The short version
- Choose Timing if you want automatic tracking: it logs which apps, documents and sites you use, then helps you assign that time to projects.
- Choose Tiiiime if you prefer deliberate tracking: one hotkey to start a timer on a task or Linear issue, a menu-bar timer, and no background activity log.
Side by side
| Tiiiime | Timing | |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking model | Manual timer, started in one keystroke | Automatic activity tracking, plus timers |
| Platforms | Native macOS app (macOS 26+) | Native macOS app + web app |
| Records app and website usage | No | Yes |
| Linear integration | Linear issues in the QuickStart launcher; read-only | Imports your assigned issues (Expert plan); can write a time table to each issue as an attachment (Connect plan) |
| Idle detection | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-categorization | Apple Intelligence suggests the activity, on-device | Rules and suggestions based on recorded activity |
| AI assistant access | CLI + MCP server | Has an API and integrations |
| Sync | Your own iCloud | Timing's web service |
| Pricing | $4.99/month or $39.99/year, all features | Tiered plans (Professional, Expert, Connect); 30-day trial* |
*See timingapp.com/pricing for current prices. Linear details from Timing's Linear help page, October 2026.
Automatic vs. intentional tracking
Timing's strength is that you don't have to remember to start a timer. It records your activity in the background, and you review the timeline later. That's great for reconstructing a messy day, but it also means a detailed log of every app and site you use, and a review step to turn that log into billable time.
Tiiiime takes the other route. Instead of recording everything, it makes the right timer nearly effortless to start: ⌃⌥⌘Space, type a few letters of the task or Linear issue, press return. Idle detection catches the times you forget to stop, and Apple Intelligence suggests the activity tag on-device. There's no timeline to clean up at the end of the week.
Linear: which one is better?
Both connect to Linear. Timing imports your assigned issues and, on its top plan, writes tracked time back to each issue as an attachment, which is useful if your team wants to see hours inside Linear. Tiiiime puts your Linear issues in its launcher, shows status, priority, cycle and estimate without opening Linear, and tracks hours per issue, using read-only access only. It's included in the one plan.
