gtimelog vs Hamster
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted time tracking options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | gtimelog | Hamster |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 55 · Fair | 49 · Fair |
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 273 | ★ 1,126 |
| First released | 2008 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Toggl | Toggl, RescueTime |
What are gtimelog and Hamster?
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
Hamster
Hamster is a free desktop time tracking application that helps individuals record how long they spend on activities. It groups entries by category and produces simple overviews and exports of tracked time.
- Activity categorization
- Daily and weekly overviews
- Local SQLite storage
- Export to common formats
gtimelog vs Hamster: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for gtimelog versus GPL-3.0 for Hamster. Gtimelog is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Hamster. Hamster has the considerably larger community, at 1,126 GitHub stars versus 273.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Hamster if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is gtimelog or Hamster better?
Neither is universally better. Hamster has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are gtimelog and Hamster free and open-source?
Yes. gtimelog is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Hamster under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gtimelog and Hamster with Docker?
gtimelog: check the project docs for container support. Hamster: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, gtimelog or Hamster?
gtimelog has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Hamster. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.