Timewarrior vs Traggo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted time tracking options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Timewarrior | Traggo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,663 | ★ 1,633 |
| First released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Toggl | Toggl, Clockify |
What are Timewarrior and Traggo?
Timewarrior
Timewarrior is a command-line time tracking utility that records start and stop times of tracked activities. It offers flexible tagging, reports, and analytics for personal productivity.
- Pure command-line workflow
- Tag-based tracking
- Flexible reports and charts
- Integrates with Taskwarrior
Traggo
Traggo is a tag-based time tracking tool. Instead of fixed projects and tasks, every tracked entry is described by tags, giving flexible reporting and analysis.
- Tag-based time entries
- Flexible custom dashboards
- Single binary deployment
- Lightweight resource usage
Timewarrior vs Traggo: key differences
Timewarrior is written in C++, while Traggo is built with Go. Licensing differs — MIT for Timewarrior versus GPL-3.0 for Traggo. Timewarrior is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Traggo. Timewarrior is the more established project (first released 2016), while Traggo arrived in 2019. Traggo lists first-class Docker deployment; Timewarrior does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Timewarrior if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Choose Traggo if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.6k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Timewarrior or Traggo better?
Neither is universally better. Timewarrior has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Timewarrior and Traggo free and open-source?
Yes. Timewarrior is licensed under MIT and Traggo under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Timewarrior and Traggo with Docker?
Timewarrior: check the project docs for container support. Traggo: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Timewarrior or Traggo?
Timewarrior has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Traggo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.