Toggl is a well-built, cloud-based timer. AetherTime is a one-time purchase that also handles tasks, invoices, estimates, and reports, and runs offline. The question is whether you want to rent a timer or own a small billing system.
Toggl does time tracking well and charges by the month, per user, with reporting and invoicing features moving up through paid tiers. It is cloud-first: your time entries live on Toggl's servers.
AetherTime is a desktop app you buy once. The timer, task and client hierarchy, invoicing, estimates, and PDF reports are all included in the purchase price, and everything stays on your machine. It runs from a USB drive and works offline.
If all you want is a quick timer and you like the cloud, Toggl is a fine choice. If you want the timer, the invoice, and the record to be yours — and to stop paying monthly for a tool you use twenty minutes a day — that is what AetherTime is for.
| AetherTime | Toggl | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $99 one-time | $9–$18/mo, per user |
| Over 3 years, one user | About $99 | About $324–$648 |
| Works offline | ✓ | ✗ |
| Runs from a USB drive, no install | ✓ | ✗ |
| Data stays on your machine | ✓ | ✗ (vendor cloud) |
| Invoicing included in base price | ✓ | Higher tiers |
| PDF invoices and reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| Estimates and proposals | ✓ | ✗ |
| No account needed | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automatic backup of your data to the vendor | ✗ you control backups | ✓ |
Toggl pricing and features as of August 2026, from public vendor pages; check their site for the current numbers. AetherTime details from our own pricing, which includes every feature in every license.
Choose Toggl if you track time across a browser, phone, and desktop, want automatic cloud sync between them, and are happy with a subscription.
Choose AetherTime if you work from one machine (or a USB drive), need invoices and reports in the same tool, and would rather pay once than subscribe. Consultants especially tend to want the invoice and the utilization report, not just the timer.
Over time, usually. Toggl runs about $9–$18 per user per month; AetherTime is $99 once for Solo or $199 once for Pro, with a year of updates included. One year of Toggl for one user is roughly two to four times the one-time AetherTime price.
No. AetherTime stores its database on a local drive. It runs from a USB drive, so you can carry the same data between machines, but there is no automatic cloud sync between devices the way Toggl offers.
Yes. AetherTime generates branded PDF invoices from your billable hours, as well as activity reports and billing breakdowns, all locally. Toggl gates most invoicing behind higher-priced plans.
Private beta is open. Email us for a free copy before launch — no account, no credit card, no data sent anywhere.
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