The 5 Best WakaTime Alternatives for Mac in 2026

If you want your whole workday and not just editor time, Dayflow records your Mac screen and writes a timeline, free and open source. ActivityWatch is the closest free, local match for WakaTime's coding stats. Timing wins for billable hours on Mac, Rize for AI focus insights on Mac and Windows, and Toggl for team timers. Stay on WakaTime for per-language and AI-usage metrics.

WakaTime does one thing very well. Its editor plugins log how long you spend coding, broken down by project, language and editor, and send it to a web dashboard. People who leave it usually have one of three reasons.

It only sees the editor. WakaTime records activity inside supported editors, IDEs and terminals. A code review in the browser, a design doc, a long Slack thread or an afternoon of meetings never appears. For many developers that is half the job.

History costs money. The free plan keeps 1 week of dashboard history. Full history requires Premium, at $14/mo billed monthly or $12.83/mo billed $153.96 yearly.

Your data lives on someone else’s server. The plugins send coding activity to WakaTime’s hosted dashboard. The plugins are open source, but the hosted service is not, and the server location is not stated on the pages we read.

A disclosure before the list: Dayflow is our product. It is ranked here next to tools that beat it in specific cases, and there is a section below on where it is the wrong pick. The method is a comparison of vendor documentation as published on October 4, 2026, with Dayflow’s facts taken from its 2.2.0 release.

Quick comparison

Tool	Best for	How it tracks	Price
Dayflow	Remembering the whole workday, not just coding	Records the screen at one frame every 10 seconds; AI writes a timeline	$0, MIT licensed; optional Pro at $20 a month
ActivityWatch	Free, local, open-source tracking with coding plugins (ActivityWatch vs Dayflow)	Active app, window title and away-from-keyboard status; browser extensions and editor plugins add tabs and code	Free
Timing	Billable hours on a Mac (Timing alternative)	Automatic app, website and document tracking, plus manual entries	From $9 per month billed annually, or $11 per month billed monthly
Rize	AI-categorized focus tracking on Mac and Windows (Rize alternative)	Automatic app and website tracking with AI categorization	From $9.99/mo billed annually, or $12.99/month billed monthly

What WakaTime does well

Before switching, be clear about what you would give up. WakaTime has strengths none of the alternatives below fully match.

• Coding metrics with real granularity. Time per project, per language and per editor, captured automatically by plugins for more than 100 editors, IDEs and terminals. You install a plugin and forget it.
• AI coding usage tracking. WakaTime tracks AI adoption, model usage and spend, and AI-generated versus human-written lines across tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot and Codex. If your team is trying to understand what its AI coding tools are actually doing, this is a rare feature.
• Goals and leaderboards. Programming goals and private leaderboards make it social and a little competitive, which some people need to stay consistent.
• Team dashboards. Team leads get coding metrics across developers on the Team and Business plans.
• A usable free plan. Unlimited projects and 1 programming goal at $0, with 1 week of history.

If your question is “how much did I code this week, in which language, and how much of it came from an AI tool,” WakaTime answers it better than anything else in this article.

Why people switch from WakaTime

The reasons tend to be practical rather than ideological.

The day is bigger than the editor. A developer’s week includes reviews, specs, debugging in the browser, docs, calls and support threads. WakaTime is honest about this: it only captures activity inside supported editors and terminals. If you want to know where the other hours went, you need one of the Mac time trackers that watch the whole machine.

One week of history is short. On the free plan, last month’s numbers are gone. To keep everything you need Premium, which is $14/mo billed monthly. Basic, at $9/mo billed monthly or $8.25/mo billed $99 yearly, does not unlock full history.

Cloud only. Coding activity goes to WakaTime’s hosted dashboard. Some people work under client contracts or company policies that make sending activity data to a third-party service awkward, and others simply prefer their records on their own disk.

Per-developer team pricing. Team is $21/dev/mo billed monthly, or $19.25/dev/mo billed $231/dev yearly. Business is $24/dev/mo billed monthly, or $22/dev/mo billed $264/dev yearly. For a small team that only wants rough time records, that adds up.

Stats are not memory. A chart that says “4h 12m in TypeScript” does not tell you what you shipped, which bug ate Tuesday, or what to write in Friday’s update. Some people leave because they want a readable account of the day, not more numbers.

The best WakaTime alternatives, ranked

1. Dayflow

Dayflow covers the part of the day WakaTime cannot see. It records the screen at one frame every 10 seconds and has AI write the day into a readable timeline, so the editor, the browser, the doc and the meeting all show up as plain-language work blocks. Recordings and the timeline are stored on your Mac.

Local AI runs a supported model through Ollama or LM Studio and keeps screenshot analysis on-device. Your own cloud provider or Dayflow Pro process selected screenshots off-device instead; local and cloud processing explains the tradeoff. A date range exports as Markdown, which feeds a Codex work summary or a standup.

Price: $0 and MIT licensed. Optional Pro at $20 a month (plans).

The limit: no per-language stats, AI coding spend metrics, leaderboards or team reports. No invoicing, payroll or website blocking, and AI summaries can miss or misread work. macOS 14 or later only.

Switch to it if you want to remember what you did all day, not just how long you spent coding.

2. ActivityWatch

ActivityWatch is the closest like-for-like swap for WakaTime, with a much wider view. It automatically 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, so you still get coding time, just alongside everything else.

The vendor states that all data is stored on your own device and is never sent to any server. It is open source under MPL-2.0, with custom watchers and a local API for people who like to build their own reports. It also runs on Windows, Linux and Android, which matters if you do not code only on a Mac.

Price: free. The vendor says there are no feature gates, usage limits or ads.

The limit: sync between devices is still work in progress, there is no iOS support, and no built-in AI summaries are listed. You get charts and raw events, and the interpretation is up to you.

Switch to it if you want free, local, open-source tracking that still counts coding time, and you are happy reading your own data.

3. Timing

Timing is a Mac-only automatic tracker built around billable time. It records apps, websites and documents, down to specific URLs and Mail threads, and also takes manual entries, iOS activity import and call tracking. The vendor states tracked times stay on your Mac unless you opt into sync.

Where it differs most from WakaTime is what happens after tracking. Timing has billing status tracking, customizable reports with rounding, two-way ClickUp, Linear and Clio sync, and GrandTotal invoicing integration, depending on plan. All plans include AI activity summaries, AI-powered suggestions for time entries and an MCP integration.

Price: Professional is $9 per month billed annually, or $11 per month billed monthly. Expert is $11 per month billed annually, or $14 per month billed monthly. Connect, for teams, is $16 per user per month billed annually, or $20 per user per month billed monthly. 30-day trial, no credit card required.

The limit: Mac only, no free tier, and the Professional plan covers 1 Mac with limited web app access. It is not open source.

Switch to it if you bill clients for development time and need records that turn into invoices.

4. Rize

Rize tracks apps and websites automatically and uses AI to categorize and tag the time. Connect Google Calendar and it captures meeting time too. AI chat and AI productivity and focus insights sit on top, so it leans toward coaching more than reporting.

It runs on Mac and Windows, and the vendor lists support back to macOS Mojave 10.14.6. Data is hosted on Amazon Web Services with encryption at rest and in transit.

Price: Basic is $9.99/mo billed annually, or $12.99/month billed monthly, with 500 AI credits a month. Pro is $23.99/mo billed annually with 1,000 AI credits, and Max is $39.99/mo billed annually with 3,000 AI credits. For monthly billing on Pro and Max, see the vendor’s pricing page. Team is $29.99/seat/month with annual billing, or $39.99/seat/month billed monthly. 7-day trial with full access, no credit card required.

The limit: no permanently free tier, data lives in the cloud, AI features are metered in credits, and Linux is not yet available.

Switch to it if you want AI-driven focus insights across Mac and Windows and are comfortable with cloud storage.

5. Toggl (formerly Toggl Track)

Toggl is the timer-based option, and the one to look at if a team is involved. Our Toggl for Mac page goes deeper. The product formerly called Toggl Track is now presented as Toggl, combining time tracking with planning. You track with manual and real-time timers, timesheets and calendar integrations. The vendor also lists automated background tracking and a timeline in the desktop app, and states it does not take screenshots or record keystrokes.

Its strengths are team features: billable rates, team reports, project planning with capacity management, and on Premium, timesheet approvals, profitability reports and Jira and Asana integrations. Toggl AI answers natural-language questions about workspace data. Apps cover web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and browser extensions.

Price: Free for up to 3 users. Starter is $9 per user per month billed annually, or $12 per user per month billed monthly. Premium is $16 per user per month billed annually, or $24 per user per month billed monthly. Enterprise: contact the vendor. 30-day trial on paid plans.

The limit: primarily timer and manual entry rather than a full automatic record, data is in the cloud, and billable rates need a paid plan.

Switch to it if your team needs shared timesheets, billable rates and planning more than automatic capture.

Alternatives by reason for leaving

• “WakaTime misses everything outside my editor.” Dayflow, which records the whole screen and writes it up as a timeline.
• “I want it free and open source, with coding time still counted.” ActivityWatch.
• “I don’t want my activity on a third-party server.” ActivityWatch, which stores everything on your device.
• “I need to bill clients for the hours.” Timing.
• “I want AI to tell me how focused I was.” Rize.
• “My team needs shared timesheets and approvals.” Toggl.
• “I need it on Windows or Linux too.” ActivityWatch.
• “I just want to write a decent standup without reconstructing yesterday.” Dayflow. See automatic standup updates.

If you are not sure which reason is yours, the where does my week go calculator is a quick way to see how much of your week falls outside coding at all.

Full comparison table

Tool	Price	Automatic capture	Where data lives	Platforms	Open source
WakaTime	Free; Basic $9/mo billed monthly; Premium $14/mo billed monthly; Team $21/dev/mo billed monthly; Business $24/dev/mo billed monthly (lower rates billed yearly)	Yes, inside supported editors and terminals only	Cloud, WakaTime’s hosted dashboard	100+ editors, IDEs and terminals via plugins; web dashboard	Plugins only; hosted service is not
Dayflow	$0; optional Pro at $20 a month	Yes, screen recorded at one frame every 10 seconds	On your Mac; analysis local or cloud, your choice	macOS 14 or later	Yes, MIT
ActivityWatch	Free	Yes, apps, window titles, AFK; tabs and code via extensions and plugins	Local, on your device	Windows, Mac, Linux, Android	Yes, MPL-2.0
Timing	From $9 per month billed annually, or $11 per month billed monthly	Yes, apps, websites and documents	Local, optional sync	Mac	No
Rize	From $9.99/mo billed annually, or $12.99/month billed monthly	Yes, apps and websites	Cloud, hosted on AWS	Mac, Windows	No
Toggl	Free up to 3 users; Starter from $9 per user per month billed annually	Mostly timers; vendor lists background tracking in desktop app	Cloud	Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, browser extensions	No

When should you stay with WakaTime?

Stay if coding metrics are the point. Nothing else here matches its per-project, per-language and per-editor breakdown with the same depth, and it works in more than 100 editors and terminals.

Stay if you care about AI coding tools. Tracking AI adoption, model usage and spend, plus AI-generated versus human-written lines across Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot and Codex, is a WakaTime feature with no equivalent in the other tools on this list.

Stay if your team runs on leaderboards and shared coding dashboards. The Team plan has a 14-day trial with no credit card, so it is easy to check whether it fits.

And consider not choosing at all. WakaTime and a whole-screen tracker measure different things, so running WakaTime for coding stats alongside something like Dayflow for the rest of the day is a reasonable setup.

Where Dayflow is the wrong pick

Dayflow is built to help you remember and describe your day. That makes it the wrong choice for several jobs people bring to this search.

• You want per-language coding stats or AI coding spend. WakaTime wins. Dayflow writes a narrative timeline and does not break time down by language or editor.
• You bill clients and need invoices. Timing wins. Dayflow has no invoicing or billable rates.
• Your team needs timesheets, approvals or team reports. Toggl wins. Dayflow has no team reports or payroll approvals.
• You work on Windows or Linux as well. ActivityWatch wins. Dayflow is Mac only.
• Your Mac runs something older than macOS 14. Rize lists support back to macOS Mojave 10.14.6. Dayflow needs macOS 14 or later.
• You want an app that blocks distracting websites. Dayflow does not do website blocking.

It is also worth being clear about accuracy. Dayflow’s AI summaries can miss or misinterpret work, so check them before you send them to a manager or client. If you are weighing whether screen recording is right for you at all, read time tracking without surveillance first.

The bottom line

WakaTime is still the best tool for measuring coding itself, and its AI usage tracking is a real reason to keep it. People leave it because the editor is only part of the job, the free plan forgets after a week, and the data lives on a hosted dashboard.

If you want a free, local, open-source replacement that still counts coding time, pick ActivityWatch. If you bill hours from a Mac, pick Timing. If you want AI focus insights across Mac and Windows, pick Rize. If a team needs shared timesheets, pick Toggl. If you want a readable record of the entire workday that stays on your Mac, try Dayflow. It is free, and it pairs fine with WakaTime if you want both views.

For a broader look beyond WakaTime replacements, see our guide to choosing a time tracker for Mac.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to WakaTime on Mac?

ActivityWatch is the closest free match. It is open source under MPL-2.0, stores data on your own device, and has editor plugins for coding time alongside app and window tracking. Dayflow is also free and MIT licensed, but it works differently: it records the screen and has AI write a timeline of your day instead of producing per-language coding stats.

Does WakaTime track time outside the code editor?

No. WakaTime captures activity inside supported editors, IDEs and terminals through its plugins, and it lists more than 100 of them. Time in a browser, a design tool, a document or a meeting does not show up. If you want those hours recorded too, you need a tracker that watches the whole Mac, such as Dayflow, ActivityWatch, Timing or Rize.

How much does WakaTime cost?

WakaTime has a free plan with 1 week of dashboard history. Basic is $9/mo billed monthly or $8.25/mo billed $99 yearly. Premium, which you need for full history, is $14/mo billed monthly or $12.83/mo billed $153.96 yearly. Team is $21/dev/mo billed monthly and Business is $24/dev/mo billed monthly, with lower per-month rates on yearly billing.

Can Dayflow show time per programming language like WakaTime?

No, and here WakaTime is the better tool. WakaTime breaks coding time down by project, language and editor, and it tracks AI coding usage, including AI-generated versus human-written lines. Dayflow records the whole screen and writes a readable timeline of what you worked on. It does not produce per-language stats, leaderboards or team coding dashboards.

Which WakaTime alternative keeps my data on my Mac?

ActivityWatch states that all data stays on your device and is never sent to a server. Timing stores tracked time locally unless you opt into sync. Dayflow keeps its recordings and timeline on your Mac, and its Local AI mode keeps screenshot analysis on-device. If you choose your own cloud provider or Dayflow Pro instead, selected screenshots are processed off-device.

Is ActivityWatch a good WakaTime replacement for developers?

For many developers, yes. ActivityWatch records the active app, window title and away-from-keyboard time, and editor plugins add coding activity. Browser extensions add tab titles and URLs. It is free with no feature gates. What it lacks compared to WakaTime is built-in AI summaries, finished device sync and WakaTime's AI coding usage metrics.

What is the best WakaTime alternative for billing clients by the hour?

Timing is the best fit on Mac. It tracks apps, websites and documents automatically, then gives you billing status tracking, reports with rounding and, depending on plan, GrandTotal invoicing integration. Plans start at $9 per month billed annually, or $11 per month billed monthly, with a 30-day trial. Dayflow has no invoicing, so it is the wrong choice for this job.

Can I use WakaTime and Dayflow at the same time?

Yes. They do not overlap much. WakaTime's plugins measure coding time inside your editors, and Dayflow records the whole screen to describe the rest of the day, like reviews, docs and meetings. Keep in mind that WakaTime's free plan keeps only 1 week of dashboard history, so long-term coding stats need a paid plan.

Is Dayflow open source?

Yes. Dayflow is MIT licensed and free at $0, with source code on GitHub. There is an optional Dayflow Pro plan at $20 a month that manages cloud analysis for you. It runs on macOS 14 or later only. Under the privacy policy, Pro deletes screenshots after processing and may retain activity data for sync.