The RescueTime Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about RescueTime in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
RescueTime
The Insider’s Guide
Automatic time tracking with distraction blocking and timesheets
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among time tracking apps, read from RescueTime’s own pages.
Made by RescueTime · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02Insider tipsWhat most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
- 03What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 04What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 05Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 06The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 07Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from RescueTime’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on RescueTime’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 28 of the 42 other time tracking apps we grade
RescueTime records the time spent in apps and websites in the background, with no timers to start, and turns it into reports and productivity scores. It is sold as two parts: Focus, which adds goals, alerts and sessions that block distracting sites and apps, and Timesheets, which assigns tracked activity to clients, projects and tasks for billing. Both come in versions for individuals and for teams.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about RescueTime, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No store rating on record, but there is nothing to set up: install it and it tracks and categorizes by itself.
- 1
Best for seeing where your computer time goes
RescueTime logs where your computer time goes in the background, scores your day and, on paid plans, blocks the sites that eat it.
- 2
Paid plans start at $7 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $7 per month, billed annually ($84).
- 3
There is a free plan
Lite plan: automatic app and website tracking, activity reports, weekly summaries and 1 goal, with 2 weeks of report history. No Focus Sessions, alerts, offline time or iOS app.
- 4
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android, with a browser extension too.
- 5
Automatic activity tracking
Logs time in apps and websites without timers. Idle detection prompts you to record offline work, and tracking can be paused or limited to a work schedule.
- 6
Focus Sessions
Blocks distracting sites and apps for a set period on paid plans. Connecting Slack mutes notifications during a session, and Spotify can start a focus playlist.
- 7
Goals and alerts
Set goals for how time is spent, a daily target for focused time, and alerts that fire as you work. Lite allows 1 goal and has no alerts.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 28 of 42
That is against the other time tracking apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of RescueTime you could make: time tracking, goals and reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
RescueTime at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $7 per month, billed annually ($84)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial on all paid plans; no payment is charged until the trial ends
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- Made by
- RescueTime
- Category
- Time Tracking
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
Best for seeing where your computer time goes
RescueTime logs where your computer time goes in the background, scores your day and, on paid plans, blocks the sites that eat it. The free Lite plan keeps 2 weeks of history and 1 goal with no blocking or iOS app, Solo at $7 a month covers the focus side only, timesheets with clients and projects need Solo+ at $12 or Team+ at $16 a user, and Linux isn't supported.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Solo is $7 a month billed annually ($84), or $9 monthly, which is the middle of this category, and it buys the focus side only. Timesheets with clients, projects and billable rates mean Solo+ at $12, and teams pay $16 a user for the same thing. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Lite is free and keeps tracking in the background, with reports and weekly summaries. The caps bite quickly though: 2 weeks of history, 1 goal, no Focus Sessions, no alerts and no iOS app. Paid plans have a 14-day trial. |
| Features | B | It logs apps and websites with no timers, asks about offline work, scores the day and blocks distracting sites during Focus Sessions, with goals, alerts and team reports. Timesheets that suggest a client for each activity are there too, on Solo+ and Team+. |
| Ease of use | B | No store rating on record, but there is nothing to set up: install it and it tracks and categorizes by itself. You can pause it or keep it to your work schedule, and that's about the extent of the fiddling. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and a browser extension, plus an API and hooks into Slack, Asana, GitHub, Gmail, Outlook and Spotify. Linux isn't on the supported list, and the iOS app isn't available on Lite. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who RescueTime is for
- Fits if you want to see where your computer time goes without running timers
- Works for people who want the same few distracting sites blocked for a set period
Who it is not for
- Tight if you stay on Lite, with 2 weeks of history, 1 goal, no blocking, no alerts and no iOS app
- Pricey if all you want is client timesheets, which need Solo+ at $12 a month or Team+ at $16 a user
- Skip it if you work on Linux, because it isn't on the supported systems list
- Watch out: Solo at $7 covers the focus features only, so billing work means paying for a plus plan
Good to know
Good for
- People who want to see where computer time goes without running timers
- Blocking distracting sites and apps during set focus periods
- Freelancers who want timesheets filled in from tracked activity
- Teams that want aggregated reports on tools and focus trends
Worth knowing
- The free Lite plan keeps 2 weeks of history and 1 goal, with no Focus Sessions, alerts or offline time.
- The iOS app is not available on the Lite plan.
- Timesheets, clients, projects and billable rates need Solo+ or Team+.
- The supported systems list covers Windows, macOS, iOS and Android; Linux is not on it.
Part 02 · Tips
Insider tips
What most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
7
Things most people miss, each from its own help pages
The things about RescueTime that are easy to miss until they cost you: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches at renewal or when you leave. Each one is from RescueTime’s own pages, linked beside it.
Read on Oct 17, 2026. Read from RescueTime's help centre (Focus Sessions, automations, work settings, billing, refunds and cancelling) and its privacy policy on 17 October 2026. Not tried out: these tips are what its own pages say.
- 1
Setting
Turn off Allow Unblocking, or the block page lets you click through
During a Focus Session the block page has a Continue button. Turn off Allow Unblocking in Account Settings, Focus Settings, and it's gone. Anything you never want blocked goes under Blocking Exceptions on the same page. Focus Sessions need a paid plan.
help.rescuetime.com - 2
Easy to miss
Put #focustime in a calendar event to start a Focus Session
Add #focustime, #focus or #focussession to a Google or Outlook event's title or description, and a session starts with the event and runs its full length. Connect the calendar under Account Settings, Calendar Integrations. A daily distraction limit, 30 minutes by default, can start one too.
help.rescuetime.com - 3
Privacy
Stop it logging every website, or only log during work hours
In Account Settings, Data & Privacy, turn off Monitor all websites and only sites on your whitelist get recorded by name. The rest shows up as plain browser time. On the same page, switch off 24x7 and set a logging schedule so evenings and weekends aren't tracked at all.
help.rescuetime.com - 4
Renewal
The 60-day refund covers your first payment, not a renewal
RescueTime's refund policy gives a full refund within 60 days of your first purchase of a paid plan. Renewals aren't covered. If you bought through an app store, the refund has to be asked for there, not from RescueTime.
help.rescuetime.com - 5
Renewal
Yearly plans email you a week before they renew
Its billing page says annual subscribers get a reminder email one week before the renewal date. That's your moment to decide. Cancel and the paid features carry on to the end of the cycle, and you aren't charged again.
help.rescuetime.com - 6
Leaving
Uninstalling the app doesn't cancel your plan
Deleting RescueTime from your computer or phone leaves the subscription running. Cancel it in Account Settings, Billing, with Cancel your subscription. Bought it through the Apple App Store? You'll need to cancel with Apple as well.
help.rescuetime.com - 7
Leaving
On the free plan, data older than 15 months is deleted
RescueTime's privacy policy, dated 16 October 2026, says free account data older than 15 months is deleted automatically, on a rolling basis. So if you're dropping back to Lite and care about your long-term history, export what you want first.
rescuetime.com
Part 03 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$7
A month to start. There is a free plan too
RescueTime has a free plan. Paid plans start at $7 per month, billed annually ($84).
Lite is free and keeps tracking in the background, with reports and weekly summaries.
Lite
$0
Automatic tracking, activity reports, weekly summaries and 1 goal, limited to 2 weeks of report history.
Solo
$7
per month, billed annually ($84); $9 billed monthly
Focus features for individuals: Focus Sessions, unlimited goals and alerts, offline time, detailed reports and unlimited history.
Team
$10
per user / month, billed annually ($120); $12 billed monthly
Focus features for teams, with team and individual reports, key tools, shared categories and role-based access.
Solo+
$12
per month, billed annually ($144); $15 billed monthly
Solo plus Timesheets for individuals: timeline, clients, projects and tasks, billable rates, project goals and exports.
Team+
$16
per user / month, billed annually ($192); $18 billed monthly
Team plus Timesheets: shared clients, projects and tasks, a team weekly calendar view and billable rates.
The free plan
Lite plan: automatic app and website tracking, activity reports, weekly summaries and 1 goal, with 2 weeks of report history. No Focus Sessions, alerts, offline time or iOS app.
Trying it first
14-day free trial on all paid plans; no payment is charged until the trial ends
Read from rescuetime.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Lower monthly rate on annual plans
Annual plans cost less per month than monthly ones: Solo is $84 a year ($7 a month) against $9 month to month, about 22% less, and Team+ is $16 against $18 per user.
Stated on rescuetime.com
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Solo Monthly”, against $9.00 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | Rp 149ribu | $8.33 | 7% less |
| Canada | $12.00 | $8.44 | 6% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 599.00 | $9.54 | 6% more |
| Australia | $14.00 | $9.77 | 9% more |
| Germany | 10,00 € | $11.21 | 25% more |
| United Kingdom | £9.00 | $11.90 | 32% more |
| Brazil | R$ 59,90 | $11.97 | 33% more |
| South Africa | R199.99 | $12.10 | 34% more |
Part 04 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android and Browser extension
Automatic time tracking with distraction blocking and timesheets. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, site & app blocker, time tracking, goals, reports.
Timesheets that suggest a client for each activity are there too, on Solo+ and Team+.
- Automatic activity tracking
- Logs time in apps and websites without timers. Idle detection prompts you to record offline work, and tracking can be paused or limited to a work schedule.
- Focus Sessions
- Blocks distracting sites and apps for a set period on paid plans. Connecting Slack mutes notifications during a session, and Spotify can start a focus playlist.
- Goals and alerts
- Set goals for how time is spent, a daily target for focused time, and alerts that fire as you work. Lite allows 1 goal and has no alerts.
- Reports and productivity scores
- Breaks time down by app, website and category with daily, weekly or monthly productivity scores. Paid plans keep unlimited history; Lite shows 2 weeks.
- Timesheets
- Solo+ and Team+ add a timeline with suggestions for which client, project or task each activity belongs to, plus billable rates, time rounding and CSV or Excel export.
- Team reporting
- Team plans add aggregated reports on chosen key tools, categories and daily patterns, with owner, admin, manager and member roles controlling who sees what.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Gmail
- Outlook
- Asana
- Slack
- GitHub
- Spotify
- Exist.io
- Beeminder
Who makes RescueTime
RescueTime is made by RescueTime, Inc., a Seattle company that went through Y Combinator in 2008. It earns money from subscriptions to its Focus and Timesheets plans for individuals and teams, alongside a free Lite plan.
- Founded
- 2007ycombinator.com
- Based
- Seattle, Washington, as a distributed company with members spread throughout the United Statesycombinator.com
- Ownership
- Privately held. Privately held: news reports from 2008 name its investors, Y Combinator's company page lists it as active, and its own pages name no parent company.techcrunch.com
- Funding
- Went through Y Combinator in its Winter 2008 batch, then raised $900,000 in September 2008 from True Ventures, Chris Sacca, Tim Ferriss, Mike Seckler and Mike Koss, according to TechCrunch; VentureBeat reported that True Ventures led the round.techcrunch.comventurebeat.comycombinator.com
- Team
- A team size of 15, as listed on its Y Combinator company pageycombinator.com
- Founders and leaders
- Brian Fioca, Founderycombinator.com
- Tony Wright, Founderventurebeat.com
- Affiliate program
- A 15% commission on every payment a referred customer makes, for as long as they subscribe, paid out once commissions reach $100, as its blog described the program in March 2023. Signing up needs a RescueTime account.blog.rescuetime.com
- Referral program
- A subscriber who refers a friend gets half off their next billing cycle and the friend gets half off their first, as described on its blog in March 2023.blog.rescuetime.com
- Lately
Read on Oct 18, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Part 05 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
28/42
Other time tracking apps it is graded above
RescueTime's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 28 of the 42 other time tracking apps we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 24 of 42) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $7 a month, against a middle price of $6.55 for the category: 19 of the 35 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 43 time tracking apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. RescueTime’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 8 of 42
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 42
- BFeaturesAbove 22 of 42
- BEase of useAbove 23 of 42
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 24 of 42
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 39 time tracking apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. RescueTime is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of RescueTime you could make: time tracking, goals and reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 28 of the 42 other time tracking apps we grade. It costs $84 a year.
What you could make
- Time tracking, goals and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Blocking that reaches every browser and app and is hard to switch off.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Gmail, Outlook and Asana among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. RescueTime’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.
Part 06 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Rize, Timing, ActivityWatch, ManicTime and Timely
The 5 tools RescueTime is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Rize
Free trial · from $9.99/mo
Automatic time tracker with focus tools and AI reports.
- RescueTime has a free plan. Rize does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only RescueTime lists a web app.
- Only RescueTime lists iOS and Android apps.
- 2.4GPA
Timing
Free trial · from $9/mo
Automatic time tracking for Mac with no timers to start.
- RescueTime has a free plan. Timing does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only RescueTime lists Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Only RescueTime lists a browser extension.
- 3.0GPA
ActivityWatch
Free
Free, open-source automatic time tracker that keeps data local.
- Only RescueTime lists a web app.
- Only RescueTime lists an iOS app.
- Only ActivityWatch lists a Linux app.
- 2.4GPA
ManicTime
Free plan · from $7/mo
Automatic time tracker, in the cloud or on your own server.
- Only RescueTime lists a web app.
- Only RescueTime lists a browser extension.
- Only ManicTime lists a Linux app.
- 2.6GPA
Timely
Free trial · from $9/mo
Automatic time tracking with AI-drafted timesheets for teams.
- RescueTime has a free plan. Timely does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only RescueTime lists a browser extension.
- RescueTime also covers site & app blocker and goals.
Part 07 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is RescueTime free?
RescueTime has a free plan. Lite plan: automatic app and website tracking, activity reports, weekly summaries and 1 goal, with 2 weeks of report history.
How much does RescueTime cost?
RescueTime lists 5 plans. Lite: $0.
What platforms does RescueTime work on?
RescueTime is available on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.
Does RescueTime offer any discounts?
RescueTime publicly lists the following: Lower monthly rate on annual plans.
Does RescueTime have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. RescueTime is listed for Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is RescueTime open source?
RescueTime is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does RescueTime have an API?
Yes. RescueTime offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does RescueTime integrate with?
RescueTime's listing names Gmail, Outlook, Asana, Slack, GitHub, Spotify, Exist.io and Beeminder.
Does RescueTime have a free trial?
Yes. 14-day free trial on all paid plans; no payment is charged until the trial ends.
Who makes RescueTime?
RescueTime is made by a company of the same name. Privately held: news reports from 2008 name its investors, Y Combinator's company page lists it as active, and its own pages name no parent company.
What are the alternatives to RescueTime?
The closest alternatives to RescueTime in our directory are Rize, Timing, ActivityWatch, ManicTime and Timely.
How does RescueTime compare with other time tracking apps?
RescueTime's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 28 of the 42 other time tracking apps we grade, and level with 5.
Is RescueTime good value for money?
ToolGPA grades RescueTime C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $7 a month, against a middle price of $6.55 for the category: 19 of the 35 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of RescueTime?
The plain part of RescueTime you could make: time tracking, goals and reports.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from RescueTime’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from RescueTime's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-06-14.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by RescueTime. Prices change, so check rescuetime.com before you buy.
- rescuetime.com/pricing
- rescuetime.com
- rescuetime.com/features
- help.rescuetime.com/article/81-what-are-the-differences-between-premium-and-lite-accounts
- help.rescuetime.com/article/56-what-operating-systems-does-rescuetime-support
- help.rescuetime.com/article/453-rescuetime-browser-tracking-supported-browsers-and-setup
- rescuetime.com/rtx/developers
Part 08 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- RescueTime, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/rescuetime
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "RescueTime: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/rescuetime
Know someone choosing between time tracking apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/rescuetime/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded time tracking apps after RescueTime, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Time Tracking Insider's GuideEvery one of the 43 time tracking apps we grade, compared
- Jibble Insider's GuideFree time clock and attendance tracker with GPS and face recognition3.4 GPA
- Clockify Insider's GuideTeam time tracker and timesheets with a free plan for 5 users3.2 GPA
- TimeCamp Insider's GuideTime tracking with attendance, billing and a free plan for any team3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what RescueTime’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. RescueTime is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by RescueTime. Prices and plans change: check rescuetime.com before you buy.