Kimai2 vs ActivityWatch
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — 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
ActivityWatch
Automatic, privacy-first time tracking for your devices
| Feature | Kimai2 | ActivityWatch |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Time Tracking |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 200 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,871 | ★ 18,527 |
| First released | 2023 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Hamster, RescueTime, Toggl Track | RescueTime, ManicTime |
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 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 Kimai2 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 Kimai2 and ActivityWatch free and open-source?
Yes. Kimai2 is licensed under MIT and ActivityWatch under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kimai2 and ActivityWatch with Docker?
Kimai2: check the project docs for container support. ActivityWatch: check the project docs for container support.