Time tracking · checked 2026-10-14

Can I vibecode Toggl Track?

KINDA· weekend project

A timer with projects, tags, billable rates and a weekly report is small: one running entry in a database, an editable timesheet and a few GROUP BY queries. The weekend goes on the habit around it: a start button within reach of every tab, idle detection that asks whether to keep the time you spent away, a phone that stops the same timer, and calendar events that turn into entries. A copy you have to remember to open tends to get abandoned.

$12/moprice per seat

$144you'd save a year

weekendbuild time

—people replaced it

Before you start

What you need on hand.

DifficultyIntermediate · Some system setup or keys.

TimeA weekend; the extension and phone access take the longest

Claude Code, Codex or CursorAny of them can run the prompt.
Node.js 22better-sqlite3 compiles a native module, so build tools must be installed.
A Chromium-based browserThe extension runs unpacked in Chrome, Edge or Brave.
A way to reach the server from your phoneTailscale, a tunnel or a small VPS with HTTPS.
A Toggl CSV exportReports > Detailed > Download CSV; export it while you are still on a paid plan.

Before you buildToggl's Free plan covers a few users with timers and personal reports. If you work alone, try it before building.

1. Install one agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor.
2. Make an empty folder and open it in the agent.
3. Paste the prompt below, press enter, and answer its questions as it builds.

The prompt

Build me a personal time tracker to replace Toggl Track. Requirements:

- Node.js 22 + TypeScript: a Fastify API and a React front end built with Vite, installable as a
  PWA. `npm start` serves http://localhost:4950, and `npm run cli -- start "write docs" -p Client/Project`
  starts a timer from the terminal.
- Storage: better-sqlite3 in ./data/time.db: clients, projects (client, color, hourly rate,
  billable default, archived), tags, and entries (description, project, start, end NULL while
  running, billable, tags). A unique partial index allows one running entry at most, so the timer
  lives in the database and closing a tab never stops it.
- Timer bar at the top: description, project picker, tags, start and stop, the elapsed time ticking.
  Starting a new entry stops the running one at the same second. Shortcut: s toggles the timer.
- Timesheet: a week view with a list per day, inline edits of start, end and duration, a manual
  entry form and "duplicate yesterday". Overlapping entries need a confirmation.
- Reports: pick a date range, group by project, client, tag or day; show hours, billable hours
  and amount (hours x rate); export the filtered entries as CSV.
- Import a Toggl detailed-report CSV: map columns by header name, preview the first 20 rows and
  skip entries that already exist.
- Browser extension (Manifest V3, in ./extension): a popup to start and stop, a badge with elapsed
  minutes, and `chrome.idle` with a 5-minute threshold that asks whether to keep or discard idle
  time. It talks to the server with a token from .env.
- Single user, one password for the web app. No accounts, no telemetry, local-first.
- Out of scope: teams, approvals, invoices, calendar sync, native desktop and phone apps.
- README: loading the extension unpacked, reaching the server from a phone over HTTPS (Tailscale
  or a tunnel), and backing up ./data.

Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.

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Then keep going

Next prompts, same folder.

The first prompt builds the core. Run these one at a time in the same folder to grow it into your own Toggl Track.

Add calendar suggestions to the time tracker in this folder. Requirements:

- CALENDAR_ICS_URL in .env (the secret iCal address of a calendar); fetch it every 15 minutes
  and parse it with `node-ical`.
- Show yesterday's and today's events that have no matching entry as suggestions on the
  timesheet, each with one click to create an entry for the event's start and end.
- Remember dismissed suggestions so they don't return.
- Read-only: never write to the calendar. Update the README.

Add a weekly summary to the time tracker in this folder. Requirements:

- Every Monday at 08:00 server time, email last week's hours by project, billable amount and the
  five longest entries, through SMTP settings in .env (nodemailer).
- Include a comparison with the previous week and flag a project that went over an optional
  weekly hour budget set on the project.
- A "send now" button in settings for testing. Update the README.

Add client statements to the time tracker in this folder. Requirements:

- For one client and a date range, produce a PDF (`pdfkit`) with a line per project: hours,
  rate and amount, plus an optional appendix listing every entry with date and description.
- Round each entry up to a step set per client (1, 5, 15 or 30 minutes), and show both the
  tracked and the billed time.
- Mark entries as invoiced after export so the next statement skips them.
- Update the README.

What you lose

The desktop apps, the Timeline of tracked activity and the iPhone and Android apps
Team features: approvals, labor-cost reports, project dashboards, capacity planning
Jira, Asana and other integrations that start a timer from inside those tools
Calendar integrations with Google and Outlook
Time off and public holiday tracking

Why people still pay

Teams pay for numbers they can bill from: rates per person and project, approvals on Premium and a tracker in the browser, on the desktop and on the phone, so entries are complete. Solo users often stay on the free plan, and a community thread where a long-time personal user asked for unlimited reports back shows how much the limits are felt.

Moatexecution polish integrations

Do the math

Toggl Track or your own copy?

Seats

Over

Your usage

Count my time12h ×$/h

Toggl Track, 1 yr$144

Your own copy, 1 yr$44running + build session

You keep$101pays for itself in the first month

Estimate · Runs on your machine or a $5 VPS. The build is token usage on your agent plan.

Leaving Toggl Track

Take your data, then cancel.

1 · Take your data out of Toggl Track

1Time entries: open Reports > Detailed and download the CSV. Admins can export everyone's entries; other users get their own and those of projects they manage.
2Workspace data (projects, clients and so on): Settings > Data Export, admins only, gives raw JSON, and invoices export as PDF. That JSON can't be uploaded into a new Toggl workspace.
3Profile data and Timeline: open Profile, click Export Account Data and choose what to include. A JSON file arrives by email and the link works for 72 hours.
4One help article says Free workspaces can export PDF only, so take the CSV while you're still on a paid plan.

2 · Cancel Toggl Track

1Open the Subscription page, click Cancel Subscription in the My Plan section and confirm through the prompts.
2The subscription ends at the end of the current billing cycle.
3If you're within the Free plan's user limit the organization drops to Free; above the limit it is suspended until you lower the number of active users.

Toggl has a no-refund policy for cancelled or changed plans and for renewals, except for system errors.
Paid-plan features disappear from reports after the downgrade, so save the reports you need first.
A free workspace's data is deleted automatically after 6 months of inactivity.
Vacant licenses keep billing: remove unused users before the renewal.

Checked 2026-10-14 against Toggl Track's docs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The escape hatch

Don't feel like building it? These are already free.

KimaiOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 time tracker for freelancers and teams, with projects, rates, reports and invoices. You host it yourself.★ 5.1k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗solidtimeOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 time tracker with projects, clients, billable rates and reports; self-host it or use solidtime's hosted cloud.★ 9.0k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗ActivityWatchOpen sourceMPL-2.0 automatic tracker that records which apps and sites are open, with all data kept on your device. It logs activity rather than timing projects by hand.★ 19k · active Oct 2026 · one-click install
Windows, macOS, Linux, AndroidVisit ↗

All 5 free alternatives to Toggl Track ›

The numbers

Toggl Track pricing

Plan	Monthly	Annual, per month	What you get
Free	$0/user	$0/user	Manual and live timers, focus mode, calendar integrations, tasks, boards, task estimates and personal reports. The pricing FAQ says up to 3 users; another Toggl page says 5.
Starter	$12/user	$9/user	Billable rates, timeline views, tags, milestones, time off and public holidays, flexible hours and team-level reports.
Premium	$24/user	$16/user	Starter plus labor-cost and profitability reports, fixed-fee projects, project dashboards, timesheet approvals, Jira and Asana integrations and single sign-on.
Enterprise	custom	—	Personal onboarding, a dedicated customer success manager, custom roles, priority support and multiple workspaces under one organization.

Free tier: A small user cap (3 or 5, depending on the page) and limited reports. One help article says a Free workspace exports PDF only, while older community answers mention CSV; test the export before relying on it.
Billing: Monthly or annual per user; annual costs about a quarter less on Starter. The paid plans have a 30-day trial. Billing counts every user in the organization, vacant licenses included, until an admin removes them. There are no refunds for cancelled or changed plans or for renewals, except for system errors.
Hidden costs: Every seat is billed, including empty ones, until removed. Add-ons cost extra per user per month: Time Off Pro $2 and Capacity Management $5 on annual billing or $6 monthly.
Source: toggl.com

Also on the list

Invoice Ninja$14/mo · Finance & accountingYES

HoneyBook$36/mo · CRMKINDA

Asana$13.49/mo · Project managementKINDA

Questions

Toggl Track, briefly

Not answered here? Tell us and we'll add it.

Ask a question ›

A free plan for a limited number of users covers timers, tasks, boards and personal reports.

Kinda. The core is a weekend build with the prompt on this page, but real gaps remain: The desktop apps, the Timeline of tracked activity and the iPhone and Android apps, Team features: approvals, labor-cost reports, project dashboards, capacity planning.

About $12 a month on the Starter plan per seat, $144 a year (checked 2026-10-14).

The desktop apps, the Timeline of tracked activity and the iPhone and Android apps; Team features: approvals, labor-cost reports, project dashboards, capacity planning; Jira, Asana and other integrations that start a timer from inside those tools; Calendar integrations with Google and Outlook; Time off and public holiday tracking. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.