2026 comparison

Best Mac focus & time tracking apps, compared

An honest comparison of every serious option for tracking how you spend time on your Mac — including the one we built.

App	Price	Model	Privacy	Build
Focus Meter	$19 one-time	One-time	Fully on-device	Native Mac (Swift)
Apple Screen Time	Free	Built-in	On-device	System-level
RescueTime	$78–$144 / yr	Subscription	Cloud (their servers)	Electron
Timing	$84–$168 / yr	Subscription	Local + optional cloud sync	Native Mac
Rize	$120–$204 / yr	Subscription	Cloud (required for AI)	Native Mac + Windows
ActivityWatch	Free (OSS)	Open source	Fully on-device	Python + web dashboard

Focus Meter

$19 one-time · One-time

Best for: Mac users who want a private, no-subscription focus tracker with a clear focus score.

Free · Built-in

Best for: Parental controls and rough “how long was Safari open” totals.

$78–$144 / yr · Subscription

Best for: Teams and Windows/Linux users who don’t mind cloud uploads.

$84–$168 / yr · Subscription

Best for: Freelancers who bill clients and need timesheets and invoicing.

$120–$204 / yr · Subscription

Best for: Users who want AI-generated focus coaching and cross-device sync.

Free (OSS) · Open source

Best for: Developers comfortable with DIY setup and cross-platform tracking.

You just want to know where your work hours go — Focus Meter. $19 once, on-device, no projects to configure.
You bill clients by the hour — Timing. Best-in-class for invoicing-ready timesheets.
You want AI-coached focus and cross-device sync — Rize. Accept that your data goes to their cloud.
You’re on Windows/Linux too, or managing a team — RescueTime. Mature, cross-platform, team dashboards.
You want free + open source and don’t mind setup — ActivityWatch. Fully local, DIY.
You only need rough totals for a kid’s iPad — Apple Screen Time is already on the device.

Most people searching this page end up trying Focus Meter.

$19 one-time · No subscription · 100% on-device