Anuko Time Tracker vs Watson
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted time tracking options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Anuko Time Tracker | Watson |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 8 · At risk | 43 · Fair |
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 208 | ★ 2,538 |
| First released | 2003 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Clockify, Harvest | Toggl, Harvest |
What are Anuko Time Tracker and Watson?
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
Watson
Watson is a command-line time tracker written in Python. It records time frames per project with tags, stores data in local files, and generates reports and aggregates for billing or analysis. Maintained under the Jazzband organization.
- Command-line time tracking
- Project and tag support
- Detailed reports and aggregates
- Cross-platform
Anuko Time Tracker vs Watson: key differences
Anuko Time Tracker is written in PHP, while Watson is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Anuko Time Tracker versus MIT for Watson. Watson is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Anuko Time Tracker. Anuko Time Tracker is the more established project (first released 2003), while Watson arrived in 2015. Watson has the considerably larger community, at 2,538 GitHub stars versus 208.
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 Watson if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Anuko Time Tracker or Watson better?
Neither is universally better. Watson has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Anuko Time Tracker and Watson free and open-source?
Yes. Anuko Time Tracker is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Watson under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Anuko Time Tracker and Watson with Docker?
Anuko Time Tracker: check the project docs for container support. Watson: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Anuko Time Tracker or Watson?
Watson has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Anuko Time Tracker. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.