The Toggl Alternative for Solo Freelancers
Verdict
Toggl is excellent team time tracking; CronLoom is for the solo freelancer who sets a floor rate and wants it kept in view, at one flat price instead of per-seat tiers.
Pricing verified 2026-06-02. Figures change, so check each tool's pricing page for current numbers.
The longer story
Toggl Track is one of the most polished time trackers around, and its free plan is generous for casual tracking. But Toggl is built, marketed and priced for teams. Its paid tiers are per-seat (Starter around $9/user, Premium around $18/user), and its headline features (custom reports, billable-rate management, team dashboards) all assume you're managing a group of people.
If you're a team of one, that framing works against you. You pay team prices for capacity you don't use. And the analytics stop at hours and billable amounts. They never keep score against the floor rate a solo freelancer set out to hold. Has this client slipped below my floor? Which fixed bid went underwater? Where will my income land this month? CronLoom is built to keep score against that floor, for one person, at a flat $9/month. It's EU-hosted with privacy-friendly EU analytics and no ad-tech, something Toggl, a larger US-marketed product, doesn't lead with.
Side by side
Toggl Track vs CronLoom at a glance
| What you get | Toggl Track | CronLoom |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; Starter ~$9/user, Premium ~$18/user | Free in early access, then $9/mo flat |
| Free tier | Generous free plan (up to 5 users) | Free during early access, no permanent free tier |
| Pricing model | Per seat | Flat, one person |
| Profitability analytics | Reports + billable rates | Rate analytics: floor flagging, fixed-fee margins, projected income |
| Built for | Teams of any size | Solo freelancers |
| Hosting / privacy | US-marketed | EU-hosted, GDPR-first, no ad trackers |
| Integrations | 100+ integrations | Focused; CSV import/export |
Where Toggl Track genuinely wins
- A useful free plan for solo, casual tracking. It's the best free option if analytics aren't your priority.
- Very broad integrations (100+) and browser extensions for in-app tracking.
- Strong team reporting and admin features if you later grow beyond yourself.
Where CronLoom fits better
- Flat $9/month with everything included, and no per-seat pricing you don't need as a solo.
- Rate analytics built around the freelancer's floor rate, not team productivity.
- EU-hosted, GDPR-first, no ad-tech.
- A single, focused product instead of a team platform you only use a slice of.
The reason to switch
The analytics are why people move
You set a floor rate, and CronLoom keeps score against it: which clients really pay it, how fixed bids are tracking, where the month lands. It's visible at a glance and updates as you track.
Get started freeNo credit card · no contracts
Bringing your history
Switching from Toggl Track
Export your Toggl Track time entries to CSV (Reports → Detailed → Export → CSV) and import them into CronLoom. You keep your history without starting from scratch.
Questions, answered straight
Frequently asked questions
- Is CronLoom cheaper than Toggl?
- For a solo freelancer, almost always. CronLoom is a flat $9/month with all features, versus Toggl's per-seat Starter (~$9/user) or Premium (~$18/user) plans where the analytics live.
- Can I import my Toggl data?
- Yes. Export to CSV from Toggl and import into CronLoom, and your clients and projects carry over.
- Is Toggl better if I have a team?
- Honestly, yes. If you manage several people, Toggl's team reporting and admin tooling are built for that. CronLoom is deliberately for one person.
- Does CronLoom have a free plan?
- No permanent free tier is planned. CronLoom is free during early access, then a flat $9/month with everything included. If a forever-free plan is essential, Toggl's free tier is the better fit.