Pastely
Archly01
Local, not cloud
RescueTime needs an account and keeps your activity in its cloud. Timecard has no account. Your activity stays in one file on your Mac, and nothing about it is uploaded.
ComparisonRescueTime alternative for Mac · Checked October 2026
Timecard vs RescueTime
RescueTime tracks time across Mac, Windows, Linux and phones, with focus sessions, goals and team plans, from $7 a month billed yearly. Timecard is a Mac app you pay for once. It tracks every app and website on your Mac, keeps the data there, blocks over-limit apps and sites, and adds your AI coding usage, with no account.
Timecard
RescueTime
- $5 once
- Price
- From $7/month billed yearly, $9 monthly
- Not needed
- Account
- Required
- Mac
- Runs on
- Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android
01
The short answer
Choose RescueTime if
Best for: cross-platform teams that need timesheets
- You work on Windows or Linux, or want your phone in the same reports.
- You need timesheets and team reports.
- You want focus sessions that run across all your devices.
Choose Timecard if
Best for: seeing, and limiting, where your Mac day goes
- You'd rather pay once than every month.
- You don't want an account, or your activity in someone else's cloud.
- You want daily limits per app and per site that actually block.
- You use AI coding tools and want their time, tokens and cost tracked too.
- You like a native Mac app with a menu bar readout and a printed card each evening.
02
Pricing, side by side
Timecard is a single payment. RescueTime is a subscription.
TimecardPay once$5once, for 1 Mac
1 Mac · $52 Macs · $105 Macs · $2510 Macs · $50
- No subscription, ever
- Every update included
- No account; your activity stays on your Mac
- 14-day refund
RescueTimeSubscription, 14-day trial- LiteWhat you keep after cancellingFree
- Focus$9 billed monthly$7/month, billed yearly
- Solo+Adds timesheets; $15 monthly$12/month, billed yearly
- Team$10/user/month, billed yearly
From RescueTime's own pages, October 2026.
Over three years
RescueTime's cheapest paid plan, billed yearly
Timecard$5
RescueTime$252
03
Feature by feature
 Timecard | RescueTime | |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking | ||
| Tracks apps automatically | Yes | Yes |
| Tracks websites | Yes, in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Dia, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi, Opera and Comet | Yes |
| History | Forever, plus the weeks Screen Time already kept | Unlimited on paid plans |
| Privacy | ||
| Account | Not needed | Required |
| Where your data lives | On your Mac, in one local file | RescueTime's cloud |
| Limits | ||
| Limits that block apps and sites | Yes: blocks the tab or covers the app, then asks why | Focus Sessions block distracting sites |
| Beyond tracking | ||
| AI coding usage | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, opencode, Gemini CLI: time, tokens, API value | No |
| Daily summary | A timecard printed from the notch every evening | Reports and goals |
| Teams and client billing | No, it's built for one person | Yes, team plans and timesheets |
| Availability | ||
| Platforms | Mac, macOS 14 or later | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android |
04
What really sets them apart
02
Once, not monthly
RescueTime's Focus plan is $84 a year. Timecard is a one-time licence with every update included.
03
Mac only, on purpose
RescueTime runs almost everywhere. Timecard only runs on the Mac, which is why it can read every browser tab, print from the notch and block apps natively. If you need Windows or Linux, RescueTime is the better fit.
04
AI coding, counted
Timecard reads the history Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, opencode and Gemini CLI keep on your Mac, and shows time, tokens and what the work would cost at API prices. RescueTime doesn't track AI coding usage.
Timecard vs RescueTime
questions
What's the best RescueTime alternative for Mac?
For most people on a Mac, Timecard: it tracks every app and website automatically, keeps the data on your Mac, blocks apps and sites when a daily limit runs out, tracks AI coding usage, and costs one payment with no account. RescueTime is still the better fit if you work on Windows or Linux, or want your phone in the same reports.
Is there a RescueTime alternative without a subscription?
Yes. Timecard is a one-time purchase for Mac with automatic app and website tracking, history kept forever and daily limits. ActivityWatch is free and open source if you need Windows or Linux.
Does Timecard work on Windows?
No. Timecard is Mac only, macOS 14 or later. If you need Windows or a phone in the same reports, RescueTime covers those.
Can I import my RescueTime history?
Not directly. Timecard imports the weeks of history macOS Screen Time already kept on your Mac, so you start with some history on day one.
Compare Timecard with
vs Screen Time
Apple's built-in Screen Time, with four weeks of history.
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Tvs Timing
A Mac time tracker built for projects and client billing.
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Rvs Rize
An AI time tracker with a distraction blocker, on a subscription.
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Tvs Toggl Track
Timers and reports for teams that bill hours.
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Avs ActivityWatch
A free, open-source tracker that keeps data on your device.
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vs WakaTime
Coding time from editor plugins, on WakaTime's servers.
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vs Freedom
A cross-device blocker that doesn't track your time.
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vs Opal
A phone-first screen time app with Hard Mode, on a subscription.
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