Kimai

AI capabilities

None built in.

Pricing

Free license. Hosting estimate: ~EUR 3-5 (about $3.50-6) per user/mo on Kimai Cloud; self-host VPS $5

Open source

• Code: https://github.com/kimai/kimai
• GitHub stars: 5137
• Latest release: 2026-10-25
• Hosting: Official Kimai Cloud (hosted in Germany): EUR 2.99-3.99/user/mo billed annually or EUR 3.99-4.99 monthly, 30-day free trial. Cloudron one-click. Self-host via Docker.
• Backing: Maintained by Kevin Papst / Kimai project, funded by kimai.cloud and plugin sales.
• AGPL-3.0: commercial use allowed; share modified source if you offer a modified version to others over a network.
• Core AGPL; a plugin store sells paid (and free) plugins that add features.
• 35 advisories in last 12 months, mostly low/medium (1 critical: default APP_SECRET in Docker image enabling cookie forgery, patched 2.58.0; also a 2FA bypass on the API, CVE-2026-52827, patched). Run current 2.71.x.

Trust checks

• Admin-verified listing: Pass · Reviewed by the Catervas team: links and prices checked Nov 5, 2026
• License verified: Pass · AGPL-3.0 is on the license allow-list
• Active maintenance: Pass · Last release or commit 2026-10-25
• No open critical security advisories: Pass · No unpatched critical or high advisories found. Keep it on the latest release.
• Privacy and data policy: Pass · Self-hosted: your data stays on your own hosting.
• Company or foundation backing: Pass · Maintained by Kevin Papst / Kimai project, funded by kimai.cloud and plugin sales.

Problems it helps with

• Staff shortage and tax-season burnout: Staff log time per client and engagement with budgets and per-client rates, so out-of-scope work shows up and gets invoiced instead of written off. Utilization reports also show who is overloaded in tax season.
• Getting paid: slow fees, paper checks and unbilled extra work: Staff log time per client and engagement with budgets and per-client rates, so out-of-scope work shows up and gets invoiced instead of written off. Utilization reports also show who is overloaded in tax season.
• Keeping clients: uneven quality and no proof of work: Punch-in/punch-out time tracking per employee, customer and job with rates and budgets: shows true labor cost and overtime exposure, gives a time record per cleaning visit as proof of work, compares actual hours to bids, and turns hours into invoices.
• Bidding and pricing jobs profitably as costs rise: Punch-in/punch-out time tracking per employee, customer and job with rates and budgets: shows true labor cost and overtime exposure, gives a time record per cleaning visit as proof of work, compares actual hours to bids, and turns hours into invoices.
• Cash flow and back-office overload: invoices, payroll, sales tax: Punch-in/punch-out time tracking per employee, customer and job with rates and budgets: shows true labor cost and overtime exposure, gives a time record per cleaning visit as proof of work, compares actual hours to bids, and turns hours into invoices.
• Hiring and keeping skilled crews: Crew time tracking by job/customer with punch-in/out, budgets and reports: shows true labor hours per job to fix underpriced estimates, supports accurate payroll (fewer pay disputes that drive turnover) and turns billable hours into invoices.
• Rising costs make fast, accurate estimates and margins hard: Crew time tracking by job/customer with punch-in/out, budgets and reports: shows true labor hours per job to fix underpriced estimates, supports accurate payroll (fewer pay disputes that drive turnover) and turns billable hours into invoices.
• Hiring and keeping skilled, licensed techs: Crew time tracking by job/customer with punch-in/out, budgets and reports: shows true labor hours per job to fix underpriced estimates, supports accurate payroll (fewer pay disputes that drive turnover) and turns billable hours into invoices.
• Cash flow: slow payment, collections and late invoices: Crew time tracking by job/customer with punch-in/out, budgets and reports: shows true labor hours per job to fix underpriced estimates, supports accurate payroll (fewer pay disputes that drive turnover) and turns billable hours into invoices.
• Hiring and keeping crews as labor costs rise: Crew time tracking by job/customer with punch-in/out, budgets and reports: shows true labor hours per job to fix underpriced estimates, supports accurate payroll (fewer pay disputes that drive turnover) and turns billable hours into invoices.
• Underpricing, slow estimates and lowball competition: Crew time tracking by job/customer with punch-in/out, budgets and reports: shows true labor hours per job to fix underpriced estimates, supports accurate payroll (fewer pay disputes that drive turnover) and turns billable hours into invoices.
• Rising labor costs and wage-law rules squeeze margins: Punch-in/punch-out time tracking per employee, customer and job with rates and budgets: shows true labor cost and overtime exposure, gives a time record per cleaning visit as proof of work, compares actual hours to bids, and turns hours into invoices.