ToolTime alternativeLooking for a ToolTime alternative? Here it is.
ToolTime is a well-made app — mobile-first, friendly UX, fast onboarding. But it stays a subscription that never belongs to you. Krafteq builds your own trades software at a fixed price scoped after the prototype, with hosting as an optional annual subscription per software (1st year included). ToolTime with add-ons typically €9,000–18,000 over 5 years. You save at least €6,000 and own your software instead of renting it.
Your software. Your ownership. No subscription.
ToolTime strengthsWhat ToolTime does well
We take competitors seriously. ToolTime has earned its place in the German trades market for good reasons — particularly with smaller mobile teams. Before we look at the limits, here's an honest take on what makes ToolTime strong.
Mobile-first by design
ToolTime was built for the smartphone from day one. The app feels natural on a job site — open a job, attach photos, log hours in a few taps. If your work happens mostly outside the office, that's a real advantage.
Fast time-to-first-value
Create an account, fill in some master data, you're running. The onboarding is lean and the learning curve is shallow. For a single master craftsman or a 3-person team that wants to start tomorrow, that matters.
Friendly UX
Clear icons, little jargon, tidy menus. ToolTime is one of the trades apps where less software-savvy team members don't bounce off immediately. In the trades, that's worth a lot.
Solid for standard workflows
If your business handles job management, time tracking and invoicing in a fairly conventional way, ToolTime covers that. For a team that doesn't need anything bespoke and is happy with the standard, ToolTime can be a sensible choice.
ToolTime limitsWhere ToolTime hits its limits
What makes ToolTime mobile-strong has a flip side: you pay monthly for software that never belongs to you, with features evolved on a Berlin vendor's roadmap. For businesses under 10 employees that plan long-term or have their own workflows, these are the typical pain points.
Per-user fees scale with every hire
ToolTime bills per user per month. Hire two apprentices and the cost goes up — even if they only open the software occasionally. Over 5 years, with add-ons (mobile app, time tracking, DATEV interface, e-invoicing), this accumulates to €9,000–18,000 for a business under 10 employees.
Limited customization for non-standard workflows
ToolTime is standard software with fixed flows. If your take-off process, your bill-of-materials structure or your maintenance routine differs from the standard, you often can't model it — you adapt to the software, not the other way around.
Vendor lock-in — data in someone else's cloud
Your jobs, customer data and invoices live on ToolTime's servers. Data export is usually possible but limited — and you have neither source code nor your own tenant. If ToolTime raises the price, drops a feature or you decide to leave, you negotiate from a weak position.
You keep paying — even after 5 years
Subscription bills never stop. In year 6, 7, 10 you're still paying the same tariff (or more, since tariffs rarely go down). With your own software, you've already covered the build cost in year 1 — after that it's only an optional annual hosting subscription per software.
No code ownership
If ToolTime is acquired, drops a tariff you depend on, or simply disappears tomorrow — you have no Plan B. With Krafteq you get the source code in your repository from sprint 1. The software runs in standard containers and is portable to any EU host.
Head-to-headKrafteq vs ToolTime — the dimensions that matter
Both are serious vendors with different models. This table makes the differences clear — so you can make a deliberate decision rather than a gut call.
| Krafteq custom software | ToolTime | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Fixed price + optional hosting | Subscription, monthly per user |
| 5-year total cost (under 10 employees, with add-ons) | Fixed price scoped after prototype, year 1 hosting included — savings €6,000–16,000 vs ToolTime | €9,000–18,000 |
| Setup costs | Included in fixed price | Setup partly included, training often extra |
| Per-user licence | None — one piece of software, any number of users | Yes — per user per month |
| Code ownership | Yes — in customer repository from sprint 1 | No |
| Data export | Anytime, self-service in customer portal | Possible, but scope is vendor-dependent |
| Adaptation to your workflows | 100 percent custom | Standard configuration, limited customization |
| Vendor lock-in | None — standard containers, fully portable | High — proprietary cloud, switching is costly |
| EU data residency | Guaranteed (Germany) | Variable — backend partly outside EU |
| Personal point of contact | Senior engineer in Leverkusen, directly reachable | Berlin support team, mostly via tickets |
Your numbers — instantly
Set the headcount and pick the features you actually use in ToolTime today (or would buy as add-ons). The calculation updates in real time. Model based on publicly communicated prices from ToolTime and comparable subscription vendors for businesses under 10 employees.
How we calculate — subscription cost estimate
- Base fee€60/mo
- Per employee (€15 × 5)€75/mo
- Mobile app / site documentation€30/mo
- Time tracking€30/mo
- Total per month€195/mo
- × 12 months × 5 years€11,700
The base fee and per-employee price are industry averages from the publicly listed prices of plancraft, ToolTime and HERO for businesses under 10 employees. Krafteq’s own fixed price is deliberately not shown here — it is agreed transparently after the free prototype.
Estimate — based on publicly communicated list prices from ToolTime and industry averages for add-ons (mobile, time tracking, DATEV, e-invoicing) for businesses under 10 employees. Krafteq price: fixed price scoped after the prototype, depending on selected feature blocks, plus an optional annual hosting subscription per software (year 1 included). The exact Krafteq price is binding after the prototype walkthrough.
Request your free prototypeFAQSwitching from ToolTime to Krafteq — straight answers
Looking at other subscription vendors? Here are our comparisons against plancraft and HERO.
We compare Krafteq just as honestly against the other major trades-SaaS vendors. Same methodology, same 5-year math, same acknowledgement of competitor strengths — so you make a deliberate decision instead of a gut call.
To plancraft alternativeReady to leave ToolTime?
Describe your business in our request form. We build a free prototype of your own trades software in 5 business days — based on what you actually use in ToolTime today. No sales pressure, no upfront payment, no commitment.
- Fixed price scoped after prototype
- 5 business days for the prototype
- Code belongs to you
- At least €6,000 saved over 5 years