Comparison
The best Memtime alternatives in 2026
If you use Memtime to prepare billable time entries, keep that workflow in mind when choosing a replacement. Dayflow suits a personal work journal; Timing suits project reporting; ActivityWatch suits local activity logs across platforms.
Memtime records which programs you use in minute increments, keeps that data offline on your device, and helps you convert it into time entries for tools like Jira and ClickUp. It is designed to help people prepare time entries. The usual reasons to want an alternative: price (from roughly €10/month on the 2-year commitment, more on shorter terms), the workflow (everything funnels toward time entries and project sync you may not need), and the output (minute-by-minute program grids rather than an account of what you actually did).
Dayflow records your screen and uses AI to draft a readable timeline. The core app is free, and you can choose local AI to keep screenshot analysis on your Mac. Full recordings and the local timeline stay on your Mac.
What does Memtime cost?
Memtime Basic starts at €10 per user per month with a two-year commitment, €12 with annual billing, or €15 with quarterly billing. Project integrations begin with Connect: €15, €18, or €22 respectively. The cheapest advertised price does not include the same workflow as the integration plans.
If you only need a personal record, compare the free options below. If you need to sync time entries to Jira or ClickUp, compare the cost of Connect with the time it saves you.
Quick comparison
| App | Price | Automatic | AI summaries | Local storage | Open source | Billing features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayflow | $0 (Pro optional) | Yes | Yes | Recordings + local timeline | Yes (MIT) | No |
| Memtime | From ~€10/mo (2-year rate) | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Timing | Paid plans | Yes | Yes (Expert) | Cloud sync | No | Yes |
| Qbserve | One-time purchase | Yes | No | Yes | No | Basic |
| ActivityWatch | $0 | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
1. Dayflow - local capture that reads like a journal
Dayflow
$0, MIT license · optional paid ProBest free & private pickDayflow records your screen at one frame every 10 seconds and has AI summarize what you were actually doing - not which programs were open, but what happened in them. Full recordings and the local timeline stay on your Mac; Local AI via Ollama or LM Studio keeps screenshot analysis on-device, while BYO and Pro send selected screenshots for analysis. Resource use depends on your AI mode; local inference uses additional CPU, GPU, and memory. Limitations: Mac-only, and deliberately no invoicing, rates, or project-tool sync - if Memtime's billing pipeline is why you use it, keep Memtime.
2. Timing - deeper reports, Mac-native
Timing
Paid plans · see Timing pricingBest for consultant billingTiming is the Mac-native power tool for billable time: automatic capture of apps, documents, and sites, assembled into projects with per-project rates and detailed project reporting. Sync runs through Timing's cloud on current plans - the main trade against Memtime's offline stance.
3. Qbserve - one payment, local, scores
Qbserve
One-time purchaseBest one-time priceQbserve tracks Mac activity locally with productivity scoring and basic invoicing, for a single payment. Check compatibility with your version of macOS before buying.
4. ActivityWatch - free, open source, cross-platform
ActivityWatch
$0, open sourceBest raw data loggerActivityWatch is the open-source classic: apps, window titles, and browser activity logged locally on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Raw buckets and utilitarian charts, no AI and no billing - and if you want a readable layer on top, that is Dayflow's whole pitch.
The verdict
If you bill clients and Memtime's sync saves you real invoicing time, it is worth its subscription - Timing is the main rival for that job. If you came to Memtime for private, automatic capture of your day and the billing machinery is dead weight, Dayflow turns the record into a readable AI journal instead of minute grids, keeps full recordings and a local timeline on your Mac, and costs nothing.
Before you switch
Keep Memtime if exporting approved time entries into your project or billing tools is central to your day. Choose Dayflow for a readable personal work journal with optional local AI; choose ActivityWatch for local metadata without screen recording. Dayflow does not import Memtime history or replace its billing integrations.
Turn your notes into a weekly status report, or keep a daily work log.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free Memtime alternative?
Dayflow, if what you want is Memtime's automatic, local capture without the subscription: it records your screen, writes an AI timeline of your day, keeps full recordings and the local timeline on your Mac, and costs $0 (open source, MIT). ActivityWatch is the free cross-platform pick for raw activity data.
Is there a Memtime alternative with AI summaries?
Yes - this is Dayflow's main difference. Memtime shows your captured activity as minute-by-minute program usage that you turn into time entries. Dayflow has AI write the day into readable sentences ("Implementing OAuth token refresh, 9:04-9:48"), so you have a draft to review rather than starting from program usage alone.
What does Memtime do better than Dayflow?
Billing workflows. Memtime syncs finished time entries into project software like Jira, ClickUp, and asana, supports billable rates, and covers Windows and Linux. If you reconstruct billable hours for clients, Memtime or Timing remains the better tool.
Do Memtime and Dayflow both keep data local?
Both keep their captured record on your device. Dayflow keeps full recordings and a local timeline on your Mac; Local AI also keeps screenshot analysis on-device, while BYO and Pro send selected screenshots for analysis. Dayflow is open source, so those mode boundaries are auditable in public code; Memtime is closed source.
Try the free, private alternative
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