Honest comparison
Focus Meter vs ActivityWatch
ActivityWatch is a solid open-source project. Focus Meter is what you install when you want the same privacy story — without the setup.
ActivityWatch is free, open-source, and fully local — three things Focus Meter respects. The trade-off is rough UX, manual browser extensions, and a dated dashboard. Focus Meter is the paid, native, zero-config version of the same idea.
At a glance
| Feature | ActivityWatch | Focus Meter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $19 one-time |
| Privacy | Fully local | Fully local |
| Native Mac UI | No (web dashboard) | Yes (Swift/SwiftUI) |
| URL tracking | Requires browser extension | Built-in (no extension) |
| Focus score | No | Yes |
| Weekly digest | No | Yes |
| Setup effort | Moderate | One install |
| Cross-platform | Mac / Win / Linux | Mac only |
Where ActivityWatch shines
- Genuinely free and open-source — audit every line if you want.
- Fully local data, same privacy story as Focus Meter.
- Cross-platform (Mac, Windows, Linux) and extensible via watchers.
Where Focus Meter is different
Native Mac, not cross-platform
ActivityWatch is a Python-backed app with a web dashboard shared across OSes. Focus Meter is native Swift/SwiftUI, built for Mac first and only.
Zero config — no browser extensions
ActivityWatch requires installing separate browser extensions to track URLs. Focus Meter reads URLs from Chrome, Safari, Arc, and Brave via macOS Automation — no extensions.
A focus score, not a raw query interface
ActivityWatch ships a dashboard you largely configure yourself. Focus Meter gives you a single 0–100 focus score, a weekly digest, and opinionated default categorization.
Paid support and updates
You get real support and a release cadence that’s someone’s job, not a side project. For $19 once.
Cost over three years
| ActivityWatch | Focus Meter | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $0 | $19 |
| Year 2 | $0 | $19 total |
| Year 3 | $0 | $19 total |
Use ActivityWatch if…
Developers comfortable with open-source setup, users who want cross-platform tracking on Mac + Linux + Windows, and anyone who prefers “free and DIY” to “paid and polished.”
Use Focus Meter if…
Mac users who want ActivityWatch’s privacy story with a native UI, a focus score, and no browser extensions to install.
FAQ
Is ActivityWatch really free?
Yes. It’s genuinely free and open-source. The cost is time — installing it, installing browser extensions, and learning the dashboard.
Does Focus Meter track as much as ActivityWatch?
For Mac usage, Focus Meter tracks the same essentials (active app, active URL, idle state) with better defaults and no extensions. ActivityWatch is more extensible if you want to write custom watchers.
Is Focus Meter open-source?
No. It’s a commercial Mac App Store app at $19 one-time. The privacy model is the same as ActivityWatch — local SQLite, zero network requests — but the source is closed.
Can I export data from Focus Meter like ActivityWatch?
Yes. CSV or JSON, with date-range filtering. There’s no lock-in — your data file is a plain SQLite database on your disk.
Same privacy. Native UI. One install. $19 once.
$19 one-time · No subscription · 100% on-device