# ActivityWatch vs Hackatime

> Two self-hosted [WakaTime alternatives](https://selfhost.directory/alternative-to/wakatime), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | ActivityWatch | Hackatime |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 52/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Time Tracking | #69 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 19 405 ✓ | 216 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +437 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v0.14.1 · 10 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Python | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

ActivityWatch scores 80/100 against 52/100 for Hackatime, so it is the safer default.

ActivityWatch ships more often: 13 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Hackatime.

If you want the quickest setup, ActivityWatch is easier to run; Hackatime needs more configuration.

ActivityWatch is growing faster right now (+437 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [ActivityWatch](https://selfhost.directory/project/activitywatch) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/activitywatch.md)
- [Hackatime](https://selfhost.directory/project/hackatime) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/hackatime.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/activitywatch-vs-hackatime