gtimelog vs Solidtime
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted time tracking options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Solidtime
Modern open-source time tracker for teams
| Feature | gtimelog | Solidtime |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 55 · Fair | 92 · 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, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 273 | ★ 8,929 |
| First released | 2008 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Toggl | Toggl, Clockify, Harvest |
What are gtimelog and Solidtime?
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
Solidtime
Solidtime is a modern, open-source time tracking application built for freelancers and agencies. It supports projects, clients, billable rates, and team reporting.
- Project and client billing rates
- Team time reporting
- Modern responsive UI
- REST API
gtimelog vs Solidtime: key differences
Gtimelog is written in Python, while Solidtime is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for gtimelog versus AGPL-3.0 for Solidtime. Gtimelog is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Solidtime. Gtimelog is the more established project (first released 2008), while Solidtime arrived in 2024. Solidtime has the considerably larger community, at 8,929 GitHub stars versus 273. Solidtime 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 Solidtime if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.9k GitHub stars
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is gtimelog or Solidtime better?
Neither is universally better. Solidtime 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 Solidtime free and open-source?
Yes. gtimelog is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Solidtime under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gtimelog and Solidtime with Docker?
gtimelog: check the project docs for container support. Solidtime: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, gtimelog or Solidtime?
gtimelog has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Solidtime. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.