Kimai2 vs Octobox
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted project management & tasks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Kimai2
Multi-user application for time-tracking with support for mobile
VS
Octobox
Take back control of your GitHub Notifications
| Feature | Kimai2 | Octobox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Project Management & Tasks |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 200 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,871 | ★ 4,478 |
| First released | 2023 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Hamster, RescueTime, Toggl Track | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Kimai2 if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (4.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Choose Octobox if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Ruby
Frequently asked questions
Is Kimai2 or Octobox better?
Kimai2 is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Octobox if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Kimai2 and Octobox free and open-source?
Yes. Kimai2 is licensed under MIT and Octobox under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kimai2 and Octobox with Docker?
Kimai2: check the project docs for container support. Octobox: yes.