Chronoid vs Timemator

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

Timemator

• Freelancers on a Mac who forget to start timers
• People who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription
• Users who want tracked data kept on their own devices

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.

Timemator

• The Mac and iOS apps are sold separately, at $39 and $7.99.
• The Activity Timeline and Auto-tracking are marked Mac only; the iOS listing describes manual tracking of hours and tasks.
• There is no Windows, Android or web version, and no team features; Windows and Teams editions appear on the roadmap.
• A Mac license can be active on 2 computers at the same time.

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.

Timemator

Activity Timeline

On the Mac, Timemator captures what you do during the day so you can go back, review it, and assign the time to projects in a few clicks.

Auto-tracking

Rules you define let the Mac app start and pause the timer by itself, for example when a given app or project file is open. You keep manual control.

Manual timer and sessions

A start and pause timer works alongside Auto-tracking, and sessions can be added or edited by hand on daily and weekly timelines.

Tasks, folders and hourly rates

Tasks are grouped in folders by project, client or both. Setting an hourly rate on a task makes Timemator calculate revenue for the tracked time.

Reports and export

Charts compare tracked time by day or month, and sessions can be filtered by date or task. Reports can be exported for clients, and data exports as CSV.

iCloud Sync and backups

Tasks, folders, sessions and Auto-tracking rules sync across devices through iCloud. Automatic backups can go to a custom location such as Dropbox.

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.

Timemator

• Timemator for iOS$7.99

  one-time in-app purchase (Full License)

  The iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch app. A free download with a 30-day trial; the Full License unlocks it for good.

• Timemator for Mac$39

  one-time payment

  The Mac app with the Activity Timeline and Auto-tracking. Use forever, with activation on 2 computers.

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.

Timemator

• Lifetime license

  One-time purchase instead of a subscription

  Timemator for Mac is a one-time payment of $39 described as "use forever", and the iOS Full License is a one-time $7.99 in-app purchase.

• Education

  Student discount

  The homepage links to a student discount on Timemator, offered through Student App Centre. The discount amount is not stated on the vendor's site.