with setup instructions, seed demo data, and a limitations section stating that auto-activity tracking is not implemented and cross-device sync is best-effort.

Visit the official product page