Hamster vs ActivityWatch
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
ActivityWatch
Automatic, privacy-first time tracking for your devices
| Feature | Hamster | ActivityWatch |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,127 | ★ 18,527 |
| First released | 2008 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Toggl, RescueTime | RescueTime, ManicTime |
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 ActivityWatch if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 18.5k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Hamster or ActivityWatch better?
Neither is universally better. ActivityWatch has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Hamster and ActivityWatch free and open-source?
Yes. Hamster is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ActivityWatch under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hamster and ActivityWatch with Docker?
Hamster: check the project docs for container support. ActivityWatch: check the project docs for container support.