If you run an installation company in Germany, recording your team’s working hours is no longer optional. Since the Federal Labour Court (BAG) ruling of 2022, all employers are required to systematically record working time. Fines for non-compliance can reach up to €30,000.
But compliance is only part of the story. The bigger question for most installation companies is this: what happens to those recorded hours? Do they tell you whether a project was profitable? Whether your technician spent three hours too long on a job? Whether your quote was accurate?
The time tracking softwares in this comparison answer that question very differently. Here is an honest look at the four most relevant options for installation companies in Germany in 2026.
Clockify: free time tracking software for any installer
Clockify is one of the most widely used time tracking software in the world, with a genuinely free plan that covers unlimited users and unlimited projects. For small installation companies or sole traders looking for a quick, low-cost solution, it is hard to beat on price.
Clockify time tracking features
The time tracking software Clockify lets your team track hours via a one-click timer or manual entry, across web, desktop, and mobile. Hours can be assigned to projects and tasks, and the reporting dashboard gives a clear overview of where time is going. Timesheets can be exported as CSV, Excel or PDF. The paid plans add GPS tracking, invoicing, scheduling, and approval workflows.
Advantages of Clockify
- Free plan with unlimited users and projects
- Clean, easy interface no training needed
- Integrates with 80+ tools including Jira, Asana, Google Calendar
- Works on all devices including offline (mobile)
- Available in German and English
Disadvantages of Clockify
- No features specific to installation companies
- No stock, purchasing, or project cost accounting
- Advanced features require paid upgrade
clockin: time tracking app built for German tradespeople
The time tracking software clockin was built specifically for tradespeople in Germany developed together with practitioners who work in the field, not at a desk. It is one of the most recognised time tracking apps for German trade businesses and is rated as a top option on OMR Reviews.
Clockin time tracking features
Your team records working hours, breaks and travel time directly in the mobile app, even without an internet connection. Timesheets are generated automatically and passed to payroll via DATEV export. clockin also supports project-based time tracking through its integration with Lexware Office, making it easy to turn recorded hours into client invoices.
Advantages of Clockin
- Designed specifically for German tradespeople
- Works offline essential for sites with poor signal
- DATEV export for straightforward payroll handover
- No training required intuitive for non-technical users
- German-language support
Disadvantages of Clockin
- Pure time tracking tool no job management or invoicing
- No features for solar, heat pump or EV installation
- No project cost accounting or stock management
ToolTime: time tracking and job management for tradespeople
The time tracking software ToolTime is a Berlin-based job management platform for tradespeople, trusted by over 10,000 users. It goes further than pure time tracking by combining hour registration with job scheduling, quoting, invoicing and digital job sheets all in one cloud-based system that syncs in real time between desktop and mobile.
ToolTime time tracking features
Technicians track time via stopwatch or manual entry in the mobile app, assign hours to appointments and projects, and record breaks and absences. In the web version, managers get a full overview of all employees’ time entries, filterable by date, project and absence type, with CSV and Excel export. The platform also covers quotes, invoices, digital job sheets and job scheduling making it more than a time tracker.
Advantages of ToolTime
- More than time tracking includes quotes, invoices, job sheets
- Real-time sync between mobile app and web version
- Available in German and English with German-language support
- Works offline
Disadvantages of ToolTime
- No native PV design or heat load calculation
- No stock management or purchasing module
- Not a full ERP lacks project cost accounting
OpusFlow: time tracking software built into a full installer ERP
OpusFlow is a full ERP platform built from the ground up for sustainable installation companies businesses that install solar, heat pumps, battery storage and EV charging infrastructure. Time registration is not a standalone module. It is one part of a connected operational chain that runs from the first customer contact through to the paid invoice.
OpusFlow timer tracking features
Technicians log hours directly against projects using a start/stop timer or manual entry, categorised by activity type: installation, travel, maintenance, or administration. These hours flow automatically into project cost accounting giving you real-time visibility of whether a job is within budget, before the month is over.
Hour registration entries appear in the planning calendar as colour-coded blocks, sitting directly alongside scheduled appointments. Your planner sees at a glance what was planned and what was actually worked, without switching systems.
Since early 2026, OpusFlow automatically monitors German ArbZG working time rules for every employee checking daily whether break requirements and maximum working hours are being met, with visual alerts where anomalies appear.
Advantages of OpusFlow
- Native PV design, heat pump and EV installation features
- End-to-end solution, one system from lead management to invoice and after-sales
- Built specifically for sustainable installation companies
- Automatic ArbZG compliance monitoring since early 2026
Disadvantages of OpusFlow
- More features than a pure time tracking tool requires onboarding
- Best suited to installation companies (solar, heat pump, EV)
Beyond time tracking: OpusFlow´s end-to-end chain
What makes OpusFlow different is not a single feature it is the connection between all of them:
1. A lead comes in via your website and it will be registered in OpusFlow’s CRM module via automations.
2. A ticket is automatically generated for your sales team to give this new lead a call and reach out to them.
3. An automatic email will be sent to the client so they can book their inspection session with your team.
4. The moment the client books a time slot, your planner receives a notification to schedule this into your team’s calendar.
5. Your sales person visits the site, fills in the inspection form directly in OpusFlow and creates the solar installation plan directly in OpusFlow’s PV designer, a quotation with full bill of material and mounting systems is made and is sent to the client via OpusFlow’s customer portal.
6. Follow-up emails will be sent to the client to remind them of accepting and signing the quotation.
7. Once they accept the quotation, the back office receives a notification and moves on to the planning of the final installation and plans it into your team’s calendar.
8. The software automatically creates a bill of materials based on the installation design and stock can be booked or ordered for it.
9. On the installation day, your mechanics/technicians can log in their working hours for the project via the time registration tool.
10. Those hours will feed directly the project margin and the invoice.
How does the time tracking software compared?
All four time tracking softwares work for installers. The difference is how much they cover beyond basic time tracking:
Features
Clockify
Clockin
ToolTime
OpusFlow
Works offline
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Legend: ✅ Confirmed and evidenced 🔍 No public information found
Final conclusion: Which tool is right for you?
Choosing the right tool depends on whether you are looking for a standalone feature or a complete business engine. Clockify and clockin are solid entry points for simple, low-cost compliance and DATEV exports, while ToolTime offers helpful features for managing quotes and invoices. However, for installation companies in renewable energy, time tracking shouldn’t be an isolated island, it should be the heartbeat of the entire operation.
OpusFlow provides everything the other tools offer, but then goes significantly further. It is the only true end-to-end solution in this comparison. While it handles seamless time registration and legal compliance as effortlessly as the rest, OpusFlow integrates these hours directly into your entire workflow.
Want to see the power of a true end-to-end solution in practice? Book a free demo now!
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