Short answer
Pick TimeChimp if you want time, approval, invoicing, planning and mileage in one Dutch tool, or if you do your books in Twinfield, SnelStart, AFAS or Visma.
Pick Half5 if you no longer want to type in your hours: your computer and phone capture your work and rides, privately, and Half5 suggests the hours.
Half5 and TimeChimp side by side
TimeChimp, based in Amsterdam and part of Visma. 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 | TimeChimp |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | No No automatic capture of apps or websites found. |
| 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 | Not found Not applicable: we found no activity capture. |
| 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 Trips and expenses on Advanced and up, distances via Google Maps. Automatic GPS trips need the 'Trips in the Cloud' hardware tracker (Professional). |
| Calendar import | Yes Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook. | Yes Google and Outlook, read-only. |
| 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 | Yes AI suggestions from your calendar and past patterns; you approve each suggestion yourself. |
| 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 Advanced 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 Invoices and quotes on Advanced and up, with Peppol e-invoicing. |
| 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 | Yes Exact Online (and Globe), Moneybird, e-boekhouden.nl, Twinfield, SnelStart, AFAS, Visma eAccounting and Xero. WeFact not listed. |
| 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 MCP server (beta) for Claude and ChatGPT, read-only: an agent can't log time with it. |
| Data location | Yes DigitalOcean Amsterdam; files and email via AWS Frankfurt. AI features use Google Gemini, OpenAI or Anthropic when you turn them on. | Yes Microsoft Azure, Amsterdam / West Europe. ISO 27001. |
| Platforms | Yes Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. No Linux. | Partly Web, iOS, Android. No desktop app found. |
| 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. | No No free plan. 14-day trial. |
| List price per user per month | Yes Basic for freelancers, Premium for teams. See pricing | Yes In EUR excl. VAT, billed annually: Essential €0/month + €10 per user, Advanced €25/month + €12 per user, Professional €50/month + €14 per user (for 1–49 users; lower from 50, 100 and 200). |
Where TimeChimp is stronger
- Many more Dutch accounting packages: besides Exact Online, Moneybird and e-boekhouden.nl also Twinfield, SnelStart, AFAS and Visma eAccounting. Half5 only connects to Moneybird, WeFact, e-Boekhouden and Exact Online.
- Quotes and Peppol e-invoicing, alongside regular invoices.
- Planning as part of the package. Half5 has no planning module.
- ISO 27001 certification and hosting in Amsterdam, as part of Visma.
- A low per-user entry on Essential, without a base fee.
Where Half5 is different
- Desktop apps for macOS and Windows capture apps, websites, files, git commits and agent sessions. Half5 suggests hours from that; we did not find this in TimeChimp.
- That raw timeline is end-to-end encrypted and readable only by you. Your team only sees what you register.
- The phone app detects rides on its own, without a hardware tracker, with tax rules for NL, BE, DE and FR.
- A WeFact integration, which we did not find in TimeChimp.
- An MCP server that lets agents log hours, not just read them. What an agent logs stays pending until you approve it.
Switching from TimeChimp
- Export your clients, projects and the hours you want to keep from TimeChimp, 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 TimeChimp for a week or two. Compare Half5's suggestions with what you registered there, and cancel TimeChimp only once the hours match.
Frequently asked questions
Does TimeChimp track my hours automatically?
TimeChimp gives AI suggestions from your calendar and past patterns, which you approve yourself. We found no automatic capture of apps and websites on the computer. Half5 captures that activity with desktop apps for macOS and Windows.
Which tool connects to more accounting packages?
TimeChimp. It connects to Exact Online, Moneybird, e-boekhouden.nl, Twinfield, SnelStart, AFAS and Visma eAccounting, among others. Half5 connects to Moneybird, WeFact, e-Boekhouden and Exact Online.
How does mileage tracking work in each tool?
In TimeChimp you enter trips and Google Maps calculates the distance (Advanced and up); automatic GPS trips need a hardware tracker on Professional. Half5 detects rides automatically with the phone app; you confirm them afterwards.
Can I switch from TimeChimp to Half5 with my data?
Half5 has no importer. Export your clients, projects and hours from TimeChimp as an archive and add your clients and projects to Half5 yourself.
Sources
- TimeChimp pricing (timechimp.com)
- TimeChimp: how Suggestions works (help.timechimp.com)
- TimeChimp: calendar synchronisation (timechimp.com)
- TimeChimp: e-invoicing (Peppol) (help.timechimp.com)
- TimeChimp integrations (timechimp.com)
- TimeChimp MCP server (timechimp.com)
- TimeChimp: how can I track my mileage? (help.timechimp.com)
- TimeChimp: Trips in the Cloud (help.timechimp.com)
- TimeChimp: how is my data secured? (help.timechimp.com)
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.