Jira tracker · Side-by-side review

Planim Time vs Clockwork

Clockwork is a Jira-native plugin that adds a timesheet UI inside Jira itself. Planim Time is a native desktop tracker that pushes worklogs to Jira from the menu bar. Same hours land on the same issue; the surface around them is the difference.

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Updated 2026-04-25 Written by the Planim team
Best for Jira-first teams
Tracker pricing Free forever tier
Privacy Token in OS keychain
Offline tracking Local SQLite, sync later
The verdict

Inside the browser tab, or outside of it

Clockwork and Planim Time both write time to Jira issues, but you reach for them at different points in the day. Clockwork is an Atlassian Marketplace plugin from Herocoders — it lives inside Jira, adds a timesheet view to every project, and pushes hours into the same database your Jira admin already trusts. If your team's policy is "everything stays in Jira", Clockwork was built for that policy. Planim Time is the opposite shape: a native desktop tracker that runs in your menu bar, stores its state in a local SQLite database, and treats Jira as a sync target, not a workplace. You start a timer without opening a browser, the tray icon shows whether time is running, and the app reconciles with Jira through your personal API token whenever you reconnect. Clockwork wins when staying inside Jira is itself the requirement. Planim Time wins when the timer needs to be there before Jira finishes loading.
Feature scorecard

Where a Jira plugin and a desktop tracker make different daily-use trade-offs

Same Jira worklog at the bottom of both stacks. The surface in front of it is what you actually live with.

Feature Planim Time Clockwork
01Platform Native desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux), menu-bar / tray timer Atlassian Marketplace plugin, runs inside Jira in the browser
02Works offline Yes. Local SQLite, two-way reconciliation when online No. Requires an active Jira session in a browser
03Install effort Download a DMG, EXE, or AppImage; sign in with a Jira API token Requires a Jira admin to install the app and grant project permissions
04Free tier Full tracking, manual Push All, two-way sync. Free forever, no user cap Clockwork Lite: free up to 10 users on Jira Cloud. Larger teams pay per user
05Trial 14-day Pro and Team trials on first launch, no credit card 30-day Atlassian Marketplace trial, started by a Jira admin
06Entry price $0 Free, $10/mo Pro, $15/seat/mo Team (min 3, one flat price) Clockwork Lite is free under 10 users; Pro / Pro+ scale per Jira user from low single digits to roughly $5–$8 on Cloud
07API token storage OS keychain (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, Secret Service) Stored by Atlassian Cloud or Data Center
08Data location Local SQLite on your machine; worklogs also live in your Jira instance Inside your Atlassian tenant or Data Center cluster
09Menu-bar / tray timer Yes. Dynamic tray icon reflects running, paused, or idle No. You switch to the Jira tab to see the timer
10JQL-based issue list Yes. Bring any JQL, reorder statuses, pin favourites Yes. Uses Jira's native filters and project pickers
11Calendar / week view Yes. Drag-edit blocks, edit description or issue inline Yes. Clockwork's grid timesheet, lives inside Jira
12Leave, PTO and absence tracking No. Timer logs worked hours only Yes. Holidays, leave requests, approvals tied to the timesheet
13Automated reminders Native OS notifications from the desktop app Email and in-Jira banner reminders, sent through Jira's notification stack
14Approval workflows No. Intentionally simple Yes (Pro tier). Manager-approves-timesheets flow inside Jira
15Platforms supported per price macOS, Windows, and Linux for one price Cloud, Server, and Data Center; pricing differs by Jira edition
16Daily report export One-click copy grouped by issue with descriptions; CSV export In-Jira reports plus CSV / XLSX export
17Auto-update In-app updater with release notes Handled by Atlassian Marketplace
Platform
Planim Native desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux), menu-bar / tray timer
Clockwork Atlassian Marketplace plugin, runs inside Jira in the browser
Works offline
Planim Yes. Local SQLite, two-way reconciliation when online
Clockwork No. Requires an active Jira session in a browser
Install effort
Planim Download a DMG, EXE, or AppImage; sign in with a Jira API token
Clockwork Requires a Jira admin to install the app and grant project permissions
Free tier
Planim Full tracking, manual Push All, two-way sync. Free forever, no user cap
Clockwork Clockwork Lite: free up to 10 users on Jira Cloud. Larger teams pay per user
Trial
Planim 14-day Pro and Team trials on first launch, no credit card
Clockwork 30-day Atlassian Marketplace trial, started by a Jira admin
Entry price
Planim $0 Free, $10/mo Pro, $15/seat/mo Team (min 3, one flat price)
Clockwork Clockwork Lite is free under 10 users; Pro / Pro+ scale per Jira user from low single digits to roughly $5–$8 on Cloud
API token storage
Planim OS keychain (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, Secret Service)
Clockwork Stored by Atlassian Cloud or Data Center
Data location
Planim Local SQLite on your machine; worklogs also live in your Jira instance
Clockwork Inside your Atlassian tenant or Data Center cluster
Menu-bar / tray timer
Planim Yes. Dynamic tray icon reflects running, paused, or idle
Clockwork No. You switch to the Jira tab to see the timer
JQL-based issue list
Planim Yes. Bring any JQL, reorder statuses, pin favourites
Clockwork Yes. Uses Jira's native filters and project pickers
Calendar / week view
Planim Yes. Drag-edit blocks, edit description or issue inline
Clockwork Yes. Clockwork's grid timesheet, lives inside Jira
Leave, PTO and absence tracking
Planim No. Timer logs worked hours only
Clockwork Yes. Holidays, leave requests, approvals tied to the timesheet
Automated reminders
Planim Native OS notifications from the desktop app
Clockwork Email and in-Jira banner reminders, sent through Jira's notification stack
Approval workflows
Planim No. Intentionally simple
Clockwork Yes (Pro tier). Manager-approves-timesheets flow inside Jira
Platforms supported per price
Planim macOS, Windows, and Linux for one price
Clockwork Cloud, Server, and Data Center; pricing differs by Jira edition
Daily report export
Planim One-click copy grouped by issue with descriptions; CSV export
Clockwork In-Jira reports plus CSV / XLSX export
Auto-update
Planim In-app updater with release notes
Clockwork Handled by Atlassian Marketplace
Decision guide

Pick by where you want the timer to live

Clockwork's centre of gravity is the Jira tab itself. Planim Time's is the menu bar. Pick the one that matches the place you'd rather start a timer.

Pick Planim Time if

You want a tracker that runs without a Jira tab open.

  • You want a timer that's running before Jira even finishes loading in the browser
  • You need offline tracking that reconciles when Jira comes back online
  • You prefer your Jira API token in the OS keychain, not in a Marketplace plugin scope
  • You work cross-platform (macOS, Windows, Linux) and want one flat per-seat price
  • You don't want to ask a Jira admin to install a plugin before you can start tracking
  • You want a free tier with full tracking forever, regardless of team size
  • Your team has too many Atlassian Marketplace apps already and needs a lighter option
  • You like the idea of a tray icon that reflects timer state without opening any window
Pick Clockwork if

You want every hour, leave request and timesheet to live inside Jira.

  • Your Jira admin's policy is 'no time data outside Atlassian's infrastructure'
  • You need leave, PTO and absence tracking baked into the timesheet view
  • You want timesheet visibility for every Jira user out of the box, including non-paid contributors
  • Your team workflow is 'open Jira first, decide what to work on, log time there'
  • You need automated weekly reminders sent through Jira's native notification system
  • You're already paying for the Atlassian Marketplace bundle and prefer not to add a new vendor
  • You want a generous free Cloud tier (up to 10 users on Clockwork Lite) without seat-counting
Where Clockwork wins

What we don't pretend Planim Time does

If your workflow needs any of these, Clockwork is the honest pick.

  • Pure Jira-internal workflows. If your team genuinely lives inside Jira and never leaves the tab, Clockwork's at-home there in a way a desktop app can't be.
  • Leave and absence tracking. Clockwork's timesheet doubles as a PTO record with approval flows. Planim Time tracks worked hours only.
  • Free tier shape on Cloud. Clockwork Lite is free for up to 10 users on Jira Cloud — for very small teams that exact ceiling can be cheaper than per-seat Pro.
  • Atlassian-only procurement. If your legal team requires every vendor to be on the Atlassian Marketplace, Clockwork is on the menu and we aren't.
  • Jira-side reminders. Clockwork can poke Jira users through Jira's own notification stack (banners, email digests). Planim Time's reminders live in the OS, not in Jira.
  • Cross-team timesheet visibility. Clockwork shows hours from every Jira user without per-seat licensing. Our team stats roll up everyone too, but the dashboard lives in the desktop app, not in Jira itself.
Questions answered

Planim Time vs Clockwork: FAQ

Is Planim Time a drop-in replacement for Clockwork?
For the time-tracking half, yes — both push worklogs to the same Jira issue, and Planim Time's two-way sync will pull in worklogs Clockwork already wrote. For the leave-management and absence-tracking half, no. Clockwork's timesheet doubles as a PTO record with approvals; Planim Time tracks worked hours only. If your team uses Clockwork mainly for the timesheet, switching is straightforward. If you also rely on Clockwork for holidays and leave requests, you'd keep that part of Clockwork and run Planim Time alongside for the actual tracking.
Do I need Jira admin rights to install Planim Time?
No. Planim Time is a desktop app that talks to Jira through your own personal API token. You download the installer for your OS and sign in. No Jira admin install, no project-level app permissions, no Atlassian Marketplace approval — the same install path your browser took. Clockwork, by contrast, is a Marketplace plugin: a Jira admin has to install it and enable it for each project before anyone can track.
Is Planim Time cheaper than Clockwork?
It depends on team size. Clockwork Lite is free for up to 10 users on Jira Cloud — at that size, Clockwork is genuinely free and Planim Time's Pro tier is $10/mo per person. Above 10 users, Clockwork moves to a paid Pro tier scaling per Jira user, while Planim Time stays at one flat $15/seat/mo for the Team tier and Free for everyone who doesn't need Pro features. Cross-over depends on how many of your Jira users actively need a paid tier — for engineering-only teams, Planim Time tends to come out cheaper because not every Jira user needs a paid Planim seat to log time.
Does Planim Time support Jira Server and Data Center like Clockwork does?
Yes. Planim Time works with Jira Cloud, Jira Server 8.x and newer, and Jira Data Center, all for the same price. Authentication is via a Jira API token, not your password. Clockwork has separate pricing tiers for Cloud, Server and Data Center editions through the Atlassian Marketplace; Planim Time charges one flat per-seat price across all three.
Does Planim Time have leave or PTO tracking?
No. Planim Time deliberately stays focused on logging worked hours to Jira issues. Clockwork bundles holidays, absences and leave requests with the timesheet because those records live naturally next to the hours. If absence tracking is part of your timesheet workflow, Clockwork is the better fit, or run Planim Time for time and Clockwork for absences side-by-side. We're not planning to add PTO; it's the kind of feature that drags a tracker into HR territory.
What happens to my data if I switch from Clockwork to Planim Time?
Worklogs that Clockwork wrote to Jira issues are already inside Jira — they're not stored in Clockwork's silo. Planim Time's two-way sync pulls those entries into the desktop app on first login, so your historical hours are preserved. What doesn't migrate: Clockwork-specific records like leave requests, approval status, and any reports you built inside Clockwork's UI. Most engineering teams switch the same day; teams that lean on Clockwork's HR-side features usually keep both running for the absence half.
Does Planim Time work offline like Clockwork does inside Jira?
Better. Clockwork is a plugin running inside Jira itself — if Jira is unreachable, the plugin is unreachable too. Planim Time stores your timer state and worklogs in a local SQLite database. You can track on a plane, in a basement, or through a flaky VPN, and the app reconciles with Jira the moment you're back online. The Jira-internal tracker can't outrun a Jira outage; a desktop tracker can.
Can my team see each other's hours without buying a seat for every Jira user?
Yes. Planim Time's Team plan ($15/seat/mo, minimum 3) gives team worklog visibility, and the team stats include every member who logged time to the workspace's Jira issues — paid seat or not. Clockwork's free Lite tier covers up to 10 Jira Cloud users with built-in cross-team visibility; Pro tiers scale per Jira user. If you want full cross-team visibility on a 50-person Jira instance and only the engineers actively need a Planim seat, Planim Time tends to be the cheaper math.
If your timer keeps starting after Jira finishes loading, the surface might be the problem

Try Planim Time on the same Jira instance Clockwork already lives in

Install the desktop app, paste your Jira API token, and start a timer on a real issue. Worklogs round-trip through Jira, so anything you log shows up in Clockwork's timesheet too. The Free tier covers a full evaluation, no credit card.

Download for free See pricing
macOS · Windows · Linux No credit card Token stays on your machine