Hour Cap vs Toggl Track
Toggl Track is a popular time tracker. Hour Cap is a time tracker built to push invoices to Xero. If you bill clients through Xero, here's why that difference matters.
Side-by-side comparison
Both tools track time well. The difference is what happens after you stop the timer.
| Feature | Hour Cap | Toggl Track |
|---|---|---|
| Push invoices to Xero | ||
| Xero contact sync | ||
| Invoice line item grouping | 4 modes | Report-based PDF only |
| Saved invoice history | ||
| Mark entries as invoiced | ||
| Retainer management | Dedicated retainers | Recurring project estimates |
| Multi-line descriptions | ||
| Xero tracking categories | 3-level cascade | N/A |
| Free plan | 1 user, with rates | 5 users, no rates |
| Billable rate levels | Project, member, org | 5 levels |
Toggl tracks time. Hour Cap gets it onto a Xero invoice.
Toggl Track has no native Xero integration for invoicing. Their Xero integration is a browser extension that adds a timer button inside the Xero UI. It does not push invoices, sync contacts, or connect to your Xero accounting data in any way.
If you use Toggl and Xero, you're either copying data by hand, exporting CSVs, or paying for Zapier automations. Hour Cap connects to Xero directly and pushes tracked time as draft invoices with a single click.
Invoices that persist, not PDFs that disappear
Toggl generates invoices from report summaries as downloadable PDFs. They're not saved in the app, there's no status tracking, and you can't tell which entries have been billed.
Hour Cap stores every invoice with full line item detail, tracks status (pending, draft, failed), marks time entries as invoiced so you never double-bill, and lets you void and re-invoice if something changes.
- 4 grouping modes: per entry, project, date, or team member
- Entries automatically marked as invoiced
- Void in Xero to release entries for re-invoicing
- Descriptions flow straight onto Xero invoice line items
Detailed descriptions that clients actually see
Toggl Track has a single-line description field. There's no separate notes field and no support for multi-line text. Users in the Toggl community have been requesting this since 2023 with no timeline for a fix.
Hour Cap lets you write rich, multi-line descriptions on every time entry. When you push to Xero, those descriptions become your invoice line item text. Your clients see exactly what you worked on.
Redesigned the header navigation to support mobile breakpoints.
Tested on iOS Safari and Chrome Android. Fixed z-index layering issue with the dropdown menu.
Retainers as a first-class feature
Toggl has recurring project estimates that reset on a schedule. It's a project setting, not a retainer model. There's no client-facing retainer tracking, no alert thresholds, and no connection between the budget and invoicing.
Hour Cap has dedicated retainer management. Set an hours budget, pick a billing period, configure alerts, and invoice the current period directly from the invoice wizard. Everything is connected.
When Toggl Track might be a better fit
We believe in being transparent. Toggl does things Hour Cap doesn't.
Browser extension ecosystem
Toggl's browser extension integrates with 100+ tools like Asana, Jira, GitHub, and Trello. You can start timers directly from within those apps.
Larger free tier
Toggl's free plan supports up to 5 users (without billable rates). Hour Cap's free plan is for 1 user but includes billable rates and reports.
Desktop and mobile apps
Toggl has native desktop apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux, plus mobile apps for iOS and Android with cross-device sync.
Pricing at a glance
Hour Cap
Built for XeroPrices in USD. Annual billing saves 17%.
Toggl Track
Prices in USD. 10% annual discount. No Xero invoicing on any plan.
A 5-person team on Toggl Starter pays $45/mo with no Xero invoicing.
The same team on Hour Cap Business pays $30/mo with full Xero integration, retainers, and approvals.
Time tracking that bills through Xero
Stop copying data between apps. Track time and push invoices to Xero in one flow.