Jira tracker · Side-by-side review

Planim Time vs Tempo Timesheets

Planim Time is a native desktop tracker built for engineers; Tempo Timesheets is a Jira-embedded plugin built for finance approval, capacity planning and enterprise billing. They overlap on 'log time to Jira' and diverge on everything else.

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Updated 2026-05-12 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

Finance tool, engineer tool

Tempo Timesheets has spent more than fifteen years optimising for the moment a finance director or PMO reads a timesheet. We've spent the last year optimising for the ten seconds before an engineer forgets which Jira issue they were on. The same worklog ends up at the bottom of both stacks; everything above that diverges. Planim Time is a native desktop tracker that lives in your macOS, Windows or Linux menu bar. It stores your Jira API token in the OS keychain, runs fully offline, and pushes worklogs through your personal token, with no third-party server sitting between you and your Jira instance. Tempo runs inside Jira Cloud, Server and Data Center, and its centre of gravity is approval workflows, capacity planning, budgets and invoice-ready timesheets — the things a finance department or a PMO needs from time data. Most engineering teams don't read time data the way finance does; they just want a timer that doesn't lose hours when Jira hiccups. That's the gap Planim Time covers. If your hours end up in front of a finance approver, a client invoice or a capacity dashboard, Tempo's enterprise surface is hard to replace. If they end up nowhere except your own retrospective, the lighter tool is usually a better fit.
Feature scorecard

What Tempo does that we don't, and what we do that Tempo doesn't

Same Jira worklog at the bottom of both stacks. Different surfaces around it.

Feature Planim Time Tempo Timesheets
01Platform Native desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux) in the menu bar / system tray 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
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 Free tier is limited and tied to very small Jira Cloud plans; paid otherwise
05Trial 14-day Pro trial on first launch, no credit card 30-day Atlassian Marketplace trial, card-free on Cloud, vendor-handled on DC
06Entry price $0 Free, $10/mo Pro, $8/seat/mo Team (min 2 seats, one flat price) Per-Jira-user pricing on top of Jira, tiered by Marketplace seat count; the effective rate climbs once you outgrow the smallest tier and depends on your Jira edition
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 it
10JQL-based issue list Yes. Bring any JQL, reorder statuses, pin favourites Yes. Uses Jira's issue navigator filters
11Calendar view of your week Yes. Drag-edit blocks, edit description or issue inline Yes. Tempo timesheet grid, heavier UI, slower for edits
12Team worklog visibility Yes (Team plan). Stats roll up every member who logs to the workspace's Jira issues, not only paid seats Yes. Core feature, tied to Tempo permissions
13Approval workflows No. Intentionally simple Yes. Core Tempo feature
14Invoicing and budgets No Yes (Tempo Budgets, Cost Tracker, Financial Manager)
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 Tempo Reports (fuller, heavier) plus CSV / XLSX export
17Themes Dark, light, or follow system Matches Jira UI theme
18Auto-update In-app updater with release notes Handled by Atlassian Marketplace
Platform
Planim Native desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux) in the menu bar / system tray
Tempo Timesheets Atlassian Marketplace plugin, runs inside Jira in the browser
Works offline
Planim Yes. Local SQLite, two-way reconciliation when online
Tempo Timesheets No. Requires an active Jira session
Install effort
Planim Download a DMG, EXE, or AppImage; sign in with a Jira API token
Tempo Timesheets 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
Tempo Timesheets Free tier is limited and tied to very small Jira Cloud plans; paid otherwise
Trial
Planim 14-day Pro trial on first launch, no credit card
Tempo Timesheets 30-day Atlassian Marketplace trial, card-free on Cloud, vendor-handled on DC
Entry price
Planim $0 Free, $10/mo Pro, $8/seat/mo Team (min 2 seats, one flat price)
Tempo Timesheets Per-Jira-user pricing on top of Jira, tiered by Marketplace seat count; the effective rate climbs once you outgrow the smallest tier and depends on your Jira edition
API token storage
Planim OS keychain (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, Secret Service)
Tempo Timesheets Stored by Atlassian Cloud or Data Center
Data location
Planim Local SQLite on your machine; worklogs also live in your Jira instance
Tempo Timesheets Inside your Atlassian tenant or Data Center cluster
Menu-bar / tray timer
Planim Yes. Dynamic tray icon reflects running, paused, or idle
Tempo Timesheets No. You switch to the Jira tab to see it
JQL-based issue list
Planim Yes. Bring any JQL, reorder statuses, pin favourites
Tempo Timesheets Yes. Uses Jira's issue navigator filters
Calendar view of your week
Planim Yes. Drag-edit blocks, edit description or issue inline
Tempo Timesheets Yes. Tempo timesheet grid, heavier UI, slower for edits
Team worklog visibility
Planim Yes (Team plan). Stats roll up every member who logs to the workspace's Jira issues, not only paid seats
Tempo Timesheets Yes. Core feature, tied to Tempo permissions
Approval workflows
Planim No. Intentionally simple
Tempo Timesheets Yes. Core Tempo feature
Invoicing and budgets
Planim No
Tempo Timesheets Yes (Tempo Budgets, Cost Tracker, Financial Manager)
Platforms supported per price
Planim macOS, Windows, and Linux for one price
Tempo Timesheets Cloud, Server, and Data Center; pricing differs by Jira edition
Daily report export
Planim One-click copy grouped by issue with descriptions; CSV export
Tempo Timesheets Tempo Reports (fuller, heavier) plus CSV / XLSX export
Themes
Planim Dark, light, or follow system
Tempo Timesheets Matches Jira UI theme
Auto-update
Planim In-app updater with release notes
Tempo Timesheets Handled by Atlassian Marketplace
Decision guide

Pick by who reads the timesheet at the end of the month

Tempo writes for finance and PMO. Planim Time writes for the engineer logging the hour. Choose by which reader your data actually serves.

Pick Planim Time if

You log hours for yourself or your sprint team, not for finance approval.

  • You want to track time offline (on a plane, in a café, during a VPN hiccup) and sync to Jira when you reconnect
  • You prefer a native desktop app with a menu-bar timer over a browser tab buried inside Jira
  • You care about API-token privacy: Planim Time keeps it in the OS keychain and never sends it to a third-party server
  • You need a free tier with full tracking forever, not a 30-day trial
  • You work across macOS, Windows, and Linux on the same account
  • You want the simplest possible UI for logging hours, without approval chains or budget fields
  • You don't want to ask a Jira admin to install a plugin before you can start tracking
  • Your team already has too many Atlassian apps and needs something lightweight
Pick Tempo Timesheets if

Your timesheets feed an approval chain, a budget, or a client invoice.

  • Your team requires manager approval workflows before timesheets are final
  • You invoice clients directly from tracked time inside the same tool
  • You need resource planning and capacity forecasting tied to Jira issues
  • Your organization has already standardized on the Atlassian Marketplace toolchain
  • You need ready-made, audit-friendly reports for large (100+ user) teams and finance departments
  • Your legal or procurement team requires a vendor already listed on the Atlassian Marketplace
  • You need time-off, holidays, and leave requests integrated with your timesheets
Where Tempo Timesheets wins

What we don't pretend Planim Time does

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

  • Approval workflows. If your finance team needs to approve timesheets before they go live, Tempo has been polishing that flow since 2009 and it shows.
  • Capacity planning. Tempo can put a designer team's capacity next to a project's budget. Planim Time only shows what was tracked, not what was planned.
  • Atlassian Marketplace install. If your Jira admin's policy is 'Marketplace apps only', Planim Time isn't on the menu, and we're not pursuing a listing.
  • Client invoicing inside the tool. Tempo Budgets and Cost Tracker handle 'how much did this project cost the client'; Planim Time leaves invoicing to your accounting stack.
  • Time-off, holidays, leave requests. If your timesheet doubles as your absence record, Tempo bundles that. We don't, and probably never will.
  • 100+ user audit-friendly reporting. Tempo's reporting suite is built for finance teams that have to defend numbers against an audit. Planim Time's reports are built for retros, not auditors.
Questions answered

Planim Time vs Tempo Timesheets: FAQ

Is Planim Time cheaper than Tempo Timesheets?
For individuals and small teams, yes. Planim Time has a permanent free tier with full time tracking, and Pro starts at a flat $10 per month. Tempo Timesheets is priced per Jira user through the Atlassian Marketplace, with seat-tiered rates that depend on your Jira edition. Because Tempo bundles approvals, budgets, capacity planning and invoicing into the same per-seat charge, a small engineering team typically pays for enterprise surface area it will never touch — Tempo only becomes the more economical option when those finance flows are actually load-bearing for your team.
Can I migrate from Tempo Timesheets to Planim Time?
Yes. Because both tools ultimately write Jira worklogs on the underlying issues, Planim Time's two-way Jira sync pulls existing worklogs into the app, including entries you originally logged through Tempo. Your historical time data is preserved. You do lose Tempo-specific features like approvals, budgets, and plan approvals, so plan your switch around whether those workflows are load-bearing for your team. Most individual developers switch the same day; finance-heavy teams usually run both in parallel for one sprint before dropping Tempo.
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. Tempo Timesheets, by contrast, is a Marketplace plugin: a Jira admin has to install it, enable it for each project, and assign Tempo-specific permissions before anyone can track.
Does Planim Time support Jira Server and Data Center like Tempo does?
Not yet. Today Planim Time ships for Jira Cloud only. Server 8.x+ and Data Center support are in development under the same desktop architecture — the same binary will eventually cover all editions on the same price — but they aren't shipping right now. If you're on Cloud and want to switch from Tempo today, Planim Time covers that. If you're on Server or Data Center and need a tracker this quarter, Tempo is still the right tool until we ship those editions.
Does Planim Time have approval workflows like Tempo?
No, and we have no plans to add them. Planim Time deliberately skips approval workflows to stay simple and fast. If you need manager approval of submitted timesheets, budget tracking, or invoicing, Tempo Timesheets is the better fit. If you just need to log hours accurately and push them to Jira, Planim Time covers that in a fraction of the UI surface. We treat 'ship a worklog, do another Jira issue' as the goal, not a missing step.
Can I try the Team plan before paying?
Yes. On first launch, Planim Time offers a 14-day free Pro trial, no credit card and no workspace-admin dance. For workspaces that want everyone on Pro, a separate workspace-wide Team trial unlocks Pro for every seat for 14 days. Tempo offers a 30-day trial, but it has to be started by a Jira admin because it's a Marketplace plugin.
Does Planim Time work offline during long flights or flaky VPN?
Yes, and that's one of the main reasons people switch off Tempo. Tempo is a browser plugin inside Jira: if Jira is unreachable, so is your timer. 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 dodgy VPN, and the app reconciles with Jira the moment you're back online.
Is my data safe if I stop paying?
Yes. Worklogs always live in your Jira instance; Planim Time is a writer, not a silo. If you cancel Pro or Team, you drop to the Free tier and keep unlimited tracking, manual Push All, and two-way sync. If you uninstall the app entirely, every worklog you ever pushed is still on the Jira issues where it belongs. Tempo stores additional metadata (approvals, budgets, plan approvals) inside Atlassian's infrastructure that doesn't fully round-trip to Jira worklogs, so the exit story there is heavier.
If Tempo never quite fit, try a tracker for the other side of the timesheet

Run Planim Time on your real Jira for one sprint

Install the desktop app, paste your Jira API token, and start a timer on a real issue. The Free tier covers a full evaluation, no credit card needed. You can leave Tempo running side-by-side until you're sure.

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macOS · Windows · Linux No credit card Token stays on your machine