gtimelog vs Traggo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted time tracking options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | gtimelog | Traggo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 55 · Fair | 79 · Good |
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 273 | ★ 1,633 |
| First released | 2008 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Toggl | Toggl, Clockify |
What are gtimelog and Traggo?
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
Traggo
Traggo is a tag-based time tracking tool. Instead of fixed projects and tasks, every tracked entry is described by tags, giving flexible reporting and analysis.
- Tag-based time entries
- Flexible custom dashboards
- Single binary deployment
- Lightweight resource usage
gtimelog vs Traggo: key differences
Gtimelog is written in Python, while Traggo is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for gtimelog versus GPL-3.0 for Traggo. Gtimelog is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Traggo. Gtimelog is the more established project (first released 2008), while Traggo arrived in 2019. Traggo has the considerably larger community, at 1,633 GitHub stars versus 273. Traggo 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 Traggo if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.6k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is gtimelog or Traggo better?
Neither is universally better. Traggo has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are gtimelog and Traggo free and open-source?
Yes. gtimelog is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Traggo under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gtimelog and Traggo with Docker?
gtimelog: check the project docs for container support. Traggo: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, gtimelog or Traggo?
gtimelog has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Traggo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.