I've been working from home for a few years now, and even though I'm a telecommuter, I occasionally take a side gig. There are many apps that will let me track by billable hours, including the aptly-named Hours by Tapity (US$4.99). I found Hours to be simple to use, legible and functional. Plus, you can export data to your computer via email. Handy! Here's my look at Hours.
Looks
Hours is very well-organized. The date and total hours worked are displayed at the very top of the screen. Calendar and preference icons are in the top left and right corners, respectively. The color-coded timers themselves show a running total as well as the project or client they're associated with. There's no guesswork about what's what or how to use Hours, and I like that.
Use
Starting a new timer is a piece of cake. Sweet, billable cake. Just tap the big 'ol New Timer button to open the edit screen. From there, add the name of the project your timer is for, as well as optionally adding client and task. Next, choose one of sixteen colors for the timer. It's pretty great that there are so many colors to choose from, as it helps keep track of things.
Your timers appear in creation order on the app's main screen. You can reorder them at any time by tapping and holding, then dragging them into the order you'd like. To get a timer going, simply tap the clock icon next to its name. As time passes, you'll see that timer's color grow along the timeline at the top of the screen. This is so helpful, in that it provides at-a-glance information on what you've been working on. To stop a timer, just tap the clock icon again.
The app's reminders function is also super useful. Have you ever forgotten to start or stop a timer? Now Hours can nag you. Set your work hours and then have the app prompt you if: 1) You haven't started a timer by a custom hour, 2) You've left a timer running after a custom time , or 3) You've gone [x time] without tracking any time
There's another handy bit: have you ever needed to round hours up or down? You can tell Hours to snap timers to an increment of your choosing, and round up based on that same number. Finally, Hours lets you choose between a 12- or 24-hour clock. You can even use the decimal system, if that's your thing.
The only thing that's left is to get paid! Just export your work hours to your Mac and create a sweet, sweet invoice.
Conclusion
Hours isn't a client tracker, project manager or to-do app. It's not supposed to be. Hours is a useful, legible and easy-to-use time tracker. If that's the functionality you're after, consider Hours.
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