TimeTracker vs gtimelog
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted time tracking options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
TimeTracker
Self-hosted web-based time tracking for teams
VS
gtimelog
Minimalist time logging desktop application
| Feature | TimeTracker | gtimelog |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 55 · Fair |
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 628 | ★ 273 |
| First released | 2024 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Toggl, Harvest | Toggl |
What are TimeTracker and gtimelog?
TimeTracker
TimeTracker is a self-hosted web-based time tracking application for freelancers, teams, and businesses. It manages projects, logs billable time, and generates invoices, keeping all data under your control.
- Project-based time logging
- Invoice generation
- Multi-user accounts
- Self-hosted data control
gtimelog
gtimelog is a small, minimalist time tracking application for GNOME. It records what you work on through simple text entries and produces daily and weekly reports.
- Text-based time logging
- Daily and weekly reports
- Minimalist GNOME app
- Plain-text data files
TimeTracker vs gtimelog: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — MIT for TimeTracker versus GPL-2.0 for gtimelog. Gtimelog is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for TimeTracker. Gtimelog is the more established project (first released 2008), while TimeTracker arrived in 2024. TimeTracker has the considerably larger community, at 628 GitHub stars versus 273. TimeTracker lists first-class Docker deployment; gtimelog does not.
Why pick each one
Choose TimeTracker if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose gtimelog if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is TimeTracker or gtimelog better?
Neither is universally better. TimeTracker has the larger community, while gtimelog is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are TimeTracker and gtimelog free and open-source?
Yes. TimeTracker is licensed under MIT and gtimelog under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run TimeTracker and gtimelog with Docker?
TimeTracker: yes. gtimelog: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, TimeTracker or gtimelog?
gtimelog has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for TimeTracker. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.