Solidtime vs Kimai

Compare Solidtime and Kimai on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Time Tracking tools, freemium vs Freemium / Open Source pricing to decide…

At a Glance

 SolidtimeKimai
Primary categoryTime TrackingTime Tracking
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelfreemiumFreemium / Open Source
Starting priceFreeFree (self-hosted); Kimai Cloud from EUR 2.99/user/month
Free planYesYes
Free trialNot documentedYes
PlatformsWeb, Mac, WindowsWeb
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresNot documentedNot documented
Public APINot documentedYes

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Solidtime

Solo — Free N/A
Professional — 8 euros/user/month (annual) or 9 euros/user/month (monthly) Monthly or annual
Self-Hosted (Open Source) — Free N/A

Kimai

Self-Hosted — Free N/A
Kimai Cloud Standard — EUR 2.99/user/month (annual), EUR 3.99 monthly Monthly or annual
Kimai Cloud Professional — EUR 3.99/user/month (annual), EUR 4.99 monthly Monthly or annual

Pros & Cons

Solidtime

Pros

  • Free and open source with the option to self-host indefinitely at no cost
  • Modern, clean interface compared to many legacy time tracking tools
  • Transparent, low-cost paid tier for teams that want a managed cloud version
  • Built-in invoicing and billable rate tracking suited to freelancers and agencies

Cons

  • Newer project, founded around 2024, with a smaller feature set and community than established competitors like Toggl or Harvest
  • Self-hosting requires technical setup and ongoing maintenance
  • Fewer third-party integrations compared to mature commercial time trackers
  • Company size and long-term backing are not well documented, which may concern risk-averse enterprise buyers

Kimai

Pros

  • Free, self-hostable open-source core with no user limits
  • Low per-seat pricing on Kimai Cloud compared to many SaaS competitors
  • Extensive JSON API and plugin ecosystem for customization
  • GDPR-compliant hosting option in Germany
  • Active development with a long project history since 2006

Cons

  • Self-hosting requires server setup and maintenance effort
  • Advanced features like approvals and expense tracking require the Professional plan or plugins
  • Smaller company behind the product compared to large SaaS time-tracking vendors
  • Interface may feel less polished than premium commercial competitors
  • Non-profit discount pricing requires annual billing

Use Cases

Solidtime

  • Freelancer Time and Billing — Freelancers track hours per client and project and use billable rates to prepare accurate invoices.
  • Agency Client Time Tracking — Small agencies track time across multiple client projects with role-based access for team members.
  • Self-Hosted Time Tracking — Privacy-conscious teams self-host Solidtime on their own infrastructure to keep time and client data in-house.

Kimai

  • Freelance time and invoice tracking — Freelancers track billable hours per client and generate invoices automatically.
  • Agency project time management — Agencies track team hours across multiple clients and projects with approval workflows.
  • Self-hosted internal time tracking — Companies with data-residency requirements self-host Kimai to keep full control of timesheet data.

Read the full Solidtime review · Read the full Kimai review