Track your time. Keep your privacy.
A fast time tracker for employees, students, and freelancers. Works entirely in your browser with nothing to download. Encrypted sync between devices optional.
Free while in beta · No account needed · Works offline
Time tracking is deeply personal. Your timesheet shows where your time goes, who you work for, and what you charge.
TimeRetain keeps that information where it belongs: with you.
You already know how to use TimeRetain.
Everything you track shows up in a personal feed, grouped by day. Scroll to revisit, click to edit — it saves as you go.
As much structure as you need. Never more.
TimeRetain grows with you. Adding tags and timelines is completely optional.
A tag is a reusable activity label for what you did.
A timeline is the context you are recording time for.
Bulk assign tags and timelines later. No need to rush structure.
Know how much time you spend — and where it goes.
See how much time you spend per period, and on what. Totals update automatically.
Local by default. Sync optional.
Your entries stay on your device by default. Turn on Sync and they move between your devices with end-to-end encryption — readable only by you.
One-click export. Your data is yours.
Export to CSV for further processing, or JSON for backups. Both are one click away. Never paywalled.
Runs offline. Installs like an app.
After the first load, TimeRetain works with the internet off. You can add it to your dock or home screen to make it work just like a native app. Chrome and Firefox support this best.
What’s more
- Nudge time up or down for quick corrections.
- Edit exact start and end times.
- Search descriptions, filter by tag.
- Run multiple stopwatches at once.
- Bill by timeline, tag, default, or manual rate.
- View by week, month, quarter, year, or all time.
How TimeRetain compares
| Feature | TimeRetain | Other Trackers | | --- | --- | --- | | Account required | No | Yes | | Installation | None — runs in your browser | App or extension required | | Where your data lives | Your device (sync optional) | Their servers | | Who sees your work | Only you | The company | | Works offline | Always | Sometimes | | Export | One-click CSV or JSON | Often limited or paywalled | | Interface | Minimal, built for speed | Slow and bloated |
| TimeRetain | Other trackers | |
|---|---|---|
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Installation | None — runs in your browser | App or extension required |
| Where your data lives | Your device (sync optional) | Their servers |
| Who sees your work | Only you | The company |
| Works offline | Always | Sometimes |
| Export | One-click CSV or JSON | Often limited or paywalled |
| Interface | Minimal, built for speed | Slow and bloated |
Why TimeRetain exists
I found existing solutions bulky, and cumbersome to set up and use. They demand personal data—like an email address—just to get started, then send your sensitive information straight to the cloud.
I built TimeRetain to be different. A time tracker is simple software. It doesn’t need the cloud—it can run directly on your device, even offline.
It is manual on purpose. Start and stop the timer yourself, so every entry has meaning. No background watching, no AI guessing what you were doing.
Syncing across devices shouldn’t compromise your privacy, either. How you spend your time and what you charge is nobody’s business—not even mine.
The result is an intuitive, fast, and private time tracker. It easily logs your time, instantly shows where it went, and offers optional earnings tracking if you choose to enable it.
Frequently asked questions
Using it
What is a timer and what is a stopwatch?
A timer counts down and a stopwatch counts up. TimeRetain supports both. Hit “Start” to let a stopwatch run open-ended, or click “Timer” to set a target duration and count down to zero.
Do I have to use timelines and tags?
No, both are optional. A tag labels what you did, such as writing or meetings. A timeline keeps one context — a client, a course, an employer — from sharing a total with the others. Timelines stay hidden until you make your first one, so you can track for weeks with neither.
If you adopt one later, open that timeline or tag and choose “Bulk…” to filter your past entries, select the ones that apply, and review the list of changes before you save. More in Timelines vs. tags.
Can I search for entries?
Yes—use the top search bar to filter by description or tag. Your feed and stats update immediately as you type.
How does rate tracking work?
You can set rates on timelines and tags, keep a default in Preferences, or enter a rate on one stopwatch. For automatic rates, TimeRetain first checks the selected timeline and its parents. If none has a rate, one unambiguous tag rate applies; otherwise it uses the default. A manual stopwatch rate stays in place until you reset it.
I just want to track time, not earnings. Is that
possible too?
You can turn off earnings in Preferences. TimeRetain won’t show totals or fields for rates and currency.
What is adjust minutes?
Forgot to pause for lunch? Add or subtract minutes from any entry without editing start and stop times. Turn on “Adjust Minutes” in Preferences. You can even set a default deduction (like 30 minutes) and tweak it on the fly.
Privacy
Is TimeRetain really private?
By default, your time data stays in your browser. If you opt into syncing, everything is encrypted on your device first—meaning only your specific login key can decrypt it. Beyond that, TimeRetain collects privacy-friendly product analytics and basic access and error logs. Read more on the Privacy page.
Do I need to create an account?
No. If you enable Sync, you receive a login key that only you control. There is no account, e-mail, or password.
What happens if I lose my login key?
TimeRetain cannot reset your login key or access your data because it is encrypted on your device before syncing. If you lose your login key, your synced data cannot be recovered.
Your data
How can I import data from other apps or my
spreadsheet into TimeRetain?
Start with the import page for supported paths today. The machine-readable JSON specification lives at timeretain.com/import.md; give an AI assistant the raw data plus that document to produce a compatible JSON file for Data & Sync → Import.
The same instructions apply when building the JSON file manually. A universal import tool is on the roadmap.
Can I export my data?
Yes, and you’re encouraged to do so. TimeRetain supports CSV exports for further processing and JSON to make backups.
What happens to my data if I clear my browser cache?
Local data will be deleted. Back up your data to prevent loss.
Why do I need to back up my data?
Your device is the primary storage location, even if Sync is enabled. TimeRetain cannot access your data because it is encrypted with your login key.
If you clear your browser storage, lose your login key, or hit a software bug, your data could be permanently lost. To help prevent this, TimeRetain includes a simple backup tool and sends periodic reminders.
Do rate or currency changes affect past entries?
Changing the workspace currency changes the label shown beside every rate and total. It does not convert or rewrite the stored numbers.
Editing a timeline, tag, or default rate affects future automatic rate choices. Changing a stopwatch’s timeline or tags recalculates its automatic rate for all of its intervals. A manual rate stays in place until you reset it.
Other
What does TimeRetain cost?
TimeRetain is free during beta. Feedback is still being collected and shaping the product. Pricing will be introduced in the future. Your data stays yours — CSV export is always available.
Is TimeRetain open-source?
Not yet. Open-sourcing is not a current priority, though the benefits are clear.
Your timesheet in a browser tab.
Open the app and start tracking immediately. Free while in beta.
Open TimeRetain