Time clock & work journal
A time clock and a work journal, in one app.
Clock in when your shift starts. Clock out when it ends. RareTap keeps a running record of the hours — automatically, if you set up a geofence at your workplace, or with one tap from your phone, Siri, or Control Center.
By The Rare Dev, the independent developer behind RareTap Free on the App Store · iPhone, iOS 17+
Not only for a job
The clock doesn't care what you're timing.
A shift is the clearest case for a time clock and a work journal together, so it's the example this page walks through. But RareTap isn't only for a job: the same tap-to-start, tap-to-stop rhythm works for a workout, a study block, a freelance project, or a practice session — any activity you'd want a record of.
Clock in
Track the hours.
A shift is really several named activities wearing one hat — arriving, a lunch break, maybe a second job — and RareTap tracks each one as its own timer, not one undifferentiated block of time.
- One-tap multi-timer tracking across your named activities — "Work," "Gym," "Study," whatever you're tracking (up to three free; more with Premium). Run more than one at once if your day calls for it.
- Geofence, Siri, and Control Center triggers start and stop a timer without you reaching for the app — for a workplace, an arrival can clock you in and a departure can clock you out.
- Weekly goals (free) and Insights (Premium) show the shape of your hours over time, across every activity you track — not just the one you happened to open the app for.
Then write
Keep the story.
- A day-anchored journal sits alongside your tracked time, one entry per day rather than one per timer.
- When you decide to write, the hours you tracked — and Apple's own Journaling Suggestions — give the entry a head start. Writing is opt-in; there's never a blank page forced on you after a long day, but there's never anything written that you didn't choose to add, either.
Take it with you
Own your record.
- Export your time clock and journal free as CSV or JSON, or as dated Markdown files with a direct path into an Obsidian vault on Premium — your work journal lives wherever you already keep your notes, not locked inside one app.
- The same export works whether a day held one long shift or five short activities — the format doesn't change based on what you were tracking.
Yours alone
Private by design.
RareTap runs on-device with private iCloud sync — no accounts, no servers to sign up for. Your hours and your journal live on your iPhone and in your own private iCloud, not on a service run by the developer. RareTap's App Store privacy label is Data Not Collected.
FAQ
Questions, answered plainly.
What is a time clock journal app?
A time clock journal app pairs shift or time tracking with a written journal, so the hours you clock become the starting point for what you write. RareTap does this with one-tap multi-timers and a day-anchored journal that takes an opt-in head start from your tracked time.
Can RareTap work as a time clock for a job?
Yes, for personal tracking: clock in and out by tap, Siri, Control Center, or an automatic geofence at your workplace, and RareTap keeps the record. It's built for your own tracking, not payroll or team scheduling.
Is RareTap only useful for hourly work?
No — hourly work is the clearest example, but the same one-tap tracking and journal works for workouts, study sessions, freelance projects, or any activity you want a record of.
Do I need an account to use RareTap as a work journal?
No. RareTap works on-device with private iCloud sync — no account or server required.
Can I export my work journal?
Yes — free as CSV or JSON, or as dated Markdown files with Obsidian-vault compatibility on Premium.