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I'm searching for an automatic time tracking tool for Mac OS X. I regularly mess up manual time tracking with timers etc., so I want something more automatic:

The application should run in background and track more or less everything I do - which applications are active, which sites I browse, how long I'm idle etc.

It would then list all the things I do in a timeline and let me specify filters like "Xcode in foreground", "browsing developer.apple.com", etc. Using these filters, I could check how long I worked on what after I left work.

Is there an application which does this? I'm aware of a website and a client for it, but I'm absolutely NOT comfortable with putting all the things I do on some random website.

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possible duplicate of What is a good program for timing activities? – daviesgeek Feb 16 '12 at 19:54
I see this question as asking for specific tracking of foreground apps where the linked question is less specific and more general. Let's leave this open for now in case there is a subset of apps that address this specific requirement. – bmike♦ Feb 16 '12 at 22:09
@bmike Okay, sounds good. Coming back to this question after several months, I don't actually want to close this question as a duplicate. It actually isn't a dup, but is a separate question. – daviesgeek Jul 21 '12 at 0:48

6 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

Not sure it'll do everything you've asked for, but Time Sink is pretty powerful and can generate a variety of reports. Its almost free at $5 and you can try it for 14-days. It can also run in a menu bar only mode so its out of the way.

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Amazing software! The trial is very convincing and the price is right. – gentmatt Feb 16 '12 at 21:20
This is not exactly what I was searching for, but it's good enough and works for me. Thanks! – the-kenny Feb 20 '12 at 16:38
up vote 2 down vote

As an associate of Touch Studios, an app developing company, I recommend our time-tracking app Finch. Finch does time tracking in an automated way: With the option to start the program on login, it runs in the background, records what windows you have open, and learns how to tag them based on your customized preferences and past behavior. At the end of the day, you get a bar chart showing where your time went. It's a really great app if you have trouble with the traditional 'stopwatch' type apps.

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up vote 1 down vote

I use Time Track Pro available in the MAS and more information is available from the vendor site at http://bloop.it/timetrack/ .

The application is efficient, using minmal CPU resources, sits in the menubar (low visual footprint), can automate emailing of weekly reports if you like, and more.

I've used it for two months and it is great to track the particular documents and projects I'm in. At 9.99 it may be a little more cost than other tools, but I'm happy supporting a good developer here so I've no issue with the value of this software.

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up vote 1 down vote

My personal favorite is Paymo Plus it tracks everything you do, even the individual tabs. On the upside it's great to know how much you're actually working, on the downside, it makes you work harder. Hope this helps.

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up vote 0 down vote

Check out TimeXchange. www.timexchange.net

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Thanks for your answer! Can you please add more information? How does TimeXchange answer the OP's question? Don't just give a one-line answer; invest some time into the site and explain why this software is the right thing for the OP. – daviesgeek Aug 18 '12 at 6:16

We're looking for long answers that provide some explanation and context. Don't just give a one-line answer: please explain why you're recommending it as a solution. Answers that don't explain anything will be deleted. See Good Subjective, Bad Subjective for more information.
up vote 0 down vote

I recommend you try using Time Doctor. It’s a good tool for measuring how much time (automated) you spent working on the computer. It has multiple ways to confirm if the time tracked was real and the time was a genuine working time such as checking websites visited and software applications used on the computer. I’m one of the satisfied users of this software that’s why I am recommending this to everyone…

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I personally find it rather off-putting when there are no screenshots showing the software in action. Do you know where to find some? – myhd Sep 30 '12 at 19:30
That software looks really awesome if you like micromanaging people and making them feel watched all the time. – w00t Apr 11 at 8:26

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