Mac users who forget timers
Automatic background capture is useful when manual start-and-stop time tracking is too easy to miss.
Independent tool overview
timeMaster at a glance
timeMaster is an automatic time and productivity tracker for macOS that records app and website activity, categorizes work, and turns the history into focus and productivity insights.
- Product type
- Automatic time and productivity tracker
- Platform
- macOS
- Tracking storage
- Encrypted on the local device, according to timeMaster
- Offline use
- Core tracking can work offline
- Free plan
- Core features with current-week retention
- Paid plan
- Pro adds unlimited retention and advanced AI features
- Reviewed
- September 1, 2026
Overview
What timeMaster is
timeMaster is designed for people who want a detailed record of how they use a Mac without starting and stopping timers throughout the day. It runs in the background, tracks applications and websites, groups activity into projects and categories, and surfaces focus, distraction, meeting, and work-pattern summaries.
Its most important differentiator is local-first tracking. The company says detailed tracking data is encrypted and stored on the Mac rather than in its cloud. That is meaningfully different from a fully cloud-hosted employee-monitoring product, but it does not mean the app is completely offline: the privacy policy says the service saves an email during onboarding, sends the app name and time used for activity categorization, and uses Mixpanel for product analytics unless the user opts out.
The product is best treated as a personal reflection and time-accounting aid, not an objective judge of performance. Productivity scores and automatic categories cannot see the value, difficulty, or context of a task, so users should correct classifications and avoid using the output as the sole basis for employee evaluation.
Use cases
Who timeMaster is best for
The strongest fit depends on the job you need the product to complete, not the size of its feature list.
Independent professionals
Project tagging and time logs can help consultants and creators reconstruct where a day went before preparing invoices or estimates.
People improving focus habits
App, website, distraction, focus-session, break, and overwork patterns can provide useful prompts for weekly reflection.
Privacy-conscious individual use
Local storage reduces central exposure of the detailed activity history, provided the user is comfortable with the limited network activity described in the privacy policy.
Capabilities
Core timeMaster features
Automatic activity tracking
Records Mac app and website activity in the background instead of relying on a manually operated timer.
Activity categorization
Classifies captured activity into work, collaboration, distraction, and other categories for easier review.
Project detection and tagging
Attempts to recognize project context in applications such as editors and design tools and associate sessions with that project.
Time logs and session detail
Builds chronological records and breakdowns that can be reviewed when estimating effort or reconstructing a workday.
Focus and productivity insights
Summarizes focused time, distractions, meetings, messaging, work hours, and longer-term patterns.
Planning and reflection tools
Includes task planning, end-of-day reflection, breaks, Pomodoro-style focus sessions, goals, and overwork alerts.
Local encrypted storage
The company says detailed activity data is encrypted and retained on the user's Mac rather than uploaded as a cloud activity history.
Advanced AI analysis on Pro
The paid tier advertises advanced AI categorization and an AI productivity score alongside unlimited history.
Process
How the timeMaster workflow works
Step 1
Install and review permissions
Download the macOS app and inspect each requested permission. Activity-title access can expose sensitive project, document, and browsing context even when screenshots are not recorded.
Step 2
Set categories and projects
Define work, distraction, and project rules so the system's labels reflect the user's own responsibilities.
Step 3
Let tracking run
Use the Mac normally while timeMaster builds an encrypted local activity timeline.
Step 4
Correct the record
Review sessions and fix misclassified apps, websites, projects, meetings, and idle periods before relying on the totals.
Step 5
Look for patterns
Use focus, distraction, workload, and time-allocation reports to identify a small behavior or scheduling change.
Step 6
Protect and retain intentionally
Decide how much history is worth keeping, opt out of analytics if desired, and account for the risk that local-only records can be lost with the device.
Cost
timeMaster pricing and free plan
timeMaster has a free-forever plan and a Pro plan. The public pricing page exposed the plan structure but did not show a dependable numeric Pro price in our September 1, 2026 review, so buyers should confirm the amount and billing cadence at checkout rather than relying on an older quoted price.
Free
$0
A free-forever entry point for personal time tracking.
- All core features
- Only the current week's data is retained
- Downloadable without a paid subscription
Pro
Verify current checkout price
The paid tier for longer history and the product's advanced AI analysis.
- Unlimited data retention
- Advanced AI categorization
- AI productivity score
- Yearly, monthly, and lifetime purchase options are listed
- The site says subscriptions can be cancelled anytime
Pricing checked . The previously reviewed pricing source is no longer available.
Assessment
timeMaster strengths and limitations
Where it stands out
- Eliminates much of the effort required by manual timers
- Local encrypted storage limits central exposure of a very sensitive activity timeline
- Core tracking can continue without an internet connection
- Combines granular time history with planning, focus, and reflection features
- Free plan provides a practical way to test whether automatic tracking is useful
- Project and session detail can help reconstruct work for estimates or billing
What to consider
- Available for macOS rather than as a cross-platform tracking system
- Automatic categories and productivity scores can misread research, thinking time, accessibility needs, and the value of low-activity work
- The privacy policy says some network activity still occurs for onboarding, app-name categorization, and Mixpanel analytics
- App names and active-window or website context can still reveal sensitive clients, health topics, legal matters, or confidential projects
- Users should understand every macOS permission requested before enabling continuous background tracking
- Local-first storage reduces cloud exposure but makes device loss, corruption, and backup practices more important
- The free plan retains only the current week, limiting trend analysis
- A reliable numeric Pro price was not visible in the public pricing page during this review
- The public privacy policy does not provide detailed encryption, key-management, retention, or independent security-audit documentation
- Managers should not use automated productivity labels as a hidden surveillance system or the sole basis for performance decisions
Compare
timeMaster alternatives
The right alternative depends on the specific output, workflow, controls and budget your project requires.
Project Management
Reclaim AI
Choose Reclaim AI when calendar optimization and automatic scheduling matter more than a local Mac activity history.
Explore Reclaim AI →Questions
timeMaster FAQs
What is timeMaster?
timeMaster is an automatic macOS time and productivity tracker. It records application and website activity, organizes it into sessions, projects, and categories, and provides focus and work-pattern insights.
Does timeMaster take screenshots?
The product describes tracking app and website activity rather than recording screenshots. Because macOS permissions and active-window information can still expose sensitive context, users should inspect the exact permission prompt and current app behavior before enabling it.
Does timeMaster upload my activity history?
The company says detailed tracking data is encrypted and stored locally. Its privacy policy nevertheless describes network activity for saving an onboarding email, anonymously sending the app name and time used for categorization, and Mixpanel usage analytics.
Can timeMaster work offline?
Yes. The company says core tracking can work offline and save data locally, although categorization and other connected functions may involve network activity.
Is timeMaster free?
A free-forever plan includes core features and retains the current week's data. Pro adds unlimited retention, advanced AI categorization, and an AI productivity score.
How much does timeMaster Pro cost?
The public page listed monthly, yearly, and lifetime options but did not render a dependable numeric amount in our September 1, 2026 review. Confirm the price, currency, taxes, and billing cadence in the live checkout.
Can timeMaster track client projects?
It can tag and summarize project activity, which may help reconstruct billable work. Review and correct the record before invoicing because automatic detection can assign time to the wrong project or include idle activity.
Is timeMaster an employee-monitoring product?
It is presented primarily as a personal productivity tracker. Any workplace deployment should be transparent, legally reviewed where needed, narrowly scoped, and never treat an AI productivity score as an objective measure of employee value.
What happens if I delete timeMaster?
The privacy policy says deleting the app can remove locally stored user data. Before deletion, determine whether you need an export or backup and separately request account deletion if an email-based account remains.
Who should avoid timeMaster?
It is a poor fit for Windows-first teams, organizations that require centralized audited timesheets, and anyone uncomfortable granting a background app access to detailed application and browsing context.
Bottom line
Our timeMaster verdict
timeMaster is a thoughtful option for an individual Mac user who wants automatic time insight without placing a complete activity timeline in a vendor cloud. Its usefulness depends on disciplined review: labels and productivity scores are prompts, not facts, and the limited network activity and macOS permissions still deserve scrutiny. Start with the free week-retention tier, inspect what is captured, and only pay once the history produces a concrete benefit.
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