Comparison
fairzeit vs Timely. Both automatic. Only one keeps the recording on your device.
Choose Timely if AI-drafted timesheets matter to you and your team is small: Starter costs ≈ €8.04 ($9) a month, billed yearly, for up to 5 people. Choose fairzeit if the recording of your day should stay on your device rather than in the cloud, if every suggestion should show its reason, and if one plan should fit any team size.
Seven things
Lane by lane. fairzeit 7 of 7, Timely 3 of 7.
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Tracks automatically in the background
Like fairzeit, Timely’s Memory app tracks automatically in the background. On this lane they are equal.
- fairzeit
- Yes: In the background, on the Mac (Windows planned)
- Timely
- Yes: Memory app, Windows and Mac
-
Suggests entries and says why
Timely drafts timesheets with AI; it doesn’t say whether a draft shows its reason. fairzeit names it for every suggestion.
- fairzeit
- Yes: With the reason; you confirm
- Timely
- Limited: AI drafts; reason not described
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Activity local, entries in the EU
Timely keeps the recording in the cloud, on AWS in Europe. With fairzeit it stays on your device; confirmed entries go to the EU.
- fairzeit
- Yes: Activity stays local; confirmed entries are stored in the EU
- Timely
- Limited: Activity in the cloud, on AWS in Europe
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No screenshots, in any plan
Timely takes no screenshots, and neither does fairzeit.
- fairzeit
- Yes: No setting turns them on
- Timely
- Yes
-
Cancel monthly
Timely can be cancelled monthly, and so can fairzeit on monthly billing. No difference.
- fairzeit
- Yes: On monthly billing; the yearly plan at the year’s end
- Timely
- Yes
-
Everything in one plan, solo or team
Timely’s Starter plan covers only up to 5 people and 20 projects. fairzeit has one plan for any team size.
- fairzeit
- Yes: Every feature, from one person
- Timely
- No: Starter only up to 5 people
-
Pay once, with updates
Timely is subscription only. fairzeit can also be bought once, with every update for as long as fairzeit is offered.
- fairzeit
- Yes: Lifetime from €349; sales open soon
- Timely
- No: Recurring only
Price · October 2026
What Timely costs. And what fairzeit costs.
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| StarterMatching planup to 5 people, 20 projects | ≈ €8.04converted from $9 | ≈ €9.83converted from $11 |
| Premiumup to 50 people; accounting integrations | ≈ €14.30converted from $16 | ≈ €17.88converted from $20 |
| Unlimited | ≈ €19.66converted from $22 | ≈ €25.03converted from $28 |
| Enterprise | On request | |
Per person per month, VAT not stated. Timely quotes US dollars only; converted here at the ECB reference rate of 13 October 2026 (€1 = $1.1188), rounded. As of 14 October 2026.
fairzeit
- Billed yearly
- €16
- Billed monthly
- €20
One plan with every feature, solo or team. Per person per month, excluding VAT.
Lifetime: €349 once per seat, €299 for each further seat, with every update for as long as fairzeit is offered, at least 5 years. Sales open soon.
A year for 1, 5 and 10 people, billed yearly
| 1 person | 5 people | 10 people | |
|---|---|---|---|
| fairzeitsubscription, excl. VAT | €192 | €960 | €1,920 |
| Timely StarterVAT not stated | ≈ €96.53converted from $108 | ≈ €482.66converted from $540 | ≈ €1,716.12Premiumconverted from $1,920 |
| fairzeit Lifetimeonce, excl. VAT | €349 | €1,545 | – |
Lifetime at the first tier; at most 5 seats per company, larger teams use the subscription. Timely quotes US dollars only; converted here at the ECB reference rate of 13 October 2026 (€1 = $1.1188), rounded.
In fairness
Where Timely is better. What speaks for Timely.
AI drafts
Timely drafts your timesheets with AI, on every plan. fairzeit suggests single entries, without an AI draft.
Price for small teams
Starter costs ≈ €8.04 ($9) a month billed yearly, ≈ €9.83 ($11) billed monthly, for up to 5 people. fairzeit costs €16 or €20.
Accounting
From Premium up, Timely connects to accounting and invoicing tools such as QuickBooks. fairzeit exports files, including one for payroll in DATEV Lohn.
Windows
Timely’s Memory app also runs on Windows. So far fairzeit is for macOS only; Windows is planned.
A draw: both track automatically, take no screenshots, can be cancelled monthly on monthly billing, and both come with a 14-day trial.
Switching
From Timely to fairzeit. Your data comes along.
- From Timely
Report as CSV or XLSCSV · XLS
- fairzeit takes over
- Time entries, clients, projects, tasks and tags
- Hourly rates
- Not taken over; you enter them yourself.
In Timely, pick the report at the level of single time entries. Then each entry arrives on its own, not as a total.
How switching worksQuestions
Questions about Timely and fairzeit
Can I bring my Timely data with me?
Yes. In Timely, export the report as CSV or XLS and load it into fairzeit. fairzeit takes over the time entries, clients, projects, tasks and tags. fairzeit doesn’t take hourly rates from Timely; you enter them yourself.
Is fairzeit cheaper than Timely?
Not for small teams: Starter costs ≈ €8.04 ($9) a month, billed yearly, for up to 5 people. Above that you need Premium at ≈ €14.30 ($16). Timely quotes US dollars and doesn’t say whether VAT is included; fairzeit costs €16 excluding VAT, the same for any team size.
Does my activity really stay on my device with fairzeit?
Yes. Activity, window titles, URLs and paths never leave your Mac. What goes to the EU is the confirmed entries of your linked projects, plus customer and project names when an owner or admin hands them over. Timely’s Memory data, by contrast, lives on AWS servers in Europe.
Does fairzeit write my timesheets with AI like Timely?
No. fairzeit suggests entries and names the reason: the app, the window title, the website or one of your rules, calendar events included. It doesn’t draft a whole timesheet with AI the way Timely does.
How long can I try it?
Timely for 14 days, fairzeit for 14. After that, fairzeit gives you 30 days to get your first charge back: 44 days risk-free in all.
Your recording stays with you.
44 days risk-free: 14 days to try, then 30 days to get your first charge back. How it works