activitywatch.net

In One Sentence

ActivityWatch is an automatic time-tracking tool maintained by the open-source community, built around a “privacy-first” and “local data” philosophy, and positioned as an alternative to RescueTime. It was started by developer Erik Bjäreholt and is now iterated on by contributors around the world. The main reason users choose it is simple: there is no need to upload personal usage data to third-party servers; all records are stored locally, giving users full control over their behavioral data.

Business Overview

ActivityWatch provides an open-source, self-hosted automatic time-tracking service. It runs in the background and records activity on your computer—such as the active window, time spent in applications, and titles of visited web pages—then automatically generates reports on how your time is used. The project was originally open-sourced on GitHub and has now received more than 10,000 stars, making it a representative open-source project in the time-tracking niche. Its position in the market is geared more toward tech enthusiasts and privacy-conscious users than large enterprise customers. Typical users include individual developers, freelancers, and small teams that care about data sovereignty or are unwilling to pay for commercial software. ActivityWatch itself does not offer a hosted cloud service; users need to install the client or deploy the server side themselves.

Who It’s For

This tool is best suited to three types of users. First, individuals who care deeply about privacy and do not want any third-party company—including RescueTime—to collect their behavioral data. Second, developers or operations engineers with a strong technical background who are comfortable installing a Python environment, configuring databases, or editing configuration files. Third, small teams that want a low-cost way to collect time statistics, provided someone on the team is willing to maintain the self-hosted service. It is not a good fit for enterprise users who expect an “out-of-the-box” experience, nor for Chinese companies that need professional customer support or invoices.

Key Features and Highlights

• Fully open source with local storage: All code is public on GitHub, and data is stored locally by default in SQLite or PostgreSQL databases, without passing through any third-party servers.
• Cross-platform client support: Desktop monitoring apps are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, along with a mobile app for Android, covering common day-to-day use cases.
• Highly customizable and extensible: A plugin system supports custom classification rules, and users can write Python scripts to further process or export their data.
• No ads or tracking: The interface is clean and contains no commercial ads or telemetry code, staying true to its “privacy-first” positioning.
• Visual reporting dashboard: The built-in web interface displays daily and weekly activity breakdowns using timelines, bar charts, and tables, with support for filtering and exporting.
• Works offline: It can run without an internet connection, with all tracking completed locally. Network access is only needed if the user wants to sync data across devices.

Pricing Analysis

ActivityWatch costs “zero dollars”—it is completely free and open-source software, with no subscription or licensing fees. Compared with commercial products such as RescueTime, whose personal plan starts at $12 per month, and Toggl Track, whose team plan starts at $18 per month, its pricing advantage is obvious. That said, free does come with hidden costs: users must bear the time cost of deployment and maintenance themselves, as well as any debugging time caused by compatibility issues. In addition, the official project does not provide cloud hosting or paid support options. If you need an invoice, the project has no commercial entity, so it is generally unable to issue invoices recognized in China.

How Chinese Users Can Use It

ActivityWatch is very friendly to Chinese users because it does not require any special network access to use. Downloading, installing, and running the client can all be done from within the domestic Chinese network environment, and both data recording and the local web interface do not depend on overseas servers. In terms of payment methods, there is no purchase process because it is free. However, note that the official documentation and community discussions are in English and lack Chinese translations, which creates a barrier for users with limited English proficiency. If you need an invoice, because the project is maintained by an open-source community rather than a commercial company, Chinese users cannot obtain a compliant invoice. Domestic alternatives include “ManicTime” (the free version has limitations) and “时间小秘” (a domestic closed-source product), but ActivityWatch has the edge when it comes to privacy control.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• ✅ Completely free, with no hidden fees or restrictions
• ✅ Fully local data storage, offering the highest level of privacy protection
• ✅ Open source and auditable, with transparent code and manageable security risks
• ✅ Cross-platform support covering desktop and mobile
• ✅ Works offline and does not depend on a network connection

Cons:

• ❌ Installation and configuration are relatively complex, creating a high learning curve for ordinary users
• ❌ Lacks professional customer service and documentation support; users need to search for solutions themselves or file Issues
• ❌ The interface has a technical feel, and its aesthetics and usability lag behind commercial software
• ❌ No built-in cloud sync; multi-device data must be synced manually or via a self-hosted server
• ❌ Cannot issue invoices, making it unsuitable for reimbursement-oriented enterprise use cases

Comparison with Similar Products

• RescueTime: The most direct alternative that ActivityWatch aims to replace. RescueTime provides automatic tracking and detailed reports, but data is uploaded to the cloud, making it weaker on privacy, and its personal plan starts at $12 per month. ActivityWatch wins on being free and local-first, while RescueTime is stronger in ease of use and customer support.
• Toggl Track: Toggl is more focused on manual time tracking and team collaboration, offering project management and reporting features, with plans starting at $18 per month. ActivityWatch is fully automatic, making it suitable for users who do not want to manually click start and stop, but it lacks team collaboration features.
• ManicTime: A domestic closed-source product that offers similar automatic tracking features. The free version has a 30-day history limit, while the paid version starts at $99. ActivityWatch is free and unrestricted, but ManicTime’s Chinese-language support and invoice service better match domestic needs.

Final Recommendation

If you are a technically capable individual user with strict privacy requirements and no need for invoices or commercial support, ActivityWatch is an ideal choice—you can simply download the client for free and start using it. If you are an enterprise user who needs team collaboration, invoice reimbursement, or professional customer service, commercial products such as RescueTime or Toggl Track are better options. For users who just want to try it out first, ActivityWatch requires no payment, and all features are available immediately after installation, with no paid-upgrade traps. However, be sure to evaluate the time cost of configuration and troubleshooting. If that sounds like too much hassle, the paid version of ManicTime may be a reasonable compromise for users in China.