A Kimai alternative that is hosted for you and still free for every user
Kimai is open source: free on a server you run yourself, or hosted as Kimai Cloud for a price per user. It includes invoicing and more than 30 languages. Sandtime.io is hosted in the European Union and free for unlimited users, with approvals, locking, reminders, mobile and desktop apps, and MCP access included.
Kimai is an open source time tracker licensed under AGPL-3.0 and published from Vienna, Austria. It runs on your own server at no charge or as Kimai Cloud, the hosted version, and includes invoicing, rates, budgets, teams, a JSON API, and translations into more than 30 languages. Visit Kimai website
Sandtime.io vs Kimai: the short answer
Kimai is free if you run it, and Sandtime.io is free without running anything. Kimai is open source under AGPL-3.0: install it on your own server at no charge, or pay per user for Kimai Cloud. It is ahead on invoicing, absences, and languages. Sandtime.io is hosted in the EU and free for unlimited users, with approvals, locking, reminders, first-party mobile and desktop apps, a REST API, and an MCP server included. Pick Kimai when the code must be open source or the invoice must come from the tracker; pick Sandtime.io when nobody should have to own a server or a seat bill.
Choose Sandtime.io when nobody should run a server or pay per seat
Everyone submits a timesheet, a manager approves it, the week locks, and an automatic email reminder goes out before it does, with no installation, upgrades, or backups to own. Sandtime.io hosts on OVHcloud in the EU, publishes its own iPhone, Android, macOS, and Windows apps, and includes a REST API and an MCP server.
Choose Kimai when open source or invoicing decides it
Kimai's code is public under AGPL-3.0, so you can audit it and run it on your own hardware at no license cost. It creates invoices from tracked time, supports e-invoice formats through a plugin, handles absences and working-time accounts, and is translated into more than 30 languages. If those are requirements, Kimai covers them and Sandtime.io does not.
Sandtime.io vs Kimai at a glance
Where each capability sits in Kimai and on its Cloud plans, as of September 29, 2026.
| Decision factor | Sandtime.io | Kimai |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for unlimited users and projects, hosted | Self-hosted software free under AGPL-3.0 for unlimited users. Kimai Cloud from €2.99 per user per month billed annually, or €3.99 monthly, after a 30-day trial |
| Open source | Proprietary, hosted service | Source code public on GitHub under AGPL-3.0 |
| Hosting | OVHcloud in the European Union; self-hosting arranged case by case for Enterprise | Your own server, with PHP 8.2 or later and MariaDB or MySQL, or Docker. Kimai Cloud on Hetzner in Falkenstein, Germany |
| Roles | Administrator, Project Administrator, and User, included free | User, Teamlead, Admin, and Super Admin, with configurable permissions and custom roles |
| Timesheet approvals | Submit, approve, and reject, included free | Monthly approvals per user with Working hours on Cloud Professional, or a 299 € per year plugin when self-hosted. Weekly approvals through a free third-party plugin when self-hosted |
| Locking | Approved timesheets lock, and unlock requests go to an administrator, included free | Exported records lock, plus a global lockdown period and per-project lock dates, in every edition |
| Reminders | Automatic email reminders every Friday at 6 PM, before the week locks, included free | Working hours on Cloud Professional shows days with no time entered. The self-hosted approval plugin can email reminders about outstanding approvals |
| Billable time and rates | Billable and non-billable time, dated cost and revenue rates, and a currency per rate, included free | Hourly and fixed rates and internal costs per user, customer, project, and activity, stored with each record so later changes never rewrite history. Currency set per customer |
| Reports and exports | Custom reports, print layout, and Excel and CSV export, included free | Reports by user, customer, project, and activity. Export to PDF, XLSX, CSV, and HTML |
| Invoices, expenses, and absences | Reports and exports for invoice preparation, without built-in invoices, expenses, or absence management | Invoices on every Cloud plan, with 5 custom templates on Standard and 10 on Professional. Expenses, absences, and working-hour accounts on Professional. E-invoices through the E-Invoice Plus plugin |
| Languages | English, Polish, and French | Translated into more than 30 languages |
| Apps | Web, iPhone, Android, Chrome extension, and macOS and Windows desktop apps, all first-party | Web app. Mobile and desktop clients from other developers, some free and some paid, listed on Kimai's integrations page |
| API and MCP | A public REST API with an OpenAPI schema and a first-party MCP server, included free | JSON REST API on every Cloud plan and self-hosted. MCP servers for Kimai are community projects built on that API |
| Sign-in and SSO | Passwordless email links, or continue with Google, Microsoft, Apple, or Yahoo, on every account | LDAP, SAML, and two-factor authentication when self-hosted. SAML single sign-on on Cloud Professional billed annually |
| Best fit | Teams that want approved, locked timesheets for everyone with nothing to host and nothing to pay | Teams that must run open source on their own server, or that want invoicing and many languages in the tracker |
Why teams choose Sandtime.io instead of Kimai
Nothing to install or maintain
Self-hosted Kimai needs a PHP and MariaDB server and someone who owns its upgrades and backups. Sandtime.io is hosted, and still costs nothing per user.
Approvals without a plugin or plan
Submitting, approving, rejecting, and locking timesheets are free in Sandtime.io. In Kimai, approvals come with Cloud Professional or a marketplace plugin.
A reminder before the week locks
With automatic locking on, members get an email reminder every Friday at 6 PM to fill in the week before it locks, so the month closes on time.
First-party mobile and desktop apps
Sandtime.io builds its own iPhone, Android, macOS, and Windows apps and a Chrome extension, maintained with the product and free.
REST API and MCP server included
Connect reports and AI assistants through a documented REST API and a first-party MCP server, on the free plan.
Where Kimai is ahead
Sandtime.io is not open source and has no invoices, expenses, or absence management, and it speaks three languages. If you need those, Kimai covers more ground.
Which product should your team choose?
Start with who will run the tracker, then check what each plan includes.
Choose Sandtime.io
Pick Sandtime.io when every member has to submit hours that a manager approves and locks, when people track from phones and laptops, and when nobody on the team should own a server or a per-user bill.
Choose Kimai
Pick Kimai when policy requires open source software on your own hardware and someone can own that server, or when invoices, e-invoices, absences, or a language beyond English, Polish, and French must come from the tracker itself.
Choose neither
Keep looking if the core need is payroll or shift rosters. Both products are built around recording and reporting hours, so a dedicated payroll or scheduling tool will fit better.
What Kimai Cloud costs for a team
Monthly approvals, working-hour accounts, and absences are on Kimai Cloud Professional. For a team of 10 that is €39.90 a month billed annually. Sandtime.io includes approvals and locking at €0 for any team size.
Sandtime.io
Hosted for you, with nothing to install
Freefor unlimited users, no credit card required
- 5 users€0 a month
- 10 users€0 a month
- 25 users€0 a month
- 50 users€0 a month
- Submit, approve, and reject weekly timesheets
- Approved weeks lock, with unlock requests
- Friday email reminders before the week locks
- First-party iPhone, Android, macOS, and Windows apps
- REST API and MCP server
Kimai Cloud Standard
Time tracking and invoicing, hosted by Kimai
€2.99per user per month billed annually, or €3.99 billed monthly
- 5 users€14.95 a month
- 10 users€29.90 a month
- 25 users€74.75 a month
- 50 users€149.50 a month
- Project time tracking and billable hours
- Invoices with 5 custom templates
- Export to PDF, XLSX, CSV, and HTML
- JSON REST API
- Approvals and absences on Professional
Kimai Cloud Professional
Where approvals, absences, and expenses start
€3.99per user per month billed annually, or €4.99 billed monthly
- 5 users€19.95 a month€24.95 billed monthly
- 10 users€39.90 a month€49.90 billed monthly
- 25 users€99.75 a month€124.75 billed monthly
- 50 users€199.50 a month€249.50 billed monthly
- Monthly approvals with Working hours
- Working-hour accounts and absences
- Expenses and 10 invoice templates
- Custom fields and a customer portal
- Kiosk mode and SAML single sign-on on annual billing
Monthly cost at list price, excluding taxes. Every active account counts, administrators included. Negotiated terms are excluded.
Watch the 75-second Sandtime.io product tour
See the timer, timesheets, reporting flow, integrations, and mobile apps before creating an account. The video is served directly by Sandtime.io, so it does not contact a third-party player.
Prices and plans checked on September 29, 2026. If Kimai's pricing page disagrees, trust Kimai, and see Sandtime.io pricing for ours.
Kimai vs Sandtime.io: frequently asked questions
Direct answers about self-hosting, Kimai Cloud pricing, approvals, invoicing, apps, hosting, and moving your data.
What is the best Kimai alternative?
Sandtime.io is the closer Kimai alternative for teams that want a hosted tracker without a per-user bill, with timesheet approvals, locking, reminders, first-party mobile and desktop apps, a REST API, and an MCP server included. Kimai is the better choice when the software has to be open source and run on your own server, or when built-in invoicing, e-invoices, absences, or an interface in one of more than 30 languages should live in the same tool.
How much does Kimai cost?
The self-hosted software costs nothing under the AGPL-3.0 license; you pay for the server and the time to run it, plus any paid marketplace plugins. Checked September 29, 2026, Kimai Cloud listed Standard at €2.99 per user per month billed annually or €3.99 billed monthly, and Professional at €3.99 or €4.99, excluding taxes, after a 30-day free trial. Every active account needs a Kimai Cloud license, administrators included.
Is Kimai free for unlimited users?
Yes, when you host it yourself. Kimai says each installation supports unlimited users, and the AGPL-3.0 license charges nothing for the software. Kimai Cloud, the hosted version, is billed per active user. Sandtime.io is the hosted option that is free for unlimited users, so nobody on your team has to run a server to get it.
Is Sandtime.io free for unlimited users?
Yes. Sandtime.io is free for unlimited users and projects, with no per-user fee and no credit card required. Reminders, approvals, locking, roles, reports, Excel and CSV exports, historical rates, multi-currency support, the REST API, and MCP access are all included.
Does Kimai have timesheet approvals and locking?
Yes, on specific plans and plugins. Every Kimai edition can lock exported records, lock time before a project's lock date, and apply a global lockdown period. Monthly approvals per user, with locked months and a PDF, come with the Working hours feature on Kimai Cloud Professional, or as a plugin at 299 € per year excluding VAT for self-hosted installs. Self-hosted installs can also add a free third-party plugin for weekly approvals. Sandtime.io includes submitting, approving, rejecting, and locking timesheets free.
Where do Kimai and Sandtime.io host data?
Kimai Cloud runs on Hetzner servers in Falkenstein, Germany, and a self-hosted Kimai runs wherever you install it. Sandtime.io runs on OVHcloud infrastructure in the European Union, and self-hosting can be arranged case by case under an Enterprise agreement. Both hosted services keep data in the EU.
Which has mobile and desktop apps?
Sandtime.io publishes its own apps for iPhone, Android, macOS, and Windows, plus a Chrome extension, all free. Kimai is used in the browser, and its integrations page lists mobile and desktop apps built by other developers, some free and some paid, such as Android, iOS, and cross-platform desktop clients.
Can I move from Kimai to Sandtime.io?
Yes, but not automatically. Kimai exports timesheets as XLSX, CSV, PDF, or HTML, which make a good archive. Sandtime.io has no Kimai importer, so recreate active projects, members, and current rates, then run one weekly or monthly reporting cycle in both products before switching.
Comparing something else?
Teams weighing this one usually weigh these too.
Run one real reporting cycle in Sandtime.io
Invite the whole team at no seat cost, submit and approve one week or month, and compare the export with what Kimai produces for the same period.