# ActivityWatch vs Syncthing

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | ActivityWatch | Syncthing |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 90/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Time Tracking | #1 of 15 in File Sync |
| GitHub stars | 19 421 | 89 854 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +445 | +944 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 ✓ | 8 |
| Latest release | v0.14.1 · 10 Oct 2026 | v2.1.7 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Main language | Python | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Syncthing scores 90/100 against 80/100 for ActivityWatch, so it is the safer default.

ActivityWatch ships more often: 13 stable releases in the past year, against 8 for Syncthing.

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

Syncthing is growing faster right now (+944 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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