Invoice Ninja
Best for self-hosting
Why teams pick it
Self-hosted or SaaS deployment with full feature parity across both
Open-source alternatives to WakaTime
Compare community-driven replacements for WakaTime in time tracking & timesheets workflows. We curate active, self-hostable options with transparent licensing so you can evaluate the right fit quickly.
WakaTime
WakaTime tracks coding activity automatically via IDE plugins, logging time by project, language, editor, and branch. It provides dashboards, goals, streaks, and weekly reports; team plans add leaderboards, activity summaries, and time budgeting for engineering productivity.Read more
Key stats
- 12Alternatives
- 9Support self-hosting
Run on infrastructure you control
- 9Active development
Recent commits in the last 6 months
- 5Permissive licenses
MIT, Apache, and similar licenses
Counts reflect projects currently indexed as alternatives to WakaTime.
Start with these picks
These projects match the most common migration paths for teams replacing WakaTime.
Wakapi
Privacy-first alternative
Why teams pick it
Privacy-conscious users who prefer self-hosted solutions
All open-source alternatives
Invoice Ninja
Source-available invoicing and time-tracking app built with Laravel
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstPHP
Why teams choose it
- Complete invoicing, quotes, expenses, and time-tracking in one platform
- Self-hosted or SaaS deployment with full feature parity across both
- Native mobile and desktop apps for iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux
Watch for
White-label branding removal requires $30/year license
Migration highlight
Freelance Consulting Business
Track billable hours, generate professional invoices, and provide clients with a branded portal to view quotes and make payments online.
Wakapi
Self-hosted, WakaTime-compatible backend for coding statistics tracking
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licenseGo
Why teams choose it
- WakaTime-compatible API works with existing editor plugins
- Tracks projects, languages, editors, hosts, and operating systems
- Multiple deployment options: Docker, Kubernetes, binary, or hosted cloud
Watch for
Requires manual setup and maintenance when self-hosted
Migration highlight
Personal Productivity Tracking
Developers gain insights into coding patterns, language usage, and time allocation across personal projects with complete data privacy.
Why teams choose it
- Cross‑platform daemon for Linux, macOS, and Windows
- Optional Blowfish encryption of typed text with password protection
- SQLite backend with SQLAlchemy models for easy querying
Watch for
Requires Python 2.7; no native Python 3 support
Migration highlight
Recover lost typed content
Query `selfstats` to retrieve text entered in the last hour, helping restore accidentally closed drafts.
Traggo
Self-hosted tag-based time tracker with customizable dashboards
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstGo
Why teams choose it
- One‑click self‑hosted deployment
- Tag‑driven time entries without predefined tasks
- Customizable dashboards with charts and diagrams
Watch for
Requires self‑hosting and maintenance
Migration highlight
Freelance project billing
Track hours by project and activity tags to generate client invoices
InvoBook
Self-hosted invoicing and time tracking for freelancers and teams
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licensePHP
Why teams choose it
- Integrated time tracking with project and task assignment
- Automated invoice generation from tracked billable hours
- Client and team management with project organization
Watch for
Requires PHP hosting environment and technical setup knowledge
Migration highlight
Freelance Consulting Time Tracking
Independent consultants log hours across multiple client projects and generate professional invoices automatically from tracked time entries.
Timewarrior
Command-line time tracking with stopwatch and calendar backfill
Active developmentPermissive licenseIntegration-friendlyC++
Why teams choose it
- Simple stopwatch commands for real-time time tracking
- Calendar-based backfill to retroactively log work intervals
- Flexible reporting across arbitrary date ranges and tags
Watch for
Command-line interface requires terminal familiarity
Migration highlight
Freelance Developer Billing
Track billable hours across multiple client projects with tagged intervals and generate detailed reports for accurate invoicing
ActivityWatch
Privacy-first time tracking that keeps your data local
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licensePython
Why teams choose it
- Local-first architecture: all activity data stored on your machine
- Extensible watcher system tracks apps, browsers, editors, and AFK status
- Cross-platform support for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
Watch for
No iOS support currently available
Migration highlight
Developer Productivity Analysis
Track time across IDEs, terminals, and documentation to identify focus patterns and optimize work sessions
Timestrap
Self‑hosted time tracker with flexible exports and extensibility.
Self-host friendlyPermissive licensePrivacy-firstPython
Why teams choose it
- Multi‑format export for easy data sharing
- Docker‑Compose deployment with PostgreSQL persistence
- Extensible Django/Vue architecture
Watch for
Currently unstable; migrations reset before 1.0
Migration highlight
Freelance agency billing
Track billable hours per client and export CSV reports for invoicing.
Kimai
Professional open-source time-tracking for freelancers and teams
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstPHP
Why teams choose it
- Multi-user time-tracking with invoicing, data exports, and advanced reporting
- Customizable rates, budgets, and role-based team permissions
- SAML/LDAP authentication with two-factor authentication (TOTP)
Watch for
Requires PHP expertise and server infrastructure for self-hosting
Migration highlight
Freelance Client Billing
Track billable hours across multiple clients with custom rates, generate professional invoices, and export time reports for transparent client communication.
Midday
All-in-one business management platform for solo entrepreneurs
Active developmentIntegration-friendlyAI-powered workflowsTypeScript
Why teams choose it
- Magic Inbox automatically matches receipts and invoices to transactions
- Live time tracking with project overviews and collaboration tools
- AI Assistant for financial insights, spending analysis, and document retrieval
Watch for
AGPL-3.0 license requires derivative works to be open-sourced
Migration highlight
Automated Expense Reconciliation
Magic Inbox matches emailed receipts to bank transactions automatically, eliminating manual bookkeeping and reducing month-end reconciliation time.
solidtime
Modern time-tracking app for freelancers and agencies
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstPHP
Why teams choose it
- Intuitive time‑tracking UI
- Project, task, and client management with role‑based permissions
- Configurable billable rates at organization, project, and member levels
Watch for
Requires own server or cloud subscription
Migration highlight
Freelancer billing clients
Track billable hours per project, apply rates, and generate invoices directly from the dashboard.
ulogme
Local activity tracker visualizing computer usage with timelines
Self-host friendlyPrivacy-firstAI-powered workflowsPython
Why teams choose it
- Records active window titles and keystroke frequency throughout the day
- Runs completely locally with zero data uploaded to external servers
- Interactive d3.js timelines with customizable activity categorization
Watch for
Limited to Ubuntu and OSX platforms only
Migration highlight
Developer Productivity Analysis
Track time spent in IDE, browser, and terminal to identify context-switching patterns and optimize focus time
Choosing a time tracking & timesheets alternative
Teams replacing WakaTime in time tracking & timesheets workflows typically weigh self-hosting needs, integration coverage, and licensing obligations.
- 9 projects let you self-host and keep customer data on infrastructure you control.
- 9 options are actively maintained with recent commits.
Tip: shortlist one hosted and one self-hosted option so stakeholders can compare trade-offs before migrating away from WakaTime.