Free picks · Mac
Best free time management apps for Mac (2026)
Every pick is listed under Time Management in our directory, runs on a Mac and is completely free or has a free plan. We rank them by our rating and popularity, then favour tools made mainly for time management and apps built for Mac.
Short answer
The best free time management apps for Mac are Dayflow, Clockify and ActivityWatch, the top three of 12 matches in our directory. 6 of the 10 picks are completely free and the other 4 have a free plan; 6 are open source.
Updated
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
At a glance
Counted from the top 10 picks, except the total.
- Matching tools
- 12
- Completely free
- 6
- Open source
- 6
- Work offline
- 6
- Native apps
- 6
Comparison table
“Free plan” means a free tier with paid upgrades. A dash in Licence means our directory does not list the tool as open source.
| # | Name | Pricing | Platforms | Licence | Why pick it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dayflow | Free | macOS | Open source | An automatic work journal that turns your Mac screen activity into a timeline. |
| 2 | Clockify | Free plan | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome | — | A free time tracker and timesheet app for individuals and teams. |
| 3 | ActivityWatch | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Chrome, Firefox | Open source | An open-source, automatic time tracker that keeps all your data on your device. |
| 4 | Toggl Track | Free plan | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Chrome | — | Painless time tracking that reveals where hours go. |
| 5 | TickTick | Free plan | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux | — | Achieve more, every day. |
| 6 | Tiimo | Free plan | iOS, Android, macOS, Web | — | A visual planner with AI-built plans and time estimates, with a free version on mobile. |
| 7 | hop | Free | macOS | Open source | Free, open-source menu bar toolkit for macOS with eighteen tools in one panel. |
| 8 | Timewarrior | Free | macOS, Linux, Offline | Open source | A simple command-line time tracker that shows where your hours really go. |
| 9 | Pomotroid | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | Open source | A simple, configurable Pomodoro timer for your desktop with stats and themes. |
| 10 | Super Productivity | Free | Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, Web | Open source | Free, open-source to-do list with timeboxing, time tracking and Jira or GitHub imports. |
Why each pick made the list
Every reason is taken from the tool's own listing: its categories, platforms, features, rating and pricing.
Our top Mac pick, rated 4.5/5. Made mainly for time management, one of 6 such picks here. A Mac app that runs on a Mac and nowhere else. Its listing says it works offline (6 of 10 here), is privacy-focused (5 of 10 here) and has AI features (2 of 10 here). It is not in the iPhone top 9 (not listed for iPhone).
Watch out for: macOS 14 or later only
Number 2 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for time management, one of 6 such picks here. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, Windows, Linux, iOS and 2 more platforms. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud (2 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (7 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 4.
Watch out for: Invoicing and advanced approvals are paid
Number 3 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. Made mainly for time management, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows, Linux, Android, Chrome and 1 more platform. Its listing says it works offline (6 of 10 here) and is privacy-focused (5 of 10 here). It is not in the iPhone top 9 (not listed for iPhone).
Watch out for: Sync between devices is still in development
Number 4 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. Made mainly for time management, one of 6 such picks here. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, iOS, Android, Windows and 2 more platforms. Its listing says it is easy to pick up (7 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 5.
Watch out for: Remembering to start the timer
Number 5 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.7/5, the highest here. Made mainly for task management, it is one of 4 picks here that cover time management as a second use. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, iOS, Android, Windows and 1 more platform. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud (2 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (7 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 6.
Watch out for: Some advanced features are locked behind a paid subscription.
Number 6 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.4/5. Made mainly for time management, one of 6 such picks here. Runs on a Mac, and also on iOS, Android and Web. Its listing says it has AI features (2 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (7 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 3.
Watch out for: The web app needs Tiimo Pro
Number 7 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. Made mainly for personal productivity, it is one of 4 picks here that cover time management as a second use. A Mac app that runs on a Mac and nowhere else. Its listing says it works offline (6 of 10 here), is privacy-focused (5 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (7 of 10 here). It is not in the iPhone top 9 (not listed for iPhone).
Watch out for: macOS only
Number 8 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. Made mainly for time management, one of 6 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Linux and Offline. Its listing says it works offline (6 of 10 here) and is privacy-focused (5 of 10 here). It is not in the iPhone top 9 (not listed for iPhone).
Watch out for: Command line only
Number 9 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for focus, it is one of 4 picks here that cover time management as a second use. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows and Linux. Its listing says it works offline (6 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (7 of 10 here). It is not in the iPhone top 9 (not listed for iPhone).
Watch out for: No task list or project tracking
Number 10 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. Made mainly for task management, it is one of 4 picks here that cover time management as a second use. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Linux, Windows, Android, iOS and 1 more platform. Its listing says it works offline (6 of 10 here) and is privacy-focused (5 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 7.
Watch out for: Many options can feel busy at first
Running these on Mac
Counted from each pick's listing type and platforms.
- By listing type, the 10 Mac picks are 4 desktop apps (ActivityWatch, Timewarrior, Pomotroid and Super Productivity), 3 web apps (Clockify, Toggl Track and TickTick), 2 Mac apps (Dayflow and hop) and 1 mobile app (Tiimo).
- 6 of 10 are apps you install on a Mac, and Dayflow and hop are made specifically for Mac; the other 4 are web or cloud tools listed for Mac.
- Dayflow and hop are listed for Mac and nothing else. Clockify reaches furthest, on 6 other platforms besides Mac.
- 5 of 10 also run on iPhone and iPad, so the same tool can follow you between Mac and iPhone; Dayflow, ActivityWatch, hop, Timewarrior and 1 other do not.
How this list compares
The same search on other platforms. Only the differences are named.
- Free time management apps for iPhone
5 of these 10 Mac picks also make the iPhone top 9. 5 are on this list only: Dayflow (not listed for iPhone), ActivityWatch (not listed for iPhone), hop (not listed for iPhone), Timewarrior (not listed for iPhone) and Pomotroid (not listed for iPhone). In their place the iPhone list has Structured, Routinery, Ellie and KanbanFlow; Structured, Routinery and KanbanFlow are not listed for Mac.
More matches
2 more free time management apps for Mac in our directory, in ranked order.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free time management app for Mac?
- Dayflow is our first pick. An automatic work journal that turns your Mac screen activity into a timeline. Yes. Dayflow is free to use.
- Are these time management apps really free?
- Yes, every pick is free to start. Dayflow, ActivityWatch, hop, Timewarrior and 2 others are completely free. Clockify, Toggl Track, TickTick and Tiimo have free plans with paid upgrades.
- Which of these time management apps are open source?
- Dayflow, ActivityWatch, hop, Timewarrior, Pomotroid and Super Productivity are tagged open source in our directory, so you can read the code of each and, depending on the licence, self-host or modify it.
- Which ones work offline on a Mac?
- Dayflow, ActivityWatch, hop, Timewarrior, Pomotroid and 1 other are listed as working offline. The others need an internet connection for at least some features.
- Which are easiest for beginners?
- Dayflow, Clockify and Toggl Track are rated beginner-friendly, along with 4 other picks. 3 picks take more time to learn.
- How many free time management apps for Mac are in the directory?
- 12 match: listed under Time Management, available on a Mac and free to start. This page ranks the top 10 and names up to 20 more under More matches. The Time Management category page has every listing, paid ones included.
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