Finding the perfect time tracker for Jira: A guide to smarter choices

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The market for time trackers in Jira is constantly evolving, just like the needs of its users. But sometimes the needs of the user and the needs of their solution provider don’t necessarily align. Decisions made by vendors can have a massive impact on your business, an impact that you sometimes simply cannot prevent yourself from. The price you got used to can unexpectedly become higher, ruining your budget. An app you’ve been using for years can suddenly lose vendor’s support or even end up being unavailable, leaving you stranded. 

The only way to get prepared for such unfortunate turns of events is to stay vigilant and aware of the alternatives available on the marketplace. After all, you’re the client, the one who can choose what tool they actually want to use and pay for. And there are plenty of options to choose from.

For ‘time tracking’ alone there are over 200 search results for Jira on the Atlassian Marketplace, with another 120 for ‘time tracker’, and over 320 for ‘time reports’. These numbers can, admittedly, get a little overwhelming. How on earth are you supposed to select the best solution for your business? But, at the same time, the abundance of options fills one with optimism - you’re not stuck with one or two big tools and thrown at their mercy. You actually have a choice, and once you realize that, it can be quite liberating.

In search for a perfect time tracking alternative

What makes for a good alternative to your currently used time tracking app? First of all, you must ask yourself whether the current app’s functionality meets your needs.

If the answer is no, then it’s high time you searched for a different app. Focus on what you like and don’t like about the currently used solution, and use this information to research the capabilities of other apps. It might require some work, but at least you already know what you’re looking for. Stick to that, schedule demos, ask questions, and you will find your next favorite time tracker in no time.

If the answer is yes, then things get a little bit tricky. Since you’re satisfied with what the app has to offer, there must be some other reason why you’re thinking about finding something different. 

High pricing

The most common motivation would be pricing. Generally speaking, the most popular apps on the Marketplace are also the most expensive ones. This is just how it works - the high demand results in a high price. But do you ever wonder - out of hundreds of time trackers, is there really no other good choice than the most common one? Are there no other capable apps that will offer you the functionality you need for a lower price?

If you’re reading this article, these thoughts must have already crossed your mind. And to answer your question - yes, there definitely are cheaper alternative time tracking apps available, just waiting for you to discover them. 

Conducting thorough marketplace research can be incredibly valuable, empowering you to make well-informed decisions. For example, analyzing the pricing of various time-tracking apps can reveal where specific vendors stand in terms of cost and how their solutions compare to others. Additionally, checking whether a vendor frequently raises their prices can help you get prepared on what to expect.

Of course, a rich choice of alternatives doesn’t mean that all of these apps will do exactly the same things. Functionalities differ, depending on the main focus of the app, its size, and its use cases. Knowing exactly what you’re looking for would be very helpful in the process of searching for the perfect alternative. 

Too many features

Although it might seem counterintuitive, too many features can sometimes bring more trouble than benefits. One of the reasons is strictly connected to the previous point - the high price. If your time tracking app does it all, from resource planning, through financial management, to reporting, analytics, and more, it will naturally cost accordingly. And it might be worth the price, as long as you actually need all of these fancy features.

But do you really need all of them? Sometimes a thorough evaluation of the usage of your current time tracking app can lead you to groundbreaking conclusions. For example, there might be some features that your team would easily do without. Why keep paying for answering the needs that you don’t even have? Choosing a lite time tracker over a huge, heavy and costly app might be truly gamechanging.

And that’s not all. Simple time tracking and time reporting apps are not only cheaper, but also quicker to learn and easier to manage. How much time and effort do you spend on onboarding and configuring your time tracker? How often do your teams end up not using the app anyway, since they find it too complicated and time-consuming? If these struggles sound familiar, it might be the high time to let go of your current solution, and find a time tracker that would be lite, intuitive, and serve its purpose without all the additional noise.

Focusing on the core functionality when searching for a time tracking app might transform the way you look at the available options, opening the way for more cost-effective solutions. It can also change your teams’ outlook on time tracking, from a burden to a desirable, efficiency-improving process.

Insufficient support

The reason for considering an alternative time tracking app can also lie in the issues with support. Even the most useful app can be ruined due to a negative support experience. What’s the use of great features if it takes forever for the vendor to reply to your questions or, more critically, help you with an issue you encountered?

Delayed issue resolution has a direct impact on your business, disrupting your workflows and causing downtime. Of course, some bugs are just like that - problematic and taking longer than anticipated to resolve. However, the way communication around them is handled can make a whole lot of difference. Vendor’s efficiency and transparency can help you stay informed and confident. On the contrary, a dodgy attitude and half-truths will definitely undermine your trust in them and in their app.

Fixing bugs and helping with issues is one thing, but listening to user requests can turn out to be another challenge. Some vendors are just not that much interested in adding functionalities based on their clients’ wishes. It can get really frustrating if the app you’ve been using for years is missing one simple feature that would make your job significantly easier, but the vendor doesn’t have a habit of implementing the requested changes. 

Choosing a different time tracking app provider, one that actually cares about the users’ needs, can empower you to have an actual impact on the solution that you’re paying for.

Historic data access

Another important aspect to consider when searching for a good time tracker is whether you’ll be able to access your historic time tracking data after you’ve cancelled the app subscription. Although starting with a new app is exciting, and the last thing you want to think about is how one day you might end up resigning from using it, taking this factor into account can save you a lot of trouble later.

Different apps approach this matter in different ways. Some use native Jira time tracking functionality, resulting in your time logs being available to you even after you uninstall the time tracking app. Others store all your data or the information on its structure on their side, resulting in you losing easy access to it, if you ever decide to uninstall the app. 

Keeping that in mind now can save you some unpleasant surprises in the future.

App no longer available

The ultimate betrayal happens when the app you’ve been using for years gets canceled by the vendor. From the vendor’s point of view it is a business-oriented decision - maybe the app didn’t have the expected number of installations? Maybe it was too troublesome to keep up? Maybe the vendor wishes all paying clients to migrate into a more expensive solution? No matter the reason, such a decision directly affects those who were using the app, leaving them with a burning question: what now?

It’s a good time to consider whether the alternative offered by your current vendor, if there is any, is really worth your investment and your trust, or if it’d be better to search for another Marketplace partner. When selecting a solution provider, some choose to avoid vendors that offer only a single app. Such providers are at a higher risk of disappearing from the Marketplace if the specific use case they address becomes obsolete. Even though you can’t predict all vendors’ decisions, staying informed about the Marketplace and understanding the available options helps you choose a provider that offers long-term value and stability.

Our alternative: Worklogs - Time Tracking and Time Reports

Theory aside, we’ve prepared for you one interesting time tracking app proposition that you might want to consider if any of the points made in this article resonates with you. Who knows? Maybe our Worklogs - Time Tracking and Time Reports will become your next favorite Jira time tracker?

Reasonable pricing

Let’s start with the aspect that probably resonates with everyone - money. Jira itself is costly enough, who doesn’t want to cut some expenses where it is possible? 

And, as we mentioned before, it definitely is possible in the time tracking area of the Atlassian Marketplace. There are many sensibly priced options, one of them being Worklogs - Time Tracking and Time Reports. 

For Worklogs, the monthly cost for 100 users on cloud is $40. Comparably, other popular time tracking solutions’ prices hesitate from about $60 to over $450 a month for the same number of users. It means that there are time tracking apps available that cost even 10 times less than the one you might be using right now, and still do the job you need them to do. 

So, the next time you think about how time tracking in Jira is too expensive, keep that in mind!

Core time tracking and time reporting features

If the price is so good, what about the functionality? Do Worklogs answer the same needs a more expensive solution would answer? It doesn’t, of course, since it has a different purpose. And it’s actually a good thing!

The Worklogs app was created to provide users with the core time tracking and time reporting functionality in an intuitive, easy-to-learn manner. Its design is compatible with the rest of Jira, making the usage of the app seamless and natural. Without getting overwhelmed with countless additional features, you can benefit from a simple and effective time tracking and clear, customizable reports.

Native Jira time tracking

Worklogs are using the native Jira time tracking, meaning that your time logged to Jira issues will be tracked by the app, and displayed in the reports. Time can be also logged directly within the Worklogs app.

Flexible, customizable reporting

Worklogs allow you to generate time reports based on your preferences. You can select projects you want to see or use custom JQL filters to decide what data exactly is to be shown in your time report. Reports might show time logs of all users, or specific individuals/groups of users.

To receive a more precise set of data, you can select a sprint and choose a date range (predefined or custom). You can also create a dynamically updated report that would match a selected date range (e.g. current week, previous month, etc.).

Worklogs time reports support categorization and two levels of grouping, providing you with a comprehensive set of options required to create complex, customized reports adjusted to your needs. You can display your time reports in a table, a pie chart, or a bar chart, and save them for a future reference.

With the above features you can easily manage time tracking in your organization, monitor time logs for projects, teams or specific users, use custom filters to view and analyze different types of data, and more. Reports can be also exported to a spreadsheet and shared with stakeholders or other persons of interest. 

Historic data accessibility

Worklogs reports are based on the time logs gathered from your Jira instance. It not only allows for a seamless integration between the app and your Jira, but also guarantees that if you uninstall Worklogs, your time data will stay exactly where you logged it. So, although we would be sad to see you go, our app definitely won’t make it hard for you! 

In the era of data-driven business it is particularly important to keep an eye on your data and prevent its loss when possible. It might come in handy even after some time has passed as a material for analysis, and a way to draw precise conclusions and observe the improvement over time.

User requested feature development

Our approach to app development has always been user-focused, meaning that we put much effort into communicating with users, listening to their feedback, and applying changes and improvements based on their needs.

One example of a successful feature request in Worklogs are custom dates. Initially, the app supported only predefined date ranges (current week, previous month, current quarter, etc.), however it didn’t provide enough flexibility for the users. After their requests, we’ve introduced custom dates that allow you to manually select a specific period of time you're interested in. 

Thanks to the users’ engagement and their requests we can continuously improve our app, and enrich it with new features designed to answer the actual needs of our clients.

Your new time tracking journey starts now

Choosing the right time tracking app for Jira is about balancing functionality, cost, and user experience. Whether you're dealing with rising prices, excessive features, limited support, or concerns about data accessibility, there’s always a better alternative out there. 

By focusing on what truly matters to your team - simple and effective time tracking - you can find a solution that fits your needs without overburdening your budget. With apps like Worklogs, offering intuitive design, customizable reporting, and native Jira integration, your next time tracking journey can be smooth, efficient, and tailored to your organization’s goals. 

Don’t settle - explore, evaluate, and make the change that empowers your team.