THE ULTIMATE ALTERNATIVE
Looking for a faster, flat-fee alternative to Timely?
Timely uses AI to track time automatically — but automation alone doesn't handle project management, client CRM, or invoicing. Melororium covers the full agency workflow for $59/mo flat, no seat tax.
FAQ
Common questions answered
What is Melororium?
Melororium is a modular team workspace that unifies task management, time tracking, client CRM, and financial reporting in one application. One flat monthly fee for your whole team — from $29/mo. No seat tax, no per-user billing.
How does Melororium replace Timely pricing?
Unlike Timely's recurring per-seat billing, Melororium charges one flat monthly fee for your whole team — Starter $29/mo (4 users), Agency $59/mo (10 users), Studio $119/mo (25 users). Add team members and your price doesn't change. No seat tax, no hidden costs.
Is Melororium a good alternative to Timely?
Yes. Melororium is a strong Timely alternative for digital agencies, small teams, and studios that need fast project management, built-in time tracking, and financial visibility — without paying per-seat subscription fees.
Is Timely's AI-only approach missing the project management your agency needs?
Timely's automatic time tracking is genuinely impressive — but it is a single-purpose tool. Agencies using Timely still need separate project management, client CRM, and invoicing software to run complete operations.
No project management built in
Timely captures time automatically but has no Kanban boards, no milestone tracking, and no task assignment features. Agencies add Asana or ClickUp alongside Timely for actual project execution — two tools, two subscriptions, two logins.
No invoicing module
Timely does not generate invoices. After time is captured and approved, agencies must export data to FreshBooks, QuickBooks, or Harvest for client billing — adding a manual step and another subscription to the workflow.
High per-seat cost
Timely Starter costs $11/user/month ($1,320/year for 10 users). The Premium plan is $20/user/month ($2,400/year for 10 users). Over 5 years on Starter for 10 users: $6,600 — for time capture alone, before PM and billing tools.
Why teams are leaving Timely for Melororium.
Timely
The Status QuoAutomatic time tracking only — no project management or invoicing built in.
Requires Asana/ClickUp + FreshBooks alongside Timely for full agency ops.
$1,320–$2,400/year for 10 users — before PM tool and billing software.
Melororium
The UpgradeManual + automated time capture with kanban PM in the same workspace.
Invoice generation pulls directly from tracked project time — no export needed.
$59/mo (Agency) replaces Timely + PM tool + invoicing tool in one flat-fee workspace.
FEATURE COMPARISON
Head-to-head feature breakdown.
See exactly how we compare against Timely on what actually matters.
| Feature | M Melororium | Timely |
|---|---|---|
| Local-First Speed | Native & Included | Requires integration |
| Flat-Fee Pricing | Native & Included | Per-Seat Only |
| Integrated Financial Ledger | Native & Included | Requires integration |
| Built-in Task Timers | Native & Included | Paid Add-on |
| Zero Per-Seat Taxes | Native & Included | Paid Add-on |
COMPETITOR OVERVIEW
What is Timely? A complete overview for 2026.
Timely is an AI-powered automatic time tracking tool founded in 2013 in Norway by Mathias Mikkelsen. Unlike manual time trackers, Timely uses AI to automatically capture how time is spent across apps, meetings, documents, and websites — then presents a daily timeline for users to review and approve tracked time without manual entry. The Starter plan costs $11/user/month. Timely's automated capture is its genuine innovation — it solves the fundamental time tracking problem of teams forgetting to log hours by eliminating manual entry. The limitation is scope: Timely is exclusively a time intelligence tool, without project management, CRM, or invoicing functionality.
What Timely does well
AI-powered automatic time capture without manual timers — Timely monitors how time is spent across apps, documents, meetings, and websites in the background, then presents a daily timeline for the user to review and approve. This eliminates the common problem of teams reconstructing hours from memory at the end of the week.
Memory AI that learns from user behavior — Timely's AI improves over time, recognizing patterns in how specific apps, documents, or meeting topics relate to specific projects. The system reduces approval review time as it becomes more accurate at categorizing time automatically.
Team time visibility without surveillance — Timely shows managers which projects their team has been working on and for how long, without screenshot monitoring or keystroke tracking. The visibility comes from AI-inferred project allocation rather than activity monitoring.
Who Timely is best for
Knowledge workers and consulting teams of 3–20 people that primarily bill for time and need accurate time data without the discipline overhead of manual timer management — and who handle project task management and client billing in separate tools they're already satisfied with. Timely is the right choice when automatic time capture accuracy is the primary requirement.
Where it falls short
No project management built in: Timely captures time automatically but has no Kanban boards, no milestone tracking, and no task assignment features. Agencies add Asana or ClickUp alongside Timely for actual project execution — two tools, two subscriptions, two logins.
No invoicing module: Timely does not generate invoices. After time is captured and approved, agencies must export data to FreshBooks, QuickBooks, or Harvest for client billing — adding a manual step and another subscription to the workflow.
High per-seat cost: Timely Starter costs $11/user/month ($1,320/year for 10 users). The Premium plan is $20/user/month ($2,400/year for 10 users). Over 5 years on Starter for 10 users: $6,600 — for time capture alone, before PM and billing tools.
PRICING REALITY CHECK
Timely pricing in 2026: the real cost for teams.
Before choosing a tool, it's important to calculate the full cost — not just the monthly sticker price, but what your team will actually spend over 2, 3, and 5 years of continued subscription.
Timely — subscription cost
Timely Starter costs $11/user/month ($132/user/year). Premium: $20/user/month ($240/user/year). For 10 users: Starter $1,320/year, Premium $2,400/year. Adding Asana for project management ($3,000/year for 10 users) and FreshBooks for invoicing ($540/year): total Starter stack $4,860/year.
$6,600–$12,000 for 10 users over 5 years on Timely alone — before project management and invoicing tools.
Melororium — flat-fee team subscription
$29/mo for 4 users (Starter). $59/mo for 10 users (Agency). $119/mo for 25 users (Studio). No seat tax. No per-user billing. Your team grows — your bill stays the same.
$29–$119/mo flat — one price for your whole team.
Agencies switch from Timely + Asana + FreshBooks to Melororium when managing three separate tools for time, projects, and invoicing creates more overhead than Timely's automatic capture saves. Melororium's live timers and per-task time logging provide the visibility agencies need — connected to project management and invoice generation — for $59/mo flat.
ZERO LOADING SPINNERS
Local-first compilation. Zero server delays.
Melororium compiles all database transactions straight inside your client engine before pushing silent sync tasks to the server.
Click run to measure local performance.
SWITCH GUIDE
How to switch from Timely to Melororium.
Most teams complete the migration in 5–7 days. Here's the process that minimizes disruption while getting your team fully operational on Melororium.
Export your data from Timely
Export your existing projects, tasks, client contacts, and historical time data from Timely as CSV or Excel files. Most project management and billing tools support data export from the Account Settings or Admin panel. Check Timely's Help Center for the exact export path — typically found under Settings → Data → Export. Save the exported files as a backup regardless of whether you proceed with the migration.
Start the Melororium 14-day free demo
Sign up for the Melororium free demo at crm.melororium.com — no credit card required. You get full access to all 12 modules for 14 days: task tracker, kanban boards, time tracking, client CRM, invoicing, work reports, and the full team workspace. Use the demo to explore the interface and confirm Melororium covers your team's workflow before purchasing.
Configure your workspace structure
Set up your client list, project templates, team member profiles, and billing rates in Melororium. Most teams complete the initial workspace setup in 2–4 hours. Import client contacts and project names from the CSV files you exported in Step 1. Configure the modules included with your plan to match your team's specific workflow — kanban boards, time tracking, CRM, and invoicing are ready to use out of the box.
Run both tools in parallel for one week
Keep Timely active while your team tests Melororium on a live project for one week. This parallel-run period is the most important step: it lets your team build confidence in the new tool without the pressure of a hard cutover, and ensures no in-flight project work gets lost during the transition. Track time in Melororium, manage tasks in Melororium, and let the team ask questions before fully switching over.
Purchase Melororium and cancel Timely
Once the team is comfortable with the Melororium workspace after the parallel-run week, purchase your plan — from $29/mo (Starter, 4 users) to $59/mo (Agency, 10 users) to $119/mo (Studio, 25 users). Log into Timely and cancel your subscription to stop the recurring charge. The migration is complete: your team now runs on Melororium — one flat monthly fee, no seat tax, no price increase as the team grows.
Frequently asked questions about Timely alternatives for agencies.
What is the best Timely alternative for agencies in 2026?
Melororium is the best Timely alternative for agencies that need project management and invoicing alongside time tracking. Timely Starter costs $11/user/month ($1,320/year for 10 users) and tracks time automatically but has no project management or invoicing. Melororium Agency: $59/mo flat for 10 users — the full agency stack in one workspace.
Does Timely have project management or invoicing?
No. Timely has no Kanban boards, task management, or invoice generation. Agencies using Timely for time capture must add Asana or ClickUp for project execution and FreshBooks or QuickBooks for billing — three separate tools and subscriptions. Melororium replaces all three for $59/mo flat.
Can Melororium replace Timely?
Yes. Melororium includes live team timers with per-task time logging, idle detection, and daily work reports — covering Timely's time capture functionality while adding Kanban project management, client CRM, and native invoice generation. For agencies paying $1,320–$2,400/year on Timely plus adjacent tools, Melororium consolidates the stack.
Is the monthly fee really team-wide?
Yes. One flat monthly fee covers your whole team — Starter $29/mo (4 users), Agency $59/mo (10 users), Studio $119/mo (25 users). Add a new team member and your price doesn't change. No seat tax, no per-user billing.
NOT FINDING WHAT YOU NEED?
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Ready to escape the seat-tax trap?
Consolidate your stack, eliminate seat-tax pricing, and give your whole team one flat workspace. Start your 14-day demo — no credit card required.