ActivityWatch vs ManicTime

ActivityWatch

• People who want automatic tracking with all data kept on their own device
• Linux users, alongside Windows, macOS and Android
• Developers who want to query their own activity data through an API
• Personal screen-time and quantified-self tracking at no cost

ManicTime

• People who want a record of the day without running timers
• Organizations that must keep tracking data on their own servers
• Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription

ActivityWatch

• No iOS app is listed; platforms are Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.
• The homepage describes syncing activity between devices as still being worked on.
• The stable macOS download (v0.13.2) is listed for Intel; Apple Silicon builds are in the v0.14 pre-release.
• Maintainers say they do not work on the project full-time, so development may slow at times.

ManicTime

• The free version is for Windows only and leaves out auto-tagging, timesheets, advanced search and server sync.
• Cloud plans cap devices at 3 per user on Standard and 5 on Ultimate; cloud screenshots need Ultimate.
• A license covers one year of upgrades; newer versions need a renewal, and a cloud subscription stops working when it lapses.
• The Azure DevOps and Basecamp integrations are listed for the Windows client only.

ActivityWatch

Automatic window tracking

Tracks the active application and window title out of the box. A separate watcher notes when the keyboard and mouse are idle, without storing what the input was.

Categories

Activity is broken down into categories, which gives an overview of usage by type of work instead of a raw list of apps and window titles.

Browser extensions

Extensions for Chrome and Firefox track the active tab, adding website-level detail to the time recorded on the computer.

Editor watchers

Optional watchers for code editors track how much time goes into writing code, and other watchers can be added to track more.

Local data and API

Data stays on your own device and can be exported, deleted or backed up at any time. A documented REST API and Python client give access to buckets, events and queries.

Local web interface

The app runs from the system tray and its interface opens in the browser at localhost:5600, with activity and timeline views of the tracked data.

ManicTime

Automatic tracking

Runs in the background and records apps, websites and documents on parallel timelines. Tracking needs no internet connection and syncs to the cloud or a server later.

Tags and auto-tagging rules

Recorded activity is assigned to clients, projects or tasks with tags. With a license or subscription, rules tag recurring activity automatically.

Screenshots and away time

Optional screenshots are anchored to the timeline as proof of work. When you return to the computer, ManicTime asks how to classify the time away.

Timesheets, reports and invoices

The same data produces timesheets, billable summaries, attendance, overtime and productivity reports. Invoices are generated from approved timesheets as PDFs.

Cloud or self-hosted server

ManicTime Cloud needs no server setup. ManicTime Server runs on your own infrastructure, including Docker and Azure, with direct SQL access to the database.

Integrations, REST API and MCP

Tasks come in from tools such as Jira, GitHub and Asana, and time can sync back. A REST API covers custom integrations, and an MCP server runs locally for AI tools.

ActivityWatch

• Free$0

  Every feature on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, including the browser extensions and editor watchers.

ManicTime

• Free version (Windows)$0

  ManicTime for Windows without the licensed features such as auto-tagging, timesheets, advanced search, tag plugins and ManicTime Server.

• Cloud Standard, individuals$7

  per month, billed yearly ($9 billed monthly)

  One person on 3 devices. All ManicTime Pro features on Windows, plus the Mac, Linux, iOS and Android apps, cloud backup and multi-device reports.

• Cloud Ultimate, individuals$9

  per month, billed yearly ($11 billed monthly)

  Everything in Standard, plus 2 more devices (5 in total) and screenshots stored in the cloud.

• Cloud Standard, teams$10

  per user / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly)

  The Standard plan for teams, with 3 devices per user and multi-device reports on the cloud server.

• Cloud Ultimate, teams$13

  per user / month, billed yearly ($15 billed monthly)

  The Ultimate plan for teams, with 5 devices per user and screenshots stored in the cloud.

• License (ManicTime Pro)$87

  one-time per user, with a year of upgrades

  Local install or your own ManicTime Server. Team licenses cost $80 each from 2 users, falling in steps to $20 each at 1,000.

ActivityWatch

No public discounts listed.

ManicTime

• Annual discount

  Lower cloud price with yearly billing

  Billed yearly, Cloud Standard is $7 a month for individuals against $9 monthly, and $10 per user for teams against $12. Ultimate is $9 against $11, and $13 against $15.

• Lifetime license

  One-time license from $87 per user

  A license is a one-time payment with a year of support and upgrades. After that year the last version released within it keeps working indefinitely.

• Education

  80% off the license for students and retirees

  Students aged 27 or under and retirees get 80% off a license for non-commercial use, and faculty get 50% off, by emailing support with proof. Cloud plans have no discounts.

• Other savings

  50% off early license renewal

  The documentation says a license renewed before its year of upgrades is up gets a 50% discount on the renewal.