Leaving spreadsheets behind
Move time tracking and billing out of a spreadsheet — bring your history in with a CSV import, then track live and invoice from one place.
A spreadsheet is a fine place to start tracking time — until it isn't. Once you're juggling tabs per client, copying hours into invoices by hand, and hoping a formula didn't drift, a purpose-built tool saves real time. This page helps you move without losing your history.
Who this is for
Freelancers and small teams tracking time (and maybe billing) in a spreadsheet who want a cleaner, less error-prone way to get from hours to a paid invoice.
Why a tool helps
Spreadsheets are flexible and free, and that's exactly why they sprawl. The honest tradeoffs:
- Re-keying invites errors. Copying hours from a sheet into an invoice is where numbers drift. In Hoursmith, billable time becomes invoice lines directly.
- No live timer. A spreadsheet can't time your work; you reconstruct it from memory. Hoursmith has a one-click timer.
- No invoicing or payments. A sheet doesn't send a branded invoice or take a card. Hoursmith creates and sends invoices and takes card payments into your own account.
- Hard to share safely. Sharing a billing spreadsheet with a contractor exposes everything. Hoursmith keeps Members money-blind.
If you want the deeper comparison, see Hoursmith vs spreadsheets.
Bring your history in
You don't have to abandon what you've already logged. Export your spreadsheet to CSV and import it.
Tidy your spreadsheet
Make sure your data is in clean columns — things like date, client/project, duration, and a note. Save or export it as a CSV file.
Import the CSV
Use the CSV import to bring your history into Hoursmith and map your columns to the right fields. See Import from CSV.
Check it landed
Open Reports and spot-check the totals against your sheet so you know the import matched.
You can always get your data back out — Hoursmith exports to CSV whenever you need it. See Export data.
Then track live
With your history in, switch to tracking as you work:
Set up clients and projects
Add the clients and projects you bill, with default rates so pricing is automatic. See Clients and Projects.
Use the timer
Start the live timer when you begin work instead of writing a row later. Accurate hours, no reconstruction.
Invoice from your time
Create an invoice and your billable time becomes the lines — then get paid.
Ready to switch?
Bring your history in with Import from CSV, or jump straight to the Quickstart. New here? Create a free account.
Migrating from Paymo
Move from Paymo to Hoursmith — run the built-in import, map your team, know what does and doesn't come across, and verify the result with reports.
How Hoursmith compares
An honest look at where Hoursmith fits — what it's best for, what it isn't, and how to think about it next to other time-tracking and billing tools.