Time tracking, budgets and retainers for consultants
Track hours by client and project, set a budget in hours or fees with an alert, invoice from the time you tracked, and bill retainers from a deposit balance. Free to start; Premium is $9 a month at launch for up to 10 people ($19 after), then $10 per extra 10.
Last reviewed October 2026. Free to start, no credit card.
A consulting workflow
- Set up the client and project. Hourly by project, task or person, or a fixed fee. Add a budget in hours or fees with an alert percentage.
- Track. Timer, calendar, or one line of text. The Chrome extension adds start buttons inside Gmail, Slack and Google Docs.
- Invoice. Build an invoice from uninvoiced time and billable expenses, send it by email, and see when the client viewed it.
- Retainers. A deposit invoice credits the client's balance when it is paid. Apply the balance to later invoices (Premium).
What your clients see
A client link shows the invoice, and the client can ask a question on it without an account. With Premium, a client portal shows everything they owe, and they can pay by card through your own Stripe account.
What is missing
- No native iPhone, Android or desktop apps. Honest Day is a web app you can add to your home screen.
- No QuickBooks or Xero sync. Invoices export as CSV files you import into QuickBooks Online or Xero.
- No SAML single sign-on. People sign in with passkeys or an email link.
- Contractor pay statements show what each person is owed from their hours. Honest Day does not send the payment.
- Entries are written by people (or by the assistant when asked). Honest Day does not track in the background.
Questions
How do retainers work?
You send a deposit invoice. When it is paid it credits the client's balance, which you can apply to any later invoice. Retainers are part of Premium.
Can I cap hours on a project?
Yes. A budget in hours or fees, optionally resetting monthly, with an alert percentage. The Budgets report flags projects at 80% and 100%.
What is on the free plan?
Unlimited clients, projects, entries and invoices, budgets, expenses and reports. Estimates, recurring invoices, retainers and card payments are Premium.
Related
Try it with your own hours.
Free to start, with no credit card. Upgrade any time from Settings.