ActivityWatch vs Wakapi
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted time tracking options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Wakapi
Self-hosted coding activity and time tracking server
| Feature | ActivityWatch | Wakapi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 77 · Good | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,968 | ★ 4,434 |
| First released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Replaces | RescueTime, ManicTime | WakaTime, RescueTime |
What are ActivityWatch and Wakapi?
ActivityWatch
ActivityWatch automatically tracks how you spend time on your computer by recording active applications and windows. All data stays on your own machine and can be explored through a built-in web dashboard.
- Automatic app tracking
- Local-only data
- Cross-platform watchers
- Extensible via API
Wakapi
Wakapi is a self-hosted tool to track and analyze your coding time. It is compatible with WakaTime editor plugins and provides detailed dashboards of programming activity.
- WakaTime plugin compatible
- Coding activity dashboards
- Multiple database backends
- Single lightweight binary
ActivityWatch vs Wakapi: key differences
ActivityWatch is written in Python, while Wakapi is built with Go. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for ActivityWatch versus GPL-3.0 for Wakapi. ActivityWatch is the more established project (first released 2016), while Wakapi arrived in 2019. ActivityWatch has the considerably larger community, at 18,968 GitHub stars versus 4,434. Wakapi lists first-class Docker deployment; ActivityWatch does not.
Why pick each one
Choose ActivityWatch if…
- Fully automatic tracking
- Data stays local
- Built-in web dashboard
Watch out for
- Manual categorization setup
- Limited mobile support
Choose Wakapi if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.4k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is ActivityWatch or Wakapi better?
Neither is universally better. ActivityWatch has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ActivityWatch and Wakapi free and open-source?
Yes. ActivityWatch is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Wakapi under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ActivityWatch and Wakapi with Docker?
ActivityWatch: check the project docs for container support. Wakapi: yes.