Dayflow vs Rize (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dayflow grades higher than Rize: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Dayflow grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Rize grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Dayflow
Open-source Mac app that logs your workday automatically
Rize
Automatic time tracker with focus tools and AI reports
Which one is for you
Pick Dayflow if
- Fits if you want an automatic log of your own day on a Mac
- Makes sense if you want screen data kept on your own computer
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or Linux, as only macOS 14 or later runs it
- Not for you if you bill clients or run timesheets, since it's for self-tracking
- Watch out: with your own API key or Pro, selected screenshots go to a cloud AI provider
- Tight if you want an annual price, because the page says to check inside the app
Pick Rize if
- Fits if you bill by the hour and don't want to run manual timers
- Works for teams that want client and project time without screenshots
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you just want a simple tracker, at $9.99 a month with no free plan
- Skip it if you need to track from a phone, as a mobile app is listed only under Enterprise
- Not for you if you're on Linux, which is only down as coming soon
- Pricey if you need client reports, the API or Zapier, which start on Pro at $23.99 a month
- Watch out: Team plans need at least 2 seats at $29.99 each, and AI credits are capped on every plan
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADayflowGood | 2.2GPARizeFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source, so anyone can download and run it. The managed AI plan is $20 a month. | DBasic is $9.99 a month billed annually, $12.99 monthly, which is the dear end of this category before you've asked for anything. Client reports, the API and Zapier need Pro at $23.99, nearly four times the going rate, and teams pay $29.99 a seat with a 2-seat minimum. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe app, capture and AI summaries are free with a local model or your own key. No cap is stated. | CNo free plan. The 7-day trial has every feature and needs no credit card, but a week isn't long to judge a tracker you'd bill from. After that it's $9.99 a month or nothing. |
| Features | CAutomatic capture and an AI timeline. It's for self-tracking, with no timesheets, billing or team view. | BAutomatic tracking with AI sorting by category, client and project, for billable hours and timesheets, plus focus detection, distraction blocking, focus music and break reminders. There's a chat agent you can ask about your time, and profitability views for teams. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You pick a local model or paste an API key, and need macOS 14. | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: it runs in the background with no timers and no manual entry, and the AI does the sorting rather than you writing rules. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only, on macOS 14 or later. A Windows version is only a waitlist. | CComputers only: Mac, Windows and a browser extension, with no web app and no phone app, since mobile is listed under Enterprise alone. Linear, ClickUp, Asana, Slack, Zoom and calendars connect, but the API, webhooks and Zapier start on Pro. Linux is down as coming soon. |
| Best for | a free self-tracking log on a Mac | automatic tracking with focus tools built in |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Dayflow and Rize. How we grade
Price against what you get
Dayflow starts at $20 a month and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Rize starts at $9.99 a month and scores 2.7.
Rize scores higher and starts $10.01 a month lower. Of the other time tracking apps on the chart, 78 score higher than Dayflow for less, and 18 score higher than Rize for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Dayflow is open source, according to its own site.
- Dayflow also covers screen recording and menu bar app.
- Rize also covers site & app blocker and focus music.
At a glance
| Dayflow | Rize | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $20 per month, billed monthly | $9.99 / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | Free: automatic activity capture, AI summaries with a local model or your own Gemini, OpenAI or Anthropic key, and the open-source app. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial with full feature access, no credit card required |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Teleport Labs Inc. | Rize Inc. |
| Price read from | dayflow.so | rize.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Dayflow
- It runs on macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later only; a Windows version is on a waitlist.
- It works from screen recordings, so it fits individual self-tracking more than client billing or team timesheets.
- With your own API key or Pro, selected screenshots are sent to a cloud AI provider for analysis.
- The pricing page says to check the current annual offer inside the app; no annual price is shown on the page.
Rize
- There is no free plan; after the 7-day trial, plans start at $9.99 a month billed annually.
- The tracker is available for macOS 10.14.6 or later and Windows 10 or later; the pricing page says Linux support is coming soon.
- Team plans carry a 2-seat minimum at $29.99 per seat a month billed annually.
- API, webhook, Zapier and MCP access start on Pro, and a mobile app is listed only under Enterprise.
Key features
Dayflow
- Automatic activity capture
- Records what is on screen in the background and builds a timeline without starting or stopping a timer.
- AI-written timeline
- Summarizes each block of work and sorts it into categories such as coding, research, planning, communication or distraction.
- Choice of AI provider
- Run a supported local model on the Mac, use your own Gemini, OpenAI or Anthropic key, or pay for managed analysis.
- Local recordings
- Recordings and the database are stored on the computer. Cloud options process selected screenshots, not the full recording.
- Open-source app
- The code is public on GitHub, so the app can be inspected and run yourself on the free plan.
- Enterprise controls
- Enterprise adds SSO or SAML, data-retention policies and rollout support for teams.
Rize
- Automatic time tracking
- Captures time across apps and websites in the background, with no timers or manual entry, and uses AI to categorize and tag it.
- Client and project time
- Sorts tracked time by client and project for billable hours, timesheets and invoices. Client and scheduled reports in PDF or CSV start on Pro.
- Focus tools
- Focus detection, distraction blocking, focus music and break reminders sit alongside the tracker, with AI insights on productivity and focus.
- Rize Agent and AI reports
- Ask questions about your time, projects and clients in chat, and run reports on demand or on a schedule. Each plan includes a monthly AI credit allowance.
- Team visibility and profitability
- Team plans give managers dashboards by client and project. Profitability views show revenue, cost and margin by client, project and member.
- API, webhooks and MCP
- From Pro, time data can be reached through the Rize API, webhooks, Zapier and an MCP server for AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT.
Plans
Dayflow
Free$0
per month
Local recordings and database, automatic capture, AI summaries via a local model or your own API keys.
Pro$20
per month, billed monthly
Managed AI analysis with no provider setup, and no draw on your Claude or ChatGPT usage.
EnterpriseCustom
Pro plus SSO or SAML, data-retention controls and internal AI gateway support; sold through sales.
Rize
Basic$9.99
per month, billed annually ($12.99 billed monthly)
Automatic app and website tracking, AI categorization, AI chat, focus music and smart breaks, personal reports, exports and 500 AI credits a month.
Pro$23.99
per month, billed annually ($28.99 billed monthly)
Adds client and scheduled reports, AI automations and agents, MCP server access, API, webhooks and Zapier, and 1,000 AI credits a month.
Max$39.99
per month, billed annually ($49.99 billed monthly)
Everything in Pro with 3,000 AI credits a month and priority support.
Team$29.99
per seat / month, billed annually ($39.99 monthly)
Manager dashboards with per-client and per-project time breakdowns. 2-seat minimum.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Max plus a mobile app, SOC 2 compliance, SSO and SCIM provisioning, custom contracts and a dedicated account manager.
Ways to pay less
Dayflow
No public discounts listed.
Rize
- Annual discount
Save up to 25% with annual billing
Rize's pricing FAQ says annual billing saves up to 25% on Team plans and up to 23% on individual plans. The Basic card shows a saving of $36 a year.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Dayflow or Rize?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Rize is cheaper to start with: $9.99 a month, against $20 a month for Dayflow. Dayflow starts at $20 per month, billed monthly, and Rize starts at $9.99 / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Dayflow or Rize?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Dayflow has a free plan. Rize does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Dayflow and Rize run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Rize lists a Windows app and a browser extension. Both list a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.