How to Build a Time Tracking App with AI (2026)

What a time tracking app needs

One-tap start/stop timer
Clients and projects with rates
Manual entry and editing
Weekly/monthly billable reports
Export to CSV / invoice draft

The screens

Screen	What it does
Timer	Big start/stop, current project
Timesheet	Entries by day, edit inline
Projects	Clients, projects, hourly rates
Reports	Billable totals by client/period
Settings	Rounding, export, subscription

The data model

Client: name
Project: clientId, name, hourlyRate
TimeEntry: projectId, start, end, note, billable

The build prompt (copy this)

Paste this into ShipNative and it becomes a working React Native app with these screens, navigable in a live preview, in about two minutes:

“A time tracker for freelancers. One-tap timer against projects, clients with hourly rates, manual entry editing, billable reports by client and period, CSV export. Screens: Timer, Timesheet, Projects with rates, Reports, Settings with rounding rules. Free for 1 client, subscription for unlimited.”

Then iterate with small, screen-specific prompts (“make the primary button bigger”, “add an empty state”), preview on your own phone, and export the full Expo project whenever you want. The full method: how to build an app with AI.

How it makes money

Freemium by client count ($5–9/mo). Pairs perfectly with an invoicing app — build both, cross-sell.

Implementation and the revenue math for every model: how to make money from an app. When you’re ready to ship: App Store and Google Play publishing guides.

Build it now

The prompt above is free to run at shipnative.dev — working time tracking app on your phone today, full code export, no credit card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the timer keep running in the background?

Store the start timestamp and compute elapsed on return — the reliable pattern versus a literally-running background process. Generated apps handle this correctly when prompted.

What report do freelancers actually need?

Hours × rate by client for a date range, exportable. That one report is 90% of the value; resist dashboard sprawl.

How to Build a Time Tracking App with AI