Hamster 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 | Hamster | Kimai |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 49 · Fair | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,126 | ★ 5,025 |
| First released | 2008 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Toggl, RescueTime | Toggl, Harvest, Clockify |
What are Hamster and Kimai?
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
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
Hamster vs Kimai: key differences
Hamster is written in Python, while Kimai is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Hamster versus AGPL-3.0 for Kimai. Hamster is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Kimai. Kimai is the more established project (first released 2006), while Hamster arrived in 2008. Kimai has the considerably larger community, at 5,025 GitHub stars versus 1,126. Kimai lists first-class Docker deployment; Hamster does not.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Kimai if…
- Mature and actively maintained
- Strong invoicing features
Watch out for
- Configuration can be involved
Frequently asked questions
Is Hamster or Kimai better?
Neither is universally better. Kimai has the larger community, while Hamster is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Hamster and Kimai free and open-source?
Yes. Hamster is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kimai under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hamster and Kimai with Docker?
Hamster: check the project docs for container support. Kimai: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Hamster or Kimai?
Hamster has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Kimai. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.