Timewarrior vs Wakapi
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?
Timewarrior
Command-line time tracking with powerful reporting
VS
Wakapi
Self-hosted coding activity and time tracking server
| Feature | Timewarrior | Wakapi |
|---|---|---|
| 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, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,637 | ★ 4,398 |
| First released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Toggl | WakaTime, RescueTime |
Why pick each one
Choose Timewarrior if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
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 Timewarrior or Wakapi better?
Neither is universally better. Wakapi has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Timewarrior and Wakapi free and open-source?
Yes. Timewarrior is licensed under MIT and Wakapi under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Timewarrior and Wakapi with Docker?
Timewarrior: check the project docs for container support. Wakapi: yes.