Dayflow review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Open-source Mac app that logs your workday automatically
Black Friday: is there a Dayflow sale?
Dayflow report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for a free self-tracking log on a Mac
Dayflow is an open-source Mac app that records your screen and writes a daily timeline, free with a local model or your own AI key. It needs macOS 14, it's for logging your own day rather than billing clients, and the managed AI is $20 a month.
Who Dayflow is for
- 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
Who Dayflow is not for
- 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
Why Dayflow gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree and open source, so anyone can download and run it. The managed AI plan is $20 a month.
- AFree plan and trialThe app, capture and AI summaries are free with a local model or your own key. No cap is stated.
- CFeaturesAutomatic capture and an AI timeline. It's for self-tracking, with no timesheets, billing or team view.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You pick a local model or paste an API key, and need macOS 14.
- DPlatforms and integrationsMac only, on macOS 14 or later. A Windows version is only a waitlist.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Dayflow's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/dayflow-time-tracker#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/dayflow-time-tracker.svg" alt="Dayflow: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Dayflow stands among time tracking apps
Dayflow's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 66 of the 98 other time tracking apps we grade, and level with 15.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 91 of 98) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $6.99 for the category: 74 of the 80 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. 78 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 99 time tracking apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Dayflow’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 86 of 98, level with 12
- AFree plan and trialAbove 91 of 98, level with 7
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 98, level with 64
- CEase of useAbove 3 of 98, level with 75
- DPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 98, level with 4
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 87 time tracking apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Dayflow, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of Dayflow you could make: time tracking. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 66 of the 98 other time tracking apps we grade. It costs $240 a year. Dayflow is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Time tracking: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Recording the screen with its sound, and somewhere to keep the video.
- A native app living in the menu bar.
- A real app for macOS. Something home-made would be a web page.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on.
What this rests on. Dayflow’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Dayflow?
Dayflow is a macOS app that records the screen, then uses AI to turn the recording into a readable timeline of what you worked on, sorted into categories such as coding, research and distraction. Recordings stay on the Mac. The AI can be a local model, your own API key or a managed service on the paid plan.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Dayflow pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dayflow has a free plan, and paid plans start at $20 per month, billed monthly.
- Starts at
- $20 per month, billed monthly
- 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.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0per month | Local recordings and database, automatic capture, AI summaries via a local model or your own API keys. |
| Pro | $20per month, billed monthly | Managed AI analysis with no provider setup, and no draw on your Claude or ChatGPT usage. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Pro plus SSO or SAML, data-retention controls and internal AI gateway support; sold through sales. |
Read from dayflow.so on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Dayflow before you buy.
Dayflow alternatives
- Dayflow vs Rize
Free trial · from $9.99/mo
- Dayflow vs RescueTime
Free plan · from $7/mo
- Dayflow vs Timing
Free trial · from $9/mo
- Dayflow vs Memtime
Free trial · from $14/mo
Common questions
Does Dayflow have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Dayflow is listed for macOS.
Does Dayflow have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Dayflow is listed for macOS.
Is Dayflow open source?
Yes. Dayflow is open source, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.