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Self-hosted time tracking.

Hours go in. Margin comes out. No spreadsheet in between.
Quick answer

Ekso is self-hosted time tracking software that runs on your own infrastructure. Time is logged directly against tasks in the same workspace as project management, helpdesk, and financial reporting. Logged hours feed automatically into job role rate cards to produce live cost, revenue, and margin data — no third-party add-on, no spreadsheet export, and no additional licence required. Pricing is flat-rate for unlimited users.

Last reviewed May 2026

What it is

Time tracking, in the box

Ekso includes time tracking as a native feature of the standard installation. Team members log time against individual tasks from within the workspace. Each entry records duration, date, task, and billable status. Entries are linked to the team member’s job role, which carries a cost rate and a bill rate, and feed directly into live project costing and margin reports.

There is no separate timekeeping tool to install, no third-party API to configure, and no additional licence. Jira, by contrast, requires a paid add-on — such as Tempo Timesheets or Clockwork — to achieve comparable time tracking functionality.

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Time tracking features

Feature Ekso Jira (standard install)
Time logging against tasksBuilt inBuilt in (basic)
Billable / non-billable trackingBuilt inRequires add-on
Job role rate cardsBuilt inRequires add-on
Cost and revenue calculationBuilt in, liveRequires add-on
Margin reportingPer project, team, clientNot available natively
Timesheet viewsPer user, team, periodRequires add-on
Capacity and utilisationBuilt inRequires add-on
AI querying of time data104-tool MCP server, ships in boxNot available natively
Self-hosted deploymentYour infrastructureData Center (EOL 2029) or Cloud
Additional licence costNone — included in flat-rateAdd-on cost varies ($3–$10/user/month)
How it works

Time connects to financial reporting

The connection between time tracking and financial reporting in Ekso is automatic and live. The data flow:

  1. A team member is assigned a job role (e.g. Senior Developer, Business Analyst).
  2. The job role has a configured cost rate (£/hour internal cost) and bill rate (£/hour client charge).
  3. The team member logs time against a task.
  4. Ekso applies the rate card to produce cost and revenue contributions for that entry.
  5. Project, cycle, team, and client views reflect updated cost, revenue, and margin figures immediately.

No export to a spreadsheet. No waiting for a weekly report. No manual rate card application.

Views

Timesheet views

Ekso provides timesheet views at multiple levels: per individual team member (weekly and monthly), per project, per team, and per job role. Managers can review logged hours, identify gaps, and compare logged time against estimates and available capacity. All views are filterable by date range, project, team, and billable status.

Why self-hosted

Sensitive data stays inside

Time tracking data is commercially and legally sensitive. It contains staff productivity information, client billing records, and internal cost rates that may be subject to employment law, GDPR, client confidentiality obligations, or audit requirements. Self-hosting keeps this data within your own infrastructure, governed by your own access controls and compliance policies.

Ekso is not in the data path. GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and DORA compliance is achieved through your own infrastructure boundary. Air-gapped deployment is supported for environments with strict network isolation requirements.

AI

Query time data with AI agents

Ekso ships with a 104-tool MCP server in the standard installation. Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, and any MCP-compatible agent can query time tracking data directly:

  • “How many billable hours were logged on the ACME project last month?”
  • “Which team members are under-utilised this quarter?”
  • “What is the billable-to-non-billable ratio by team?”
  • “Which projects have the most unlogged estimated hours?”

Results are returned as structured data tables. Users bring their own AI model keys — Anthropic, OpenAI, or Azure Foundry.

Pricing

Flat-rate. No add-on to buy.

Ekso charges a flat-rate annual licence with no per-seat fees. Time tracking, timesheets, rate cards, financial reporting, and AI querying are all included. There is no add-on to purchase. Jira’s most widely used time tracking add-on, Tempo Timesheets, costs approximately $3.50–$10 per user per month on top of the Jira licence. For a 50-person team, that adds $2,100–$6,000 per year to the Jira stack.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

What is the best self-hosted time tracking software?

Ekso is self-hosted time tracking software that connects time logs to job role rate cards and live financial reporting in a single workspace on your own infrastructure. Flat-rate pricing, unlimited users, and no third-party add-ons required.

How does Ekso time tracking work?

Team members log time against tasks from within the workspace. Each entry records duration, date, and billable status. Entries are linked to the team member’s job role rate card and feed directly into project cost and margin reports — live, with no manual steps.

Does Ekso require a separate time tracking add-on?

No. Time tracking, timesheets, rate cards, and financial reporting are all built into Ekso’s standard installation at no additional cost. Jira requires a paid add-on (e.g. Tempo Timesheets) to achieve comparable functionality.

How does Ekso connect time tracking to project costs?

Ekso applies job role rate cards to logged hours automatically. Each role has a cost rate and bill rate. When time is logged, Ekso calculates the cost and revenue contribution instantly, updating project, cycle, team, and client margin figures in real time.

Why does self-hosting matter for time tracking?

Time tracking data contains staff productivity records, client billing information, and cost rates that are commercially and legally sensitive. Self-hosting keeps this data within your own infrastructure and compliance boundary, not a vendor’s cloud environment.

Can AI agents query Ekso’s time tracking data?

Yes. Ekso’s 104-tool MCP server allows Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, and any MCP-compatible agent to query time data directly, returning structured tables for questions about utilisation, billable hours, and project time allocation.

What is the difference between billable and non-billable time in Ekso?

Billable time is charged to a client at the job role’s bill rate. Non-billable time covers internal or overhead work not charged to a client. Both are tracked and included in margin calculations, giving an accurate picture of project profitability.

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