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 | PDF or QuickBooks 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, and reach Xero
Toggl generates invoices from report summaries. Its invoicing reaches PDF download and QuickBooks Online only, with no Xero path, so a Xero shop re-keys the totals into Xero by hand.
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; invoicing reaches PDF and QuickBooks only. Confirmed mid-2026, re-check current vendor pricing.
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.
Common questions
Does Toggl Track integrate with Xero?
Toggl Track's Xero integration is a browser extension that adds a Toggl timer button inside the Xero UI. It does not push invoices to Xero, sync contacts, or move tracked time onto Xero invoices. To bill clients through Xero from Toggl, you export reports and copy the data manually or pay for a Zapier automation.
Is Hour Cap a good Toggl Track alternative?
If you bill clients through Xero, yes. Hour Cap pushes tracked time to Xero as draft invoices with full line item detail, syncs Xero contacts automatically, and supports multi-line descriptions that flow straight onto invoices. If you do not use Xero, Toggl Track is the better-known general-purpose tracker.
Can I import my data from Toggl Track into Hour Cap?
Hour Cap does not currently offer a direct Toggl Track import. Most teams switching across keep their historical Toggl data in Toggl for reporting, then start fresh in Hour Cap from a chosen cutover date. Clients and projects are quick to recreate, and Xero contacts sync automatically.
How does pricing compare between Hour Cap and Toggl Track?
Hour Cap is priced per organisation with included seats: Free for one user, Team at $10/month for two users, Business at $30/month for six users. Toggl Track is priced per user: Starter at $9/user/month, Premium at $18/user/month. For small billing teams on Xero, Hour Cap is usually cheaper and includes Xero invoicing; Toggl Track does not include Xero invoicing on any plan.
Does Hour Cap have a free plan like Toggl?
Yes, Hour Cap has a free plan for solo users with billable rates and reports included. Toggl's free plan supports up to 5 users but does not include billable rates. The Xero integration in Hour Cap requires a paid plan.
Time tracking that bills through Xero
Stop copying data between apps. Track time and push invoices to Xero in one flow.
Keep exploring
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Read comparisonComparison note: competitor features and pricing were researched on a best-effort basis in June 2026 and can change at any time. We aim to be accurate and fair, but details may be out of date, so always confirm the latest information on the vendor's own website before making a decision. Hour Cap capabilities described here reflect the product at the time of writing.