What is the best time and motion study software?

It depends on how you want to measure. For a stopwatch replacement on a phone or tablet, look at UMT Plus or WorkStudy+. For industrial engineering suites where an analyst times video and builds line balances, look at AVIX, Proplanner or Timer Pro, and at TiCon if your standards are MTM. For AI that times the work from video, look at LeanSuite or Retrocausal, which work from a recorded video, or Invisible AI, which measures every cycle from cameras installed at each station. LeanSuite is our product; its Vision AI is priced separately from the facility plan.

What is time and motion study software?

Software that replaces the stopwatch and clipboard for work measurement. It records how long each element of a task takes and how the work is done, then turns that into value-added and waste splits, standard times and line balances. Some products do the timing on a phone or tablet, some let an analyst time recorded video, some calculate times from predetermined systems such as MTM or MOST, and some use AI to time the work from the video.

How does AI time study from video work, and how accurate is it?

The software finds each operator in the video, splits the timeline into elements and classifies each one as value-added or waste. Accuracy depends on the footage and the process, so the better tools keep a person in the loop: in LeanSuite an engineer reviews, corrects and certifies each study, and MTM's AI video service includes a review by MTM specialists. Check the output against a stopwatch study on one process before you rely on it.

Do I need special cameras for a video time study?

Usually not. LeanSuite works from standard 1080p phone video, Retrocausal from a phone held in a fixed position or a webcam, and AVIX, Proplanner, Timer Pro and UMT Plus time recorded video. Invisible AI works differently: it installs its own 3D cameras and edge devices at each station so that every cycle is measured.

Which time study tools publish their pricing?

Few do. MTM's AI video analysis service costs €550 per video of up to 3 minutes (an introductory price until October 31, 2026), and Retrocausal's AWS Marketplace listing shows $100,000 per workstation license for 12 months. UMT Plus (30-day trial), WorkStudy+ (free personal edition) and Timer Pro (45-day evaluation) can be tried for free. AVIX, Invisible AI, Proplanner and TiCon quote on request. LeanSuite's Vision AI is quoted separately from its facility plan.

What is the difference between a time study and a motion study?

A time study measures how long each element of a task takes. A motion study looks at how the work is done, such as reaches, walking and waiting, to remove waste. Most software here supports both, and predetermined time systems such as MTM and MOST set the time from the motions themselves.

Why is LeanSuite first on a list that LeanSuite publishes?

Because it is our page and we would rather say so than hide it in the middle. Read it with that in mind. The other products follow in alphabetical order, each is described only from its own public pages, each entry says who it fits best, and we will correct anything a vendor or reader shows us is wrong.

How did you compare these tools?

We read each vendor's own public pages in September 2026 and used only what they publish. Where we could not find something, the table says not published, which does not mean the product lacks it. LeanSuite is our product. If something has changed, email info@theleansuite.com and we will update the page.

Buyer's guide

Best time and motion study software

Short answer: Time study software comes in three kinds, so start with how you want to measure. Stopwatch apps on a phone or tablet, such as UMT Plus and WorkStudy+, are the simplest way off the clipboard. Industrial engineering suites where an analyst times recorded video and builds line balances, such as AVIX, Proplanner and Timer Pro, suit IE departments, and TiCon is the choice if your standards are MTM. AI tools time the work from video for you: LeanSuite and Retrocausal work from a recorded video, and Invisible AI measures every cycle from cameras it installs at each station. LeanSuite also turns findings into Kaizens in the platform that runs daily issues and improvement projects.

Who wrote this: LeanSuite publishes this guide, and LeanSuite is one of the nine products on it. It is listed first because it is our product; the others follow in alphabetical order, which is not a ranking. Every other product is described only from its own public pages, and each entry says where that product fits better than ours.

Last reviewed September 2026. Based on each vendor's public information; tell us if something has changed at info@theleansuite.com.

At a glance

LeanSuite's whole platform next to each product, capability by capability. A question mark means the vendor does not publish it or we could not verify it, not that the product lacks it; the detailed table below has the specifics.

Yes, on the vendor's own site
Partial, limited or a paid add-on
No, outside the product's published scope
Not published, or we couldn't verify it

Swipe sideways to see every product.

At a glance: Best Time and Motion Study Software
Capability	LeanSuite	AVIX	Invisible AI	Proplanner	Retrocausal	TiCon (MTM)	Timer Pro	UMT Plus	WorkStudy+
AI
AI root cause analysis	Yes:RCA Agent	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
AI time and motion study from video	Partial:Vision AI, priced separately	Not published: Manual video analysis	Yes: Fixed edge cameras	Not published: Manual timing	Yes: Kaizen Copilot	Partial: Service with MTM expert review	Not published: Manual timing	Not published: Manual timing	Not published: Manual timing
Video to SOP	Yes:SOP from one video	Not published	Not published	Not published	Partial: Work instructions from video	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
AI one-point lessons (OPLs)	Yes:OPL from before-and-after photos	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
AI drafts checklists and forms	Yes:Lean Creator AI drafts	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
AI sorts and triages ideas	Yes:Lean AI	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Continuous improvement
Any method: DMAIC, PDCA, A3, 8D or your own	Yes: Incl. your own	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Engineering and CapEx projects with stage-gates	Yes:Four stage-gates	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Non-manufacturing teams and projects	Yes: Any project type	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Ideas and suggestions with configurable approvals	Yes:Approvals per idea type	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Savings verified before they count	Yes:Finance signs off	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Share what worked across sites (yokoten)	Yes:Best Practice Management	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Frontline operations
Daily issue management with tier escalation	Yes:F-Tags, escalation	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Tiered meetings and huddle boards	Yes:Lean Studio	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Audits and checklists (5S, LPA, CILR), scheduled	Yes:Daily Standard Work scheduling	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Breakdown reporting and maintenance work orders	Yes:EWO; works alongside a CMMS	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Skills and training
Live skills matrix	Yes:Competency Management	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Job cover matrix: who can cover each job	Yes:Job Cover Matrix	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Training (LMS): courses, quizzes, learning plans	Yes:Trainings (LMS)	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
SOP and OPL sign-off per person	Yes:Signed on a tablet	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Data and platform
KPI dashboards	Yes:KPI Dashboards	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
SSO and a security certification	Yes:SOC 2 Type 1; Entra ID, Okta	Not published	Yes: ISO 27001; SAML SSO	Not published	Partial: ISO 27001; Azure AD, Okta	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Operator sign-in with an employee ID, no email	Yes:Employee ID	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Free plan or published prices	Yes:Free plan for ideas	Not published	Not published	Not published	Partial: AWS Marketplace listing	Partial: AI video service €550 per video	Not published	Not published	Partial: Free personal edition
Mobile app (iOS and Android)	Yes:iOS and Android	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Not published	Yes: iOS, Android, Windows	Yes: iOS, Android, Windows, web
Video-based time, motion and ergonomic studies	Partial:Priced separately	Yes: Analyst-driven video studies	Yes: Every cycle	Partial: Live or video timing, by hand	Yes: Time, balancing, ergonomics	Partial: Per-video service	Yes: Video time studies	Partial: Timing from video files, by hand	Not published

Based on each vendor's public website, reviewed September 26, 2026; tell us if something has changed at info@theleansuite.com.

How we chose these tools

Time and motion study software measures how long each element of manual work takes and how it is done, so an engineer can separate value-added work from waste, set a standard and balance the line. Each product on this list meets all of these:

Work measurement is the core
It times the elements of people's work. Machine cycle counters and general video tools are left out.
Output an engineer can use
Element times, value-added and waste splits, standards or line balances, not only raw timestamps.
Clear about how it measures
We say whether a person does the timing, times come from a predetermined system such as MTM, or AI measures the video.
Built for manufacturing
Manufacturing and industrial engineering are a main market, named on the vendor's own pages.
Still sold in 2026
A live product page with a way to buy, trial or book a demo. Where we found no dated 2026 release, our sources log says so.
Public information
Enough on the vendor's own pages to describe what it does and how it is sold.

Nine time and motion study tools: LeanSuite first, then alphabetical

1. LeanSuite
Lean manufacturing software whose Vision AI runs a time and motion study from a recorded video. You film the process on a phone, tablet or fixed camera (standard 1080p phone footage works, with single uploads up to 4 hours and longer studies stitched from segments) and choose the operators to track. The AI times each element with its statistical variance, splits each operator's time into value-added, semi-value-added and non-value-added, detects waste categories (TIMWOODS) and separates operator time from machine time. Every figure links back to its video frame; an engineer reviews, corrects and certifies the study, and a certified study becomes the reference for later studies of the same process. Studies can be compared before and after, by operator or for the whole process. The same footage gives line balancing with a Yamazumi chart against takt, ergonomic (REBA and RULA), SMED and value stream studies, and a finding becomes a Kaizen in one click. Footage is encrypted in transit and at rest, processed in your dedicated tenant and never used to train external models. Vision AI is priced separately from the facility plan.
Best for: Plants that want AI-drafted time studies from a phone video, checked by an engineer, and findings that go straight into kaizen and line balancing.
LeanSuite time and motion study
2. AVIX
Video-based work measurement software from Solme AB in Gothenburg, Sweden, established in 1998, with offices across central Europe. An analyst records video and then runs time and motion studies with AVIX Times, MTM (UAS and SAM) or a stopwatch method, and the suite adds value-added and non-value-added analysis, Resource Balance for Yamazumi line balancing, SMED, ergonomics, FMEA, work instructions and a Shop Floor Viewer. The analyst does the timing on a Windows desktop; AI appears on its site as a research project (TIMEBLY 2), not as a product feature. Pricing is not published, and evaluation runs as a short pilot project.
Best for: Industrial engineering teams that want video-based method analysis and MTM-based line balancing in one desktop suite.
AVIX website
3. Invisible AI
Computer vision for manual assembly lines, founded in 2018. Invisible AI installs its own 3D depth cameras on NVIDIA Jetson edge devices at each station and measures every cycle, replacing one-off time studies with always-on cycle data. It tracks bottlenecks and throughput, supports line balancing, traces quality issues to the exact cycle with video, and pushes ergonomic risk data to safety teams; in April 2026 it launched a Vision Execution System built with NVIDIA. It runs entirely on-premise, blurs faces automatically and does no facial recognition, shows ISO 27001 certification and supports SAML single sign-on. Pricing is not published.
Best for: High-volume manual assembly lines, such as automotive, that want every cycle measured continuously.
Invisible AI website
4. Proplanner
Assembly process planning software from Advantive, which acquired Proplanner in 2023. Its time study module records observed times live or from video, with video segments tagged to activities, and supports predetermined time systems (MTM-UAS, MEK and MTM-1, MODAPTS, and Basic and Maxi MOST). It keeps estimated, observed and calculated times side by side with minimum, maximum, mean and standard deviation, links to more than five ergonomics assessment standards, and feeds a line balancing module built for thousands of tasks and hundreds of models, plus man-machine charts and waste analysis. The analyst does the timing; no AI is claimed. Pricing is not published.
Best for: Assembly plants that want time standards tied to line balancing and process planning across many models.
Proplanner website
5. Retrocausal
AI software for manufacturing process analysis from Redmond, Washington, founded in 2019. Its Kaizen Copilot runs a time and motion study from a single video of a cycle, filmed on a phone held in a fixed position or a webcam, and splits the work into value-add and non-value-add; it adds line balancing with precedence diagrams, Yamazumi charts and takt-based staffing, REBA, RULA and NIOSH ergonomics, work instructions, P-FMEA and spaghetti diagrams. Sister products guide operators live at the station (Assembly Copilot) and score ergonomics (Ergo Copilot). It is ISO 27001 certified, runs on AWS and blurs faces before data is stored. Pricing is not on its own site; its AWS Marketplace listing shows $100,000 per workstation license for a 12-month contract, with private offers for other terms.
Best for: IE teams that want AI time studies and line balancing from ordinary video, with live operator guidance available from the same vendor.
Retrocausal website
6. TiCon (MTM)
Software from the MTM Association in Hamburg, the body behind the MTM predetermined time standards. TiCon builds and maintains MTM analyses, generates them from parameters, balances lines (TiCon Takt) and adds EAWS ergonomics, REFA time studies on a mobile app and work instructions; it runs on Windows, as SaaS and inside SAP and Siemens Teamcenter. TiConaut, launched in March 2026, is an AI assistant for working in TiCon. Separately, MTM AI Video Analysis is a service: you send a video, AI identifies movements and process steps by the MTM method, and MTM specialists review the result, at an introductory €550 per video of up to 3 minutes until October 31, 2026. TiCon pricing is not published.
Best for: Companies that set their standards with MTM and need auditable predetermined times.
TiCon (MTM) website
7. Timer Pro
Time study software from Applied Computer Services (ACS), developed as a video-based tool since 2006. Timer Pro Professional times studies from video or a handheld device and includes more than 17,000 standard times in Excel libraries, line and work cell balancing with Yamazumi charts, man-machine charts, ergonomics, SMED and 5S, and work instructions; version 22 added face blurring. Timer Pro AI is a large language model that analyzes the study data and links its findings to video clips; the timing itself is done by the analyst. A 45-day free evaluation is offered. Its pricing pages were not available when we checked, so we do not quote a price.
Best for: Engineers who want video time studies with a large library of standard times on Windows.
Timer Pro website
8. UMT Plus
Time study and work sampling software from Laubrass, a Canadian company founded in 1993. The UMT Plus app on a phone or tablet records studies to 1/100 of a second, including work sampling and simultaneous studies of up to 10 processes, with photos, voice notes and barcode or RFID capture, and a video module times studies from recorded video files. UMT Manager sets up studies on a PC and STAT UMT produces Pareto, takt time and line balancing charts; UMT Standards builds standards, including MOST sequences. It runs on iOS, Android and Windows. No AI is claimed. Pricing is not published; there is a 30-day free trial.
Best for: Engineers who want a mobile stopwatch for time studies and work sampling, with analysis on a PC.
UMT Plus website
9. WorkStudy+
Time study software from Quetech in Canada, in use for more than 20 years. It runs time studies of several subjects at once, work sampling at fixed or random intervals, and day-in-the-life-of (DILO) and queueing studies, with performance rating, a customizable element grid and statistics at a chosen error and confidence level, and it exports to Excel. It runs on iOS, Android, Windows and the web. No AI is claimed. Pricing is not published; there is a free edition for personal and educational use and a free trial of the professional edition.
Best for: Low-cost stopwatch studies and work sampling that end up in Excel.
WorkStudy+ website

The nine tools side by side

From each vendor's public pages. "Not published" means we could not find it publicly, not that the product lacks it.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

The nine tools side by side
Capability	LeanSuite	AVIX	Invisible AI	Proplanner	Retrocausal	TiCon (MTM)	Timer Pro	UMT Plus	WorkStudy+
Time and motion study
How it measures	AI from a recorded video; an engineer reviews and certifies	Analyst times recorded video	AI on fixed edge cameras, every cycle	Analyst times live or from video	AI from one recorded cycle	MTM predetermined times; AI video service with expert review	Analyst times video or a handheld device	Stopwatch app; timing from video files	Stopwatch app
Capture	Phone, tablet or fixed camera; 1080p phone video	Recorded video	Its own 3D cameras at each station	Live observation or video	Phone in a fixed position, or a webcam	MTM analysis; video for the AI service	Video or handheld device	Phone or tablet; video files	Phone, tablet, PC or web
Value-added vs waste	Value-added, semi-value-added, non-value-added; TIMWOODS	Value-added and non-value-added	Not published	Waste (muda) analysis	Value-add and non-value-add	Value-added work and waste (AI service report)	Value-added insights from Timer Pro AI	Not published	Not published
Predetermined times	Not published	MTM-UAS, MTM-SAM	Not published	MTM-UAS, MEK, MTM-1, MODAPTS, MOST	Not published	MTM, the core of the product	17,000+ standard times in libraries	MOST sequences (UMT Standards)	Not published
Line balancing	Yamazumi against takt; saved scenarios	Resource Balance (Yamazumi)	Line balancing and bottlenecks	Thousands of tasks, hundreds of models	Precedence diagrams, Yamazumi, takt	TiCon Takt	Line and work cell balancing	Line balancing charts (STAT UMT)	Not published
Ergonomics and SMED	REBA, RULA and SMED from the same video	Ergonomics and SMED modules	Ergonomic risk data for safety teams	Links to 5+ ergonomics standards	REBA, RULA, NIOSH	EAWS ergonomics	Ergonomics, SMED and 5S	Not published	Not published
Buying
Pricing	Vision AI quoted separately from the facility plan	Not published; pilot project	Not published	Not published	AWS listing: $100,000 per workstation a year	TiCon not published; AI video service €550 per video	Not shown when checked; 45-day free evaluation	Not published; 30-day free trial	Not published; free personal edition
Security and privacy	Footage encrypted in transit and at rest, processed in your dedicated tenant, never used to train external models	Not published	ISO 27001; on-premise; face blurring	Not published	ISO 27001; AWS; face blurring	Not published	Face blurring option	Not published	Not published
Platforms	Web, iOS and Android	Windows desktop	On-premise edge devices	Not published	Cloud on AWS	Windows, SaaS, SAP, Siemens Teamcenter	Windows and handheld	iOS, Android, Windows	iOS, Android, Windows, web

Where LeanSuite is different

This part is about our own product, so read it as LeanSuite's pitch; the entries above describe every other tool from its own pages. Each point links to the LeanSuite page that shows it.

Six studies from the same video
Time and motion, digital work instructions, line balancing with a Yamazumi chart, value stream mapping, ergonomics (REBA and RULA) and SMED all run on the same footage, with no re-shoots. The same video can also draft an SOP or a maintenance procedure.
AI video analysis
A phone video is enough
Record the process on a phone, tablet or fixed camera. Standard 1080p smartphone footage works, with no camera crew or special hardware, single uploads can run up to 4 hours, and longer studies are stitched together from segments.
Time and motion study
You review and certify every study
Every figure links back to the video frame it came from. An engineer corrects anything the AI got wrong and certifies the study, and a certified study becomes the reference for later studies of the same process.
How a video time study works
Findings go straight into improvement work
A finding from a study becomes a Kaizen in one click, in the same platform that runs daily issues, audits, tiered meetings, skills and improvement projects.
From video to Kaizen
Improvement next to the daily work
Issues, audits, tiered meetings, skills and training sit in the same platform. A failed audit question can become a new kaizen, and when you launch a kaizen or engineering project you see who has the skills it needs.
How the modules connect

Which one fits

AI time studies from a phone video, checked by an engineer, feeding kaizen and line balancingLeanSuite
AI time studies and line balancing, plus live guidance at the stationRetrocausal
Every cycle measured on a high-volume assembly lineInvisible AI
Your standards are MTMTiCon
An IE department times video and balances lines across many modelsAVIX, Proplanner or Timer Pro
A stopwatch on a phone or tablet, with work samplingUMT Plus or WorkStudy+

Bring one video of your line

See the time and motion study, Yamazumi chart and findings LeanSuite produces from your own footage, or run a 90-day pilot on your own lines.

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What customers say

“Great user-friendly software! It's covering everything that WCM or similar Lean Programs are asking to do, in a very effective way.”
Elena M.Global Head of Marelli Manufacturing System Automotive, Marelli
“The Project Tracking System generates significant savings while ensuring seamless delivery... The Global Kaizen Power Pitch completely transformed our ability to share best practices.”
Ramsey AljahmiSr. Director of NAR Operations Excellence, Whirlpool Corporation
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