ActivityWatch is built on a simple promise: privacy-first time tracking that stays on your machine. No cloud lock-in, no data harvesting, no subscription gates. That will never change.

But open-source software doesn’t build itself. Every feature, every bug fix, every platform we support takes real human hours. Right now, the project is sustained by donations from a small group of supporters. We want to grow that base so we can do more.

We are preparing a recurring subscription option starting at $5/month. Preview the plan and its principles on the Support ActivityWatch page →.

Want to contribute today? The established donation methods below are available now. Supporters using GitHub Sponsors, Open Collective, or Patreon can be recognised on our sponsors page.

Why donate?

  • Sustainability: Every dollar improves the probability that ActivityWatch will be actively developed for years to come.
  • Independence: Donations keep us accountable to you — not to investors or advertisers. Privacy-first software shouldn’t depend on charity, but it does depend on you.
  • Proof of value: Your support tells us (and the world) that privacy-respecting tools are worth building.

Where does the money go?

Donations routed through Open Collective are transparently published there. They currently help cover:

  • Forum and infrastructure costs
  • Funding other open-source projects ActivityWatch depends on
  • Contributor stipends and development bounties, including work by contributors like Kerkko and Brayo; when donations have not been enough, Erik has covered the gap out of pocket

The lead developer (Erik) is not paid from donations — every dollar goes to the project.

Methods

We currently support the following donation methods:

ActivityWatch will always be free and open-source. Your support makes that sustainable.