ActivityWatch vs RescueTime: Which Is Better for Private Activity Tracking in 2026?

For private activity tracking, ActivityWatch is the better pick. It is free, open source under MPL-2.0, and keeps all data on your own device. RescueTime wins if you want distraction blocking, focus sessions, goals or timesheets and accept cloud processing, from $7/month billed annually. Dayflow, our Mac app, fits if you want an AI-written timeline with local AI.

ActivityWatch keeps every record on your own device and costs nothing. RescueTime sends your activity data to its servers to build reports, and charges for focus tools and timesheets on top. If the job is private activity tracking, that difference in where the data lives matters more than any feature list.

A disclosure before going further: we make Dayflow, a free, open-source Mac app that records the screen at one frame every 10 seconds and has AI write the day into a readable timeline. It shows up below as a third option, clearly labeled. We also have separate pages on ActivityWatch vs Dayflow and on RescueTime alternatives. This comparison is based on each vendor’s own documentation as checked on October 4, 2026. We did not run benchmarks.

Quick comparison

Tool	Best for	How it tracks	Price	Platforms
ActivityWatch	Privacy-first personal analytics, project time and screen habits	Records active app, window title and away-from-keyboard time locally. Browser extensions add tab title and URL, editor plugins add coding activity	Free	Windows, Mac, Linux, Android
RescueTime	Focus habits, distraction blocking and timesheets	Runs in the background and tracks time on apps and websites. Data goes to RescueTime’s cloud for reports	Free Lite plan; Focus (Solo) $7/month billed annually ($84) or $9/month billed monthly	Desktop apps, iOS, Android, Web
Dayflow (ours)	A readable AI timeline of your Mac workday	Records the screen at one frame every 10 seconds; AI writes the timeline	$0; optional Pro $20 a month	macOS 14 or later

Key takeaways

• ActivityWatch is the private choice. The vendor states all data stays on your device and is never sent to any server. It is open source under MPL-2.0 and completely free.
• RescueTime is the behavior-change choice. It has distraction blocking, focus sessions, goals, alerts and timesheets. The cost is cloud processing and a subscription for most of those features.
• RescueTime does not capture screenshots. It states it does not collect keystrokes, form input, screenshots or webpage content. It is cloud-based, but it does not record everything.
• Neither tells you in words what you did. ActivityWatch shows app and window data with no AI listed. RescueTime lists “The Assistant” but tracks apps and websites, not the content of your work.
• Dayflow sits between them on privacy. Recordings and the timeline stay on your Mac. Whether screenshots leave the machine depends on whether you use Local AI, your own cloud provider or Dayflow Pro.

What does ActivityWatch do better?

It keeps your data at home. This is the whole case for ActivityWatch in this matchup. The vendor states that all data is stored on your own device and never sent to any server. For a tracker that knows every window title you have opened, that is a meaningful guarantee. Window titles often contain document names, email subjects and client names.

It is free with no catch. The vendor describes ActivityWatch as completely free and open source, with no feature gates, no usage limits and no ads. There is no paid tier that unlocks the useful parts. The site mentions an optional “AW Pro” patronage, but no price was confirmed on the pages read, so see the vendor’s site if you want to support the project.

You can read the code. ActivityWatch is licensed MPL-2.0 and developed in the open on GitHub. If your privacy standard is “I want to verify, not trust,” this is the only one of the two head-to-head tools that lets you do that. RescueTime is not open source.

It runs almost everywhere. Windows, Mac, Linux and Android are all listed. If you split your week between a Mac and a Linux desktop, ActivityWatch can track both, though sync between devices is still listed as work in progress.

It is built to be extended. Custom watchers and a local API mean you can feed it new data sources or pull its data into your own scripts and dashboards. Editor plugins add coding activity, which is useful if you write software and want to see time per project or language without touching a timer.

It stays narrow. ActivityWatch records the active app, the window title and whether you are away from the keyboard. Browser extensions add the active tab title and URL. That is a small, predictable data set, which makes it easier to reason about what is being stored.

What does RescueTime do better?

It acts on the data. RescueTime is built around changing behavior, not just recording it. Distraction blocking, focus sessions, goals and alerts are all listed. ActivityWatch lists none of these. If your real problem is that you keep opening a social feed every few minutes, a log of the habit is less useful than a block on the site.

It has timesheets and billing rates. The Solo+ plan adds Timesheets with projects, clients and billable rates, plus autocompletion hints that learn from your history. ActivityWatch has no timesheet feature listed. If you bill clients by the hour, this is a real gap on the ActivityWatch side.

It covers your phone. RescueTime lists desktop apps, iOS, Android and web. ActivityWatch has no iOS support. If you want an iPhone in the picture, RescueTime is the option here. The pages read did not confirm which desktop operating systems are supported, so check RescueTime’s site for current Mac requirements.

It works for teams. Team Focus and Team+ plans exist, priced per user. ActivityWatch is aimed at individuals and lists no team features.

It has an assistant. “The Assistant” is listed as a Focus feature. ActivityWatch lists no AI features at all.

It limits what it collects, even in the cloud. RescueTime is cloud-based, but it states it does not collect keystrokes, form input, screenshots or webpage content, and that activity data is never shared, sold or used for advertising. That is not the same as local storage, but it is a narrower data set than some people assume when they hear “cloud tracker.”

Head-to-head table

Capability	ActivityWatch	RescueTime	Dayflow (ours)
Automatic capture	Yes: active app, window title, AFK; tab title and URL via extensions	Yes: apps and websites in the background	Yes: screen at one frame every 10 seconds
Screenshots	Not listed (window and app data only)	No, per vendor	Yes, stored on your Mac
Manual timers	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Timesheets and billing	Not listed	Timesheets with projects, clients and billable rates on Solo+ and Team+	No invoices or payroll; Markdown export of a date range
Team reports	Not listed	Team Focus and Team+ plans	No
Distraction blocking	Not listed	Yes, plus focus sessions, goals and alerts	No website blocking
AI summaries	None listed	”The Assistant” on Focus; autocompletion hints in Timesheets	AI-written timeline via Local AI, your own provider or Pro
Data location	Local; vendor says never sent to any server	Cloud; vendor says never shared, sold or used for ads	Local recordings and timeline; screenshots go off-device only with your own provider or Pro
Free tier	Everything is free	Lite plan; limits not on the pricing page	$0 app; optional Pro
Platforms	Windows, Mac, Linux, Android	Desktop apps, iOS, Android, Web	macOS 14 or later
Open source	Yes, MPL-2.0	No	Yes, MIT

Pricing compared

Plan	Price
ActivityWatch	Free
RescueTime Lite	Free; feature limits not described on the pricing page, see RescueTime’s pricing page
RescueTime Focus (Solo)	$7/month billed annually ($84), or $9/month billed monthly
RescueTime Solo+ (Focus + Timesheets)	$12/month billed annually ($144), or $15/month billed monthly
RescueTime Team Focus	$10/month/user billed annually ($120), or $12/month/user billed monthly
RescueTime Team+ (Focus + Timesheets)	$16/month/user billed annually ($192), or $18/month/user billed monthly
Dayflow (ours)	$0; optional Pro at $20 a month

For one person tracking activity privately, ActivityWatch costs $0 a year and does the job in full. On RescueTime, the cheapest paid plan that includes its focus features is Focus (Solo): $84 a year billed annually, or $108 a year if you pay $9 monthly for twelve months. If you also want timesheets, Solo+ is $144 a year billed annually, or $180 a year paying monthly. RescueTime’s 14-day trial on all paid plans lets you check whether the blocking and focus tools change your habits before you commit. Because the Lite plan’s limits are not described on the pricing page, we can’t tell you whether it covers your needs. Check RescueTime’s pricing page before counting on it.

Dayflow is $0 if you run Local AI on your Mac or bring your own cloud provider (that provider’s charges apply). Dayflow Pro at $20 a month comes to $240 a year. For private tracking specifically, the free app with Local AI is the configuration that keeps screenshot analysis on-device. Details are on our pricing page.

When should you choose ActivityWatch?

Pick ActivityWatch if the deciding question is “where does my data go?” and you want the answer to be “nowhere.” It is the strongest fit when:

• You want local-only storage stated plainly by the vendor, with open-source code you can audit.
• You use more than one operating system, such as a Mac at work and Linux or Windows at home, and are fine tracking them separately until sync ships.
• You write code and want editor plugins to log time per project.
• You like to build things: custom watchers and a local API mean the data is yours to query, chart or export however you like.
• You want to pay nothing, ever, for the full product.

Expect to do some interpreting yourself. ActivityWatch gives you app names, window titles and URLs over time. Turning that into “what did I actually work on Tuesday?” is your job, since no AI features are listed.

When should you choose RescueTime?

Pick RescueTime if privacy matters to you but is not the top priority, and you want a tool that pushes back on bad habits. It is the stronger fit when:

• You want distraction blocking, focus sessions, goals and alerts in one place.
• You need timesheets with projects, clients and billable rates (Solo+).
• You want your iPhone or Android phone tracked alongside your computer.
• You manage a team and want per-user plans.
• You are comfortable with activity data processed in RescueTime’s cloud, given its statement that it does not collect screenshots, keystrokes, form input or webpage content and never sells or shares the data.

That last point is the trade. RescueTime’s privacy story is about limiting what it collects and how it is used. ActivityWatch’s is about never sending it at all. For a reader whose job is private activity tracking, the second is the stronger guarantee.

Where do both fall short?

Both tools record what was on top of your screen: an app name, a window title, a website. Neither turns that into a plain-language account of the work. A log that says you spent most of the afternoon in a browser and the morning in an editor does not tell you which bug you fixed, which document you rewrote or what you were reading. When you need to remember what you worked on days later, app-level data often isn’t enough.

ActivityWatch lists no AI features. RescueTime lists “The Assistant,” but it states it does not collect screenshots or webpage content, so whatever it produces is built from app and website time, not from what you were actually looking at.

This is the gap Dayflow (ours) is designed for. It records the Mac screen at one frame every 10 seconds and has AI write a timeline of the day in readable sentences. On privacy, here is how it works, from our own facts file:

• Full screen recordings and the local timeline are stored on your Mac.
• With Local AI, a supported model runs on your Mac through Ollama or LM Studio, and screenshot analysis stays on-device. You need the hardware to run it.
• With your own provider, selected screenshots go to the cloud provider you configure, under that provider’s terms and charges.
• With Dayflow Pro, Dayflow manages cloud analysis. Under the privacy policy, Pro deletes screenshots after processing and may retain Activity Data for sync.
• If you use a cloud assistant on your Dayflow data, that conversation is not local just because the storage is.

So Dayflow with Local AI keeps analysis on your Mac while adding the written summary neither competitor offers. Our page on local and cloud processing goes through each mode, and Is Dayflow safe? covers the security questions. You can also export your work history as Markdown for a date range.

Be clear about the trade-off, though. Dayflow stores screen images, which is more sensitive raw data than ActivityWatch’s window titles, even if those images stay on your Mac. If your idea of privacy is “collect as little as possible,” ActivityWatch still wins. If it’s “collect what’s useful, but keep it on my machine,” Dayflow with Local AI is a reasonable fit. For a wider view of the category, our guide to the best time tracker for Mac covers more options, and time tracking without surveillance explains how we think about the privacy question.

When is Dayflow the wrong pick?

Dayflow is narrow on purpose. Skip it in these cases:

• You use Windows, Linux or Android. Dayflow is Mac only and needs macOS 14 or later. ActivityWatch covers Windows, Mac, Linux and Android.
• You want distraction blocking. Dayflow has no website blocking, focus sessions or goals. RescueTime has all of these.
• You bill clients or need timesheets. Dayflow does not produce invoices or payroll approvals. RescueTime’s Solo+ plan has timesheets with projects, clients and billable rates.
• You manage a team. Dayflow has no team reports. RescueTime has Team Focus and Team+ plans.
• You don’t want screen images captured at all. Dayflow records the screen. ActivityWatch records only app, window and browser data, and RescueTime states it does not collect screenshots.
• You want to build on raw activity data. ActivityWatch’s custom watchers and local API are made for that.
• You need your phone tracked. Dayflow is Mac only. RescueTime lists iOS and Android, and ActivityWatch lists Android.

One more caution: AI summaries can miss or misinterpret work. If you’re sharing a Dayflow timeline with a manager or a client, check it first.

The bottom line

For private activity tracking, ActivityWatch is the better tool of the two. It is free, open source, runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android, and the vendor states your data never leaves your device. You give up blocking, timesheets, iOS and any AI help.

RescueTime is the better tool when you want to change habits, not just observe them. Blocking, focus sessions, goals and timesheets are real features ActivityWatch doesn’t have. It starts at $7/month billed annually ($84), and your activity data goes to its cloud, though it states it does not collect screenshots, keystrokes or webpage content.

If you’re on a Mac and want a written record of what you actually did, Dayflow (ours) with Local AI adds that while keeping analysis on-device. It is not the right pick if you want the smallest possible data footprint, blocking or billing. For more on how automatic trackers differ, see what an automatic time tracker is.

Frequently asked questions

Is ActivityWatch really private?

According to the vendor, yes. ActivityWatch states that all data is stored on your own device and is never sent to any server. It is open source under the MPL-2.0 license, so the code that does the tracking can be inspected. Device sync is listed as work in progress, which means there is currently no supported built-in way to sync your history between devices.

Does RescueTime take screenshots of my screen?

No. RescueTime states it does not collect keystrokes, form input, screenshots or webpage content. It runs in the background and tracks time spent on apps and websites. That activity data is sent to RescueTime to generate reports. The vendor says the data is never shared, sold or used for advertising, but it does leave your computer.

Is RescueTime free?

A free Lite plan exists. RescueTime's pricing FAQ says accounts revert to it after cancelling, but the pricing page does not describe its feature limits. Paid plans start at Focus (Solo), $7/month billed annually ($84) or $9/month billed monthly. Every paid plan has a 14-day trial. For Lite details, see RescueTime's pricing page.

Does ActivityWatch work on a Mac?

Yes. ActivityWatch lists Mac alongside Windows, Linux and Android. It records the active application, the window title and whether you are away from the keyboard. Browser extensions add the active tab title and URL, and editor plugins add coding activity. It is free with no feature gates, and the vendor says data stays on your device.

Is Dayflow better than RescueTime for blocking distracting websites?

No. RescueTime beats Dayflow here. RescueTime offers distraction blocking, focus sessions, goals and alerts. Dayflow has no website blocking at all. It records your Mac screen and has AI write a timeline of your day, which tells you where time went after the fact but does nothing to stop a distraction in the moment.

Can ActivityWatch sync between my computers?

Not yet in a finished form. ActivityWatch lists device sync as work in progress, and it has no iOS app. If you need one combined view across a laptop, desktop and phone today, RescueTime lists desktop apps, iOS, Android and web, at the cost of sending activity data to its cloud. Check each vendor's site for the current state.

Which is better for freelancers who bill by the hour?

RescueTime, of these two. Its Solo+ plan adds Timesheets with projects, clients and billable rates, at $12/month billed annually ($144) or $15/month billed monthly. ActivityWatch lists no timesheet or billing features. Dayflow has no invoicing or payroll either, though it can export a date range as Markdown that you could use to fill in hours.

Does ActivityWatch have AI summaries?

No AI features are listed for ActivityWatch. It shows app, window and browser data, and you can extend it with custom watchers and a local API. RescueTime lists 'The Assistant' as a Focus feature. Dayflow's core feature is an AI-written timeline, which can run fully on your Mac through Ollama or LM Studio.

Is Dayflow private?

It depends on how you run it. Dayflow stores screen recordings and the timeline on your Mac. With Local AI, screenshot analysis stays on-device. With your own cloud provider or Dayflow Pro, selected screenshots are processed off-device. Under the privacy policy, Pro deletes screenshots after processing and may retain Activity Data for sync.

Can I use ActivityWatch or RescueTime on an iPhone?

ActivityWatch has no iOS support. It runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. RescueTime lists an iOS app along with desktop apps, Android and web. Dayflow is Mac only and needs macOS 14 or later. If phone tracking matters, RescueTime is the only one of the three that lists iOS.