Chronodesk FAQ: what teams ask before they switch.
Straight answers on pricing, contracts, onboarding, integrations, hosting, security and support. If your question isn't here, ask us in a demo.
About Chronodesk
What is Chronodesk?
Chronodesk is one platform for running project and service delivery, from the first lead to the final invoice. CRM, projects, service desk, timesheets, resource planning and billing share one client record, one data set and one set of permissions, so nothing has to be re-keyed between systems.
Who is Chronodesk for?
Organisations that deliver projects and services for clients or internal customers: professional services and consulting firms, MSPs and internal IT teams, creative and marketing agencies, engineering and EPCM firms, insurance brokerages and enterprise PMOs. It suits small teams upwards; current customers include a professional services firm of close to 200 users.
Does Chronodesk replace our accounting software?
No. Chronodesk is not an accounting system. It turns approved time, retainers and rate cards into draft invoices, which you review and then post to your accounting system. Integrations are provided for Xero, Sage and Clear Books.
Does Chronodesk support agile and waterfall projects?
Yes. Chronodesk imposes no method: waterfall, agile, hybrid and stage-gated projects all work, with a backlog, sprint planning, sprint boards and sprint reporting alongside Gantt scheduling.
Can Chronodesk replace Microsoft Project Server or Project Online?
Yes. Chronodesk covers project scheduling, portfolio governance and resource planning, and project plans can be imported from and exported to Microsoft Project, so existing plans come with you.
Who builds Chronodesk?
Rysis Software (Pty) Ltd, a software company in Johannesburg. All engineering is done in-house, and the same team builds, hosts and supports the platform. Chronodesk launched in 2021.
Pricing and billing
How much does Chronodesk cost?
Chronodesk is priced per active user per month: Essential $15 (R225), Professional $30 (R450) and Advanced $40 (R600). Enterprise is priced on application. Each plan includes everything in the one below it, and prices exclude VAT.
Can different users be on different plans?
Yes. Plans can be mixed in one organisation and each user is billed at the rate of their own plan, so you might put project staff on Essential and your support team on Professional. Users can be added, removed or moved between plans at any time, and changes apply from your next bill.
Is there a free trial or a free plan?
Every plan comes with a 14-day free trial. Chronodesk itself has no free plan, but its companion products Chronodesk Loop and Chronodesk Capture both have free tiers.
Are there setup fees or long-term contracts?
No. There is no setup fee, no annual contract and no lock-in: every plan is billed monthly. You can cancel at any time, and cancellation takes effect at the end of the current monthly period with no further periods billed.
How do we pay, and do you offer refunds?
Pay by credit card or PayPal; bank transfer is available on Enterprise. Because plans are month-to-month you are never billed for a period after you cancel. Refund requests outside that are assessed case by case.
Do our clients need a licence to use the client portal?
No. Client portal users do not consume licences, so you can give every client contact access to log tickets, follow projects and approve work without adding to your bill.
What does the WhatsApp integration cost?
Each connected WhatsApp Business number is billed as one extra licence at your plan's rate: $30 (R450) a month on Professional or $40 (R600) on Advanced. That covers the Chronodesk connector; messaging charges are billed to you directly by Meta.
Is AI included, or does it cost extra?
Every plan includes an AI allowance: Essential has the standard allowance, Professional twice that and Advanced five times. AI-assisted ticket triage and AI agents are on the Advanced plan, with no per-agent or per-resolution fee. Enterprise pools usage across the organisation and can add AI bundles.
Getting started
How long does it take to get Chronodesk up and running?
Small teams are typically live within days. Larger organisations follow a phased rollout agreed during discovery. Either way there is no implementation project and no need for external consultants: our team configures your workspace with you.
What does onboarding cost?
Nothing extra. Guided onboarding, workspace configuration and your first month of training are included at no extra cost. Enterprise adds ongoing training and a client success manager.
Can we bring our existing data across?
Yes. Clients, contacts and leads can be imported in bulk, with duplicate detection, and project plans can be imported from Microsoft Project. Imported data is checked with you before you launch.
What does onboarding look like?
Five steps. Discover: a call to understand how you work. Configure: our team sets up your workspace. Migrate: your clients, contacts, leads and project plans are imported and checked. Train and launch. Support: ongoing help from the team that builds the platform.
How can we evaluate Chronodesk before committing?
Book a free, personalised demo, take the six-question Fit Check to see whether Chronodesk suits how you work, or start a 14-day free trial and try it with your own team.
Features and integrations
What does Chronodesk integrate with?
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace (two-way calendar sync, with meetings becoming pre-filled timesheet entries), Microsoft Entra ID for single sign-on, Xero, Sage and Clear Books for invoicing, Microsoft Project, Power BI, Slack and WhatsApp Business.
Does Chronodesk have an API?
Yes. A public JSON API is included from the Professional plan and covers the data model, including the full financial capability. Forms can also trigger webhooks, SMS and WhatsApp notifications.
Can customer emails become tickets automatically?
Yes. Your organisation gets a dedicated inbound address, and emails and their replies become tickets and ticket updates. The Professional plan includes two inbound mailboxes. Emails are also synchronised to the client's CRM profile.
Is there a mobile app?
Yes, for iOS and Android, included in every plan at no extra cost. Sign in by scanning a QR code from your web session, and each user sees only their own work.
Is there a client portal?
Yes, from the Professional plan. The portal carries your logo and colours, and each client sees only their own tickets, projects, documents and knowledge-base articles. Clients can log and track tickets against SLA targets and approve work with a recorded trail.
Can we customise Chronodesk to fit our processes?
Yes, where it matters. The Advanced plan adds a drag-and-drop custom forms engine with conditional logic, customisable dashboards with scheduled email reports, and ticket SLA management. Roles control access down to field level, and data access can be limited by client, project, portfolio or division.
Does Chronodesk work with Claude and other AI tools?
Yes. The Chronodesk MCP connector, built on the open Model Context Protocol, lets Claude work with your Chronodesk data with the same access rights as your own login. Nothing is installed and no data is exported. The Advanced plan can also connect your own Claude or OpenAI account.
Security and data
Where is our data hosted?
By default on Microsoft Azure in the South Africa North region (Johannesburg), which keeps South African customers' data inside the country. Other Azure regions are available on request, and Enterprise customers can choose a private cloud on dedicated infrastructure.
Is Chronodesk ISO 27001 certified?
Rysis Software (Pty) Ltd, the company that builds and runs Chronodesk, is certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2022 for its information security management system, and Chronodesk is within its scope. Certificate 202610014 was issued by Sancert (Pty) Ltd and is valid until 25 October 2027. The certification covers the management system, not the product itself.
Does Chronodesk support POPIA and GDPR compliance?
Chronodesk is built and operated to support your POPIA and GDPR obligations, with encryption, role-based access, an audit trail and localised hosting, and we sign a Data Processing Agreement on request. Software alone cannot make an organisation compliant: your own policies and processes matter too.
How is our data protected?
Each customer organisation has its own separate, isolated database. Data is encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2 or later in transit, the platform sits behind Cloudflare's web application firewall, and data changes, logins, failed sign-ins, exports and permission updates are logged.
Does Chronodesk support single sign-on?
Yes. Sign in with Microsoft Entra ID, so your own MFA and conditional access policies apply and joiners and leavers flow through automatically. SAML and OAuth single sign-on are available on Enterprise.
What about backups and uptime?
Backups run automatically every day and are stored across resilient data centres. The platform targets 99.9% uptime, and Enterprise agreements can include a negotiated uptime service level. For backup retention and recovery details, email security@chronodesk.io.
What happens to our data if we leave?
Your data is yours. Because every organisation has its own isolated database, returning your data is straightforward. Talk to us about the export format and deletion before you cancel, or email security@chronodesk.io for the details your procurement team needs.
Is our data used to train AI models?
On the Advanced plan you can connect your own Claude or OpenAI account, so AI requests run under your own agreement with that provider. For details of how Chronodesk's built-in AI features process data, email security@chronodesk.io and we will answer for your security review.
Support
Who provides support?
The same team that builds and operates the platform, from South Africa, so you reach people who know the product. Releases and updates are part of the service on every plan, at no extra cost.
What extra support comes with Enterprise?
Enterprise adds dedicated support with premium response SLAs, 24/7 support for critical issues, ongoing training and a named client success manager.
Capture and Loop
What is Chronodesk Capture?
Chronodesk Capture is screen and camera recording with automatic transcripts, captions, summaries and action items. Share links are ready the moment you stop recording, and viewers need no account. There is a free plan with unlimited Full HD recordings of up to ten minutes; paid team plans start at $10 per user per month. It works on its own or inside the Chronodesk service desk.
What is Chronodesk Loop?
Chronodesk Loop is business messaging, free with unlimited history, plus one-to-one calls and screen sharing. Loop Pro adds group video meetings, booking pages, recording, transcription and AI summaries, and is included in the Chronodesk Advanced plan. Actions agreed in a conversation can become Chronodesk tasks or tickets.
Still have a question? Ask the team that builds it.
Book a demo, take the six-question Fit Check, or email security@chronodesk.io with security questions.