What is Tempo Timesheets? Jira Tracking & 2026 Alternative

  • Ola Rybacka
  • April 15, 2026
  • 6 min read
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Jira comes with a built-in time tracking feature that helps you manage project time more effectively and generate time-based reports for clients and stakeholders. Tempo Timesheets builds on this functionality as a native Jira time tracking solution designed specifically for Jira environment. Tempo time tracking for Jira operates exclusively within this environment (it isn’t a standalone platform but a plugin that integrates directly with your company’s Jira setup). If you already use Jira, Tempo Timesheets can be a practical tool for tracking time in your business.

In the latter part of this article, we will also show you how TimeCamp works, which is a good alternative to Tempo Timesheets that also offers Jira time tracking.

Note: Our team has tested Tempo Timesheets to provide an accurate product description and comparison with TimeCamp features. However, to respect our data privacy, the product screenshots used in this article are sourced from Tempo’s official documentation on the Atlassian Marketplace. 

What Does Tempo Timesheets Offer?

With this tool, you can track four important areas of your business operations:

Track Time

Tempo Timesheets offer automated time tracking with AI recommendations. This tool pulls data from sources like calendars and IDEs, helping you save time on logging work and improving reporting accuracy.

Track Projects

With this tool, you can capture every billable hour. Additionally, this tool provides a clear breakdown of how efforts are allocated, enabling your managers to streamline workflows and eliminate unnecessary tasks. Tracking working time in Jira enables the creation of clear, easy-to-understand reports on activities.

a screenshot of tempo timesheets interface

Track Costs

Tempo Timesheets accurately calculates project capitalization (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX). This way, you have more control over your capital and operational expenditures, which helps you with financial planning and analysis.

Track Progress

Lastly, you can track the progress of both the entire team and individual employees, which is helpful for project management and resource allocation. Tempo offers reporting on individual performance, highlighting areas of strength and opportunities for growth. With this, managers can make informed decisions to enhance team productivity. Moreover, historical time tracking data in Tempo Timesheets allows project managers to compare “Planned vs. Actual” hours for better future estimates.

Additionally, Tempo comes with so-called work logs. A work log (or time report template) is a preformatted document tailored to the project team using customized tags or fields. Implementing a work log template for your team facilitates consistent time tracking, ensuring team members’ daily reports use the same metrics as their peers. This way, all the data you get is aligned with your company’s operations.

a screenshot of progress view in tempo timesheets

Tempo Timesheets Pricing

Tempo Timesheets is available in two different versions:

  1. Cloud: It’s a cheaper, hosted by Tempo version of the plugin. It starts at $10 per user, and the price per user goes down as you scale (e.g., at 100 users, it’s $5.21 per user)

  2. Data center: It’s a much more expensive, self-hosted version of this software. If you hire fewer than 50 people, the annual cost is $2,280. For a company hiring 100 employees, the cost goes up to $4,561 per year.

Note: Because Tempo lives inside Jira, if your team uses other tools like Asana or Trello, hours logged in those tools will remain invisible unless you connect a standalone time tracker, such as TimeCamp. 

Total Cost: Tempo + Jira vs. TimeCamp (Standalone)

When comparing costs, it’s important to include both the Jira and Tempo Timesheets licenses, as Tempo cannot function without Jira. On the other hand, TimeCamp doesn’t require any additional licenses:

 

Tempo + Jira

TimeCamp

50 users

Tempo: $260.50/month

Jira: $395.50/month

 

Total: $656/month

$199.50/month (annual) or $274.50/month (monthly)

100 users

Tempo: $521/month

Jira: $791/month

 

Total: $1,312/month

$399/month (annual) or $549/month (monthly)

Tempo Timesheets vs. TimeCamp: Feature Comparison

While both Tempo and TimeCamp offer similar functionality, there are some important differences between them. The main difference is the nature of each product. Tempo Timesheets is a plugin that works exclusively with Jira, while TimeCamp is a standalone time tracking platform that works with Jira and 80+ other apps and IT systems, and provides you with accurate time data and clear insights.

Factor

Tempo Timesheets

TimeCamp

Software type

Jira plugin

Standalone platform

Jira integration

Yes (it IS Jira)

Native integration

Works without Jira

No

Yes, and 80+ other tools

Automated timesheets

Yes

Yes

AI support

Yes

Yes

Standalone platform

No

Yes

Works with different environments

No (works with Jira)

Yes (independent platform)

Pricing

Starts at $10 per user; requires a Jira license

Starts at $3.99 per user, no additional license required

Offers a free plan

No (a free trial is available)

Yes, unlimited projects and users (a free trial is also available – sign up now)

Offers other features

Yes, but limited (through other tools)

Yes (e.g., invoicing, budgeting, and attendance monitoring)

Integrates with third-party tools

Yes

Yes

Automated time tracking

AI-powered (from

calendars, IDEs)

Keyword-based + AI

Built-in invoicing

No, requires separate tools

Native

Attendance tracking

No

Native

Productivity monitoring

Limited

Activity & app tracking

CAPEX/OPEX tracking

Yes

Limited

Available on-premises

Yes, Jira Data Center

Yes

Mobile App

iOS & Android

iOS & Android

When Should You Consider Tempo Timesheets?

Tempo is a good option if your team already works in the Jira environment and uses it as the core of your workflow ecosystem. It’s particularly useful when you need CAPEX/OPEX tracking and financial planning directly within Jira, especially when combined with other Tempo tools (such as Tempo Planner and Tempo Cost Tracker). In this setup, Tempo Timesheets supports effective time tracking and reporting across projects and portfolios. However, it’s best suited for teams that don’t require features like invoicing, attendance tracking, or productivity monitoring, as these are either not included or limited.

Tempo limitations

Tempo Timesheets operates exclusively within Jira and cannot be used as a standalone tool, meaning it requires both a Jira license and a separate Tempo license. It does not include built-in invoicing, so users need to rely on integrations with other Tempo products or third-party tools. Additionally, it lacks features such as attendance tracking, productivity, or activity monitoring.

Moreover, there is no free plan available (only a limited free trial).

When Should You Consider TimeCamp?

TimeCamp is a better fit for teams that use Jira time tracking alongside other tools like Trello, Asana, or Slack, rather than relying on a single ecosystem. As a standalone time tracking platform, it offers more flexibility and doesn’t require you to use Jira for all your operations. TimeCamp provides an all-in-one solution that includes time tracking, invoicing, attendance tracking, and productivity monitoring, making it suitable for teams working across multiple platforms.

It also offers a free plan and supports on-premise deployment, which may be important for companies handling sensitive data. From a cost perspective, TimeCamp typically offers a much lower total cost of ownership, as it requires only one license, while Tempo requires both a Jira license and a separate Tempo license, which increases the monthly cost per user.

screenshots of timecamp plugin for jira

TimeCamp Pricing

Free

$

0.00

Free plan includes all the essentials (accurate time tracking, unlimited projects, desktop, and mobile apps, idle time detection, and many more).

Starter

$

3.99

user/month

Starter plan includes unlimited tasks, excel reports export, attendance, time-off, overtime tracking.

Premium

$

6.99

user/month

Premium plan includes one integration, billable time, budget and estimates, apps and websites tracking, project archiving, and more.

Ultimate

$

9.99

user/month

Ultimate plan includes unlimited integrations, billable rates, labor costs, invoicing, timesheet approvals, custom user roles, and more.

Enterprise

Contact
sales

Enterprise Plan, designed for companies with 50+ employees, includes priority support with SLA, self-hosted and private cloud instances, custom integrations, and more.

Additionally, TimeCamp provides you with additional admin and productivity monitoring options, such as:

  • Invoicing (create transparent invoices for your clients with clear information on how much time was spent on their projects each month)

  • Attendance monitoring (our time tracking software can help manage employee attendance and overtime effectively)

  • Billing and budgeting (budgeting tools allow for tracking project status and managing resources effectively; here, especially remote teams can benefit from time tracking tools that simplify attendance and billable hours management)

  • Productivity monitoring (improve your team’s productivity and eliminate time-wasters)

And many more options. This tool works with both mid-sized companies and enterprises, enabling you to easily generate custom time reports to streamline operations and enhance your team’s productivity. Also, our time tracking app enables you to keep track of your time whether you work from the office or you’re on the go (if needed, even offline tracking is available).

See how top teams track profitability

Book a short, focused call to see TimeCamp configured for your organization’s structure, approval flows, and reporting needs.

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Tempo Timesheets for Jira FAQ

Is Tempo Timesheets free?

No, Tempo Timesheets does not offer a free plan, but you can try it for 30 days. After that, pricing starts at approx. $10 per user (for Cloud version) or requires a Data Center license. 

Does Tempo Timesheets work without Jira? 

No, Tempo Timesheets is not a standalone time tracking app; it’s built as a native solution and operates only within the Atlassian ecosystem. If your team needs a time tracking tool that tracks time across Jira and other tools, such as Asana, Trello, Monday.com, Clickup, Notion, Xero, etc., a separate time tracker like TimeCamp can be a better choice. 

How does Tempo AI time tracking work? 

Tempo Timesheets uses AI-powered suggestions to help users track time faster by browsing their Google/Office 365 Calendars and IDE activity. Users still have to log these suggestions to their timesheets manually. 

Start Time Tracking With TimeCamp

If you are looking for a reliable and flexible time tracker that works with Jira and other environments, give TimeCamp a try. Our platform works on autopilot and provides you with many useful features that help you streamline operations and save time. Start here and get a free plan or one of the paid plans.

And if you want to improve your use of timesheets, take a look at this post on our blog:

Sources:

https://www.tempo.io/products/jira-time-tracking

https://www.tempo.io/products/jira-time-tracking/work-logs

https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/pricing

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