Kimai vs FocusTime Tracker
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
FocusTime Tracker
Minimal command-line and web work timer
| Feature | Kimai | FocusTime Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,871 | ★ 2,535 |
| First released | 2006 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Toggl, Harvest, Clockify | Toggl, Harvest |
Why pick each one
Choose FocusTime Tracker if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Kimai or FocusTime Tracker better?
Neither is universally better. Kimai has the larger community, while FocusTime Tracker is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kimai and FocusTime Tracker free and open-source?
Yes. Kimai is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and FocusTime Tracker under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kimai and FocusTime Tracker with Docker?
Kimai: yes. FocusTime Tracker: check the project docs for container support.