Head to head
ActivityWatch vs Dayflow: capture, privacy, and output
Both are free and open source. ActivityWatch records app and window activity across platforms. Dayflow uses screenshots to produce a readable work timeline on Mac, with local or cloud AI analysis.
If privacy brought you here, good news: you cannot really lose. ActivityWatch stores its data on your machine; Dayflow keeps full recordings and a local timeline on your Mac. Both are open source and cost $0. The difference is what they capture and what they give back.
The core difference in one paragraph
ActivityWatch logs metadata: which app and window title was active, second by second, as queryable raw data. Dayflow captures context: it records your screen at one frame every 10 seconds and has AI write a plain-language timeline of what you actually did - "researching flight prices," not "Chrome, 47 minutes."
Side by side
| ActivityWatch | Dayflow | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $0 (Pro optional) |
| License | Open source (MPL-2.0) | Open source (MIT) |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, Linux (Android too) | Mac (14+); Windows waitlist |
| What it captures | Active app, window title, browser tab (with extension), AFK status | Screen at one frame every 10 seconds |
| What you get back | Raw activity buckets, charts, queryable local API | AI-written timeline with summaries every ~15 minutes |
| AI | None built in | Local (Ollama, LM Studio) or bring-your-own cloud key, or Pro |
| Works fully offline | Yes | Yes, with a local model |
| Footprint | Light | Depends on AI mode and workload |
| Best for | Raw data, cross-platform, tinkering | A readable record of your workday |
Where ActivityWatch is better
- Cross-platform. Mac, Windows, Linux, even Android. Dayflow is Mac-only today.
- Raw data and extensibility. Everything lands in queryable local buckets with a REST API, watchers, and community extensions. If you want to build your own dashboards, this is the platform.
- A decade of maturity. It has been the reference open-source tracker since 2016, with docs, forums, and a large community.
- Minimal capture surface. It never records your screen, only app and window metadata - some people prefer that boundary on principle.
Where Dayflow is better
- You can read the output. The end of a Dayflow day is a timeline in sentences and a daily summary of where your time actually went. The end of an ActivityWatch day is a bar chart of window titles you now have to interpret.
- Context, not labels. Window metadata cannot tell "editing the client proposal" from "reformatting your resume" in the same app. Screen-level AI can, and does.
- Zero-config insight. No categories to define, no rules to write, no dashboards to assemble. Install it and read your day.
- Polish. A native SwiftUI app designed as a product, not a toolkit.
What to consider
Dayflow's approach costs more disk (it stores compressed screen recordings locally) and, if you choose a cloud model for analysis, frames are sent to that provider - the on-device AI path is a local model, which uses your GPU. ActivityWatch's approach costs your attention: the data is only as useful as the time you spend categorizing and interpreting it. Neither app blocks distractions, tracks billable rates, or manages teams - for that, see our full Mac time-tracker roundup.
The verdict
Choose ActivityWatch if you want raw, cross-platform activity data you control completely and enjoy building your own views on top. Choose Dayflow if you want a local-first design with the computer doing the interpreting - an automatic work journal instead of a dataset. Running both is legitimate too; they measure different layers of the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Are ActivityWatch and Dayflow both really free?
Yes. ActivityWatch is open source under MPL-2.0 and free on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Dayflow is open source under MIT and free on Mac; you can optionally pay for Dayflow Pro (see current pricing) which handles the AI for you so you do not need to set up a local model or bring an API key. Neither app requires an account.
Which is more private, ActivityWatch or Dayflow?
Both are open source, but they capture different kinds of data. ActivityWatch stores app and window-title logs on your machine. Dayflow keeps full recordings and a local timeline on your Mac; Local AI keeps screenshot analysis on-device, while BYO and Pro send selected screenshots for analysis.
Can I run ActivityWatch and Dayflow at the same time?
Yes, they do not conflict. ActivityWatch logs app and window metadata; Dayflow records the screen and writes summaries. Some people run both: ActivityWatch for precise per-app stats and long-term raw data, Dayflow for the readable daily story.
Does Dayflow work on Windows or Linux like ActivityWatch?
Not yet. Dayflow is a native macOS app (macOS 14 or later) with a Windows waitlist. ActivityWatch runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux today, which makes it the default choice if you need cross-platform tracking now.
Read your day, don't decode it
Dayflow is $0 and open source. Full recordings and the local timeline stay on your Mac; AI processing depends on the mode you choose.
Download for MacOS macOS 14+ · MIT licensed · no account required