Chronoid vs Daily

Chronoid

• Mac freelancers and consultants who bill by the hour
• People who want tracked data to stay on their own Mac
• Buyers who prefer a lifetime license to a subscription

Daily

• Mac users who forget to start and stop timers
• Employees who report hours to an employer each week
• People who want a lifetime license instead of a subscription

Chronoid

• Chronoid runs only on macOS 14 or later; iPhone and iPad activity comes in through Screen Time import, not an app.
• There is no free plan: a license is needed after the 7-day trial.
• Each license covers one person on up to 3 Macs; team and company pricing is by contacting the vendor.
• Fees for hosted AI providers are separate from the license; the assistant can also run on local models.

Daily

• Tracking happens only on the Mac; the iOS app views and edits timesheets, and the FAQ says there is no Windows app.
• A license is needed to track time. There is no free plan, and the length of the trial is not published.
• Business licenses are priced in euros, excluding VAT, and each one is assigned to a single device.
• The integrations page describes sending billable hours to an invoicing system; invoices are made in that other tool.

Chronoid

Automatic tracking

Runs in the background and captures foreground apps, window titles, browser URLs and documents, with idle detection so time away is not counted. No timers to start.

Smart rules and projects

Rules assign activity to client projects by app or keyword. Clients and projects are organized in a hierarchy, with time targets and scheduled tracking hours.

Invoices and reports

Projects carry hourly rates and a billable status. Unbilled hours load into an invoice editor with tax, currency and payment terms, and export as a PDF.

AI insights and MCP server

A chat answers questions about your hours, using local models through Ollama, LM Studio or Apple Intelligence, or a cloud provider. A local MCP server serves AI agents.

Pomodoro timer and website blocker

Focus sessions run on a Pomodoro timer and can be scheduled, and distracting websites can be blocked on demand while you work.

Meetings, calendar and Screen Time

Detects meetings and logs their time, reads Apple Calendar for titles and project suggestions, and imports iPhone and iPad sessions from Screen Time.

Daily

Asks instead of timing

Daily periodically asks what you are doing and logs the answer, so no timer has to be toggled when you switch tasks. The vendor says confirming your activity regularly also helps against procrastination.

Timesheets

Timesheets cover a day, week, month or year, broken down by category, project or customer, and show when work started and stopped. Time can be added or edited.

Scheduler and silent tracking

A scheduler sets when Daily tracks on each day of the week and accounts for overtime. An activity can also be applied silently for a set duration.

Activity management

Activities can be added, renamed, archived, merged and deleted, and grouped by category, client or project.

Export, API and automation

Data exports to CSV, JSON or PDF. A web API, an MCP connection for AI assistants, Zapier and AppleScript link Daily to other tools.

iOS companion app

The iOS app shows and edits timesheets when you are away from the Mac. It syncs through iCloud and is covered by an existing Daily license.

Chronoid

• Annual$8

  per month, billed yearly at $96

  All features for one person on up to 3 Macs, with premium support and updates while subscribed.

• Monthly$15

  per month

  The same subscription billed month to month: all features for one person on up to 3 Macs. Cancel anytime.

• Lifetime$149

  one-time payment

  All features for one person on up to 3 Macs, with lifetime access and updates.

Daily

• Monthly$7.99

  per month, in-app subscription

  A license for one person, bought in the app through the Mac App Store. Renews each month until canceled.

• Quarterly$19.99

  per quarter, as labelled on the App Store listing

  Listed among the in-app purchases on the US App Store. The app description names only monthly, yearly and lifetime licenses.

• Yearly$39.99

  per year, in-app subscription

  A license for one person, renewing each year until canceled. The iOS companion app is included with any license.

• Lifetime$99.99

  one-time purchase

  A license bought once in the app, with no renewal.

• Business license€39.99

  per license / year, excl. VAT (€7.99 per month)

  Licenses bought in bulk on the vendor's site with one payment method and VAT invoices, then handed out to employees by email.

Chronoid

• Annual discount

  $96 a year instead of $15 a month

  The pricing page shows the subscription at $8 a month billed yearly at $96, against $15 a month billed monthly, which would be $180 over a year.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime license for $149

  A single payment of $149 gives one person lifetime access and updates on up to 3 Macs.

• Education

  50% off education licenses

  The pricing page tells students to email Chronoid support for 50% off education licenses.

• Other savings

  50% off bulk lifetime licenses

  Orders of at least 5 lifetime licenses are listed at $75 per license instead of $149, from $375 for 5, arranged by contacting the vendor.

Daily

• Annual discount

  Yearly license costs less than paying monthly

  The US App Store listing shows Yearly at $39.99 and Monthly at $7.99, so a year paid at once costs $39.99 against $95.88 for twelve monthly payments.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime license for $99.99

  The US App Store listing includes a Lifetime in-app purchase at $99.99, and the app description says a lifetime license can be obtained in the app.