actiTIME vs Kimai

actiTIME

• Project teams that track budgets and profitability by task
• Companies that must keep timesheet data on their own server
• Teams of up to 3 that can work with a reduced free version

Kimai

• Teams that want to host their own time tracking data
• Freelancers and agencies invoicing clients from timesheets
• Organizations that need EU hosting and open-source code

actiTIME

• The free version stops at 3 users and omits approvals, overtime, budgets, task estimates, custom fields, the API and the Chrome extension.
• actiTIME Online is browser-only: there is no desktop app, only iOS and Android apps and a Chrome extension.
• Self-Hosted maintenance falls to your own IT staff, major upgrades cost 100% of the initial price, and engineer sessions are $40 an hour.
• Listed prices exclude taxes.

Kimai

• Cloud prices are in euros and exclude taxes; the pricing page lists no free cloud plan, only a 30-day trial.
• On Cloud Professional, kiosk mode, SAML single sign-on, a custom domain and IP access restriction are shown only with annual billing.
• Kimai runs in the browser; the mobile and desktop apps on its integrations page are made by third parties, and some are paid.
• Self-hosting needs SSH access to a server, and plugins such as expenses (99 €) are bought separately.

actiTIME

Timesheets and calendar

Time is entered in a weekly timesheet or as start and stop time cards on a calendar, with comments, overtime and leave. Timesheets can be locked and sent for approval.

Task management

Tasks carry estimates, deadlines, priorities, assignments and custom workflow statuses, and a Kanban view shows progress across a project.

Budgets

Time, cost and billing budgets can be set for tasks, projects and customers, over a date range or the lifetime of the work, in any number.

Reports

Reports cover staff performance, overtime, leave balances, estimated against actual time, billing summaries and profit and loss, with charts and CSV export.

Billing and invoicing

Billable amounts come from billing rates and logged time, and invoices are generated from them. A QuickBooks Online integration passes time data to accounting.

Online or self-hosted

actiTIME Online runs in a browser on Amazon servers with daily backups. The self-hosted edition runs on an internal server, and both offer a REST API.

Kimai

Project time tracking

Time is recorded against customers, projects and activities, with budgets and order numbers on projects. Every installation supports unlimited users with roles.

Invoicing

Invoices are created from timesheets with configurable templates and invoice numbers, grouping options for entries, and output formats such as PDF and DOCX.

Reports and exports

Recorded time is analyzed by user, customer, project, activity, tag and period. Timesheets export as XLSX, PDF, CSV or HTML, and exported records can be locked.

Teams and permissions

Teams group users into units such as departments. Assigning customers and projects to a team limits who can see and record time on them.

Login and security

Supports LDAP and SAML login through providers such as Google Workspace, Azure AD or Authentik, plus optional two-factor authentication with TOTP tokens.

JSON API and plugins

A JSON API reads and writes data for external apps. Plugins add functions such as expenses, task planning and a kiosk mode with barcode or RFID scanning.

actiTIME

• Free$0

  1 to 3 users on actiTIME Online with limited functionality, unlimited customers, projects and tasks, and CSV reports.

• Online, 41-200 users$5

  per user / month, billed yearly ($6 billed monthly)

  The full online product at the lower rate that applies to accounts with 41 to 200 active users.

• Online, 1-40 users$6

  per user / month, billed yearly ($7 billed monthly)

  Full functionality in the cloud, with the API, QuickBooks and Zapier integrations, the mobile app, the Chrome extension and daily backups.

• Self-Hosted$120

  one-time per user

  Installed on your own Windows or Unix server, with direct database access. Minor upgrades are free; major upgrades cost 100% of the initial price.

• Online, 200+ users$1,250

  per month for unlimited users, billed yearly ($1,500 billed monthly)

  A fixed cost for accounts with more than 200 users, in place of per-user pricing.

Kimai

• Self-hostedFree

  The open-source edition on your own server, installed with Docker or over SSH. Community support; some features are paid plugins.

• Cloud Standard€2.99

  per user / month, billed annually (€3.99 billed monthly)

  Hosted time tracking with billable hours, invoicing, data export, audit logs, the JSON API, 5 invoice templates and weekly backups.

• Cloud Professional€3.99

  per user / month, billed annually (€4.99 billed monthly)

  Adds working hour accounts, vacation and sick leave, expenses, custom fields, task management, a customer portal and daily backups.

actiTIME

• Annual discount

  $1 less per user a month with yearly billing

  The pricing calculator shows $6 per user a month billed yearly against $7 billed monthly for up to 40 users, and $5 against $6 for 41 to 200 users.

• Nonprofit

  Discounted rates for nonprofits

  The pricing FAQ says actiTIME offers discounted rates for nonprofit organizations that contact support. No percentage is published.

• Lifetime license

  One-time Self-Hosted license at $120 per user

  actiTIME Self-Hosted is a one-time payment of $120 per user in place of a subscription, with a fixed-cost option for unlimited users.

Kimai

• Annual discount

  20 to 25% off Kimai Cloud with annual billing

  Kimai's discount page says paid cloud plans cost 20 to 25% less when paid annually: Standard is €2.99 against €3.99 a month, and Professional €3.99 against €4.99.

• Nonprofit

  Discounted annual cloud plan for nonprofits

  Nonprofits, schools and clubs that register with an official email address and message support get a reduced annual cloud plan after a manual review.