Kimai2 vs Wakapi
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
Wakapi
Self-hosted coding activity and time tracking server
| Feature | Kimai2 | Wakapi |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Time Tracking |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 200 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,871 | ★ 4,398 |
| First released | 2023 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Hamster, RescueTime, Toggl Track | WakaTime, RescueTime |
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 Wakapi if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.4k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Kimai2 or Wakapi better?
Neither is universally better. Kimai2 has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kimai2 and Wakapi free and open-source?
Yes. Kimai2 is licensed under MIT and Wakapi under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kimai2 and Wakapi with Docker?
Kimai2: check the project docs for container support. Wakapi: yes.