Anuko Time Tracker vs Kimai
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted time tracking options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Kimai
Professional time tracking for teams and freelancers
| Feature | Anuko Time Tracker | Kimai |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 8 · At risk | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 208 | ★ 5,025 |
| First released | 2003 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Clockify, Harvest | Toggl, Harvest, Clockify |
What are Anuko Time Tracker and Kimai?
Anuko Time Tracker
Anuko Time Tracker is a simple, easy to use, open-source web-based time tracking system. Teams use it to record time spent on projects and generate reports and invoices.
- Multi-user project tracking
- Reports and invoices
- Custom fields
- Multilingual interface
Kimai
Kimai is a free, web-based multi-user time tracking application. It tracks work time across projects and activities and generates invoices and exportable reports.
- Multi-user time tracking
- Invoice generation
- Detailed reporting and exports
- Plugin marketplace
Anuko Time Tracker vs Kimai: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Anuko Time Tracker versus AGPL-3.0 for Kimai. Anuko Time Tracker is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Kimai. Anuko Time Tracker is the more established project (first released 2003), while Kimai arrived in 2006. Kimai has the considerably larger community, at 5,025 GitHub stars versus 208. Kimai lists first-class Docker deployment; Anuko Time Tracker does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Anuko Time Tracker if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Kimai if…
- Mature and actively maintained
- Strong invoicing features
Watch out for
- Configuration can be involved
Frequently asked questions
Is Anuko Time Tracker or Kimai better?
Neither is universally better. Kimai has the larger community, while Anuko Time Tracker is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Anuko Time Tracker and Kimai free and open-source?
Yes. Anuko Time Tracker is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kimai under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Anuko Time Tracker and Kimai with Docker?
Anuko Time Tracker: check the project docs for container support. Kimai: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Anuko Time Tracker or Kimai?
Anuko Time Tracker has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Kimai. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.