actitime vs ActivityWatch

Compare actitime and ActivityWatch on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Time Tracking tools, Freemium vs Free (open source) pricing to decide…

At a Glance

 actitimeActivityWatch
Primary categoryTime TrackingTime Tracking
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelFreemiumFree (open source)
Starting priceNot documentedFree
Free planYesYes
Free trialYesNot documented
PlatformsNot documentedWeb, Android, Mac, Windows
Team collaborationYesNot documented
AI featuresNot documentedNot documented
Public APINot documentedYes

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

actitime

No individual plan breakdown documented yet.

ActivityWatch

No individual plan breakdown documented yet.

Pros & Cons

actitime

Pros

  • Combines time tracking with project budgeting, billing/invoicing, and leave management in one product rather than requiring separate tools.
  • Offers both a cloud-hosted (SaaS) version and a self-hosted/on-premise deployment, giving teams control over where their data lives.
  • Per-user pricing scales down at higher headcounts, and a limited free tier plus free trial lower the barrier to try it.
  • Provides an API and a Chrome browser extension alongside QuickBooks and Zapier integrations for connecting to existing workflows.

Cons

  • Native integration list is comparatively small compared to modern time-tracking competitors; broader connectivity leans on Zapier rather than direct integrations.
  • Self-hosted deployment adds IT setup and maintenance overhead that a pure cloud SaaS competitor wouldn't require.
  • Public marketing materials disclose limited hard pricing detail up front, requiring visitors to dig for exact plan costs.

ActivityWatch

Pros

  • Completely free with no premium tiers, usage limits, or ads
  • Strong privacy model — data never leaves the user's device
  • Open source (MPL-2.0) and extensible
  • Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android

Cons

  • No official iOS app
  • Cross-device data synchronization is still in development
  • As a volunteer-maintained project, support and integrations depend on community contribution rather than a commercial team

Use Cases

actitime

ActivityWatch

  • Personal productivity tracking — Understand where your time actually goes across apps and websites.
  • Developer time tracking — Track time spent coding directly from your editor via plugins.
  • Digital wellbeing awareness — Build awareness of screen time and app usage habits.
  • Privacy-conscious time tracking — Track time without sending any data to a third-party server.

Read the full actitime review · Read the full ActivityWatch review