Overview
If you work for yourself, you know the specific panic of finishing a three-hour deep work session only to realize you never started your timer. Taim was built to fix exactly that. It is a desktop-based time tracker that operates on a "set it and forget it" philosophy.
Instead of demanding that you manually toggle a button every time you switch contexts, Taim sits in the background and records which applications and windows you are using. At the end of the day (or week), you assign those blocks of time to specific projects.
What makes Taim interesting in a crowded market is its stance on privacy and ownership. While tools like Toggl or Harvest rely heavily on the cloud, Taim is architected to store your granular activity data locally on your machine. It is designed for freelancers, developers, and creatives who want accurate billing data without the paranoia of a third-party server watching their every mouse click.
Key Features
Passive Activity Monitoring
This is the heavy lifter. Taim logs the active window titles and application names automatically. You can work naturally, jumping between Photoshop, Slack, and your browser, without interacting with the app. Later, you review a visual timeline and bulk-assign these activities to billable projects. It bridges the gap between what you thought you did and what you actually did.
Smart Categorization (AI)
The app features an internal logic that attempts to learn your habits. If you consistently tag "VS Code" and "Terminal" to "Project X," Taim starts suggesting that categorization automatically. It cuts down on the admin time required to sort through your logs. However, expect a learning curve here. You will need to manually train it for a bit before the suggestions become reliable.
Privacy-First Local Storage
For developers working under strict NDAs or anyone uncomfortable with cloud surveillance, this is a major selling point. Your detailed minute-by-minute app history lives on your hard drive. It does not get uploaded to Taim's servers. You own the data, and you control the exports (CSV, XLS, or PDF) when you need to send an invoice.
Built-in Focus Tools
Taim isn't just a logger. It includes a Pomodoro timer and budget tracking. You can set a financial cap or an hourly limit for a project, and the app will alert you as you approach that threshold. It integrates the billing workflow with the productivity workflow, so you aren't switching between a timer app and a to-do list app.
Pricing
Taim bucks the current SaaS trend by offering a perpetual license model for individuals. This is a significant draw for those suffering from subscription fatigue.
- Individual Plan: $39 one-time payment (discounted from $79).
- This gets you a license for one macOS device.
- You receive 12 months of free updates.
- Important distinction: After 12 months, you stop getting updates, but the app keeps working. You are not locked out of your data.
- Teams Plan: Custom pricing.
- This is a subscription model designed for agencies.
- Unlike the individual plan, this involves cloud storage to allow for collaborative tracking and manager oversight.
- Refund Policy: There is no standard free trial, which is risky. However, they offer a "no-questions-asked" refund policy if the tool doesn't fit your workflow.
Pros & Cons
The Good
- One-Time Payment: Paying once for a piece of software is increasingly rare. Over two or three years, this is significantly cheaper than a monthly SaaS subscription.
- Data Privacy: Local storage offers peace of mind. Your browsing habits and file names stay on your machine.
- Low Friction: It solves the cognitive load problem. You don't need to remember to track time for it to be tracked.
- Mac-Native Feel: The UI is clean, modern, and fits perfectly into the macOS ecosystem.
The Bad
- Windows Experience: While Taim supports Windows 10+, it is clearly a Mac-first product. Windows users often report that the performance and polish aren't quite at the same level as the macOS version.
- No Mobile App: There is no companion app for iOS or Android. If you take a client call while walking the dog, you have to remember to manually add that time later.
- Initial Setup Required: The "Application Flow" view captures everything. This can be overwhelming until you set up "ignore rules" for non-work apps like Spotify or Netflix.
- Screen Real Estate: The UI can feel cramped on smaller laptop screens, with some users noting scrolling issues when reviewing detailed timelines.
Verdict
Taim is an excellent tool for macOS-based freelancers and solopreneurs who bill by the hour and value privacy. If you spend most of your day at a desk and hate the monthly drain of subscription fees, the $39 one-time cost is a steal.
However, if you are a Windows power user or someone who works frequently from a mobile device, Taim might feel limiting. The lack of a mobile app creates gaps in your data that require manual entry, defeating the purpose of an automated tracker.
Recommendation: Buy it if you want a beautiful, private, "buy-once" utility for your Mac. Skip it if you need a cross-platform cloud solution for a dispersed team.