Finance & accounting

Should you build your own Everhour?

Time tracking, estimates, budgets, expenses, and invoices for project tools

Buildable · the essentials fit in one project
Price $10/moEstimated savings $102/yrEstimated time one sittingCategory Finance & accountingCatalog votes 0

Everhour's solo core is compact: build a private time + budget tracking ledger that imports user-supplied CSV files, categorizes entries, reconciles balances, and exports reports. A competent builder can reach a useful personal version in one sitting, while the paid product mainly wins on banking, compliance, trust.

ENOriginal research content in English. Original prompt preserved in English.

The complete prompt
Build a usable personal replacement for the core loop of Everhour.
Use exactly this stack: Next.js 15 + TypeScript + SQLite.
Primary job: Build a private time + budget tracking ledger that imports user-supplied CSV files, categorizes entries, reconciles balances, and exports reports.
Start from an empty folder and create the complete working project.
Make the default mode single-user and private.
Store user data locally unless the core job requires the declared self-hosted database.
Do not add analytics, telemetry, ads, or third-party accounts.
Put every secret and external credential in .env and provide .env.example.
Use realistic sample data that is clearly labelled and easy to delete.
Implement the smallest polished interface that completes the core loop end to end.
Include clear empty, loading, validation, success, and failure states.
Add import and export so the user is not trapped in the app.
Use accessible keyboard navigation, labels, focus states, and sensible contrast.
Validate untrusted input and never log secrets or private file contents.
Deliberately exclude these paid-product advantages: bank, payment, tax, and reconciliation integrations; live bank feeds and payment rails; tax and accounting rule updates.
Do not fake integrations, network effects, proprietary data, model quality, compliance, or security claims.
Where an external API is optional, keep the app useful without it and explain the degraded mode.
Write focused unit tests for the data model and the most important workflow.
Add one end-to-end smoke test that proves the core loop works.
Create a README with setup, permissions, architecture, data location, backup, and limitations.
Add scripts for install, development, test, build, and a production-style local run.
Run the tests and build before finishing, then fix errors rather than merely describing them.

The prompt opens pre-filled in your agent. Review it before running. · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR

Original prompt preserved in English.

What would building your own look like?

Build a private time + budget tracking ledger that imports user-supplied CSV files, categorizes entries, reconciles balances, and exports reports.

What you will need

Why paying can still make sense

Everhour: People pay because errors touch real money. Bank connections, reconciliation, tax changes, evidence, security, and support are the product.

What you lose

xbank, payment, tax, and reconciliation integrations

xlive bank feeds and payment rails

xtax and accounting rule updates

xaudited security and recovery

xmulti-user controls and accountant workflows

Share on X ↗"I just replaced Everhour ($10/mo) with one prompt"
Free alternatives

Prefer something ready-made?

KimaiTime, budgets, expenses, invoices and an API; project-tool integrations are thinner than Everhour's.4.9kAug 2026Open source↗Invoice Ninja self-hostedTime, tasks, quotes, expenses and invoices for free on your server; deep project-tool integrations do not follow.$0Free↗

License, setup, and limitations for each alternative.

Plans and pricing

How much does Everhour cost?

In your currency · US DollarChecked on 10/20/2026
Monthly billing
$10/mo · per person
Per year
$120/yr
Annual billing
$102/yr15% cheaper than paying monthly
Buy on the official site

You complete the purchase on Everhour’s site. Vibe Radar does not handle payments.

PlanMonthlyAnnual (per month)What is included
free$0/user$0/userUp to 5 users; time tracking, projects, tasks, reports, and export; 0 project-management integrations
team$10/user$8.50/userMinimum 5 paid seats; unlimited seats; integrations, estimates, budgets, expenses, invoicing, and SSO
customcustom-For 50+ users; custom commercial and support terms

Free tier5 users; time tracking, projects, tasks, reports, and export; 0 integrations

Billing termsmonthly + annual (annual rate is 15% lower); 14-day Team trial

Additional costsTeam has a 5-seat minimum, making the minimum bill $50/month or $42.50/month at the annual rate. Purchased seat count is not automatically reduced when a user is removed; annual unused time is non-refundable.

verified 2026-10-20 · source ↗

Build or buy

Is it cheaper to build or buy Everhour?

Adjust the numbers: hours to build, your hourly rate, running costs and the subscription price.

Subscribe
Build it yourself
Horizon
Subscribe$204
Build it yourself$1,520

Over 24 months, subscribing is cheaper.

Starting hours estimated from the analysis (one sitting). Does not price what you give up (support, integrations, security).

Frequently asked questions
Can I rebuild Everhour?

Yes. A competent AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) can build a usable personal Everhour replacement in one session with the prompt on this page. It runs on your own machine or server with no subscription.

How much does Everhour cost?

Everhour costs about $10/mo (Team, checked 10/20/2026), which is $102 per year. That’s what you save by replacing it with one prompt.

What do I lose by replacing Everhour?

Honestly: bank, payment, tax, and reconciliation integrations; live bank feeds and payment rails; tax and accounting rule updates; audited security and recovery; multi-user controls and accountant workflows. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Everhour?

Yes: Kimai (Time, budgets, expenses, invoices and an API; project-tool integrations are thinner than Everhour's.) Invoice Ninja self-hosted (Time, tasks, quotes, expenses and invoices for free on your server; deep project-tool integrations do not follow.) The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.

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