Timewarrior vs Ziit
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
Ziit
The Swiss army knife of code time tracking (alternative to WakaTime)
| Feature | Timewarrior | Ziit |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,637 | ★ 249 |
| First released | 2016 | 2025 |
| Replaces | Toggl | — |
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 Ziit if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Timewarrior or Ziit better?
Timewarrior is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Ziit if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Timewarrior and Ziit free and open-source?
Yes. Timewarrior is licensed under MIT and Ziit under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Timewarrior and Ziit with Docker?
Timewarrior: check the project docs for container support. Ziit: yes.