RescueTime Reviews

“Great for freelancers and time-conscious people

Pros

RescueTime is amazing for tracking my time. Freelancers and consultants can use it to stay aware of their time usage, and individuals can become more conscientious.

Cons

Not many downsides! The software looks and feels a little clunky, and I wish I had more flexibility with the reporting and activity summaries.

“Great time saving tool, really makes you understand how you handle your time.

Pros

It helps me understand what I spend my time on with no effort at all. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be efficient.

Cons

It takes a while for me to understand how to use it and all its features; it can be a bit complicated for the average Joe.

“Runs in the background

Pros

What I like about RescueTime is that it checks how I am spending my time in the background, which is much better than other apps that ask me to mark off time for different activities. The free version is enough for me.

Cons

Unfortunately, it only keeps track of when I am using apps and my computer. Ideally, it should also keep track of how much time I spend in the car and walking.

“I have tried this program to see if it is useful for delegating time on certain projects.

Pros

I like that it gives me ways to set goals and avoid distractions while I am working and then can break it down for me by keeping track of everything I am doing.

Cons

I really do not like that I have to download the software to keep track of what I am doing; it feels a little invasive. It seems like I should be able to do what this program offers without having to download and install software to track my actions.

“RescueTime helps you manage the most limited resource you have.

Pros

RescueTime is both easy for me to use, requiring very little setup, and also infinitely customizable, meaning that over time I can mold it to exactly what I want it to be doing. For instance, in tracking how productively I am using my time, it already knows that certain websites are distracting and certain ones are productive, but if my work requires me to spend some time on a specific "distracting" website, I can re-categorize it as needed to capture that.

Cons

I have very few complaints about RescueTime. It does everything I need it to do. If anything, I wish the free version had more features, but I am more than happy to pay for the premium version to get the features I need.

“Simple to use, takes a little bit of setup, but worth it

Pros

It's really easy for me to use, and once I go through setting things up, it takes no thought or effort. It just runs in the background and reports weekly. Knowing that it's running helps me stay on task.

Cons

The auto-categorization works okay, but I needed to spend a significant amount of time custom categorizing various apps and websites because it was skewing my reporting. However, I am glad that they at least allow you that option.

“Track your productivity (or unproductivity) with email reports

Pros

RescueTime runs in the background of my computer, tracking every single minute that I spend on the computer. Because it has a huge and comprehensive database of apps and websites that it categorizes as productive or unproductive, it can automatically break down for me how much time I've spent in the day/week as productive (or not), and whether I've reached the goals that I have set up myself on the website. I love the email reports that they send to me, letting me know how much time I've actually spent on my work.

Cons

The included software on my Mac looks rudimentary, but it's not something I have to deal with because it just runs in the background in the menu bar. It does not offer an option to hide the menu bar icon, so if that bothers me, I'll need something like Bartender to hide it.

“Great to motivate you and get you to cut back on distracting websites

Pros

It is great to see what I am doing throughout the day. It really lets me know where I am wasting time and how to correct myself. Also, it's great because I don't have to feel guilty when I am making progress and showing the team where they waste time throughout the day.

Cons

There are times when website activity detection is not that accurate. But I don't mind the glitch as it still serves its purpose.

“Fairly customizable even on the free plan

Pros

It seamlessly tracks my time and sends me a weekly update to give me an idea of where I'm spending my time.

Cons

While I can generally customize the way different websites and programs are categorized, there is not a way to do one-time categorization. This means I can't differentiate between when I am, for instance, on Facebook for work (productive) versus scrolling endlessly through my timeline (distracting).

“Very customizable to meet your needs

Pros

The software offers exactly what I need through multiple product options. The data is very easy for me to interpret once I learn how to use the software. This has allowed me and others in our company to be more productive and make better choices in the use of our time.

Cons

I am sometimes concerned about privacy and how the collected data is handled.

“Great tool to passively track how you spend your time on the computer

Pros

It's awesome for me to keep an eye on how I spend my time on my computer and get a report sent straight to my email with clear information.

Cons

It doesn't take into account the time I spend on my smartphone or tablet, which would be great considering the mobile-first mentality of these days.

“Affordable, Easy-to-Use Productivity and Time Tracking Solution

Pros

RescueTime requires little to no configuration or attention from me. I simply install it on my computer and/or install the various browser plugins and let it do its thing - tracking my activities and time.

Cons

As an analytics nerd, I would like RescueTime to have even more tracking features and abilities. The one con I will mention is having to specifically allow RescueTime to track what I am doing in certain websites and applications.

“It tracks time, but not in an intuitive or useful way.

Pros

It does a pretty good job of breaking down different areas of my work. And I like how there are more categories than simply productive or unproductive.

Cons

Its automated features are not that good, and it seems to be really inconsistent about when it emails me my daily productivity report.

“Get rid of distractions.

Pros

I use it to get my weekly productivity score and stay on track. It works like a conscience, an inner feeling that I should not waste my time and procrastinate but get my job done. I use another app as a timesheet replacement, but this one helps me to see in detail towards what my time went. The Light version is free forever.

Cons

The interface is not what I expected. At the beginning, it was quite challenging to set up everything online. I believe that some ready templates could help lift off. I believe that the premium version is required if I get serious about improving my productivity.

“Great tool for staying productive

Pros

Easy for me to use: RescueTime is very intuitive and easy to use. Once I download and install it, it starts automatically. Easy to customize: It just takes a few clicks for me to tell RescueTime which activities are productive for my business. Weekly summary report: RescueTime doesn't blow up my inbox but rather sends a weekly summary to help me keep my time spent on business on track. Tracks me on multiple workstations: If I use more than one workstation, RescueTime will aggregate my time. Regular, easy updates: RescueTime updates come out regularly, and take a single click. Yay! Great value for the money: I use the FREE version, and it does what I need.

Cons

I can't think of any cons. However, I have not used the paid version of RescueTime, so I don't know what features or benefits I am missing out on.

“Fantastic product

Pros

Their ease of use, fantastic insight, great plugin, syncs across my devices.

Cons

There are some options that I want that I don't get with the free product, but that's to be expected. Even with the free product, it is fantastic.

“Rescue Time - a great time tracking software

Pros

RescueTime hit all the right notes when I was looking for a low-cost alternative for time tracking. It is very powerful though. Lacking only a few areas. The interface is not the most intuitive or prettiest, but they are improving with every update. I strongly recommend it.

Cons

The one con I will mention is having to specifically allow RescueTime to track what I am doing in certain websites and applications.