# Kimai vs SurrealDB

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

| | Kimai | SurrealDB |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 77/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 11 in Time Tracking | #5 of 38 in Databases |
| GitHub stars | 5 113 | 33 245 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +70 | +178 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 23 ✓ | 22 |
| Latest release | 2.71.0 · 25 Oct 2026 | v3.3.5 · 29 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | PHP | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

SurrealDB scores 77/100 against 72/100 for Kimai, so it is the safer default.

Kimai ships more often: 23 stable releases in the past year, against 22 for SurrealDB.

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

SurrealDB is growing faster right now (+178 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Kimai](https://selfhost.directory/project/kimai2) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kimai2.md)
- [SurrealDB](https://selfhost.directory/project/surrealdb) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/surrealdb.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/kimai2-vs-surrealdb