How do I track billable hours without a separate timer app?
Start a timer from the command palette or the Time screen and point it at a project. It keeps running across page loads and devices, so closing a laptop doesn't lose an afternoon. Everything it records belongs to the project, not to a standalone list you have to reconcile later.
How do tracked hours become an invoice?
Track time against a project, open Finance → Invoices, and create an invoice for that client — the tracked total is right there to copy from. Send it and it appears in the client's portal. That is the seam most people manage by hand between two tools.
Where did my week actually go?
The weekly grid shows per-project totals across the week, so the gap between what you intended and what happened is visible rather than vague. Deep-work hours are logged alongside mood and energy, which is usually where the explanation for a bad week turns up.
Does it show whether a project was profitable?
Yes, if you log expenses against it too. Inkwell then shows margin — revenue minus what the work cost — rather than only what you billed. A project that billed well and cost more is the one worth spotting before you take the next one like it.
Who this isn't for
If you need granular reporting, rounding rules, many export formats, or timesheets across a team, a dedicated tool like Toggl does that better and we would rather point you there. Inkwell's time tracking is built to reach an invoice, not to satisfy a finance department.
Where to go next
The whole personal notebook is free forever for one person, with no card — see what's free and what's paid. The handbook covers how any of it actually works, and how we protect your data covers the part nobody asks about until it matters.
Compared to what you might be using
- Inkwell vs Toggl — Toggl tracks time beautifully. Inkwell tracks it inside the project you're billing for.
- Notion alternative for freelancers — Why freelancers specifically outgrow Notion — and what to look for in the replacement.
Other ways people use Inkwell
- For freelancers — Projects, tracked hours, invoices and a portal per client — in one place instead of five.
- For indie makers — A day job, client work and the thing you build at night — side by side, in one week.
- For daily life — Habits, mood, energy and goals — the part of the week that isn't work, taken as seriously.
- For journaling — A journal that's encrypted twice, never fed to the AI, and sits next to the work it's about.