Our favorite competitors
Every use case is different. If you find DoneThat interesting, the tools below might be a better solution for what you're looking for. I keep a list of tools I come across and find interesting here. Something wrong? Let me know!
Time Tracking Tools
These fall in three rough camps: Timesheets for billing, employee monitoring, and productivity. DoneThat focuses on the latter.
| Tool | Fully automated | Input data | Privacy‑first | Timesheets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Privacy-first work tracker and AI coach Best for: Productivity-focused tracking without any work. | Yes | Screen-first for highest accuracy | Yes | CSV exports but not meant for billing |
Simple manual time tracking with strong reporting and integrations. Best for: Freelancers and teams needing straightforward timesheets. | —No | Manual timer, browser/apps | —— | Yes |
Automatic time tracking with focus sessions and productivity reports. Best for: Individuals who want passive tracking and distraction reduction. | Yes | Apps, websites, focus sessions | —— | —No |
Focus-first time tracking with productivity insights. Best for: Solo knowledge workers who want focus coaching and tracking. | Yes | Desktop apps, websites | —— | —— |
AI time and distraction tracking with contextual nudges and privacy features. Best for: Individuals seeking passive tracking with smart nudges. | Yes | Window metadata, optional OCR, calendar | Yes | —— |
Calendar-native time tracking and timesheets. Best for: Professional services needing compliant narrative timesheets. | Yes | Calendar, email | —— | Yes |
Automatic time tracking for individuals and teams. Best for: Hands-off auto-capture with clean timesheets for client work. | Yes | Apps, calendar, documents | Yes | Yes |
Time tracking with activity metrics, GPS, and workforce tools. Best for: Field/remote teams needing activity metrics or location options. | Yes | Apps, URLs, GPS | —— | Yes |
Employee time tracking and productivity analytics. Best for: Companies needing workforce analytics and monitoring options. | Yes | Apps, websites, screenshots | —— | Yes |
Employee time tracking with productivity and attendance reporting. Best for: Distributed teams needing detailed workforce analytics. | Partial | Apps, websites, screenshots | —— | Yes |
Workforce analytics and productivity insights for teams. Best for: Organizations optimizing team productivity and focus. | Yes | Apps, websites | —— | —— |
Automatic tracking with strong reporting; cloud or on-premise. Best for: Individuals and teams needing detailed usage and timesheets. | Yes | Apps, documents, API | Configurable | Yes |
Time tracking with screenshots and activity logging. Best for: Teams that want simple proof-of-work screenshots. | Partial | Screenshots, apps, activity | —— | Yes |
Open-source automatic time tracking and activity analytics. Best for: Privacy-conscious users who prefer self-hosting. | Yes | Local apps, window titles | Yes | —— |
Use Excel Track time in spreadsheets; flexible but time‑intensive and error‑prone. Best for: One-off projects or very lightweight reporting. | —No | Manual | Yes | Manual |
No time tracking No tool used; minimal overhead but no visibility into effort or focus. Best for: Roles where output is fully objective and time isn’t needed. | —N/A | N/A | —N/A | —No |
Methodology: We verify official docs and hands-on tests where possible. No paid placements. Last updated: 2025-10-14.
Productivity Tools
There are more productivity apps than users. The ones listed here seemed interesting or were recommended by ADHD friends.
| Tool | Goal setting | Distraction detection | Coaching | Social accountability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Privacy-first work tracker and AI coach Best for: Time-based goal setting with accountability. | Yes | Working on it! | AI | Yes |
AI scheduling and task management across your calendar. Best for: Dynamic scheduling that adapts as your day changes. | Tasks | —— | —— | —— |
Virtual coworking sessions for accountability. Best for: Showing up to focused work via live sessions. | —— | —— | —— | Sessions |
Habit accountability app with human coach check-ins. Best for: Human accountability with simple habit tracking. | Yes | —— | Human | Yes |
AI-guided focus sessions and distraction support. Best for: As‑needed check‑ins and light AI accountability. | —— | Yes | AI | —— |
Chat assistant for stand‑ups, check‑ins, kudos, and team rituals. Best for: Async teams coordinating via Slack/Teams/Discord/Google Chat. | Prompts | —— | —— | Team |
Hire a coach Work with a human coach for accountability and tailored guidance. Best for: Personalized support and deeper behavior change. | Yes | —No | Human | Yes |
No productivity tooling Rely on memory and ad‑hoc notes; accept lower productivity. Best for: Tiny projects or low‑stakes personal tasks. | —No | —No | —No | —No |
Methodology: We verify official docs and hands-on tests where possible. No paid placements. Last updated: 2025-10-14.
Desktop AI Assistants
This field is quickly evolving. I am focusing on assistants that live on your desktop.
| Tool | Proactive | Call transcription | Pattern detection | Integrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Privacy-first work tracker and AI coach Best for: AI assistant for productivity and light work support. | Working on it! | Audio understanding | Yes | — |
AI assistant that provides real-time coaching during calls and meetings. Best for: Getting AI coaching and prompts during live conversations. | Yes | Yes | —No | CRM systems |
AI assistant that watches your screen and listens to provide proactive help. Best for: Getting AI assistance without having to ask for it. | Yes | Audio understanding | Yes | MCP compatible |
Hire assistant Delegate anything. Best for: People who have the money. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Manual |
No assistant Do it all yourself. Best for: People who want to wait for clear winners in this space. | —No | —No | —No | — |
AI tool that captures screen and audio to create automated workflows. Best for: Building automations from your screen activity and calls. | —No | Audio understanding | —No | AI keyboard & mouse input |
Methodology: We verify official docs and hands-on tests where possible. No paid placements. Last updated: 2025-10-14.
AI Memory
Tools to archive your digital life and make it available for later use by eg AIs.
| Tool | Input data | Platform support | Data location | API |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Privacy-first work tracker and AI coach Best for: Calendar-like timeline of your work. | Screen, audio, apps, keys | macOS, Windows, Linux | Cloud | Working on it! |
Records everything on your Mac for searchable recall. Best for: Finding past conversations and screen activity. | Screen, audio, meetings | macOS | Local-first | —No |
Windows feature that takes screen snapshots for recall. Best for: Windows users wanting built-in screen memory. | Screen snapshots | Windows (Copilot+) | Local | —No |
Developer tool for saving code snippets, context, and AI assistance. Best for: Developers who want to save and reuse code snippets with AI help. | Code snippets, context | macOS, Windows, Linux | Local/cloud | Yes |
Capture and summarize highlights for long-term reference. Best for: Meeting transcripts and screen highlights with integrations. | Screen, meetings | Windows, macOS | Cloud | —No |
Open-source assistant that can reference on‑device files and webpages. Best for: Mac users wanting local AI memory over personal data. | Local files/web | macOS | Local | —No |
Windows-native screen activity recorder for searchable recall. Best for: Finding past screen content and meeting conversations. | Screen, audio, meetings | Windows | Local | —No |
Open-source macOS app that auto-generates a timeline. Best for: Local-first timeline and summaries on macOS. | Screen recording | macOS | Local | —No |
Keep notes Use personal notes for memory; searchable but relies on discipline. Best for: Small knowledge bases with deliberate curation. | Manual records | —N/A | —N/A | —N/A |
No AI memory No persistent memory. Live in the moment. Best for: Privacy-focused people with no need for digital memory. | —N/A | —N/A | —N/A | —N/A |
Methodology: We verify official docs and hands-on tests where possible. No paid placements. Last updated: 2025-10-14.