Comparison

DeskTime vs RescueTime

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

DeskTime

This app automatically tracks how employees spend their time online and offline, boosting productivity. It allows for project-based time tracking, cost calculation, custom reporting, and managing employee time off. The mobile version includes a timer and remote team performance viewing.

Highlights
  • Automatic time tracking
  • Project-based time tracking
  • Cost calculation
  • Customizable reports
  • Vacation and time-off planning
  • Mobile timer
Features
Read full description

DeskTime is fully automatic time tracking software that has proven to boost employee productivity by 30% within the first weeks of using it. See how you and your employees spend their time online and offline, track time by projects, and automatically calculate their costs based on workers' hourly rates. Additionally, generate custom reports for in-house use or your customers, plan employee vacations and time offs, calculate overtime pay, and store your team member's contact information in one place. The iOS app with mobile timer feature allows you to manually start and stop a timer on the app, fill in your idle time gaps, get a remote view of the office and see how teams are performing, what projects/programs they're working on, who's been late and more. Key Features: - mobile timer - see who's working, slacking, late, or absent in real-time - assign idle time gaps - view your profile - view and change your settings Let us know what you think, send feedback and questions to support@desktime.com

About

RescueTime

Understand and manage your time automatically. This app helps you block distractions, track activities on your mobile and desktop, and set productivity goals. Gain insights into your workday and improve focus.

Highlights
  • Automatic time tracking
  • Distraction blocking (Focus Sessions)
  • Activity categorization
  • Task timers
  • Offline activity logging
  • Home screen widgets
  • Productivity goals and alerts
Read full description

RescueTime helps you track time, block distractions, manage goals, and understand your full workday across phone and desktop. Together this gives you a clear view of your habits and the tools to improve them. Understand where your time goes, stay focused when it matters, and build better workdays without extra effort. One subscription works across all your devices, syncing your data to give you a complete picture of your time on mobile and desktop. **Created For iOS** RescueTime for iOS brings powerful, simple focus tools to your phone: • Automatic app tracking: see app activity with productivity ratings and daily and weekly summaries (optional Screen Time permission). • Focus Sessions with optional app blocking: stay on task with time-boxing, optionally grant permission to block distractions in real time. • Project tracking: log time to specific projects and track progress across sessions and timers. • Offline time: add meetings, calls, and other offline activities to complete your day. • Reporting: View and manage your time across all your devices in the app. • Available in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and Russian. **Focus Sessions** Start a Focus Session when you need uninterrupted time to work. RescueTime blocks distractions, tracks your progress, and delivers a summary when you're done. Use timers for time boxing or to track open-ended tasks. Sessions and timers can be linked to projects, so your focused time always counts toward something meaningful. **Full Workday Perspective** Install RescueTime on your desktop to see the full picture. Your activity, focus sessions, and progress sync seamlessly across devices. Please note that RescueTime for desktop is only available in English. **Goals And Insights** Set daily goals for focused work, screen-free time, or better online habits. RescueTime tracks your progress automatically and shows how your behavior aligns with your goals. Weekly summaries highlight trends over time, so you can see what's working and what's not. **Permissions** Several optional features require elevated permissions. Reporting: tracking phone app activity requires Screen Time permission, and you can choose to use this feature or not. Focus Sessions: using the optional app blocking part of sessions requires Screen Time permission in order to offer real-time intervention. **Plans** Solo Focus includes automatic tracking with full history, Focus Sessions with real-time app blocking, offline activity logging, goals with daily targets, alerts and automations, advanced filtering, and integrations. Solo+ includes everything in Solo Focus, plus automated project and task tracking with RescueTime Timesheets. Link activities and timers to projects to automatically generate timesheets or track progress across work and personal goals. Free includes automatic basic tracking, daily and weekly reports, the Productivity Pulse, and two weeks of activity history. Offline time logging, project tracking, and distraction blocking require a subscription. **For Teams** RescueTime also offers team plans with shared projects, team dashboards, manager insights, and centralized settings. Team plans are only available at rescuetime.com. **Privacy** RescueTime does not record keystrokes, capture screenshots, or read message and website content. You control what is tracked, can pause tracking at any time, and can export or delete your data whenever you choose.

Screenshots

DeskTime4 screens
RescueTime4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: RescueTime at 5.0 against DeskTime's 2.3. RescueTime also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 6 months). DeskTime's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (33% vs 21%). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. RescueTime sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.00 per month. DeskTime asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RescueTime holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 3 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of DeskTime's written reviews are positive against 21% of RescueTime's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DeskTime ships an update every 6 months, RescueTime every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
DeskTime versus RescueTime: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeskTimeRescueTime
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (6 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews — better21.4% of reviews
Number of ratings6 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDeskTimeRescueTime, Inc

Customer experience

DeskTime

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

RescueTime

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive21.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

None

DeskTime

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

RescueTime

Subscriptions4
  • Solo Monthly14 Days trial$9.001 Month
  • Solo+ Monthly14 Days trial$15.001 Month
  • Solo Yearly14 Days trial$84.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • Solo+ Yearly14 Days trial$143.991 Year

Questions

Is DeskTime free?
DeskTime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RescueTime free?
RescueTime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DeskTime or RescueTime?
RescueTime is rated higher. DeskTime averages 2.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while RescueTime averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do DeskTime or RescueTime have ads?
Neither DeskTime nor RescueTime shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DeskTime or RescueTime?
DeskTime ships an update every 6 months, and RescueTime every 4 weeks. Most recently, DeskTime was updated on September 7, 2026 and RescueTime on September 22, 2026.

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