The goal of ActivityWatch is simple, Enable the collection of as much valuable lifedata as possible without compromising user privacy.
Publisher’s description
What is ActivityWatch?
ActivityWatch by ActivityWatch Contributors is open-source Windows software in the notes & to-do category. It ranks 12th by popularity among notes & to-do in this catalogue. It is written in Python.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (Inno Setup) installers for 64-bit Windows. Installation asks for administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 0.14.1, released on October 10, 2026. The version history goes back to June 16, 2021: 8 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 1.5 releases a year. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 40,500 times. The source code on GitHub (ActivityWatch/activitywatch) has 19,325 stars. Similar programs include Obsidian, Logseq and QOwnNotes.
Project description on GitHub: “The best free and open-source automated time tracker. Cross-platform, extensible, privacy-focused.”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Updated in the last two months
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
In short: ActivityWatch is an open-source notes & to-do tool for 64-bit PCs. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is ActivityWatch safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
190BC1FB82194E20D52619DBF884751D7B6AE044477623A384069BC3EA85A64D· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 8 versions ›8 versions over 5 years · about 1.5 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.14.1Latest | October 10, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.14.0 | October 6, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.13.2 | October 5, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.13.1 | June 10, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.13.0 | June 4, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.12.2 | March 22, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.12.0 | September 5, 2022 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.11.0 | June 16, 2021 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id ActivityWatch.ActivityWatch -echoco install activitywatch -yscoop install extras/activitywatchactivitywatch-v0.14.1-windows-x86_64-setup.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /SP-Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install --cask activitywatchInformation
- Publisher
- ActivityWatch Contributors
- Category
- Notes & to-do
- Licence
- MPL-2.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/ActivityWatch/activitywatch
- Written in
- Python
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (Inno Setup)
- Version
- 0.14.1
- Released
- October 10, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- June 16, 2021
- Versions listed
- 8
- Updates / year
- 1.5
- Chocolatey downloads
- 40,500
- GitHub stars
- 19,325
- GitHub forks
- 1,047
- Website
- activitywatch.net
- winget ID
- ActivityWatch.ActivityWatch
- Chocolatey package
- activitywatch
- Scoop package
- extras/activitywatch
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to ActivityWatch
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Frequently asked questions
Is ActivityWatch free?
Yes. ActivityWatch is open-source software under the MPL-2.0 licence.
Is ActivityWatch safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install ActivityWatch with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can ActivityWatch be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does ActivityWatch run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of ActivityWatch?
The versions page lists all 8 versions with links to their official installer files, back to June 16, 2021.
Can I use ActivityWatch without administrator rights?
Yes, there is a per-user installer that does not need administrator rights.
What are alternatives to ActivityWatch?
Obsidian, Logseq, QOwnNotes, Super Productivity and Evernote. The alternatives page compares them.
