# Toggl Track vs Kimai (2026): Free Alternative to Toggl Track

Canonical: https://caniforkit.com/vs/toggl-track-vs-kimai
Last updated: 2026-08-10

Compare Toggl Track ($12/mo) vs Kimai ($0/mo open source AGPL-3.0+ alternative to Toggl Track). Side-by-side breakdown of pricing, self-hosting setup, data storage, and practical trade-offs.

## Side-by-Side Comparison Matrix

| Feature / Metric | Toggl Track | Kimai |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $12/mo | $0.00 / month |
| 1-Seat Annual Cost | $144/yr | $0.00 / year |
| 5-Person Team Annual Cost | $720/yr | $0.00 / year |
| 10-Person Team Annual Cost | $1,440/yr | $0.00 / year |
| License Model | Proprietary Commercial SaaS | AGPL-3.0+ |
| Hosting / Runtime | Vendor Cloud | Self-host |
| Data Ownership | Stored on vendor servers | Users, projects, activities, rates, and timesheets live in MySQL or MariaDB; plugins, configuration, and generated files live in persistent server volumes. |
| GitHub Stars | Closed Source | ★ 4.9k |
| Code Repository | None | https://github.com/kimai/kimai |
| The Catch / Trade-off | Recurring subscription cost | Kimai trades Toggl's polished hosted and native-app experience for a server, upgrades, backups, plugins, and ongoing administration. |

## About Kimai
Timesheets, rates, reports and invoices are all there; approvals need its free plugin and the server still needs an adult.

- **Installation**: Official Docker Compose stack
- **Setup Notes**: A non-expert needs Docker, a domain and TLS, database and application secrets, email configuration, backups, upgrades, and optional plugins for some workflows.
- **Data Storage**: Users, projects, activities, rates, and timesheets live in MySQL or MariaDB; plugins, configuration, and generated files live in persistent server volumes.
- **Supported Platforms**: web, self-hosted, self-host, real ops
- **The Catch vs Toggl Track**: Kimai trades Toggl's polished hosted and native-app experience for a server, upgrades, backups, plugins, and ongoing administration.

## Cost Savings Breakdown
Switching from Toggl Track to Kimai eliminates ongoing per-seat subscriptions:
- **Solo / 1-seat**: Save **$144/year**
- **5-person team**: Save **$720/year**
- **10-person team**: Save **$1,440/year**

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is Kimai a good free alternative to Toggl Track?
Yes. Kimai is a verified open source (AGPL-3.0+) replacement for Toggl Track. Timesheets, rates, reports and invoices are all there; approvals need its free plugin and the server still needs an adult.

### What is the catch when switching from Toggl Track to Kimai?
Kimai trades Toggl's polished hosted and native-app experience for a server, upgrades, backups, plugins, and ongoing administration.

## Related

- [All Toggl Track Alternatives](https://caniforkit.com/toggl-track)
- [Kimai Full Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/kimai)
- [time tracking Category Hub](https://caniforkit.com/category/time-tracking)
- [All Paid SaaS Alternatives Index](https://caniforkit.com/alternatives)