Locu vs Clockify: When Free Time Tracking Isn't Enough

Clockify has disrupted the time tracking market with a generous free tier and affordable paid plans. It's become the go-to choice for freelancers and teams who need reliable time tracking without Toggl's premium pricing.

But manual time tracking alone doesn't help you work better.

Locu takes a different approach: instead of just tracking time manually, you work in structured focus sessions. Time tracking happens naturally as you execute, plus you get distraction blocking, task management, and engineering integrations.

If Clockify tracks what you did, Locu helps you do better work.

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Why "Free Time Tracking" Isn't Actually Free

The Manual Burden Costs Money

Clockify's free tier is generous: unlimited time tracking, projects, users. But it's still manual start/stop workflow:

1. Start working → Remember to start timer
2. Switch tasks → Remember to stop old timer, start new timer
3. Get interrupted → Remember timer is running on wrong task
4. End of day → Edit misattributed time entries
5. End of month → 3-4 hours reconstructing forgotten time

The hidden cost: If you bill $75/hour and spend 4 hours/month on time reconstruction, that's $300/month in lost billable time. Clockify is "free" but costs you $3,600/year in overhead.

Locu's approach: Start a 60-minute focus session. Work on tasks. Time tracked naturally. End session. One conscious decision per hour instead of 10-20 timer actions. Invoice prep: 20 minutes, not 4 hours.

Lost Billable Hours

The biggest cost of manual tracking: forgetting to track = losing money.

Industry data: freelancers lose 10-20% of billable hours to tracking failures. At $75/hour, 30 billable hours/month, that's $225-450/month walking out the door.

Clockify can't solve this—it's still manual. You still forget. You still lose hours.

Locu's approach: Session structure makes gaps visible. Either you're in a focus session (tracked) or you're not (obvious gap). Easier to identify and recover lost time before month-end.

No Focus Support

Clockify tracks time, but it doesn't help you stay focused. No distraction blocking, no session structure, no focus mode. You're still vulnerable to Twitter, Slack, Reddit—Clockify just measures your distraction after it happens.

Locu's approach: Focus infrastructure built-in. Start session = automatic app/web blocking, Slack DND, full task context visible. The system prevents distraction, not just documents it.

No Task Management

Clockify is pure time tracking. You track to "project/task" labels, but there's no task organization, no priorities, no context, no notes. You need separate tools (Jira, Notion, etc.) for actual work management.

Locu's approach: Full task management + time tracking integrated. See tasks from Jira/Linear, prioritize them, work on them in focus sessions, time tracked naturally. One tool, zero switching.

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Feature Comparison

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When to Choose Clockify

✅ You need team time tracking with scheduling and shifts
✅ Budget is absolutely critical (free tier needed)
✅ You're comfortable with manual timer discipline
✅ You don't need focus support or task management
✅ You need kiosk mode for hourly workers
✅ You want simple time tracking without opinionated workflow
✅ You're already using separate tools for tasks and focus

Clockify excels at affordable team time tracking.

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When to Choose Locu

✅ You're an engineer or freelancer doing deep work
✅ You're tired of manual timer burden and lost hours
✅ You want focus structure, not just time measurement
✅ You need task management + time tracking integrated
✅ You work in Jira/Linear and need deep integration
✅ You want to improve execution quality, not just track time
✅ You're willing to pay $6-12/month for complete system

Locu combines focus execution with natural time tracking.

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The Real Difference: Pure Tracking vs Execution System

Clockify's philosophy: Provide reliable, affordable time tracking. Track anything, for anyone, anywhere. Stay simple and flexible.

Locu's philosophy: Time tracking is byproduct of better execution. Work in focused sessions = natural boundaries, accurate tracking, sustainable rhythm.

The fundamental difference:

• Clockify is a time tracking tool (flexible, manual)
• Locu is an execution system (structured, intentional)

For pure time tracking needs (especially teams), Clockify is excellent value. For individual knowledge workers who need to improve execution while tracking time, Locu provides more value.

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Common Clockify Pain Points (And How Locu Solves Them)

Pain: "I work on multiple tasks and forget to switch timer"

With Clockify: Deep in flow coding. 2 hours pass. Realize timer is still on "Morning standup." Now need to stop, estimate split, create new entries, manually divide time.

With Locu: Work on multiple tasks per session (normal). Switch tasks mid-session (automatic). Each task tracked separately. Time accurately attributed without manual splitting.

Pain: "Month-end time reconstruction panic"

With Clockify: It's invoicing day. Realize you forgot to track Tuesday afternoon, Thursday morning, and several 30-minute tasks throughout the month. Check Git commits, Slack messages, calendar. Guess at time allocation.

With Locu: Session-based history makes gaps obvious. "No sessions Thursday morning? What happened?" Fill gaps in real-time as you notice them. Invoice prep: 20 minutes, not 3-4 hours.

Pain: "Timer is running but I'm not working"

With Clockify: Start timer on task. Get interrupted by Slack message. 20-minute conversation (not tracked to this task). Timer still running in background. Need to edit retroactively.

With Locu: Focus session = intentional work period. Interruption breaks focus = you notice it. End session or pause. Clear boundaries between working and not working.

Pain: "Too many tools open"

With Clockify: Clockify for time + Jira for tasks + Notion for notes + Pomodoro timer for focus + RescueTime for tracking. Information scattered. Constant context switching.

With Locu: All integrated. Tasks from Jira/Linear. Work on them in focus sessions. Time tracked naturally. Notes inline. One tool, one workflow.

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For Freelancers: The TCO Analysis

Total Cost of Ownership with Clockify:

Direct costs:

• Clockify: Free or $4-12/month (depends on features)

Hidden costs:

• Time lost to tracking failures: 10-20% of hours = $225-450/month at $75/hour
• Month-end reconstruction: 3-4 hours = $225-300/month
• Need separate focus timer: $0-10/month
• Need task manager: Already have Jira/Linear
• Total effective cost: $450-760/month

Total Cost of Ownership with Locu:

Direct costs:

• Locu: $12/month ($6 with Beta)

Hidden costs:

• Time lost to tracking: <5% (session gaps visible) = <$115/month
• Invoice prep: 20-30 minutes = ~$40/month
• Focus timer: Built-in
• Task manager: Built-in
• Total effective cost: <$155/month

Savings: $295-605/month = $3,540-7,260/year

Even at Clockify's free tier, Locu provides better ROI through reduced overhead and captured billable hours.

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For Teams: Why Clockify Makes Sense

If you're managing a team and need:

• Team scheduling and shift management
• Kiosk mode for hourly workers
• Time approval workflows
• Team productivity monitoring
• GPS tracking for field workers

Stick with Clockify. It's built for team time tracking and management.

Locu is built for individual contributors doing deep knowledge work—not team management scenarios.

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Switching from Clockify

What you'll keep:

• Time tracking discipline (tracking matters)
• Project/client organization
• Export and reporting needs
• Billable rates per client

What you'll change:

• From manual timer management → session start (once per hour)
• From pure tracking → execution + tracking integrated
• From scattered tools → unified system
• From reconstruction → session-based history

What you'll gain:

• No more "remember to start/stop" anxiety
• Focus sessions with distraction blocking
• Task management integrated with tracking
• Jira/Linear tasks auto-sync
• Easier invoice prep (20 min vs 4 hours)
• Work quality improvement through focus structure

What you might miss:

• Free tier (if budget is critical)
• Team management features
• Kiosk mode
• Browser extension timer

Migration process:

1. Export final Clockify reports (for records)
2. Set up Locu with clients/projects (5 minutes)
3. Connect Jira/Linear (tasks auto-import)
4. First morning planning (5 minutes)
5. First focus session (experience the difference)
6. First invoice export (see time saved)

Setup time: 15 minutes
Learning curve: 3-5 days to build session habit

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Pricing Comparison

Clockify: Free / $4/mo (Basic) / $6/mo (Standard) / $12/mo (Pro)
Locu: $12/month or $6/month (Beta discount)

Feature comparison:

Clockify Free:

• Time tracking only
• Unlimited everything (users, projects, time)
• But: Manual burden, no focus support, no task management

Clockify Standard ($6):

• Everything in Free
• Plus: Required fields, time rounding, scheduling

Locu Beta ($6):

• Time tracking (session-based, less manual)
• PLUS focus sessions with blocking
• PLUS task management
• PLUS Jira/Linear/Slack integration
• PLUS work history and insights
• PLUS daily planning/shutdown rituals

If you're also paying for:

• Focus timer: $5-10/month
• Task manager upgrade: $5-10/month
• Total with Clockify Standard: $16-26/month

Replace with Locu Beta: $6/month
Savings: $10-20/month = $120-240/year

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The Honest Assessment

Clockify is excellent at what it does—reliable, affordable (free!) time tracking for individuals and teams. If you need pure time tracking, especially for a team, it's hard to beat the value.

But for individual freelance developers and engineers, the "free" time tracking comes with hidden costs:

• Manual burden (constant timer management)
• Lost billable hours (forgetting to track)
• Month-end reconstruction (3-4 hours)
• No execution support (still need focus tools)
• Tool fragmentation (tracker + task manager + timer)

Locu addresses all of these through session-based structure:

• Less manual burden (1 action per hour vs 10-20)
• Fewer lost hours (session gaps visible)
• Faster invoicing (20 min vs 4 hours)
• Better execution (focus infrastructure built-in)
• Everything integrated (one tool, one workflow)

Clockify is perfect time tracking for teams. Locu is execution system + tracking for individual makers.

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