eHour Review: From Open-Source Timesheets to a Hosted SaaS
eHour started as a free, self-hosted open-source timesheet application. That edition is retired: the final release was 1.4.3, and the vendor states it gets no further releases, maintenance updates or security fixes. The old ehour.nl domain now redirects to ehour.com, where eHour is sold as a hosted SaaS.
The current product is project time tracking for billing, budgets and reporting, run by TE-CON B.V. in Amsterdam. It costs €4.49 to €4.99 per user per month, hosts data in the EU, and connects to Jira.
The verdict
Anyone who still lists eHour as a free open-source option is out of date. Existing 1.x installs will keep running, but running unpatched timesheet software on a company network is a security risk, and the vendor now supports migrating eHour 1 data into the hosted product.
As a SaaS, eHour is a focused tool for agencies, consultancies and software teams that bill by the hour. It keeps the weekly grid timesheet people knew from the open-source version and adds multi-level approvals with audit trails, 14 ready-made reports plus a custom report builder, budgets in hours and money, and project profitability views.
The vendor says it has operated for more than 10 years and has teams in 40+ countries using the product. That long history is mostly the open-source years; the hosted service is the newer part, so buyers should treat the SaaS as a relaunch and check its roadmap and uptime record during the trial.
I would pick it when a services team wants simple weekly timesheets tied to Jira and client budgets, with EU hosting. I would pick Kimai if you still want to self-host open-source time tracking, and a scheduling or time clock tool if your staff are hourly shift workers rather than billable professionals.
Where eHour fits
Who it suits
eHour fits agencies, consultants and software development teams, from a handful of people to 100+ users, that track billable hours against project budgets and use Jira. EU data hosting and ISO 27001 certification help European buyers with procurement checks.
It is a poor match for retail, hospitality or manufacturing teams paid by the shift, and for employers looking for activity monitoring; eHour only records the hours people enter or time with its timer.
What it does differently
Its difference from the other tools in this category is focus: eHour is billable project time and budgets, not attendance, monitoring or payroll. Compared with ActivityWatch, which logs personal app use locally, eHour is a shared team system with approvals and client reporting.
How it gets bought
The flat per-user rate and single plan suit small and mid-sized service firms that want timesheets running within a day. Larger firms can use SCIM 2.0 provisioning and SSO through Microsoft Entra ID or Google Sign-in.
eHour pricing after the move to SaaS
eHour has one plan with every feature. Monthly billing is €4.99 or $5.49 per user; annual billing drops that to €4.49 or $4.99. A 20-person agency on annual billing pays about €1,078 a year.
There are no feature tiers to compare, which keeps budgeting simple, but it also means no free tier for very small teams once the 14-day trial ends.
| Plan | Published price | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| eHour (monthly) | €4.99 / $5.49 per user/mo | Not stated |
| eHour (annual) | €4.49 / $4.99 per user/mo | Not stated |
| eHour 1.x open source (retired) | Free | Not stated |
Pricing last checked September 25, 2026. View source
Open-source edition versus SaaS
The open-source edition cost nothing in license fees but now carries unpatched security risk and no support. The SaaS moves hosting, backups and updates to the vendor for a per-user fee.
Who counts as a user
Pricing is per user, so a team that has occasional contractors logging a few hours should decide whether to keep them in eHour or collect their time another way. Removing inactive users each month keeps the bill aligned with real usage.
Comparing eHour with free options
The real comparison for most former users is eHour SaaS against self-hosting Kimai for free. Self-hosting has no license cost but needs a server, patching and backups. At €4.49 per user per month, a 10-person team pays about €539 a year for eHour, which is less than a few hours of an engineer's time spent maintaining a server.
Teams that already pay for Jira should also check whether a Jira-native time tracking add-on covers their needs, because eHour's advantage is budgets and client reporting that sit outside Jira.
eHour features: timesheets, budgets and Jira
Timesheets and approvals
Users log hours in a weekly grid or with a timer, and managers approve them through multi-level approval workflows that keep an audit trail.
Weekly grid. The same grid layout as the open-source eHour.
Audit trail. Approvals and changes are recorded.
Budgets and reporting
Projects carry budgets in hours or money. Fourteen ready-made reports and a custom report builder cover utilization, profitability and client billing.
Billable utilization. Shows billable versus non-billable time per person.
Power BI. Report data can be pulled into Power BI.
Attendance, expenses and security
eHour also records attendance and expenses. The service is ISO 27001 certified, hosts data in the EU, and supports SSO and SCIM 2.0.
EU hosting. Data stays in the EU, which helps with GDPR reviews.
Mobile access. Timesheets work across devices.
Integrations and administration
The REST API is aimed at finance tools, so approved hours can flow to invoicing or accounting. SCIM 2.0 creates and removes users automatically from an identity provider.
Jira. The native integration connects timesheet entries with Jira, so developers can log time against the work they track there.
Identity. Sign-in through Microsoft Entra ID or Google.
eHour pros and cons
Strengths
One plan, all features
Every customer gets approvals, reporting, budgets, Jira and SSO for €4.49 to €4.99 per user per month, with no upgrade tiers.
Jira and identity integrations
Native Jira integration, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Sign-in, SCIM 2.0, Power BI and a REST API for finance tools cover the systems a software or services team is likely to run.
Budgets and profitability built in
Budgets can be set in time or money per project, with profitability and billable utilization reports.
Migration path from eHour 1
Teams on the retired self-hosted version can move their data into the hosted product rather than starting again.
Limitations
No longer open source
The self-hosted open-source edition ended at 1.4.3 and receives no security fixes. Teams that require self-hosting now need another product.
No free tier
After the 14-day trial every user is paid, unlike self-hosted open-source tools or apps with free plans.
Not built for hourly shift staff
eHour has no shift scheduling, kiosk clock-in or payroll rules for hourly workforces. It is a timesheet tool for project work.
Narrow scope beyond time and budgets
eHour's feature list does not include leave balances, payroll pay rules or invoicing. Teams will still need accounting software to bill clients from approved hours, moving the data through the REST API or report exports. HR teams wanting absence tracking alongside timesheets can get both from OrangeHRM or TimeTrex.
eHour's open-source, on-premise edition no longer receives releases or security fixes; development has moved to a hosted SaaS version priced at $4.99 per user per month on annual billing. Existing self-hosted installs still run, but anyone listing eHour as a free open-source option should treat it as unsupported software.
eHour buying motion: trial and migration
eHour is bought self-serve after a 14-day trial. The main decisions are whether to migrate old data and how to connect Jira and sign-in.
- Decide first whether to migrate your eHour 1 history, because the vendor supports importing it and years of project time are hard to rebuild.
- Connect Jira during the trial, since the integration is the main time saver for software teams and should be tested with real projects.
- Set up SSO through Microsoft Entra ID or Google Sign-in before inviting everyone, so accounts are provisioned and removed centrally.
- Take the old self-hosted server offline after migration, because it no longer receives security fixes.
Frequently asked questions about eHour
Is eHour still open source?
No. The open-source, on-premise edition was replaced by the hosted SaaS. The final open-source release was 1.4.3 and it receives no further updates or security fixes.
How much does eHour cost?
€4.99 or $5.49 per user per month on monthly billing, or €4.49 or $4.99 on annual billing, with all features included.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, 14 days with no payment details required.
Does eHour integrate with Jira?
Yes, it has a native Jira integration, plus Microsoft Entra ID, Google Sign-in, Power BI and a REST API.
Where is eHour data hosted?
In the EU. The vendor is based in Amsterdam and holds ISO 27001 certification.
Alternatives worth comparing
If you came to eHour for free, self-hosted software, the alternatives below are the closest replacements.
| Product | Pricing model | Free trial | Why buyers shortlist it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infor WFM | Custom quote | Not stated | Infor WFM handles time and attendance, demand-based scheduling and absence for large manufacturing, healthcare and retail employers. |
| EmpMonitor | Per user per month | Yes | EmpMonitor is commercial employee monitoring software that records screenshots, keystrokes, URLs, app use and idle time on Windows, macOS and Ubuntu computers. |
| Open Time Clock | Freemium, flat rate per company | Not stated | Open Time Clock is a proprietary hosted time clock, in business since 1997, with PIN kiosk, face, QR, RFID and GPS-geofenced clock-ins, WiFi-restricted punching, PTO accruals and 80+ reports. |
| Dayforce | Custom quote | Not stated | Dayforce is a single-database HCM suite covering payroll, HR, workforce management and talent for mid-market and enterprise employers. |
| Connecteam | Tiered pricing | Yes | Connecteam is the all-in-one employee management platform built specifically for deskless and frontline workers, the teams that spend their shifts away from desks, computers, and office environments. |
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