Built something? We create video reels & spotlights for GitHub projects.Promote your project →
ActivityWatch
Home / Python / activitywatch

ActivityWatch/activitywatch

The best free and open-source automated time tracker. Cross-platform, extensible, privacy-focused.

Python ◇ activitywatch MPL-2.0
★19.2KSTARS
⑂1KFORKS
!181ISSUES
🏆#724GLOBAL RANK
🔥2DAYS TRENDING
🚀
Maintainer Growth Kit for activitywatch

Claim this project, add your verified backlink badge to your README, and download milestone cards.

Claim Repo

Star History

Continuous Observations
Interactive star growth chart for ActivityWatch/activitywatch
CSV
⭐ VIRAL README KIT

Add Live Star History & Verified Badges to README.md

Keep your repository README looking professional and dynamic. As our continuous crawler records new stars, these official SVG badges update in real time with zero maintenance.

Open README on GitHub ↗
Option 1: Interactive Star History Chart Dynamic SVG

Renders your high-resolution star trajectory chart right inside your GitHub README or project docs.

ActivityWatch/activitywatch Star History Preview
markdown
[![Star History Chart](https://githubrepo.cloud/api/badge/chart/ActivityWatch/activitywatch.svg?theme=dark)](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/ActivityWatch/activitywatch?utm_source=readme_chart)
Direct SVG Link ↗
Option 2: Verified Shields Badges Shields.io Style

Compact Shields-style badges for your README header. Shows real-time stars and global ranking.

Featured badge Stars badge Rank badge
markdown (badge trio)
[![Featured on GitHubRepo.cloud](https://githubrepo.cloud/badge/ActivityWatch/activitywatch.svg?metric=featured)](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/ActivityWatch/activitywatch?utm_source=readme_badge) [![GitHubRepo Stars](https://githubrepo.cloud/badge/ActivityWatch/activitywatch.svg?metric=stars)](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/ActivityWatch/activitywatch?utm_source=readme_badge) [![Global Rank](https://githubrepo.cloud/badge/ActivityWatch/activitywatch.svg?metric=rank)](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/ActivityWatch/activitywatch?utm_source=readme_badge)

Momentum

+480

STARS · LAST 30 DAYS

16

PER DAY

#127

MOST-STARRED Python

Window7 days30 days90 days
Stars gained+112+480+1.4K
Per day161616
Forks gained+5+21+52

activitywatch gained 480 stars in the last 30 days, about 16 a day, and now has 19.2K. It is about 10 years old and has averaged roughly 1.9K stars a year. It ranks #127 among Python repositories and #724 across all languages on GitHubRepo.

Trending Record

activitywatch has maintained a continuous presence across global trending indexes, peaking at #4077. Below is the 30-day activity profile:

💡 Overview

activitywatch is an open-source project written in Python: The best free and open-source automated time tracker. Cross-platform, extensible, privacy-focused.

Engineered for speed, consistency, and developer ease, it solves common hurdles in activitywatch, afk, analytics. It provides clear interfaces, comprehensive configuration options, and seamless integration with existing tools across the modern development stack.

⚡ Key Features

1

Optimized execution pipeline written in Python for predictable speed.

2

Zero-friction configuration with comprehensive sensible defaults out of the box.

3

Cross-platform runtime support across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.

4

Strong typing and modular architecture designed for easy extension and maintainability.

5

Standardized CLI and API interfaces for smooth integration into CI/CD workflows.

6

Active community maintenance with regular dependency updates and security patches.

📥 Installation

terminal
$ pip install activitywatch

⚙ System Requirements

Platforms

  • • macOS
  • • Linux
  • • Windows

Runtime & Dependencies

Python >= 3.9, pip, virtualenv

Architecture

x86_64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon & Graviton)

🧠 How It Works

activitywatch coordinates its core functionality through a modular Python pipeline. It parses configuration parameters, validates inputs, and resolves dependencies asynchronously. By minimizing runtime overhead and keeping allocations localized, it delivers predictable performance in both local development environments and automated production workloads.

🎯 Production Use Cases

Production System Integration

Embed activitywatch into Python backend services to handle core application logic.

CI/CD Automated Pipelines

Run automated validation, builds, and integration suites during deployments.

Developer Tooling & Workflows

Accelerate developer onboarding with pre-configured project utilities.

Open Source Extension

Fork and customize internal modules under the repository's open MPL-2.0 license.

🚀 Getting Started

1

Install activitywatch using your package manager: `pip install activitywatch`

2

Initialize your project workspace or configuration file for activitywatch.

3

Import activitywatch into your codebase or invoke it directly from your terminal.

4

Execute your test suite or run `activitywatch --help` to verify successful setup.

👍 Strengths

Active community backing with 19,219 GitHub stars and verified adoption.
Permissive open-source distribution under the MPL-2.0 license.
Built in Python for high execution speed and developer familiarity.
Cross-platform compatibility across modern Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.
Clean modular design allowing flexible configuration and pipeline integration.

⚠️ Considerations

Requires familiarity with Python and modern CLI workflows.
Ecosystem extensions may require manual configuration depending on environment constraints.
Active development roadmap means breaking API changes may occur across major versions.

⇄ Alternatives & Direct Competitors

P
public-apis/public-apis ★ 485.9K Python

A collective list of free APIs

Compare ↗
F

:books: Freely available programming books

Compare ↗
P

Curated list of project-based tutorials

Compare ↗
H
NousResearch/hermes-agent ★ 253.3K Python

The agent that grows with you

Compare ↗

👥 Who Should Use This

Developers and engineering teams building with Python, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads.

🏆 Nearby in the Rankings

ActivityWatch/activitywatch is currently ranked #724 by stars across every repository tracked on GitHubRepo. These are adjacent projects:

RankRepositoryLanguageStarsAction
#719 golangci/golangci-lint Go ★ 19.4K Compare ↗
#720 fruitcake/laravel-debugbar PHP ★ 19.3K Compare ↗
#721 mountain-loop/yaak TypeScript ★ 19.3K Compare ↗
#722 ppy/osu C# ★ 19.2K Compare ↗
#723 elysiajs/elysia TypeScript ★ 19.2K Compare ↗
#724 ActivityWatch/activitywatch This Project Python ★ 19.2K
#725 compiler-explorer/compiler-explorer TypeScript ★ 19.1K Compare ↗
#726 BookStackApp/BookStack PHP ★ 19.1K Compare ↗
#727 antlr/antlr4 Java ★ 19K Compare ↗
#728 eggjs/egg TypeScript ★ 19K Compare ↗
#729 komi-store/komi-store Kotlin ★ 19K Compare ↗
SPONSORED Trending Developer Tools & Services

Frequently Asked Questions

What does activitywatch do? +

The best free and open-source automated time tracker. Cross-platform, extensible, privacy-focused.

What language is activitywatch written in? +

The primary language is Python. Topics include: activitywatch, afk, analytics, app, cross-platform.

Is activitywatch actively maintained? +

Yes, the last recorded push was on Oct 13, 2026 with 181 open issues being tracked.

How many stars does activitywatch have? +

activitywatch has 19,219 stars and 1,044 forks on GitHub.

How does activitywatch rank among GitHub repositories? +

With 19,219 stars, ActivityWatch/activitywatch is ranked #724 globally across all repositories tracked on GitHubRepo and #127 among Python projects.

What license is activitywatch distributed under? +

The repository reports a MPL-2.0 license. Always verify the repository LICENSE file for legal terms.

From our network
FOR MAINTAINERS

Built something? Put it in front of millions of developers.

We make a short reel about your project and post it across YouTube, Instagram, Threads, and X. Send a link, we do the rest.

SPONSORED Sponsored Partner