diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5f205f00..471c65e4 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Changed
 
+- Timestamping can now be enabled using the `timestamp` command line argument to the ASB.
+  JSON logs and ASB output in an interactive terminal are no longer timestamped by default.
 - The `cancel`, `refund` and `punish` subcommands in ASB and CLI are run with the `--force` by default and the `--force` option has been removed.
   The force flag was used to ignore blockheight and protocol state checks.
   Users can still restart a swap with these checks using the `resume` subcommand.
diff --git a/swap/src/asb/command.rs b/swap/src/asb/command.rs
index 548a4f29..a5a0699d 100644
--- a/swap/src/asb/command.rs
+++ b/swap/src/asb/command.rs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ where
     let args = RawArguments::from_clap(&matches);
 
     let json = args.json;
+    let timestamp = args.timestamp;
     let testnet = args.testnet;
     let config = args.config;
     let command: RawCommand = args.cmd;
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ where
         RawCommand::Start { resume_only } => Arguments {
             testnet,
             json,
+            timestamp,
             config_path: config_path(config, testnet)?,
             env_config: env_config(testnet),
             cmd: Command::Start { resume_only },
@@ -34,6 +36,7 @@ where
         RawCommand::History => Arguments {
             testnet,
             json,
+            timestamp,
             config_path: config_path(config, testnet)?,
             env_config: env_config(testnet),
             cmd: Command::History,
@@ -41,6 +44,7 @@ where
         RawCommand::WithdrawBtc { amount, address } => Arguments {
             testnet,
             json,
+            timestamp,
             config_path: config_path(config, testnet)?,
             env_config: env_config(testnet),
             cmd: Command::WithdrawBtc {
@@ -51,6 +55,7 @@ where
         RawCommand::Balance => Arguments {
             testnet,
             json,
+            timestamp,
             config_path: config_path(config, testnet)?,
             env_config: env_config(testnet),
             cmd: Command::Balance,
@@ -61,6 +66,7 @@ where
         }) => Arguments {
             testnet,
             json,
+            timestamp,
             config_path: config_path(config, testnet)?,
             env_config: env_config(testnet),
             cmd: Command::Redeem {
@@ -74,6 +80,7 @@ where
         }) => Arguments {
             testnet,
             json,
+            timestamp,
             config_path: config_path(config, testnet)?,
             env_config: env_config(testnet),
             cmd: Command::Cancel { swap_id },
@@ -83,6 +90,7 @@ where
         }) => Arguments {
             testnet,
             json,
+            timestamp,
             config_path: config_path(config, testnet)?,
             env_config: env_config(testnet),
             cmd: Command::Refund { swap_id },
@@ -92,6 +100,7 @@ where
         }) => Arguments {
             testnet,
             json,
+            timestamp,
             config_path: config_path(config, testnet)?,
             env_config: env_config(testnet),
             cmd: Command::Punish { swap_id },
@@ -99,6 +108,7 @@ where
         RawCommand::ManualRecovery(ManualRecovery::SafelyAbort { swap_id }) => Arguments {
             testnet,
             json,
+            timestamp,
             config_path: config_path(config, testnet)?,
             env_config: env_config(testnet),
             cmd: Command::SafelyAbort { swap_id },
@@ -158,6 +168,7 @@ pub struct BitcoinAddressNetworkMismatch {
 pub struct Arguments {
     pub testnet: bool,
     pub json: bool,
+    pub timestamp: bool,
     pub config_path: PathBuf,
     pub env_config: env::Config,
     pub cmd: Command,
@@ -210,6 +221,13 @@ pub struct RawArguments {
     )]
     pub json: bool,
 
+    #[structopt(
+        short,
+        long = "timestamp",
+        help = "Adds a timestamp to the log messages"
+    )]
+    pub timestamp: bool,
+
     #[structopt(
         long = "config",
         help = "Provide a custom path to the configuration file. The configuration file must be a toml file.",
@@ -326,6 +344,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: false,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_mainnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: mainnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::Start { resume_only: false },
@@ -337,6 +356,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: false,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_mainnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: mainnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::History,
@@ -348,6 +368,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: false,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_mainnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: mainnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::Balance,
@@ -364,6 +385,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: false,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_mainnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: mainnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::WithdrawBtc {
@@ -384,6 +406,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: false,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_mainnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: mainnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::Cancel {
@@ -403,6 +426,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: false,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_mainnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: mainnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::Refund {
@@ -422,6 +446,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: false,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_mainnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: mainnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::Punish {
@@ -441,6 +466,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: false,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_mainnet_conf_path,
             env_config: mainnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::SafelyAbort {
@@ -460,6 +486,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: true,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_testnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: testnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::Start { resume_only: false },
@@ -471,6 +498,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: true,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_testnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: testnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::History,
@@ -482,6 +510,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: true,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_testnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: testnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::Balance,
@@ -499,6 +528,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: true,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_testnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: testnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::WithdrawBtc {
@@ -520,6 +550,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: true,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_testnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: testnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::Cancel {
@@ -540,6 +571,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: true,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_testnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: testnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::Refund {
@@ -560,6 +592,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: true,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_testnet_conf_path.clone(),
             env_config: testnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::Punish {
@@ -580,6 +613,7 @@ mod tests {
         let expected_args = Arguments {
             testnet: true,
             json: false,
+            timestamp: false,
             config_path: default_testnet_conf_path,
             env_config: testnet_env_config,
             cmd: Command::SafelyAbort {
diff --git a/swap/src/asb/tracing.rs b/swap/src/asb/tracing.rs
index bced94d4..dc3f7cca 100644
--- a/swap/src/asb/tracing.rs
+++ b/swap/src/asb/tracing.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use tracing_subscriber::filter::LevelFilter;
 use tracing_subscriber::fmt::time::ChronoLocal;
 use tracing_subscriber::FmtSubscriber;
 
-pub fn init(level: LevelFilter, json_format: bool) -> Result<()> {
+pub fn init(level: LevelFilter, json_format: bool, timestamp: bool) -> Result<()> {
     if level == LevelFilter::OFF {
         return Ok(());
     }
@@ -17,12 +17,11 @@ pub fn init(level: LevelFilter, json_format: bool) -> Result<()> {
         .with_timer(ChronoLocal::with_format("%F %T".to_owned()))
         .with_target(false);
 
-    if json_format {
-        builder.json().init();
-    } else if is_terminal {
-        builder.init();
-    } else {
-        builder.without_time().init();
+    match (json_format, timestamp) {
+        (true, true) => builder.json().init(),
+        (true, false) => builder.json().without_time().init(),
+        (false, true) => builder.init(),
+        (false, false) => builder.without_time().init(),
     }
 
     tracing::info!(%level, "Initialized tracing");
diff --git a/swap/src/bin/asb.rs b/swap/src/bin/asb.rs
index d8583aeb..79cd71e2 100644
--- a/swap/src/bin/asb.rs
+++ b/swap/src/bin/asb.rs
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
     let Arguments {
         testnet,
         json,
+        timestamp,
         config_path,
         env_config,
         cmd,
@@ -66,7 +67,7 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
         }
     };
 
-    asb::tracing::init(LevelFilter::DEBUG, json).expect("initialize tracing");
+    asb::tracing::init(LevelFilter::DEBUG, json, timestamp).expect("initialize tracing");
 
     let config = match read_config(config_path.clone())? {
         Ok(config) => config,