# ActivityWatch vs trigger

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

| | ActivityWatch | trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Time Tracking | #7 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 19 426 ✓ | 16 650 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +450 ✓ | +251 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 | 51 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.14.1 · 10 Oct 2026 | v4.8.2 · 29 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

ActivityWatch scores 80/100 against 76/100 for trigger, so it is the safer default.

trigger ships more often: 51 stable releases in the past year, against 13 for ActivityWatch.

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

## Details

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

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