13 Best Time Management Apps & Tools for 2023

The key to working smarter lies in the art of time management. While it may seem counter-intuitive to spend time learning about time management, it is imperative for the future as it holds the key to working smarter. 

The highest achievers and efficient multi-taskers manage their time exceptionally well. Good time management is the result of focus and dedication. To help you better manage your time and work smarter, we’ve compiled a list of top time management apps. 

What are the best time management apps for 2023?

Format: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, mobile app, Android

ClickUp is a powerful productivity tool for all users across industries to manage time effectively, automate processes, and work together in one place. Whether you’re a solopreneur, a student, or on a team of any size, ClickUp is completely customizable and offers a feature-rich experience to stay on pace, hit your goals, and monitor every project update.

Boost your productivity with ClickUp’s global time tracker and time estimates features on any task. Even choose how you see your work from over 15 customizable views with adjustable due dates on a simple drag and drop interface. ClickUp even integrates with over 1,000 other time management tools so you can start saving time ASAP, no matter what project style you use. Plus, you can access all of these time management features for free, forever.

With intuitive task creation, a unique hierarchical workflow, and tons of time-saving tools, ClickUp is designed to help you schedule your time, your way.

Best features:

• Over 15 views including Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, and Workload.
• Native global Time Tracking to record time spent on any task and on any device. 
• Time Estimates to predict how long each task on your project timeline will take.
• Customizable time reporting to see your entries and filter them in a number of ways.
• Over 100 ways to automate repetitive tasks, comments, statuses, and more.
• A powerful Chrome Extension to help you track time across the web.

Customer reviews:

“When it comes to keeping track of everything that is going on in my life, ClickUp has been a lifesaver. In comparison to Asana and Trello, it’s a lot more feature-rich. They offer a lot of cool widgets and connectors in their task tool, which allows for a lot of personalization. It does, in fact, aid in increasing output.” — Capterra

• Free Forever: Add unlimited tasks and members, get 100MB of storage, and more
• Unlimited ($5 per member, per month): Unlimited storage, unlimited integrations, unlimited Dashboards, Agile reporting, and more
• Business ($12 per member, per month): Google SSO, unlimited teams, custom exporting, advanced public sharing, advanced automations, and more
• Business Plus ($19 per member, per month): Subtasks in multiple Lists, custom role creation, custom permissions, increased automations and API, and more

Use ClickUp for free. No credit card required.

2. Todoist

Format: Web, iOS, Android. 

Todoist is a great checklist app that will help you prioritize your tasks and manage time. Todoist is an easy-to-use app with rich features that have helped millions of people manage their time better and in turn, work smarter. 

Best features:

• Simplifies your workflow and helps to organize all your tasks easily.
• Personalize your task views to match your work methods and workflow.
• Prioritizes tasks in an effective way so you can work smarter. 

“Todoist is really snappy and has great shortcuts with a plethora of clients available across all platforms (android, web, PC, MAC).” – Capterra

Pricing:

• Free plan for starters
• Pro plan: USD $3/person/month
• Business team plan: USD $5/person/month

3. RescueTime

Format: iOS and Mac Desktop, Android, Chrome Extension 

A major chunk of managing time means not wasting it on unnecessary browsing. RescueTime is a productivity reporting tool that you can use to see how much time you’re spending on certain apps and websites. The reporting features make RescueTime a great tool to monitor how much time you are spending on unnecessary browsing and where you can cut down. RescueTime is great to use as a productivity tool and makes it one of the best apps to work smarter and save time. 

Best Features:

• Analyzes and report your online activity. 
• “Productivity Pulse” score makes managing time an intuitive activity. 

“It helped me in managing my time and properly allocating the hours in my day. Rescue time is just so amazing that it showed me where i was spending much of my time on.” – Capterra

Pricing: 

• 14-day free version
• 12-month price at $6.50/month or 1-month price at $12.00/month

4. Toggl Plan

Format: Web, iOS, Android

Toggl Plan is a great checklist app to manage your tasks and optimize your time management tactics. Trusted by over 4,000 global companies like Spotify, Netflix, Airbnb, Stripe, among others, Toggl is known for it’s straightforward user interface. Toggl helps you to set up new tasks assign deadlines, daily estimated time, notes, and a checklist for each step. This helps to save time and work smarter.  

Best features:

• Plan projects in an easy and simple manner. 
• Uses an easy-to-operate drag-and-drop interface. 

“Excellent time tracking (our most important resource!) and overview of project management. Toggle helps us drive insights about how to better allocate time and energy to make the business grow.” – Capterra

Price:

• Free for 14 days
• Team plan: $8/user/month
• Business plan: $13.35/user/month

5. Google Calendar

Format: Online, iOS & Android mobile apps

Google Calendar is perfect to manage your tasks and projects on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Google Calendar gives an overview of meetings, work, and more which helps to plan your tasks smartly and save time. ClickUp allows you to connect with your Google Calendar to give you a much clearer picture of your day.

Best features:

• Receive an email at the beginning of every workday to help you plan your tasks out. 
• Enables you to connect all your productivity apps seamlessly. 
• Helps you to stay updated on upcoming meetings and pending tasks.

“This is by far the best software for calendars out there. I have been using it extensively for many different tasks and it is great for collaboration.” – Software Advice

Price:

• Free
• Pro – $6 /month
• Enterprise – Tailored to your business needs

6. Be Focused Timer

Format: Mac App Store

Staying on track and completing tasks on time is a real challenge for our screen-bound generation. Be Focused is a great time management app that breaks up individual tasks among discrete intervals and separates them into short breaks. Be Focussed is an effective app to retain motivation and focus so as to work smarter and save time. 

Best Features:

• Add new tasks, structure your own breaks, and track your progress throughout the day, week or custom period.
• Specify and set different timer settings for different tasks.
• Customize reports for faster and easier goal tracking.

“I love using this app. This app helps remind me to take a break. I set it to do 20-minute blocks with five-minute breaks after each block and a long 15-minute break after four blocks. I get up and move around during each break. It’s easy to lose track of time but this app fixes that issue. I also love that it tracks everything so I’m able to see how productive I’ve been at the end of the day.” –  Just Use App

Price:

• Free
• Pro Version is $4.99

7. Freedom

Format: Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, and Chrome

Freedom helps users stay away from the Internet for up to eight hours at a time. The app is perfect for those looking to be free you from distractions. Freedom is used by over 1,000,000 people to maintain focus and produc­tivity. Freedom helps users better manage their time and block what you want, when you want to. 

Best Features:

• Block an unlimited number of distracting websites from Facebook to ESPN.
• Block distractive apps like email and games.
• Freedom supports as many devices as you’d like in one session.

“I love almost everything about the app. I really like that they provide support almost all the major browsers and have covered all the edge cases related to network problems in different browsers. Also, I really like that all the major OS/devices are covered.” – G2

Price:

• Monthly: $6.99/month
• Yearly: $2.42/month
• Forever: $129/month

8. Remember The Milk

Format: iOS, Android, Web, BlackBerry

If managing tasks is not your strong suit, then you should try Remember The Milk. Created in 2004, Remember The Milk is a web-based application for time management. It allows users to manage tasks from a computer or smartphone, both online and offline. Based in San Francisco, more than 6 million people use Remember The Milk to stay organized and be more productive.

Best Features:

• Remember The Milk works with your Google Assistant.
• Import and export your Remember The Milk data in JSON format for easier archiving.
• Can connect Remember The Milk to your Dropbox or Google Drive account.

“My experience has been good because the app does what I need it to do. It helps me keep reminders and mark things off my list.” – Capterra

Price:

• Free
• Pro: $39.99 per year

9. ZenDay

Format: Android

Unlike most other project management and productivity apps, ZenDay improves Time Management by dynamically combining calendars and tasks from multiple sources into one centralized timeline. ZenDay serves as an all-encompassing planning tool for prioritizing, planning, and updating tasks, projects, and workflows. With ZenDay, you can replace all your other productivity apps on your phone. 

Best Features:

• Uses a unique integration method where you can see your tasks inside a 3D timeline. 
• Sync with all your calendars.
• Dynamic scheduling enables your tasks to follow the flow of time

Price:

• In-app products range from $2.90 – $19.00 per item.

Format: Online, iOS & Android mobile apps

Over 4 million people use Habitica to improve their life by better managing tasks. Habitica is an an online task management, productivity, and habit-building app that uses a form of a role-playing game and offers rewards and punishments to inspire you to complete your tasks. 

Best features:

• Earn rewards for your goals.
• Offers a strong social network to inspire and motivate you.
• Remain accountable by tracking your goals and tasks.

“Incredible app, I love the feature of being able to talk to others and complete actually fun quests! It’s really fun and creative, the community is also really great!” – Play Store

Pricing:

• Free

11. Focusmate

Format: Web-based, Chrome for Android, and Safari for iOS (iPhone/iPad). 

As the name indicates, Focusmate involves building your focus along with a mate. With Focusmate’s community of doers, you can work with an accountability partner to get important work done. Focusmate is a great platform to hone your time management skills and stay more productive. 

Best Features:

• Uses virtual coworking to boost productivity. 
• You can choose the times when you want to be productive
• 50-minute sessions enable you to work quietly in tandem with your Focusmate.

“I like that it gives you a way to have accountability without needing to find someone you know to work or study with you. While it isn’t a social hour it does all a little bit of connecting with people from all walks of life.” – G2.com.

Price: 

• Free for 3 sessions (50 minutes each) every week. 
• For unlimited sessions, upgrade to Turbo for $5 per month.

12. Noisili

Format: iOS, Google Play, and desktop

The lack of time management can be attributed to surrounding noises. If annoying noises form a major chunk of distractions for you, then you should try Noisli. The app helps to mask distractive noises with ambient background sounds to help you improve your focus. Noisli works like your companion to overcome annoying sounds and boost productivity. 

Best Features:

• Mix different sounds to create your perfect work environment.
• Choose presets from multiple curated Playlists. 
• Offers high quality, realsitic sounds.

“Been using this for a long time. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out there was a mobile version of noisli. I like that I can be creative with what sounds play. The timer allows me the comfort of knowing my phone won’t be out or battery because I didn’t turn off sounds playing.” – Play Store

Pricing:

• Free 
• $10/month 
• $24/month (for business teams)

13. Mindful Browsing

Format: Web-based (Chrome Extension)

Built by Steven Skoczen, Mindful Browsing helps users from mindless browsing. Mindful Browsing seamlessly interrupts random mindless browsing to help you get back to work and stay focused. Mindful Browsing is perfect for everyone who finds themselves aimlessly browsing websites and wasting time. 

Best Features: 

• Options of inserting self-care reminders.
• Gentle reminders and nudges to get you back to work.

“This is an excellent extension. It gently makes you question yourself if what you’re doing is the best use of your time before getting sucked into your old habits. Highly recommended.” – Chrome Store

Pricing: 

• Free

Criteria For Choosing Time Management Apps To Work Smarter

If personal productivity or having a productive week is your jam, then you should consider using a daily checklist tool or a focus app to help you boost productivity and mange your time better.

Here are some of the criteria to follow when choosing a time management app to help you work smarter:

• Does it reduce distraction?
• Does it make it easier to work smarter?
• Does it boost your productivity?
• Do you like the UX?
• Is it compatible with the devices that you use?
• Can it integrate all your other productivity apps?
• Does it fit your budget?

Be sure to try out all the options, especially the free versions, so you know which time management app is best for you.