Kimai vs Virtual TimeClock
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?
Kimai
Professional time tracking for teams and freelancers
VS
Virtual TimeClock
Powerful, easy-to-use time tracking software
| Feature | Kimai | Virtual TimeClock |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | ⊘ Proprietary |
| Language | PHP | Unknown |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,871 | — |
| First released | 2006 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Toggl, Harvest, Clockify | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Virtual TimeClock if…
- Released under the ⊘ Proprietary license
- Written in Unknown
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Kimai or Virtual TimeClock better?
Neither is universally better. Kimai has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kimai and Virtual TimeClock free and open-source?
Yes. Kimai is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Virtual TimeClock under ⊘ Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kimai and Virtual TimeClock with Docker?
Kimai: yes. Virtual TimeClock: check the project docs for container support.