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Hourtick

Mac menu bar timer

A time tracker that lives in your Mac menu bar

Hourtick's native Mac app puts the running time next to your clock — 1:23, or Tue 1:23 if the entry belongs to another day. Click it to start, stop, switch or edit; never open a browser tab to track time again.

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  • Free for your whole team, forever
  • No credit card
  • Every feature included

Open the menu bar, pick a task, and start. No browser tab.

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How it works

  1. 1

    Click the Hourtick icon (or press ⌃⌥Space) to open a small popover.

  2. 2

    Pick a project and task type — your recent ones are on top — and press Start.

  3. 3

    The menu bar shows the running time and updates once a minute. No seconds, no distraction.

  4. 4

    Press ⌃⌥S anywhere to stop or continue without opening anything.

Try mac menu bar timer on your own work

Create a free workspace, invite your team with a link and start the timer.

  • Free for your whole team, forever
  • No credit card
  • Every feature included
Start free

Built for macOS

  • Native vibrancy popover anchored under the icon
  • Template icon that adapts to light and dark menu bars
  • No dock icon; launches at login if you want
  • Right-click for Stop timer, Continue last entry and Open timesheet

Correct even when the Mac sleeps

The menu bar title is computed from the entry's start time and the server's clock, not by counting seconds. Close the lid for an hour and the time is right when you open it again.

Your hours and your agents' hours

Start a timer on a task from the menu bar and it books to that task. When an AI agent works the same task, it logs its own time there. You see both in the menu. Agent time never lands on your timesheet.

Two Mac apps, one account

Hourtick Timer is the small menu bar app described on this page: the running time next to your clock, start and stop in a popover. Hourtick for Mac is the whole product in its own window with a Dock icon: timesheet, week, tasks, chat, reports and projects, with ⌘1 to ⌘6 to jump between them. Install one or both. They share your account and stay in sync, so a timer started in the menu bar is the same timer in the window, in the browser and on the other Mac.

The popover goes where you work

  • It opens under the icon on whichever screen the menu bar is on, including other Spaces and full-screen apps
  • Drag it away from the menu bar and it becomes a floating card that stays on top while you work
  • Recent projects and task types are on top, so most starts are two clicks
  • Edit a running or finished entry in place: notes, project, task type, date, duration
  • Continue yesterday's entry, or start it again today if it was invoiced

Quiet by design

No seconds ticking in your menu bar and no Dock icon for the timer app. Native banners and the Dock count come from the full app when someone mentions you or hands you a task, never from the timer. When you step away with a timer running, Hourtick asks what to do with the idle time when you come back (see Idle detection).

Signed, small and self-updating

Both Mac apps are signed and notarized by Apple and download from hourtick.com. Hourtick for Mac is about 3 MB. Updates arrive in the background and the app asks before it restarts, so you are never stuck on an old version. Sign-in with email or Google happens once, in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Mac app free?

Yes. Both Mac apps are included on every plan, for everyone on the team.

Which macOS versions are supported?

macOS 13 Ventura and newer.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Actions queue on the Mac and sync when you're back online, with the times you actually clicked.

What's the difference between Hourtick Timer and Hourtick for Mac?

Hourtick Timer lives in the menu bar and does one thing, the timer. Hourtick for Mac is the full app in a normal window: timesheets, tasks, chat, reports and projects. Both are free and use the same account.

Does it run on Windows or Linux?

Not yet. Hourtick works in any modern browser on Windows and Linux. There are phone apps for iPhone (App Store) and Android (Google Play).

Can I start a timer on a task from the menu bar?

Yes. Pick the task in "What are you working on?" and the time books to its project and task type. When an AI agent works the same task, it logs its own time there and your timesheet stays yours.

Does it keep a screenshot or app history?

No. Hourtick never records your screen, apps, websites or keystrokes. It reads only the system's idle counter while a timer runs.

More features

Track your first hour in a minute.

Free for your whole team, forever. Every feature included.

Get Hourtick freeSee the Mac app