Short answer
Pick Clockify if price per user matters most, you want a free plan for up to five users, or you need Linux, a kiosk or browser extensions.
Pick Half5 if employee activity has to stay private, you want rides registered automatically, or you invoice through Moneybird, WeFact, e-Boekhouden or Exact Online.
Half5 and Clockify side by side
Clockify, by CAKE.com Inc. in Palo Alto, USA. Each point is what we found on the official pages. 'Not found' means we didn't see it there, not that it is definitely missing.
| Topic | Half5 | Clockify |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic capture of apps and websites on desktop | Yes Desktop apps for macOS and Windows capture apps, window titles, websites, file changes, git commits and Claude Code, Codex and Cursor sessions. | Yes The Auto tracker (all plans) records programs and websites open for more than 10 seconds. |
| Who can see the raw activity | Yes Only you. The personal timeline is end-to-end encrypted: neither your employer nor Half5's server can read it. Your team only sees what you register. Trust center | Partly The Auto tracker stays on your computer, is private and is deleted after 45 days. Clockify also offers admins screenshots and activity monitoring. |
| Phone: ride and mileage detection | Yes The iOS and Android apps detect rides and visits automatically; you confirm them afterwards. Tax rules for NL, BE, DE and FR, trip log as CSV. Rides | Partly GPS location while the timer runs in the mobile app (Pro and up). No ride detection found. |
| Calendar import | Yes Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook. | Yes Google and Outlook. |
| Suggestions per client or project | Yes Built from work blocks, calendar events, agent sessions and visits, matched to a client or project. You take a suggestion, adjust it and save; nothing is booked on its own. Timeline | Not found Not found on the pages we checked. |
| Hour approval (which plan) | Yes Optional per organisation: approve or decline with a reason, by admins or department managers. You can't approve your own hours unless you're the only approver. Rides have their own approval. Plan: see pricing | Yes Yes, on Standard and up. |
| Invoicing from hours (which plan) | Yes Half5 creates invoices from (approved) hours itself: drafts, credit invoices, PDF and sending by email, optionally with a copy to your accountant. Plan: see pricing | Yes Yes, on Standard and up. |
| Dutch accounting: Moneybird, e-Boekhouden, Exact Online, WeFact | Yes Moneybird, WeFact, e-Boekhouden and Exact Online. No Twinfield, SnelStart, AFAS, Yuki, Visma, Xero or QuickBooks. Integrations | No Not listed. QuickBooks is listed; Xero via a $4.99/month add-on. |
| AI agents and MCP | Yes Remote MCP server with OAuth for Claude, ChatGPT, Codex and Cursor: log, search, list, update and delete entries. What an agent logs stays pending until you approve it. Agent sessions also become suggestions. Agents | Partly Official hosted MCP server (log time, timers, projects, reports). The page labels it 'coming soon'. |
| Data location | Yes DigitalOcean Amsterdam; files and email via AWS Frankfurt. AI features use Google Gemini, OpenAI or Anthropic when you turn them on. | Partly Regions USA, EU (Germany), UK and Australia. Choosing a region is on Pro and Enterprise. |
| Platforms | Yes Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. No Linux. | Yes Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extensions and kiosk. |
| Free plan or trial | Partly No free plan. 30 days free on your first subscription; Half5 asks for payment details when you choose a plan. | Yes Free plan for up to 5 users, with limited report history. 7-day Pro trial without a card. |
| List price per user per month | Yes Basic for freelancers, Premium for teams. See pricing | Yes In USD per seat, annual / monthly: Free $0, Basic $3.99 / $4.99, Standard $5.49 / $6.99, Pro $7.99 / $9.99, Enterprise $11.99 / $14.99. |
Where Clockify is stronger
- The lowest list price per user of these four, and a free plan for up to five users. Half5 has no free plan.
- The most platforms: Linux, browser extensions and a kiosk mode as well. Half5 has no Linux app.
- A choice of data centres in the USA, the EU, the UK and Australia.
- A trial without a card. Half5 asks for payment details when you choose a plan.
- QuickBooks and Xero integrations.
Where Half5 is different
- Half5 has no screenshots or activity monitoring for admins. The raw timeline is end-to-end encrypted; your team only sees what you register.
- From work blocks, calendar events, agent sessions and visits, Half5 suggests hours per client or project.
- The phone app detects rides on its own, with tax rules for NL, BE, DE and FR, and a CSV trip log.
- Invoices into Moneybird, WeFact, e-Boekhouden and Exact Online.
- A working MCP server that lets agents log hours; they stay pending until you approve them. Data in Amsterdam and Frankfurt for everyone, not only on a higher plan.
Switching from Clockify
- Export your clients, projects and the hours you want to keep from Clockify, for example as a CSV report. Half5 has no importer; that export is your archive and your checklist.
- Start your trial at app.half5.com and add your clients and projects. If you use Moneybird, WeFact, e-Boekhouden or Exact Online, connect it straight away.
- Install the desktop app (macOS or Windows) and the phone app, and connect your calendar. From then on Half5 builds your timeline.
- Run it next to Clockify for a week or two. Compare Half5's suggestions with what you registered there, and cancel Clockify only once the hours match.
Frequently asked questions
Is Clockify cheaper than Half5?
Clockify has a free plan for up to five users and paid plans from $3.99 per user per month, billed annually. That is the lowest list price in this comparison. See Half5's pricing page for its own plans.
Can my employer see screenshots of my screen in Clockify?
Clockify's Auto tracker is private, but Clockify also offers admins screenshots and activity monitoring. Half5 has no such features: the timeline is end-to-end encrypted and readable only by you.
Is my Clockify data stored in the EU?
Clockify has an EU region in Germany; choosing a region is on Pro and Enterprise. Half5 runs in Amsterdam, with files and email in Frankfurt.
Can I import my Clockify data into Half5?
No, Half5 has no importer. Export your hours from Clockify as an archive and add your clients and projects to Half5 yourself.
Sources
- Clockify pricing (clockify.me)
- Clockify: Auto tracker (clockify.me)
- Clockify: screenshots (clockify.me)
- Clockify integrations (clockify.me)
- Clockify MCP server (clockify.me)
- Clockify: data regions (clockify.me)
- Clockify apps (clockify.me)
Checked on 16 October 2026. Prices and features change; check the vendor for the current state.
Compare for yourself
30 days free on your first subscription. Run Half5 next to your current tool for a week.