Freshdesk Time Tracking: How It Works & Better Alternatives

Support operations have a great impact on customer trust and retention. But in demanding environments, the question always arises:
How much time does your team actually spend on tickets, customers, and support tasks?

This is where Freshdesk time tracking changes the situation.

Aside from built-in features, it has third-party integrations, which help teams:

• measure their effort
• check productivity
• manage resource allocation at best.

What is Freshdesk Time Tracking?

Freshdesk time tracking is a feature that allows support agents to log the time they spend on tickets. Whether done manually or automatically, it helps managers understand workloads and ensures accurate reporting for clients.

How it works

• Open a ticket in Freshdesk.
• Click on “Add Time”, or you can start the timer when you begin working.
• Enter the following details: time you spent, type of work, and other notes.
• Save the log — it will be attached to the ticket automatically.
• Generate reports using “Time Logs” or “Reports” section. You can now view total time by agent, ticket, or project.
• Export or share reports for billing or internal analysis.

Strengths & Limitations

Pros

• Agents do not have to learn new interfaces
• Zero setup - activated by default on Growth plan and higher.
• Simple roll-up reporting: timesheets CSV export, billable vs. non-billable split.
• No extra cost.

Cons

• No idle or background detection; if an agent walks away with the timer running, the entry is overstated.
• No invoicing—you still need to open a spreadsheet or another billing tool.
• Limited analytics: no dashboards, no budgets, no project-level burn charts.
• Single workspace: if you also track Jira, GitHub, or ClickUp tasks, Freshdesk cannot aggregate them.

Native tracker is perfect for a small support team that simply wants to know “how long did we spend on the project last month?” It falls apart the moment you need to bill that time or analyze productivity across tools.

TMetric + Freshdesk — Advanced Time Tracking With Invoicing

TMetric extends Freshdesk with idle-time alerts, productivity insights, offline tracking, and smart billing rules — making every support minute accurate and billable.

Price: Free plan (2 users); Paid plans $5–$7/user/month

Available on: Web, Browser extension, Desktop app ((Win/Mac/Linux)), Mobile

Key Features:

• One-click timer available just inside Freshdesk tickets
• Automatic linking of projects and sync with Freshdesk companies
• Invoicing and reporting
• Idle-time alerts
• Offline tracking
• Monitoring of productivity
• Screenshots (optionally)
• Apps tracking

Pros:

• Advanced idle-time detection and productivity insights
• Flexible billing and invoicing options
• Offline tracking and compliance features
• Deep reporting

Cons:

• May require initial setup for full features
• Some advanced options may be overkill for very small teams

Best for: Agencies, MSPs, SaaS support teams needing time tracking, accurate billing and detailed reporting.

G2 Rating: 4.6/5 from 113 reviews → https://www.g2.com/products/tmetric/reviews

It’s easy to use and integrates smoothly into our daily routine. We especially appreciate how we can assign time to specific projects and clients, it's super helpful for reporting.

How to use:

1. Open TMetric workspace.
2. Install the TMetric browser extension.
3. Open a Freshdesk ticket → click Start Timer.
4. Logs sync automatically to projects/clients.
5. Generate invoices or reports directly from TMetric.

Everhour + Freshdesk — Simple & Collaborative

Everhour adds a basic timer inside Freshdesk with simple budget alerts and invoicing — a lightweight option for small teams.

Price: Free plan (5 users); Team plan $8.50–$10/user/month

Available on: Web, Browser extension, Mobile

Key Features:

• Timer embedded inside Freshdesk tickets
• Project budgets with alerts at 80% usage
• One-click invoicing to QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Xero

Pros:

• Simple timer inside Freshdesk
• Basic budget alerts
• One-click invoicing

Cons:

• Limited integrations and advanced reporting
• Minimal customization options
• Best for small teams only

Best for: Small teams seeking a minimal learning curve.

G2 Rating: 4.7/5 from 410 reviews → https://www.g2.com/products/everhour/reviews

Easy to use and intuitive, sophisticated time tracker.

How to use:

1. Install Everhour browser extension.
2. Authorize Freshdesk integration.
3. Start the timer from any ticket.

Hubstaff + Freshdesk — Tracking With Employee Monitoring

Hubstaff tracks time with screenshots and GPS, offering strict monitoring features that some remote teams may require.

Price: $7–25/user/month + add-ons

Available on: Web, Desktop (Win/Mac/Linux), Mobile

Key Features:

• Screenshots, activity %, app/URL tracking
• GPS & attendance for hybrid/field teams
• Payroll & automated invoicing

Pros:

• Time tracking with screenshots and GPS
• Payroll automation

Cons:

• Monitoring features may feel intrusive
• Add-ons increase cost
• Analytics are basic compared to TMetric

Best for: Distributed teams needing strict SLAs or compliance.

G2 Rating: 4.3/5 from 550 reviews → https://www.g2.com/products/hubstaff/reviews

Hubstaffs time tracking software is great. Very transparent for both the company and the team member. I like that the team members can be in control fo their time tracking, while we get the exact insights we need into their work and activity. You get features like screenshots, activity levels, and you can detect any unsual activity. It has tons of notification options you can chose from to alert you if anything suspicious is happening.

How to use:

1. Create a Hubstaff account.
2. Add Freshdesk integration with API key.
3. Invite agents → install desktop/mobile app.

Clockify + Freshdesk — Free Forever Simplicity

Clockify offers a free timer integration with Freshdesk, covering basic tracking needs without advanced functionality.

Price: Free forever (unlimited features); Paid from $4.99/user/month

Available on: Web, Browser extension, Desktop, Mobile

Key Features:

• Timer extension with Freshdesk integration
• Unlimited users & projects on free plan
• CSV, PDF, API export

Pros:

• Free and unlimited users
• Simple timer integration

Cons:

• Very basic tracking functionality
• Outdated UI
• No advanced invoicing or analytics
• Limited features for larger teams
• Mobile app lacks full parity with desktop

Best for: Budget-conscious teams and startups.

G2 Rating: 4.5/5 from 4 200 reviews → https://www.g2.com/products/clockify/reviews

I'm not a huge fan of the UI. Feels a bit outdated to me. Other than that, unless you need a really advanced time-tracking system that integrates with other software, this is the only time-tracking solution I would use for business purposes.

How to use:

1. Add Clockify extension.
2. Sign up & enable Freshdesk integration.
3. Start timers directly in tickets.

Timely + Freshdesk — AI-Powered Automation

Timely uses AI to draft timesheets from captured activity, but still requires review to ensure accuracy.

Price: Starter $9–11/user/month; Premium $16–20/user/month

Available on: Web, Desktop app, Mobile

Key Features:

• AI “Memory” auto-captures apps & URLs
• Drafts timesheets linked to Freshdesk tickets
• GDPR-compliant data hosting

Pros:

• AI-assisted timesheet drafting
• Captures work activity automatically

Cons:

• Requires review for accuracy
• Advanced automation comes at higher pricing
• Lacks full reporting and billing features

Best for: Agencies juggling multiple tools (Slack, Figma, Freshdesk).

G2 Rating: 4.5/5 from 200 reviews → https://www.g2.com/products/timely/reviews

New innovative time tracking process - using "Memory" plug-ins which help you remember what you've done during the day. The time tracking UI is very well though-out, intuitive and nice to look at.

How to use:

1. Download Timely app & enable Freshdesk integration.
2. Let Memory capture work for a day.
3. Review AI suggestions → assign time to tickets.

Comparison Table

Conclusion

Freshdesk’s built-in timer is fine - until you bill clients, track SLAs, or watch labor costs.
Plug in TMetric: one-click timer inside tickets, auto-invoicing, and detailed reports.

Run any free trial 14 days alongside your process; most teams reclaim 5-15 % lost billable time, so the tool pays for itself before the trial expires.

Your next click: https://tmetric.com/integrations/freshdesk-time-tracking. Start the timer on better profitability today.