RescueTime Reviews

“A Good Way to Get an Overview of Where your Time is Going

Pros

It is easy to set up and use, and it pretty much works on its own. Using RescueTime, I can see how much time I spend on my computer and what types of things I am doing.

Cons

The default categorization does not always match reality, for example, it might label a productive task as unproductive. So, it's important to review or take reported activities with a grain of salt.

“Time Management with Rescue Time

Pros

RescueTime tracks my time both in apps and on sites. I'm able to set timers, and it has strong reporting capabilities that are easy to customize.

Cons

It is not very accurate with iPhone usage, and it improves over time as it learns habits. The premium version doesn't justify the expense for me, as not all features are available in the free version.

“Great way to see where your time is going

Pros

It is user-friendly that's also highly customizable. It gives me a full overview of where my time is being spent on the computer. I can categorize and filter out data if I like.

Cons

This software takes a while to ensure all activities are properly categorized.

“Insight into how you spend your time

Pros

I like how I can use RescueTime across devices. It helps me keep track of how I spend my time. My boss and I used it and shared our reports, and it worked well.

Cons

As a marketer, spending time on social media platforms may seem like wasted time but is often work-related. It would be helpful to configure RescueTime to better reflect this.

“Great for managing your time

Pros

It is quite complete. I like that it also analyzes the websites I use, not just the apps, and allows me to get all information as one, from my phone, personal computer, work laptop, and so on.

Cons

Managing categories can be a hassle, especially when you access sites like YouTube for legitimate reasons during work. It doesn't consider the timing, just the distraction level.

“Time management rocks"

Pros

I appreciate that the technology can help me keep track of my time spent on different sites and also notify me.

Cons

I find it a bit expensive for what seems like a simple application. I believe the price should be lower.

“RescueTime to rescue your time

Pros

I liked that it was easy to set up. It tracks time in specific software and websites. The design is professional.

Cons

It does not provide actionable insights as I would like. Instead of just showing time spent, it should offer more useful insights.

“Cannot recommend this enough.

Pros

The amount of information I gather with this is just mindblowing, and having it available on everything is awesome. The automatic categorization for apps works most of the time. Then there are the vast amount of integrations it offers. This is the best time tracking software I have used, and it just gets better with time.

Cons

Re-categorizing activities is somewhat convoluted for me. I have had to bookmark the page so I can get to it quickly. The focus sessions are a neat feature, but I think they need to be more robust as its quite easy to circumvent them.

“Bottom-Up Objectivity Yields No-brainer Accountability

Pros

This is a no-brainer to install with no configuration, and I instantly get personalized and valuable weekly reports. It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iPhone, so it can be used by anyone in the company or any external team. The user interface is excellent, and it's very easy to customize to each user's specific goals if they choose to do so.

Cons

The phone apps don't always categorize calls with known contacts automatically. Tracking sites with multiple goals or intentions is tricky at times.

“Automatic Time Tracking

Pros

RescueTime offers effortless time tracking with a 'set and forget' kind of approach. It works in the background to identify the tasks I am working on and provides insightful reports on productivity.

Cons

Integration with other systems would be extremely useful since we have switched to a different solution that integrates with our internal tools.

“Frictionaless Time Tracking

Pros

It works in the background, so I don't need to remember to turn it on or off. There is no need for me to disposition time regularly, so it does not interfere with my organic or non-linear workflows. I can go back and disposition all at once at the end of the day or every few days.

Cons

The frequency of updates is high, and the update pop-ups can be intrusive.

“The lightest way to manage activities time

Pros

The site has managed to provide all the necessary features to manage the time I spend on a task, and its the simplest in doing that.

Cons

I think the site interface should be updated with a more modern design.

“Grade your productivity

Pros

I was first introduced to RescueTime by a work colleague who claimed he could do Pomodoro time and at the end of the day, he knew how focused and productive he had been. I was curious about this tool, so I started using it and became impressed with how simple and silent it was; it was just an icon hidden in my taskbar. It demands only 3MB of PC memory and maps everything I do. It is aware of the types of websites I am accessing because it already has a database. However, I had to edit some sites as research/work/etc. (like my company website).

Cons

I find the interface to be ugly and outdated. It is very simple to use, so maybe thats not the focus of the development team. For me, the biggest problem is the information architecture and content on the dashboard page. I think a simple redesign could work wonders.

“RescueTime

Pros

It works without distraction. It is awesome at tracking my time within apps. Also, the biggest pro of RescueTime is how customizable the reports are.

Cons

The software to be expensive. It's worth it, but definitely expensive.

“Keep an eye on wasteful time with weekly reporting

Pros

I first installed this to keep track of my own time so I could understand what I was spending most of my time on and see if I needed to outsource time-consuming tasks so I could focus on more important areas. Later, it was useful to install it on our apprentice's PC to make him pay attention to where he should be focusing his work. For free, this tool is indispensable.

Cons

There are none that I can think of when I use the free service.

“Stop wasting your time (or know where you waste it, at least)

Pros

I started monitoring my computer usage and found out where my time is lost.

Cons

I think it would be nice to have the ability to create projects to help with client billing.

“Don't waste your time

Pros

I felt that time was slipping through my fingers, and now I know where. This tool helped me monitor how I spend my time, how much time I actually work and how much I am fooling around.

Cons

Maybe they should improve the categorization and introduce a daily wrap-up notification.

“No-frills productivity reporting

Pros

It was extremely easy to set up. It runs in the background with no issues and sends great reports.

Cons

I feel it lacks customization in what it considers for each category. My job role requires using platforms that are considered less productive by default.

“The only time management app that helps me take control of my time

Pros

Even though it is not a time tracker in the sense of providing info to clients, I have chosen RescueTime over all other time management software. Why? Because it helps me focus, and it gives me a clear insight into how I spend my time, both online and offline. The best part: I hardly need to fill in anything; the app provides all the details of the sites and apps I use on my computer and my phone.

Cons

The only thing I am missing is the possibility to assign work to projects and clients. That would make it perfect for me!

“Does what it says. Works in the background so you don't have to worry about it

Pros

It was easy to set up and works in the background so I do not have to worry about it. It also adds data from my cell phone, which is critical to see how my time gets spent each day.

Cons

Really, none that I can think of. I have been using it for many years, and it's a keeper for me.