# ActivityWatch

> Free, open-source automatic time tracker that keeps data local

ActivityWatch is an open-source app that automatically records how you spend time on your devices, tracking the active application and window title and, with extensions, browser tabs and code editors. All data is stored on the device and is not sent to a server. The software is free under the MPL-2.0 license, and development is funded by donations and optional support subscriptions that unlock no extra features.

- **Category:** Time Tracking
- **Made by:** Superuser Labs (since 2014)
- **Website:** https://activitywatch.net
- **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Browser extension
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

ActivityWatch is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **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.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | Every feature on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, including the browser extensions and editor watchers. |

Read from https://activitywatch.net/subscribe/ on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with ActivityWatch before buying.

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

**Tags:** Time tracking, Open source, Local-first, Public API

## Alternatives

- [RescueTime](https://toolgpa.com/tools/rescuetime): Automatic time tracking with distraction blocking and timesheets. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/activitywatch-vs-rescuetime)
- [WakaTime](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wakatime): Automatic coding time tracking and AI usage analytics. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/activitywatch-vs-wakatime)
- [ManicTime](https://toolgpa.com/tools/manictime): Automatic time tracker, in the cloud or on your own server. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/activitywatch-vs-manictime)
- [Timing](https://toolgpa.com/tools/timing): Automatic time tracking for Mac with no timers to start. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/activitywatch-vs-timing)
- [Rize](https://toolgpa.com/tools/rize): Automatic time tracker with focus tools and AI reports. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/activitywatch-vs-rize)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://activitywatch.net/subscribe/
- https://activitywatch.net
- https://activitywatch.net/downloads/
- https://activitywatch.net/donate/
- https://docs.activitywatch.net/en/latest/api.html
- https://docs.activitywatch.net/en/latest/faq.html
- https://docs.activitywatch.net/en/latest/history.html

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/activitywatch
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).