KimaivsShields
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Kimai | Shields | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 11 in Time Tracking | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 5 113 | 27 337 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +70 | +131 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 23 | 0 |
| Latest release | 2.71.0 · 25 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | PHP | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
Shields scores 80/100 against 72/100 for Kimai, so it is the safer default.
Kimai ships more often: 23 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.
If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; Kimai needs more configuration.
Kimai details →Shields details →
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