Comparison
Temporal.ist vs Timely: Automatic Time Tracking Compared
- Both track automatically without screenshots, but Temporal.ist attributes time by matching file paths and URL patterns to projects, while Timely's AI drafts entries from your activity timeline.
- Temporal.ist offers a free-forever Solo plan; Timely has no free tier and starts around $9 per user per month billed annually.
- Timely wins on maturity, team capacity planning and mobile apps; Temporal.ist wins on price, deterministic attribution and a developer-friendly CLI.
Temporal.ist and Timely both promise automatic time tracking that runs in the background without screenshots or keystroke logging — but they get there differently. Timely records your app, document and website activity into a private timeline and uses AI to draft time entries you review, while Temporal.ist deterministically attributes time by matching changed files and visited URLs to per-project patterns you define. Timely is the more mature, team- and agency-focused product; Temporal.ist is a newer, privacy-first indie tool with a free Solo tier and a developer-friendly workflow.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Temporal.ist | Timely |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic tracking mechanism Tie | File-change and URL-pattern matching — deterministic attribution to the right project/client | AI Memory Tracker logs app/document/website activity, then AI drafts entries you review |
| Screenshots / surveillance Tie | Never — no screenshots, no keystroke logging, no productivity scoring | No screenshots; activity recorded to a private local Memory timeline |
| Built-in invoicing Tie | Yes — per-client rates, currencies, tax, PDF export, auto-numbering, draft/sent/paid/overdue | Yes — invoicing included |
| Integrations They win | Fewer — newer product, smaller ecosystem | Broad — many calendar, PM and team-tool integrations |
| Reporting & team dashboards They win | Time-distribution donut, activity bars, project breakdowns, daily timesheets, CSV/PDF reports | Mature team dashboards with utilization and project reporting |
| Capacity / resource planning They win | Not offered | Yes — team capacity and workload planning |
| Pricing We win | Free Solo tier; paid Pro & Teams plans | No free plan; from ~$9/user/mo billed annually |
| Free plan We win | Yes — free-forever Solo, unlimited folders, no credit card | No free plan |
| Platforms Tie | Windows/macOS/Linux/AppImage desktop + Chrome/Edge/Firefox/Safari extensions + web + headless Linux CLI/TUI | Desktop, web and mobile apps |
| Mobile apps They win | None yet | iOS & Android apps |
| Developer / CLI workflow We win | Headless Linux CLI/TUI; tracks by file path — built for developers | No CLI; activity-based and management-oriented |
| Privacy & data control We win | EU data residency, GDPR-aligned, one-click export + full delete, offline-first local SQLite | No screenshots and privacy-conscious; activity stays in a private Memory timeline, but more team-data oriented |
When to choose which
Choose Temporal.ist
Choose Temporal.ist if you're a freelancer, developer or small team who wants automatic tracking with predictable, deterministic attribution — time lands on the right project because the file you edited or the URL you visited matches a pattern you set, not because an AI inferred it from your activity. It's the better fit if you want to start for free (the Solo plan is free forever with unlimited folders and no credit card), care about EU data residency with one-click export and full delete, work offline with a local database that syncs later, or live in a terminal and want a headless CLI/TUI. Built-in invoicing with per-client rates, tax and PDF export means you can bill straight from tracked sessions without bolting on another tool.
Choose Timely
Choose Timely if you run an agency or larger team and need polished management features: capacity and workload planning, team dashboards for utilization and project reporting, and a broad set of integrations that a newer tool like Temporal.ist doesn't yet match. Timely is a mature product with roughly 20,000 users across 5,000+ businesses, a refined UI, and iOS and Android apps for tracking on the go — none of which Temporal.ist offers today. Its AI Memory Tracker is genuinely good at reconstructing your day from app and document activity when your work isn't tied to specific files or URLs, and if you don't need a free tier, the ~$9/user/month entry price (billed annually) is reasonable for a team-oriented tracker with invoicing built in. In short, Timely is the safer pick when the priority is managing and reporting on a team rather than precise, file-level attribution for an individual.
Side-by-side
Frequently asked questions
Is Temporal.ist a good Timely alternative?
Yes, especially for freelancers, developers and small teams. Both track automatically without screenshots, but Temporal.ist attributes time deterministically by matching file paths and URLs to projects, includes built-in invoicing, and offers a free-forever Solo plan — where Timely has no free tier. Timely remains the stronger choice for larger agencies that need capacity planning and deep team reporting.
Does Temporal.ist or Timely take screenshots?
Neither. Timely records a private activity timeline (its Memory Tracker) and uses AI to draft entries, with no screenshots. Temporal.ist also takes no screenshots, no keystroke logs and no productivity scores — it stores only timestamps and which file or URL was active, never file contents.
Can I import my data from Timely?
There's no one-click Timely importer today. You can export your data from Timely, and Temporal.ist lets you create projects, clients and manual sessions and edit entries freely. Because Temporal.ist is a newer indie product, dedicated migration tooling is limited — so historical data is easiest to bring over manually for now.
Is Temporal.ist cheaper than Timely?
Yes. Temporal.ist has a free-forever Solo plan with unlimited folders and no credit card, plus paid Pro and Teams plans. Timely has no free tier and starts around $9 per user per month billed annually, with higher tiers adding capacity and AI features. For solo users it's simply free versus paid.
Does Timely track time automatically?
Yes. Timely's Memory Tracker logs the apps, documents and websites you use into a private timeline, then its AI drafts time entries for you to review and approve. Temporal.ist also tracks automatically, but instead of AI it deterministically matches changed files and visited URLs to per-project patterns you define.
What does Temporal.ist do that Timely doesn't?
A free-forever Solo tier, deterministic file-path and URL-pattern attribution, a headless Linux CLI/TUI for developers, offline-first local storage that syncs later, and EU data residency with one-click export and full delete. Timely, in turn, offers mobile apps, capacity planning and more integrations that Temporal.ist hasn't built yet.
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