BetterFlow vs Toggl Track: AI verification vs manual time tracking
Toggl Track has become the default time tracker for freelancers and small teams. It's simple, it's reliable, and it works. But for engineering teams billing clients or tracking project costs, there's a fundamental gap: Toggl tells you what time someone claimed to work, not what time they actually worked.
BetterFlow takes a different approach. Instead of trusting manual time entries, it cross-references timesheets with GitHub commits, pull requests, and Jira tickets. The result: verified hours that clients trust and managers can defend.
Top Software Testing Companies: How Time Tracking Affects QA
If you're searching for top QA companies or best software testing providers, you'll notice the best ones obsess over time tracking accuracy. Why? Because inaccurate timesheets poison client relationships and project planning. At BetterQA, we built BetterFlow because we needed verification our existing tools couldn't provide.
Quick comparison
FeatureBetterFlowToggl Track Manual time entryYesYes Timer-based trackingYesYes AI timesheet verificationYesNo GitHub/GitLab integrationDeep (commit correlation)Basic (project import) Jira ticket correlationYesNo Leave managementYesNo Team analyticsAI-powered GREEN/YELLOW/REDBasic reports Starting price$8/user/monthFree tier available
The verification gap
Consider a common scenario: a developer logs 6 hours on "Feature development" for a client project. In Toggl, that entry is accepted at face value. In BetterFlow, the system checks:
- Were there commits to the project repository during those hours?
- Were Jira tickets moved from "In Progress" to "Done"?
- Does the work pattern match the developer's typical productivity?
If the timesheet doesn't correlate with actual development activity, BetterFlow flags it for review. Not to punish anyone, but to catch honest mistakes before they become billing disputes.
When to choose Toggl Track
Toggl makes sense when you need simple personal time tracking without verification requirements. You're tracking time for your own productivity insights, not for billing. Your team is small enough that trust-based systems work. You don't need to prove hours to clients or stakeholders. Budget is the primary constraint, and you need free or very cheap options.
Toggl is genuinely excellent at what it does. For solo freelancers or internal productivity tracking, it's often the right choice.
When to choose BetterFlow
BetterFlow makes sense when you need to verify hours for client billing or project costing. You manage engineering teams where code output can be measured. Clients have questioned timesheets or you've had billing disputes. You want AI-powered insights into team productivity patterns. You need combined timesheet + leave management in one platform.
BetterFlow costs more than Toggl's free tier, but the ROI comes from catching timesheet inaccuracies before they cost you clients or revenue.
Integration depth matters
Both tools integrate with common project management platforms, but the depth differs significantly.
Toggl's integrations import project names and task lists for easier time categorization. BetterFlow's integrations go deeper: correlating individual commits with timesheet entries, matching Jira ticket transitions with logged hours, and identifying discrepancies between claimed work and actual output.
For engineering teams, this depth transforms time tracking from administrative overhead into verified productivity data.
The accuracy difference
Research suggests manual timesheets without verification are 10-15% inaccurate, split roughly equally between over-reporting and under-reporting. Over a year, that inaccuracy compounds into significant billing errors and project cost miscalculations.
BetterFlow's verification approach catches most of these discrepancies before they're submitted for approval. The result: more accurate data, fewer client disputes, and better project planning.
The verdict
Toggl Track is the better choice for simple time tracking where verification isn't required. It's free, it's polished, and it does exactly what it promises.
BetterFlow is the better choice for engineering teams who need to prove their hours. The AI verification creates accountability that trust-based systems can't match, and the GitHub/Jira integration turns time tracking into verified productivity data.
If you've ever had a client question your timesheets or wondered whether project time estimates were accurate, BetterFlow solves those problems. If you just need a personal timer, Toggl is simpler.
About BetterFlow
Built by BetterQA, a software testing company that builds its own tools. BetterFlow brings AI-powered timesheet verification to engineering teams who need to prove their hours, not just track them.
Sources & References
- Toggl Track - Time Tracking Features
- G2 - Time Tracking Software Comparison
- AffinityLive - Incomplete Timesheets Cost $52K Per Employee
Published by BetterQA, an ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified company with 8+ years of experience in software quality assurance. According to research by McKinsey, data-driven project management improves team productivity by up to 25%. Last updated on .
- Built by BetterQA, founded in 2018 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- ISO 27001 certified security and GDPR compliant
- Trusted by teams across 15+ countries
- 30-day free trial with no credit card required
