A ZEP alternative without editions or license fees
ZEP is project time tracking made for consultancies, with no free plan and three editions that step up as you need more. Sandtime.io covers the timesheet chain free for unlimited users.
ZEP is a German project time tracking product built for consultancies and agencies. It is sold in three editions, from basic working time up to full services automation with travel expenses, with invoicing, resource planning, and interfaces to German business software such as DATEV and Personio as add-on modules. It is hosted and developed in Germany, with a 14-day trial and no free plan. Visit ZEP website
Best for teams that bill against time and need trust
Sandtime.io fits agencies, freelancers, consultants, and other service teams that need client-ready reports, project visibility, and cleaner invoicing without the seat tax or surveillance that often comes with legacy trackers.
Sandtime.io vs ZEP
| Feature | Sandtime.io | ZEP |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free for unlimited users, permanently | No free plan; a 14-day trial, then a paid edition |
| Pricing model | One product, no editions, no charge | Three editions, priced by depth from working time up to full services automation |
| Project time tracking and approvals | Included free | From the Compact edition up, not the entry Clock edition |
| Travel expenses and receipts | Not offered | Built in on the professional edition |
| Resource planning and invoicing | Not offered; invoice-ready exports instead | Invoicing and resource planning are add-on modules |
| Integrations | Slack, Chrome extension, public API, and MCP server | DATEV, Personio, Jira, HubSpot, and more, as add-on interfaces |
| Hosting | European Union, on OVHcloud | Hosted and developed in Germany |
| Best fit | Teams needing the timesheet chain without a license | Consultancies needing German compliance depth in one system |
Why teams switch from ZEP to Sandtime.io
No edition to choose, no license to buy
ZEP has no free plan, only a trial, and its editions step up sharply as you need more depth. Sandtime.io is one product, free for unlimited users, with nothing held back for a higher tier.
The completion chain, included
Reminders, one-click approvals from email and automatic locking of past periods are included free, with multi-currency reporting and rates that keep their history.
Nothing built to monitor behavior
Sandtime.io has no screenshots, no activity scoring and no application monitoring, so a works council reviewing it has less to negotiate over. This is context rather than legal advice.
The closest match in the category, and the clearest trade
Most trackers are general tools that happen to suit agencies. ZEP was built for consultancies from the start, which makes it the sharpest comparison here and the one where the honest answer most often favors staying. The question is whether you need the depth it charges for, or only the part that turns worked hours into an invoice.
Choose Sandtime.io when
You need timers, timesheets, reminders, approvals, locking, rates and exports, your expenses and invoicing already live elsewhere, and you would rather not license software per person to get them.
Keep ZEP when
Travel expenses, resource planning, invoicing or a DATEV and Personio connection are part of the job. Those are real capabilities with no equivalent in Sandtime.io.
On German hosting
ZEP hosts and develops in Germany. Sandtime.io keeps data in the European Union on OVHcloud and is built in Poland. If a policy says Germany specifically, that is a difference worth naming early.
Pricing and plan details checked September 29, 2026
Check ZEP's current editions See where data is hosted See Sandtime.io pricing
Test the workflow before switching
The useful test is whether complete, approved hours reach billing on time. These are real Sandtime.io screens, not mockups of a competitor's product. The screenshots use the English interface; Polish and French interfaces are also available.
Record the work
Use one client project for a complete billing cycle. Track or enter hours yourself; Sandtime.io does not reconstruct work from app or website activity.
Close the week
Submit, approve, and lock the weekly timesheet. Friday email reminders require auto-locking and each user's notification opt-in; they are off by default.
Check the billing handoff
Compare the exported hours and amounts with your existing billing records before switching. Sandtime.io supplies reports and exports, not an invoicing engine.
Keep payroll, attendance, automatic capture, legal billing, and resource planning in the evaluation if your team depends on them. A simpler timesheet tool is not a replacement for those workflows.
See the worked timesheet-to-billing example
Screenshot source: the public Sandtime.io brand kit · Read the approval guide · Read the reminder conditions
ZEP alternative FAQs
Short answers about pricing, migration, and product fit.
Does ZEP have a free plan?
No. ZEP's free access is a 14-day trial of the full product. After that you choose a paid edition. Sandtime.io is free for unlimited users with no seat charge and no credit card.
Does Sandtime.io replace ZEP's expenses and invoicing?
No. ZEP covers travel expenses, receipts, resource planning, invoicing and interfaces to German business software such as DATEV and Personio. Sandtime.io does none of that and exports data for those systems instead.
Where is each product hosted?
ZEP is hosted and developed in Germany. Sandtime.io runs on OVHcloud infrastructure in the European Union and is built in Poland. Both keep data in the EU, but only one of them is German, which matters if your policy names the country rather than the union.
Can either product be self-hosted?
ZEP is cloud only. Sandtime.io runs on OVHcloud in the European Union by default, and self-hosting is arranged as a custom Enterprise deployment rather than sold as a standard plan. If on-premise is a hard requirement, raise it before shortlisting either.
Can Sandtime.io import ZEP data?
Not automatically. Keep ZEP as the historical archive, recreate active clients, projects, people and rates in Sandtime.io, then reconcile one full reporting cycle before cutting over.
Is ZEP still the better choice for some teams?
Yes, and it is the closest match in the category to what Sandtime.io does. ZEP was built for consultancies rather than adapted to them, and its German integrations and expense handling answer requirements Sandtime.io has no answer for.
Comparing something else?
Teams weighing this one usually weigh these too.
Try one project before switching your team
Create a free workspace, record a billing cycle, and check the exported hours against your current records. Keep your existing tool until the workflow fits.