Hamster vs TimeOff Management
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?
Hamster
Desktop time tracker for individual productivity
VS
TimeOff Management
Self-hosted leave and absence tracking for companies
| Feature | Hamster | TimeOff Management |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Python | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,127 | ★ 1,041 |
| First released | 2008 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Toggl, RescueTime | BambooHR, Vacation Tracker |
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 TimeOff Management if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Hamster or TimeOff Management better?
Hamster is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider TimeOff Management if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Hamster and TimeOff Management free and open-source?
Yes. Hamster is licensed under GPL-3.0 and TimeOff Management under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hamster and TimeOff Management with Docker?
Hamster: check the project docs for container support. TimeOff Management: yes.