Android app for personal time tracking with projects, tasks and timers

Question

I'm looking for Android application on smartphone. Personal usage. It should allow easy time management on multiple "project-tasks" basis.

Requirements:

1. multiple time/activity entries assigned to tasks (i.e. I could work on same task multiple times);
2. time/activity assignment should be done via timers (per task), but manual entry (add/edit) should also be possible;
3. tasks should be grouped to projects;
4. task should have either multiline description/comments or todo-list (with checkboxes);
5. if application/service is paid, it should be less than $20 for single purchase or $2/month (at least 3 projects available);
6. it shouldn't require stable internet connection (ideally it should be standalone app with local storage, but if it's a web service, it shouldn't ask server to load all my projects/tasks/etc. each time I open corresponding tab, only synchronize changes in background).

I found a lot of time-tracker apps on Google Play, researched multiple apps, but none of them fitted all my requirements. Googling with appropriate words also found too many articles in "top X apps for ..." fashion. In either way, I found no method avoiding me to manually check among tons of candidates.

Example apps, almost(!) fitting my needs:

• Time Tracker (missing requirement #6 - each my action causes access to service via internet, even just starting a timer, and it's either too slow or just fails);
• Timesheet (missing requirement #1 - timer is linked to project and it automatically creates new task when gets started).

Hope, somebody already found and uses exactly what I need and just point me to it :) Or just maybe have some thoughts on where an how to search for.

Answer 1

I've evaluated and finally purchased Xpert-Timer Time Tracking, as it fits all my requirements:

1. Each task has it's own time/activity tracking called timestamps. Timestamp consists of start time, end time, duration (automatically calculated) and other fields. Total time spent on a task is sum of all timestamps assigned to it currently.

2. Main screen allows select project/task, and start/pause/stop timer for it. Only one active timer allowed (i.e. you cannot work on multiple tasks at same time). Each start-up pair adds timestamp to task "history". Also user may add timestamp (at same screen) or edit/delete existing timestamp (on screen with timestamp list for selected task) manually.

3. App has flexible multi-level grouping: Client->Project->Sub-project->Task. User may disable "Client" and/or "Sub-project" levels in settings.

4. Task has multiline "TEXT" field and "Done" checkbox. So you have two options to organize task todo-list:

   • Place items to TEXT field preceding each of them with symbols '+'/'-' (meaning "checked"/"unchecked") and edit text each time you need check/uncheck items or add/edit/delete items.
   • Break task to separate tasks (and name them in manner they have common part in name) and you may mark/unmark each of them as done with single tap on their checkboxes directly from project task list.

5. App has trial and full version. Trial is fully functional and has limitation on total timestamps count and 30 days of usage. Full version costs $15 as stated on official website. I'm from Russia and purchase from the Google Play cost me 817 rubles (incl. tax: 124 rubles). There are no project limits. There are also additional modules with their prices, but they aren't needed for listed requirements.

6. It's standalone app with local database, so it doesn't require internet connection. It works fast on my smartphone. Backup/restore on SD card is possible. Also you may synchronize with desktop (paid) version of app via internet using additional (also paid) module.

The only possible downside of this app, I think, is maybe you have to overpay for a lot of additional features you may don't need: extended project/task/timestamp fields (like dates, priority, status, category, progress, comments, etc.), rich task/timestamps sorting options, filters, very fine tuned settings, billing, notifications and so on... (See online manual for screenshots.) But I found some of them very balanced and useful.

Personally, I like this app for rich functionality and intuitive user interface. Also I didn't faced with any bugs during two weeks of usage.

Thank you, @Izzy !