|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +layout: post |
| 3 | +title: "ActivityWatch vs RescueTime: Why I Built a Free Open-Source Alternative" |
| 4 | +date: 2026-03-02 09:37 +0100 |
| 5 | +author: "Erik Bjäreholt" |
| 6 | +author_twitter: "ErikBjare" |
| 7 | +toc: true |
| 8 | +--- |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +## The Story Behind ActivityWatch |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +I started building ActivityWatch because I was frustrated with RescueTime. As someone who wanted to understand how I spent my time on the computer, I had been a RescueTime user for years. But over time, the problems kept piling up: |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +- **My data wasn't mine.** RescueTime stores everything on their servers. I had no way to self-host or keep my data local. For something as personal as a complete log of everything I do on my computer, that felt wrong. |
| 15 | +- **It wasn't open source.** When I found bugs — like Xbox controller input being tracked incorrectly — I couldn't fix them myself. I filed reports, but they went nowhere. |
| 16 | +- **Linux support was an afterthought.** As a Linux user, I was a second-class citizen. The Linux client was always behind, and eventually RescueTime [dropped Linux support entirely](https://blog.rescuetime.com/linux-update-2024/). |
| 17 | +- **"Pay or lose your history."** The free tier only showed the last 3 months. Want to see your all-time data? Pay up. It felt like they were holding my own data hostage. |
| 18 | +- **No extensibility.** I couldn't add custom watchers, build integrations, or extend the tracking in any meaningful way. What you got was what you got. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +So I built ActivityWatch — a free, open-source, privacy-first time tracker that keeps your data on your device and lets you extend it however you want. |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +## Feature Comparison |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +Here's how ActivityWatch compares to RescueTime in 2026: |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +| Feature | ActivityWatch | RescueTime | |
| 27 | +|---------|--------------|------------| |
| 28 | +| **Price** | Free and open-source | $12/month (Premium) | |
| 29 | +| **Data storage** | Local (your device) | Cloud (their servers) | |
| 30 | +| **Linux support** | Full support | Discontinued | |
| 31 | +| **Open source** | Yes (MPL-2.0) | No | |
| 32 | +| **Custom watchers** | Yes — write your own | No | |
| 33 | +| **Browser tracking** | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera | Chrome, Firefox, Edge | |
| 34 | +| **Offline tracking** | Yes | Limited | |
| 35 | +| **API access** | Full local REST API | Limited API | |
| 36 | +| **Self-hosting** | Built-in (it's local-first) | Not available | |
| 37 | +| **Data export** | Full export anytime | Limited in free tier | |
| 38 | +| **Distraction blocking** | Via third-party tools | Built-in (Premium) | |
| 39 | +| **Team features** | Coming soon | Available (Premium) | |
| 40 | +| **Mobile tracking** | Android | Android, iOS | |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +## Where ActivityWatch Wins |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +### Privacy and Data Ownership |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +This is the fundamental difference. ActivityWatch stores all your data locally on your device. No cloud accounts, no data uploads, no risk of a company going under and taking your data with it. You own your data, period. |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +### Extensibility |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +ActivityWatch has a modular architecture. The core is a local server that stores events from "watchers" — small programs that observe different things. You can write your own watchers for anything: IDE activity, music listening, exercise, or whatever you want to track. |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +The community has built watchers for: |
| 53 | +- VS Code and JetBrains IDEs |
| 54 | +- Spotify and media players |
| 55 | +- VR headsets |
| 56 | +- Custom hardware |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +### Cross-Platform (Including Linux) |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +ActivityWatch runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. When RescueTime dropped Linux in 2024, many users switched to ActivityWatch. We're committed to supporting all major platforms — it's a core part of who we are. |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +### No Paywalls on Your Own Data |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +All your data is always accessible. There's no "upgrade to see your history" or "pay to unlock analytics." Every feature is available to every user. |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +## Where RescueTime Still Has an Edge |
| 67 | + |
| 68 | +To be fair, RescueTime does some things well: |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +- **Built-in distraction blocking** — FocusTime lets you block distracting websites. ActivityWatch focuses on tracking; for blocking, you can use tools like [Cold Turkey](https://getcoldturkey.com/) or [LeechBlock](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/leechblock-ng/). |
| 71 | +- **Team management** — RescueTime has built-in team dashboards and management features. ActivityWatch is primarily designed for individuals (though team features are on our roadmap). |
| 72 | +- **iOS support** — RescueTime has an iOS app. ActivityWatch currently only supports Android for mobile. |
| 73 | +- **Polished onboarding** — RescueTime has a smoother out-of-box experience for non-technical users. We're actively working on improving our onboarding. |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +## Migrating from RescueTime |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +Switching to ActivityWatch is straightforward: |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +1. **Download ActivityWatch** from [activitywatch.net/downloads](https://activitywatch.net/downloads/) |
| 80 | +2. **Install and run** — it starts tracking immediately |
| 81 | +3. **Install the browser extension** for [Chrome](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/activitywatch-web-watcher/nglaklhklhcoonedhgnpgddginnjdadi), [Firefox](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/aw-watcher-web/), or [Edge](https://microsoftedge.microsoft.com/addons/detail/activitywatch-web-watcher/nfabjmiphddfnpmmilgjkfnaakceocog) |
| 82 | +4. **Check the dashboard** at [localhost:5600](http://localhost:5600) to see your data |
| 83 | + |
| 84 | +Your RescueTime data can be exported and potentially imported — check our [documentation](https://docs.activitywatch.net) for details on data import options. |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +## What Users Say |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +People who switched from RescueTime consistently highlight: |
| 89 | +<!-- TODO: link to real such testimonials? they are abundant --> |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +> "I switched when RescueTime dropped Linux. ActivityWatch is better in every way — I can actually see all my data without paying." |
| 92 | +
|
| 93 | +> "As a developer, the extensibility is what sold me. I wrote a custom watcher for my terminal in an afternoon." |
| 94 | +
|
| 95 | +> "The privacy aspect is huge. I don't want a company having a complete log of everything I do on my computer." |
| 96 | +
|
| 97 | +## Try ActivityWatch |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +ActivityWatch is free, open-source, and takes about two minutes to set up. Download it at [activitywatch.net/downloads](https://activitywatch.net/downloads/) and see for yourself. |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +If you're coming from RescueTime, you'll find that ActivityWatch tracks everything RescueTime did — and more — while keeping your data private and giving you full control. |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +**Links:** |
| 104 | +- [Download ActivityWatch](https://activitywatch.net/downloads/) |
| 105 | +- [Documentation](https://docs.activitywatch.net) |
| 106 | +- [GitHub](https://github.com/ActivityWatch/activitywatch) |
| 107 | +- [General comparison of time trackers](/blog/comparing-time-trackers/) |
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