Miru
miru.so
What it is
Miru is open-source software for teams that bill by the hour, combining time tracking, invoicing, expenses, payments, and reporting. Users can record time with timers or manual entries, submit work for weekly approval, and set rates for each team member. Invoices can be generated from approved or tracked work and include expenses, taxes, and discounts. Reports cover paid, pending, overdue, and projected revenue, plus project and team analytics. Miru supports a client portal and expense billing, but not recurring invoices. Integrations include Stripe, Google Calendar, SMTP email, CSV and PDF export, CSV import, REST API, CLI, Zapier, Make, and n8n. It can export clients, invoices, and recorded payments to QuickBooks Online through a one-way sync. The local-first desktop timer syncs with Miru and runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows; iOS and Android apps are in beta. Customers can self-host the MIT-licensed Rails app, but must manage operations, backups, upgrades, and security maintenance. The self-hosted plan is free. Miru Cloud is $1 a month, billed Or $10/member/year.; hosted data is encrypted at rest and in transit.
Spec sheet
- Product
- Miru is open-source time tracking, invoicing, expenses, payments, and reporting for teams that bill by the hour.Read 2 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Intended users
- Miru says it is best for agencies, consultants, freelancers, startups, and service teams that track billable hours and send invoices.Read 2 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- API
- Miru exposes a REST API with CRUD operations for time entries, invoices, clients, projects, expenses and payments using bearer-token authentication.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Integrations
- Official pages identify Stripe payments, QuickBooks Online export or sync, SMTP email, CSV and PDF export, Zapier, Make and n8n connectivity.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Security
- The security page says hosted data is encrypted at rest and in transit, with TLS 1.3 connections and AES-256 encryption for stored data.Read 2 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Compliance
- Miru says GDPR compliance is implemented and SOC 2 Type II is in progress.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Support
- The hosted plan includes priority email support, self-hosted users get community support on Discord, and the managed plan lists monitoring and support.Read 2 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Headquarters
- IndiaRead 28 Sep 2026 · miru.so
- Maker
- Miru is built and open-sourced by Saeloun, a Ruby on Rails consultancy with 50+ engineers that says it ships from India.Read 2 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- API rate limits
- The API documentation says login, signup, PDF export and checkout endpoints are throttled per IP while other endpoints have no blanket quota.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Billable time
- Users can track time with timers or manual entries, get weekly approvals, and set rates per team member.Read 2 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- CLI
- The CLI installs with a shell command and supports time entries, invoices, expenses, payments, projects, clients and Harvest CSV imports.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Client portal
- A client portal lets customers view invoice information and pay through secure links without creating a Miru account.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Company founding
- LinkedIn gives Saeloun a founding year of 2019.Read 20 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Company headquarters
- LinkedIn lists Saeloun headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, with an additional Pune location.Read 20 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Company size
- LinkedIn lists Saeloun as a privately held software-development company with 11–50 employees.Read 20 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Desktop
- The local-first desktop timer is available for macOS Apple Silicon, macOS Intel, Linux x64, and Windows x64, and syncs with Miru.Read 2 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Desktop app
- The desktop timer is local-first and supports menu-bar controls, timer stacking, idle recovery and synchronization with Miru Web.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Expense management
- Users can log expenses, attach receipts, route approvals, categorize costs and include project expenses on invoices.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Independent feature coverage
- MEDevel independently listed team, client, client-portal, project, reporting and Stripe-payment capabilities.Read 20 Oct 2026 · medevel.com
- Independent licence fact
- MEDevel reported that Miru is released under the MIT licence by Saeloun.Read 20 Oct 2026 · medevel.com
- Independent praise
- MEDevel described Miru as an open-source web tool that handles time tracking, invoicing and accounting for small businesses.Read 20 Oct 2026 · medevel.com
- Invoicing
- Miru generates invoices from tracked hours, supports line items, taxes, discounts and branded PDFs, and emails invoices to clients.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Licence
- The project is released under the MIT licence and the hosted feature set is stated to be present in the open-source version.Read 20 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: Clutch reviewer complaint
- One Clutch review warns that remote-team time-zone differences can make schedules difficult without deliberate communication.Read 20 Oct 2026 · clutch.co
- MCP and OpenAPI
- Miru publishes an MCP endpoint, an OpenAPI description and llms.txt files for agent and integration workflows.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Mobile
- Miru describes its iOS and Android app as in beta, with early access through TestFlight and Google Play internal testing.Read 2 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Mobile app
- An Expo-based iOS and Android application provides timer and entries views and is described as beta software distributed through TestFlight and Google Play internal testing.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Notable release
- The changelog marks version 3.0 in March 2026 with expense workflows, the CLI, dark mode, expanded reporting, REST API access and rebuilt Stripe payments.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Payments
- Clients can pay invoices through Stripe Checkout, after which Miru records the invoice as paid.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Praise: Clutch reviewers
- Clutch reviewers of Saeloun repeatedly mention technical expertise, flexibility, strong project management, responsiveness and timely delivery.Read 20 Oct 2026 · clutch.co
- Product limitation
- Recurring invoices and calendar integrations are listed in the changelog roadmap rather than among shipped features.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- QuickBooks
- Miru can export clients, invoices, and recorded payments to QuickBooks Online through a one-way sync.Read 2 Oct 2026 · docs.miru.so
- Rating on Clutch
- Saeloun, Miru's maker, has a 4.8 out of 5 rating from 3 reviews on Clutch.Read 20 Oct 2026 · clutch.co
- Reporting
- Reports show paid, pending, overdue, and projected revenue, along with project and team analytics.Read 2 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Reports
- Miru lists five reports and four analytics views covering time, overdue invoices, revenue, aging, payments, forecasts, teams, clients and expenses.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Repository activity
- Saeloun's GitHub organization lists miru-web as a public TypeScript repository with MIT licensing, 266 stars and 96 forks when viewed.Read 20 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Security encryption
- The security page states TLS 1.3 in transit, AES-256 at rest, encrypted backups, daily backups, point-in-time recovery and geo-redundant storage.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Security limitation
- The introduction documentation explicitly says Miru is not aimed at enterprises needing SSO, SAML and many granular RBAC tiers.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Self-hosting
- The self-hosting documentation covers Docker, environment variables, PostgreSQL, email delivery and Linux production deployment.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Self-hosting limitation
- The home page says self-hosted customers are responsible for backups, upgrades and security maintenance.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Technology stack
- Miru is described as a Rails monolith using Rails 8, React 19, PostgreSQL 16 and Solid Queue without Redis.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Time tracking
- The product supports browser timers, manual entries, weekly approvals and member-specific rates.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
- Time views
- Its documentation describes day, week and month timesheet views, with notes and billable or non-billable flags.Read 20 Oct 2026 · docs.miru.so
- What Miru does
- Miru combines billable time tracking, invoicing, expense management, payments and reporting for teams that bill by the hour.Read 20 Oct 2026 · miru.so
Plans and prices
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Timers and manual entries support time capture.
- Weekly approvals and per-member rates are available.
- Invoices can include expenses, taxes, and discounts.
- Self-hosted plan includes every feature and unlimited members.
- Desktop timer supports macOS, Linux, and Windows.
Limits
- Recurring invoices are not available.
- Mobile apps are in beta.
- Self-hosters manage backups, upgrades, and security maintenance.
- QuickBooks Online sync is one-way.
Who it suits
Miru suits agencies, consultants, freelancers, startups, and service teams that track billable hours and send invoices. It offers hosted and self-hosted options, with self-hosting intended for teams able to manage their own operations and maintenance.
Miru in depth
Read the full write-up
Miru is an open-source time and billing platform for teams that invoice by the hour. It suits agencies, consultants, and service teams that need approvals, expenses, and invoicing alongside time capture. Its strongest case is a connected billing workflow with unlimited-member plans; the tradeoff is choosing between self-managed operations and a hosted or managed deployment.
Overview
Miru connects timers and manual entries to weekly approvals, member-specific rates, invoices, expense billing, and revenue reporting. That makes it more useful than a standalone timer when a team needs recorded work to flow into client billing. Reports cover paid, pending, overdue, and projected revenue, as well as project and team analytics.
The MIT-licensed Rails app can be self-hosted, giving teams deployment control without a software subscription. That choice is best for organizations able to handle operations, backups, upgrades, and security maintenance themselves. Hosted and managed options reduce that burden, though the managed plan’s cost depends on the agreed scope and usage.
Key features
Time, approvals, and invoicing
Timer-based and manual time capture accommodate different work habits. Weekly approvals provide a review step before billing, and rates can be set per team member—a useful fit where client work is priced differently across a team. Miru can generate invoices from approved or tracked work, with support for expenses, taxes, discounts, and sending invoices. It also supports expense billing, but not recurring invoices, so teams relying on automatic repeat billing will need another workflow.
Reporting and connections
Revenue reports distinguish paid, pending, overdue, and projected amounts, while project and team analytics help managers follow work across engagements. Integrations include Stripe, Google Calendar, SMTP email, CSV and PDF export, CSV import, a REST API, CLI, Zapier, Make, and n8n. QuickBooks Online support exports clients, invoices, and recorded payments through a one-way sync; it is not a two-way accounting connection.
Desktop, mobile, and security
The local-first desktop timer is available for macOS Apple Silicon and Intel, Linux x64, and Windows x64, and syncs with Miru. The iOS and Android apps remain in beta, with early access through TestFlight and Google Play internal testing; teams that need mature mobile apps should weigh that limitation. Hosted data is encrypted at rest and in transit, with TLS 1.3 connections and AES-256 stored-data encryption. Miru says it is GDPR compliant and that SOC 2 Type II is in progress; enterprise customers can request a data processing addendum.
Pricing
Self-hosted — free. The MIT-licensed plan includes every feature, unlimited members, Docker deployment, and community support on Discord. It is the clearest fit for teams with the technical capacity to operate the service; the zero price does not remove the work of backups, upgrades, or security upkeep.
Miru Cloud — $1 a month. It includes every feature, unlimited members, priority email support, and a 14-day Pro trial with no credit card required. The billing term is also expressed as “Or $10/member/year.” Teams should account for that per-member annual option when comparing costs, particularly as headcount grows.
Managed Miru — $1 a month. This base service is plus usage, with scope agreed before commitment. It includes a dedicated deployment, upgrades, backups, monitoring, integration help, security review support, and SLA options. It suits teams seeking operational help, but the usage-based, scoped arrangement means the displayed base price alone does not establish the full cost.
Platforms
Miru supports web, API, Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted deployment, as well as Android and iOS apps currently in beta. Desktop timer builds cover Linux x64, Windows x64, and both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Self-hosted users receive community support on Discord, while the cloud plan includes priority email support and the managed plan lists monitoring and support.
Who it's for
Miru is a strong match for agencies, consultants, freelancers, startups, and service teams that bill for hours and want approvals, rates, invoices, expenses, and revenue reporting in one system. Unlimited members on both the free self-hosted plan and the cloud plan make it relevant to growing teams, but the free option is most attractive when someone can own maintenance. Teams that need recurring invoices, mature mobile apps, or bidirectional QuickBooks synchronization should look elsewhere.
Pros and cons
Pros: The workflow links time capture and approvals to invoicing, expense billing, and revenue reports, reducing the need to assemble those steps across separate tools.
Pros: Both self-hosted and cloud plans include every feature and unlimited members, giving teams a choice of deployment without a stated seat cap.
Pros: The integration options span payment processing, automation, imports and exports, and developer interfaces; QuickBooks Online export adds a path for accounting handoff.
Cons: Self-hosting transfers operations, backups, upgrades, and security maintenance to the customer.
Cons: iOS and Android apps are in beta, and recurring invoices are not supported.
Cons: QuickBooks Online sync is one-way, while Managed Miru’s total cost depends on usage and agreed scope.
Alternatives
For a broader time billing software comparison, the right alternative depends on which constraint matters most:
TimeCamp is worth considering if you want a freemium option with a free plan for unlimited users and projects.
Harvest is a better fit for an individual freelancer who can work within its free plan’s one-seat and two-project limits.
Invoice Ninja may suit teams prioritizing invoicing, with a free plan capped at five clients and unlimited invoicing.
Avaza is an option for teams whose needs fit its free plan’s role-specific user limits.
solidtime is another choice for teams comparing a free solo tier with a Professional plan priced at €8 a month, billed annually and excluding VAT.
Paymo may fit a solo user whose work stays within the free plan’s one-user, one-client, two-project, and 1 GB storage limits.
TMetric is worth comparing if a free plan for up to two seats meets your team’s needs.
Scoro is a paid alternative for teams considering its Time-billing plan at $17 a month, shown as $17 per user / month among its listed regional prices.
Verdict
Choose Miru if your agency or service team wants time tracking, approvals, expenses, invoices, and revenue reporting together, especially if unlimited members and self-hosting or a low-cost cloud option matter. Look elsewhere if recurring invoicing or mature mobile apps are essential, or if you need two-way QuickBooks synchronization. The free self-hosted plan is compelling only when your team is prepared to run and maintain it.
Verdict
Miru brings billable time, invoicing, expenses, and reporting together, with a free self-hosted option and a hosted plan listed at $1 a month. Mobile apps remain in beta, and self-hosters take on operational upkeep.
Where Specifiction places it
- Time Billing Software#6 of 319.0