AstrolinksToggl Track is one of the best-known time trackers, and for good reason. It's clear, quick and works almost everywhere. People search for a Toggl Track alternative mostly for one reason: they forget to start the timer, or forget to stop it. If that's you, automatic tracking might suit you better. If it isn't, Toggl Track may well be the right tool. Here is a fair look at both.
What Toggl Track is, in its own words
From Toggl's public site, as of October 2026:
- Timers on web, desktop, mobile and browser extensions, with apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android
- Background tracking or one-click timers
- Billable rates and invoicing, with financial reports on project, client and team profitability
- Reports you can filter and group by project, client or team, including estimates against actuals
- Integrations with tools such as Jira, Asana, Notion and Slack, plus an API
- Team features like timesheets and time off, and enterprise options
- A free plan for a small number of users, and a free trial of paid features
Its site also says it never monitors screens, keystrokes or webcams.
What Astrolinks is
Astrolinks is a desktop app for Mac for remote workers, VAs and freelancers with several clients. While it runs, it notes which app and window are in front every 5 seconds, and the web address in supported browsers. The log stays on your computer.
At the end of your shift, it drafts each client's end-of-day report. You check it and send it. Hours adds up time per client, and with Pro, Make invoice saves a PDF or CSV for any client and date range.
Timers vs. noticing
The core difference is how time gets captured.
Toggl Track asks you to say what you're working on, usually by starting a timer with a project and a description. That's precise when you remember. It also means your time entries are already labelled the way you want.
Astrolinks notices instead. It files each entry by your rules: a word in a window title, a website, or an app. You review the day afterwards and fix anything that landed wrong. That's forgiving if you switch often or forget timers. It also means you spend a minute checking at the end of the day.
Neither is more accurate in every case. They suit different people.
Side by side
| Toggl Track | Astrolinks | |
|---|---|---|
| How time is captured | Timers, one click, or background tracking | Notes the front app and window automatically |
| Where data lives | In your Toggl account, across its apps | On your computer |
| Screens and keystrokes | Not monitored, per its site | Never recorded |
| End-of-day client reports | Reports on tracked time | One written draft per client, ready to send |
| Billable rates | Yes | Yes, one per client in any currency |
| Invoices | Yes | One-click PDF or CSV, saved locally |
| Integrations | Many, plus an API | No integrations or API; reports go to Slack, an email draft or the clipboard |
| Team features | Timesheets, time off, enterprise options | Team inbox for reports workers choose to send, with tasks, an Overview and two-step sign-in |
| Free plan | For a small number of users | Free for one person: 4 hours a workday, 2 clients, and a 7-day Pro trial with no card |
| Platforms today | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, extensions | macOS |
Who should pick Toggl Track
Toggl Track is likely the better fit if:
- you're happy starting timers, or like the precision of naming each entry
- you need to track time on your phone or across several devices
- your team uses Jira, Asana or Notion and wants time tied to those tools
- you need profitability reports across projects and teams
- you need web access or a phone app
These are strengths Astrolinks doesn't try to match.
Who should pick Astrolinks
Astrolinks is likely the better fit if:
- you switch between clients often and timers keep slipping
- you'd rather review your day than log it as you go
- you owe each client a written update, not just a time report
- you want your activity data to stay on your own computer
- your clients are in other time zones or read reports in other languages
Hours and invoices compared
Both tools can turn time into a bill. In Astrolinks, add a rate per client in any currency. Hours shows each client's time by day, and amounts for each. Different currencies are never added together.
With Pro, Make invoice builds one client's invoice from those hours, with your details, their billing address, a running invoice number and a due date. It's saved on your computer as a PDF or CSV. Nothing is sent anywhere. The hours and invoices page shows each step.
The report is the difference
Toggl Track tells you where your time went. Astrolinks also helps you tell your client. Press Summarize my day and each client gets a draft with their sections, notes, blockers and tomorrow's plan. You can send it to Slack, open an email draft, or copy it. For many people with several clients, that update is the slowest part of the day. It's what Astrolinks was built around.
Freelancers can see a typical week on the Astrolinks for freelancers page.
A note on this comparison
Toggl and Toggl Track are trademarks of their owner. This comparison reflects each product's public information as of October 2026. Plans and features change, so check Toggl Track's own site for current details.