arbtt 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 | arbtt | Wakapi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Haskell | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 361 | ★ 4,434 |
| First released | 2009 | 2019 |
| Replaces | RescueTime, ManicTime | WakaTime, RescueTime |
What are arbtt and Wakapi?
arbtt
arbtt is an automatic, rule-based time tracker that samples active windows and lets users categorize activity afterward with flexible rules. All data stays local and is queried through command-line statistics tools.
- Automatic window sampling
- Retroactive rule categorization
- Fully local data
- Command-line statistics
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
arbtt vs Wakapi: key differences
Arbtt is written in Haskell, while Wakapi is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for arbtt versus GPL-3.0 for Wakapi. Arbtt is the more established project (first released 2009), while Wakapi arrived in 2019. Wakapi has the considerably larger community, at 4,434 GitHub stars versus 361. Wakapi lists first-class Docker deployment; arbtt does not.
Why pick each one
Choose arbtt if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in Haskell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
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 arbtt or Wakapi better?
Wakapi is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider arbtt if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are arbtt and Wakapi free and open-source?
Yes. arbtt is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Wakapi under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run arbtt and Wakapi with Docker?
arbtt: check the project docs for container support. Wakapi: yes.