vioscaleAI
Comparison

ActivityWatch vs Paymo

On the evidence we track, ActivityWatch leads this comparison with a composite score of 60/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

ActivityWatch full profile →Paymo full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★ActivityWatch60
Paymo43
Score
vioscaleAI score
ActivityWatch60 / 100low · 43%
Paymo43 / 100medium · 71%
Pricing
Free tier
ActivityWatch✓
Paymo✓
Model
ActivityWatchfreemium
Paymofreemium
Price level
ActivityWatchlow
Paymolow
Starting price
ActivityWatch$5
Paymo$5.90
Transparent
ActivityWatch✓
Paymo✓
Integrations
Count
ActivityWatch–
Paymo3
Security
Gdpr
ActivityWatch–
Paymo✓
Pci
ActivityWatch–
Paymo✓
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Sla pct
ActivityWatch–
Paymo99
Adoption
Dependent repos
ActivityWatch0
Paymo–
Github stars
ActivityWatch19,243
Paymo–
Activity
Commits last 30d
ActivityWatch51
Paymo–
Release
Cadence days
ActivityWatch8
Paymo–
History
ActivityWatch20 items
Paymo–
License
Spdx
ActivityWatchMPL-2.0
Paymo–
Language
Primary
ActivityWatchPython
Paymo–
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
ActivityWatch5 items
Paymo7 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for time tracking. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capabilities
Manual timesheet entry
ActivityWatch-
Paymo-
Browser extension stopwatch
ActivityWatch✓
Paymo-
Automated background activity tracking
ActivityWatch✓
Paymo-
Project and task hierarchy
ActivityWatch-
Paymo✓
Billable hourly rates invoicing
ActivityWatch-
Paymo-
Employee screenshot surveillance
ActivityWatch-
Paymo-
Idle timeout detection
ActivityWatch✓
Paymo-
Geofencing gps tracking mobile
ActivityWatch-
Paymo-
Jira asana trello native extensions
ActivityWatch-
Paymo-
SOC2 type ii
ActivityWatch-
Paymo-
ISO 27001
ActivityWatch-
Paymo-
Pricing model
ActivityWatchOpen source
Paymo-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

ActivityWatch

Leader

An application that records which programs and websites you use on your computer throughout the day, keeping all information stored locally on your device. Designed for users who want to understand their digital habits while maintaining complete privacy with no cloud synchronization.

Independently observed

Paymo

A web-based project management system that helps businesses organize and track work throughout the project lifecycle, with programmatic access via REST API supporting JSON and XML formats.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

ActivityWatch

Leader
from $5/mofreemiumFree tier

Free with optional Pro subscription from $5/month

  • FreeFree
    • Automated activity tracking
    • Local storage
    • Browser extensions
    • REST API
    • Dashboard
    • +2 more
  • Pro$5/month
as of verify ↗

Paymo

from $5.90/moSubscriptionFree tier15-day trial

From free to $16.9/mo with 15-day free trial. Up to 40% discount with annual billing.

  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited Time Tracking
    • Unlimited Invoices
    • Unlimited Tasks
    • Task List View
    • Desktop & Mobile Apps
    • +1 more
  • Solo$5.9/mo (first 3 months), then $9.9/mo
    • Unlimited Time Tracking
    • Unlimited Invoices
    • Flat Rate Projects
    • Retainer Projects (limited to 3)
    • Task Kanban View
    • +4 more
  • Plus$10.9/user/mo (first 3 months), then $15.9/user/mo
    • Everything in Solo
    • Recurring Invoices
    • Estimates & Expenses
    • Integrations & API Access
    • 50GB Storage
  • Pro$16.9/mo (first 3 months), then $23.9/mo
    • Everything in Plus
    • Project Schedule Timeline
    • Timesheet Approvals
    • Automatic Ghost Bookings
    • Employee Leave Management
    • +3 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
ActivityWatch✗
Paymo✓
Android
ActivityWatch✓
Paymo✗
macOS
ActivityWatch✓
Paymo✗
Windows
ActivityWatch✓
Paymo✗
Linux
ActivityWatch✓
Paymo✗
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
ActivityWatch✗
Paymo✓
Self-hosted
ActivityWatch✓
Paymo✗

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

ActivityWatch

Leader

Not documented yet.

Paymo

3 total
  • LambdaTest
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
Independently observed
Still deciding?

ActivityWatch or Paymo: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.