Solidtime vs timetrace
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted time tracking options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Solidtime
Modern open-source time tracker for teams
VS
timetrace
Simple command-line time tracker for projects
| Feature | Solidtime | timetrace |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 13 · At risk |
| Category | Time Tracking | Time Tracking |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,929 | ★ 794 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Toggl, Clockify, Harvest | Clockify, Toggl |
What are Solidtime and timetrace?
Solidtime
Solidtime is a modern, open-source time tracking application built for freelancers and agencies. It supports projects, clients, billable rates, and team reporting.
- Project and client billing rates
- Team time reporting
- Modern responsive UI
- REST API
timetrace
timetrace is a simple command-line time tracker that records hours spent on projects and tasks directly from the terminal. It stores records as local files and produces reports for billing and review.
- Terminal-based tracking
- Local file storage
- Project and task records
- Reporting commands
Solidtime vs timetrace: key differences
Solidtime is written in PHP, while timetrace is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Solidtime versus GPL-3.0 for timetrace. Timetrace is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Solidtime. Timetrace is the more established project (first released 2021), while Solidtime arrived in 2024. Solidtime has the considerably larger community, at 8,929 GitHub stars versus 794. Solidtime lists first-class Docker deployment; timetrace does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Solidtime if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.9k GitHub stars
- Written in PHP
Choose timetrace if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Solidtime or timetrace better?
Neither is universally better. Solidtime has the larger community, while timetrace is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Solidtime and timetrace free and open-source?
Yes. Solidtime is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and timetrace under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Solidtime and timetrace with Docker?
Solidtime: yes. timetrace: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Solidtime or timetrace?
timetrace has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Solidtime. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.