Top 10 Best Time Management Apps for Remote Business Owners

Time management is a crucial aspect of any remote business owner’s life and, in many cases, can be the difference between thriving and surviving. That said, we’re not going to sugarcoat it: time management can be challenging.

You probably waste a lot of money with the time you spend context-switching across all your devices. However, if you can manage your time effectively with productivity apps, you can find a better work-life balance.

That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best time management apps. With these apps, you can keep track of your tasks, minimize wasted time, and streamline your schedule for maximum productivity. Let’s dive into the top ten time management apps for remote business owners.

Let’s get started with our first time management tool.

1. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a time management app with productivity tools and powerful workforce management capabilities. It’s a productivity app that helps teams of all sizes understand how to maximize their work sessions, track time spent across multiple devices, and complete tasks. This gives users complete control over their time, task management, and more.

Although often miscategorized as a time tracking app, Hubstaff was built for remote teams by a remote team. That means it’s more than just a great individual time management app. It’s a great workforce management tool to delegate tasks, save time, and improve your team’s productivity.

More than a time tracking app: Hubstaff Features

• Time tracking. Intuitive time tracking software with built-in employee productivity features you can use to block distractions, see time spent on all your apps, and maximize your work schedule.
• Timesheets. Automatically turn tracked time into timesheets. Complete with one-click timesheet approvals, weekly budget limits, and invoicing.
• Payroll. Hubstaff also has native payroll and invoicing features, but it also integrates with your favorite payroll apps.
• Budgeting and reporting features. Grow your business with project cost management, limits, and detailed reporting features.
• Employee scheduling. Optimize schedules and grow your workforce, whether in-office, remote, or in the field.
• Try Hubstaff Tasks. Powerful project management software to track tasks and boost productivity. Complete with Kanban Boards, Sprints, and virtual Stand-ups.

If you need more advanced productivity data, Hubstaff also has an optional add-on called Insights. It shows you detailed metrics like focus time and time spent on meetings so you can further optimize your workload. You’ll also find helpful add-ons to help with task management, enterprise-grade security, and more.

Pricing

• Free for one user
• Starter: $7/user per month
• Grow: $9/user per month
• Team: $12/user per month
• Enterprise: $25/user per month billed annually (annual billing only)

2. Forest

Forest is a unique eco-friendly time management app that enhances focus and increases productivity. It’s built around minimizing the time you spend on the biggest distraction in recent years: smart devices. It’s a beautiful irony, too, because Forest is only available on iOS and Android.

Forest stands out from the rest of the online time tracking software on this list as it lets you plant virtual trees. The catch is that you can only grow a virtual tree while you’re not using your smartphone; if you leave the app, the tree dies.

The more time you spend away from your phone, the bigger your trees will grow. This is perfect for users who feel like they spend too much time on their phones or find it difficult to stay focused.

Forest’s best feature is how it lets you plant real-life trees once you’ve planted enough virtual trees. This app not only helps you develop stronger focus habits but also provides an opportunity to help preserve nature.

Pricing

The iOS Android debate is not a concern with Forest. The app is available for both iOS and Android users:

• iOS: $3.99 one-time payment
• Android: Free with limited features; $1.99 one-time payment for the full version

3. Remember the Milk

Remember the Milk is a time management app that targets users who regularly struggle to remember important tasks and deadlines. If your busy life is stressing you out, Remember the Milk is one of the best to-do list apps available. It lets you stay on top of everything on your plate, from work tasks to well… remembering to pick up a gallon of milk!

This to-do list app lets you set priorities, assign tags, and set due dates to stay on top of all your tasks. You can also create subtasks for bigger projects, search through tasks, and receive reminders through several channels like email and instant messaging platforms.

Pricing

Remember the Milk offers a free version with limited features. Upgrading to the Pro plan costs $49.99 per year.

4. Freedom

Freedom helps you practice proper time management by literally eliminating distractions. With this time management app, you can block distracting websites and apps, which is an excellent solution for people who struggle to avoid non-work activities.

You can also use Freedom to create recurring schedules for blocking specific websites so you can jump straight into your tasks as soon as your work hours start or find work-life balance when the day is through. With this task manager, the settings are synchronized across desktop and mobile apps, so you don’t need to create schedules on every device.

Pricing

• Monthly: $8.99/month
• Yearly: $3.33/month
• Forever: $199 one-time fee

*Available on both desktop and your mobile device.

5. Trello

Trello is a visually-oriented task and time management app that rose to prominence by allowing users to organize tasks into Kanban boards. These days, Trello has grown into a full-fledged project management tool that lets you break down big projects into smaller tasks, giving you a better handle on your time usage.

Trello offers multiple features that let you easily plan projects ahead of time. You can switch between different project views, track each task’s progress, collaborate with teammates, and assign tags and labels to tasks so you don’t miss anything.

Pricing

• Free
• Standard: $6/user per month
• Premium: $12.50/user per month
• Enterprise: Contact sales

6. Evernote

Evernote is one of the outliers on a list full of time management or time tracking apps. While not traditionally thought of as a time management app, it’s one of the most versatile note-taking apps on the market. It lets you compile notes, create to-do lists, and manage tasks like a time tracking tool. It’s a useful app for remote business owners to keep track of both professional and personal responsibilities. 

Evernote has all the functionalities you’d expect of a note-taking app poised to help you improve your time management: 

• Checklists
• Reminders
• Customization
• Google Calendar and other integrations

Evernote also supports note transcription, allowing you to create notes on the fly. You can also attach documents and media files so you have all the information you need for every task.

Pricing

• Free
• Personal: $14.99/month
• Professional: $17.99/month
• Evernote Teams: $24.99/user per month

7. MyLifeOrganized

MyLifeOrganized, as its name implies, is a time management app that helps you plan out and execute your goals. Once you’ve created a list of tasks with deadlines, the app will automatically prioritize them based on their urgency so you can work on the right tasks at the right time.

This time management app lets you assign locations to your to-dos and lets you set up location-based reminders. MyLifeOrganized also has several organization tools and keyboard shortcuts, so navigating through your tasks is a breeze.

Pricing

• Windows: $49.95 one-time fee for the Standard plan; $59.95 one-time fee for the Professional plan
• Cloud sync service: $19.95 per year; $12.95 per 6 months
• iOS and Android: Free plan with limited features; $29.99 one-time fee for the Professional plan

8. Focus@Will

Focus@Will leverages the positive effects of music on a person’s cognitive abilities. Instead of mitigating distractions by disabling your access to them, Focus@Will helps you tune into a focus mode, so avoiding distractions becomes natural.

Focus@Will features music that’s designed not to entertain but to improve your concentration abilities. With customizable playlists that align with different types of work and a timer functionality, Focus@Will is great for people looking for a unique approach to focus and time management.

Pricing

Individuals:

• Monthly: $7.49/month
• Yearly: $52.49/year
• Two Year: $45/year

Workplace:

• 5 to 10 users: $2.75/user per month
• 11 to 25 users: $2.25/user per month
• More than 25 users: Contact sales

9. Toggl Track

Toggl Track is an easy-to-use time management app that allows remote business owners to track time and billable hours, monitor project timelines, and generate detailed reports.

With Toggl Track, you can track time for tasks inside and outside of work. It also has visual charts to show you how you work and integrations with hundreds of tools.

Pricing

• Free for up to 5 users
• Starter: $10/user per month
• Premium: $20/user per month
• Enterprise: Contact sales

10. Todoist

Todoist is a popular planner and task management app for freelancers and business owners alike. It helps you keep your day-to-day tasks organized and has filtering and labeling features, making it compatible with several time management practices.

Todoist lets you set goals, create tasks via email, and use voice commands. It also has built-in features for collaboration and delegation so you don’t have to keep a record of group tasks on a separate platform.

Pricing

• Free for up to 5 personal projects
• Pro: $5/user per month
• Business: $8/user per month

Finding the right time management app

Time is arguably the most valuable yet finite resource for any remote business owner. With time management apps, you can practice productivity techniques and stay focused. But what if you’re looking to grow your business in the process?

A workforce management time app stands out from other apps by venturing beyond basic time management features. With most enterprise-grade tools, you can manage projects for unlimited users and track time on your desktop, various browser extensions, Apple Watch, and other devices.

Whether you’re hoping to scale or just getting started, all of these time management apps can help remote business owners accomplish more with their time. Instead of worrying about whether they have enough time for their tasks, you can focus on leading your team and running your business more effectively.

Have any time management tools, productivity apps, time trackers, or calendar apps in mind that we didn’t list? Please share them with us!