ActivityWatch vs TimeTagger
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ActivityWatch
Free, open-source automatic time tracker that keeps data local
TimeTagger
Open-source time tracker built on tags and a timeline
Where they differ
- ActivityWatch is free. TimeTagger starts at €3 per month, billed annually (€4 billed monthly).
- Only ActivityWatch lists Windows, macOS, Linux and Android apps.
- Only ActivityWatch lists a browser extension.
- Only TimeTagger lists a web app.
- TimeTagger is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- TimeTagger also covers Pomodoro timer and reports.
At a glance
| ActivityWatch | TimeTagger | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | €3 per month, billed annually (€4 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Entirely free and open source under the MPL-2.0 license, with no feature gates, usage limits or ads. Optional support subscriptions from $5 a month unlock nothing extra. | Self-hosted TimeTagger is free and open source (GPLv3). The hosted service at timetagger.app has no free tier: once the 14-day trial ends a subscription is needed to keep adding records. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of the hosted service, no card required; a longer trial on request |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Superuser Labs | Almar Klein scientific computing |
| Price read from | activitywatch.net | timetagger.app |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
TimeTagger
- Freelancers who want a low-cost tracker and PDF reports for clients
- People who prefer tagging entries to setting up projects
- Developers who want to self-host their time data or script it through an API
Worth knowing
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.
TimeTagger
- It is not in the App Store or Google Play; on phones it is installed as a web app from the browser.
- The hosted service has no free tier, and after a subscription lapses the app becomes read-only, though data can still be exported.
- Prices are set in euros; the vendor says buyers in most countries pay in their local currency.
- It is aimed at individuals: buying several subscriptions for a team is arranged by email.
Key features
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.
TimeTagger
- Interactive timeline
- Records sit on a timeline that scrolls and zooms from a day to longer ranges. A record is created by dragging on the timeline and edited by dragging its start, its end or the whole block.
- Tags instead of projects
- Any word in a description that starts with # becomes a tag. Tags exist only through the records that use them, can be renamed in bulk, and filter the overview into a breakdown.
- PDF and CSV reports
- The report button builds a table for the selected period and tags. It saves as a PDF for billing clients or as CSV with durations in decimal hours for a spreadsheet.
- Targets and Pomodoro
- Targets can be set and progress followed against them, and a built-in Pomodoro mode structures work into focused sessions.
- Installable and usable offline
- TimeTagger is a progressive web app: it installs from the browser on Android, iOS and desktop, keeps working without a connection and syncs changes when back online.
- Web API and command line
- A documented web API and a separate CLI tool let records be read and timers started from scripts or a terminal. The source is on GitHub and can be run locally or self-hosted.
Plans
ActivityWatch
Free$0
Every feature on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, including the browser extensions and editor watchers.
TimeTagger
Self-hostedFree
The open-source app (GPLv3) on your own server. You handle hosting, updates, authentication and backups yourself.
Basic plan€3
per month, billed annually (€4 billed monthly), incl. VAT
The hosted service at timetagger.app: no server to manage, an account that syncs across devices, and daily data backups.
Lifetime plan€144
one-time payment, incl. VAT
The same as the basic plan, paid once and used indefinitely.
Ways to pay less
ActivityWatch
No public discounts listed.
TimeTagger
- Lifetime license
Lifetime plan for €144
The pricing section offers a Lifetime plan at €144, paid once, with the same service as the basic subscription.
- Annual discount
€1 a month less with annual billing
The basic plan is €3 a month when billed annually, the default. Monthly billing costs €1 more a month, which the vendor attributes to transaction costs.
