Kimai
Completely free, open-source, and self-hostable time tracking solution designed for developers, agencies, and privacy-conscious organizations who want full control over their time tracking data without vendor lock-in or subscription fees.
Last updated: 2026-03-21 03:18
Overview
Kimai is a completely free, open-source time tracking software that can be self-hosted, making it an excellent choice for developers, agencies, and privacy-conscious organizations who want complete control over their data.
Core Philosophy
Complete Freedom
- 100% Free: No subscription fees ever
- Open Source: Full access to source code
- Self-Hostable: Deploy on your own servers
- No Vendor Lock-In: Own and control all your data
- Community-Driven: Active development community
Privacy-First
- Data stays on your infrastructure
- No third-party data sharing
- Full GDPR compliance control
- Complete audit trail
- No cloud dependency
Key Features
Time Tracking
Core Capabilities:
- Start/stop timers
- Manual time entry
- Project-based tracking
- Client management
- Activity categorization
- Task-level time logging
Advanced Features:
- Multiple concurrent timers
- Time entry templates
- Recurring tasks
- Time entry locking
- Historical data editing
Project & Client Management
Organization:
- Unlimited projects and clients
- Hierarchical project structure
- Project budgets and time limits
- Client-specific settings
- Custom fields and metadata
Reporting:
- Billable vs non-billable time
- Project time summaries
- Client reports
- Team productivity analysis
- Export to multiple formats
User & Team Features
User Management:
- Unlimited users
- Role-based permissions
- Team assignment
- Individual dashboards
- User-specific rates
Collaboration:
- Team time tracking
- Shared projects
- Comment threads
- Activity logs
- Team calendars
Plugin Ecosystem
Customer Portal Plugin
- Allow clients to view their time entries
- Transparent billing
- Client-specific dashboards
- Time approval workflows
Invoicing
- Generate invoices from tracked time
- Multiple currency support
- Tax calculations
- Custom invoice templates
Additional Plugins
- Expense tracking
- Calendar integration
- Budget monitoring
- Custom reporting
- API extensions
Technical Specifications
Self-Hosting Requirements
Server Requirements:
- PHP 8.1 or higher
- MySQL or PostgreSQL database
- Web server (Apache/Nginx)
- Modern web browser
Deployment Options:
- Traditional server hosting
- Docker containers
- Kubernetes
- Cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- On-premises infrastructure
Integration Capabilities
API:
- RESTful API
- Comprehensive documentation
- Webhook support
- Third-party integrations
- Custom development support
Data Export:
- CSV export
- PDF reports
- Excel compatibility
- JSON data dumps
- Database backups
Use Cases
Software Development Agencies
- Track billable hours per client
- Project time allocation
- Developer productivity metrics
- Client billing transparency
Freelancers & Consultants
- Multiple client management
- Invoice generation
- Work hour documentation
- Completely free solution
Privacy-Conscious Organizations
- Full data control
- On-premises hosting
- No third-party access
- GDPR compliance
Non-Profits & Educational Institutions
- Zero licensing costs
- Unlimited users
- Full feature access
- Community support
Advantages Over SaaS Solutions
Cost Benefits
- Zero ongoing fees
- No per-user charges
- No feature restrictions
- No upgrade costs
- One-time setup only
Data Control
- Complete data ownership
- No vendor access
- Custom backup strategies
- Long-term data retention
- Migration freedom
Customization
- Source code access
- Custom feature development
- Branding customization
- Workflow adaptation
- Plugin development
Community & Support
Community Resources
- Active user forum
- GitHub repository
- Documentation wiki
- Community plugins
- Regular updates
Support Options
- Community support (free)
- Professional support available
- Custom development services
- Training materials
- Video tutorials
Best For
- Development agencies wanting free tracking
- Privacy-focused organizations
- Companies with self-hosting capability
- Budget-conscious teams
- Organizations requiring data sovereignty
- Teams wanting unlimited users
- Open-source advocates
Getting Started
- Download: Get latest version from kimai.org
- Install: Deploy on your server
- Configure: Set up users and projects
- Customize: Install plugins as needed
- Track: Start logging time
Pricing
Software: Completely FREE
Costs: Only hosting infrastructure (your choice):
- Shared hosting: $5-20/month
- VPS: $10-50/month
- Cloud instances: Variable
- On-premises: Hardware costs only
No subscription fees, no per-user costs, no feature restrictions
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