Hamster vs Solidtime
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
Solidtime
Modern open-source time tracker for teams
| Feature | Hamster | Solidtime |
|---|---|---|
| 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, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,127 | ★ 8,846 |
| First released | 2008 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Toggl, RescueTime | Toggl, Clockify, Harvest |
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 Solidtime if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.8k GitHub stars
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Hamster or Solidtime better?
Neither is universally better. Solidtime 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 Solidtime free and open-source?
Yes. Hamster is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Solidtime under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hamster and Solidtime with Docker?
Hamster: check the project docs for container support. Solidtime: yes.