gtimelog vs Kimai
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted time tracking options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
gtimelog
Minimalist time logging desktop application
VS
Kimai
Professional time tracking for teams and freelancers
| Feature | gtimelog | Kimai |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 276 | ★ 4,871 |
| First released | 2008 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Toggl | Toggl, Harvest, Clockify |
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
Frequently asked questions
Is gtimelog or Kimai better?
Neither is universally better. Kimai 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 gtimelog and Kimai free and open-source?
Yes. gtimelog is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Kimai under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gtimelog and Kimai with Docker?
gtimelog: check the project docs for container support. Kimai: yes.