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.
Kimai
Professional time tracking for teams and freelancers
| Feature | gtimelog | Kimai |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 55 · Fair | 90 · Excellent |
| 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 | ★ 273 | ★ 5,039 |
| First released | 2008 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Toggl | Toggl, Harvest, Clockify |
What are gtimelog and Kimai?
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
Kimai
Kimai is a free, web-based multi-user time tracking application. It tracks work time across projects and activities and generates invoices and exportable reports.
- Multi-user time tracking
- Invoice generation
- Detailed reporting and exports
- Plugin marketplace
gtimelog vs Kimai: key differences
Gtimelog is written in Python, while Kimai is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for gtimelog versus AGPL-3.0 for Kimai. Gtimelog is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Kimai. Kimai is the more established project (first released 2006), while gtimelog arrived in 2008. Kimai has the considerably larger community, at 5,039 GitHub stars versus 273. Kimai lists first-class Docker deployment; gtimelog does not.
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 Kimai if…
- Mature and actively maintained
- Strong invoicing features
Watch out for
- Configuration can be involved
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.
Which is lighter on resources, gtimelog or Kimai?
gtimelog has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Kimai. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.