AstrolinksRescueTime and Astrolinks both track time automatically. Neither asks you to start a timer. That's where most people's search for a RescueTime alternative begins. But the two products point that tracking at different goals. RescueTime is mostly about your attention. Astrolinks is mostly about your clients. Here is a fair comparison so you can tell which one you need.
What RescueTime is, in its own words
RescueTime's site describes an app that runs in the background and tracks time spent on apps and websites automatically. As of October 2026 it presents two tools:
- Focus, for personal productivity: Focus Sessions that block distracting sites and apps, goals and alerts, and reports on your habits
- Timesheets, for tracking time by client, project or task, with billable rates and support for client reports and invoicing
Its site also mentions team plans, apps for iOS and Android, and a two-week free trial. It says the app sends activity data to its servers to make your reports, and that it doesn't collect keystrokes, screenshots or webpage content. It also says usage data is never sold or used for advertising.
What Astrolinks is
Astrolinks is a desktop app for Mac for remote workers, virtual assistants and freelancers with several clients. While it runs, it notes which app and window are in front every 5 seconds, and the web address in supported browsers. It never records keystrokes, screenshots or the clipboard.
The log stays on your computer as plain files. At the end of a shift, Astrolinks drafts each client's end-of-day report. You read it, edit it and send it. Hours and invoices are built in.
Same starting point, different destination
Both tools watch which app or site is in front. What happens next is where they part.
RescueTime turns that into insight about you. How focused were you? Where did the afternoon go? It can block distractions to help you change.
Astrolinks turns it into something for someone else. A report for each client. Hours to bill. An invoice. Its own focus view, the detailed breakdown, is optional and secondary.
There's also a difference in where the data lives. RescueTime's reports are built on its servers. Astrolinks keeps the log on your computer, and nothing leaves without a click.
Side by side
| RescueTime | Astrolinks | |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Focus and productivity habits, plus timesheets | End-of-day reports for each client, plus hours and invoices |
| How time is captured | Automatically, in the background | Automatically, while the app runs |
| Where activity data goes | Sent to RescueTime's servers for reports | Stays on your computer |
| Keystrokes and screenshots | Not collected, per its site | Never recorded |
| Distraction blocking | Yes, with Focus Sessions | No |
| Client end-of-day reports | Client reports through Timesheets | One draft per client, in their sections, language and time zone |
| Invoices | Invoicing support in Timesheets | One-click PDF or CSV, saved on your computer |
| Phone apps | iOS and Android | None |
| Goals | Goals and alerts | Daily or weekly goals and tasks that count their time |
| Free plan and trial | Two-week trial | A Free plan, and a 7-day Pro trial with no card |
| Platforms today | See RescueTime's site | macOS |
Who should pick RescueTime
RescueTime is a good choice if:
- you mainly want to understand and improve your own focus
- you want distracting sites and apps blocked during work sessions
- you'd like goals and alerts that nudge you during the day
- you want phone apps alongside the desktop
- you're comfortable with your activity data being processed on a provider's servers to build reports
For pure focus work, distraction blocking is a real feature that Astrolinks simply doesn't have.
Who should pick Astrolinks
Astrolinks fits better if:
- you work for several clients and owe each of them an update
- you want the activity log to stay on your own computer
- your clients live in other time zones or read reports in other languages
- you bill by the hour and want invoices made from the same hours
- you want AI help writing reports, with emails and phone numbers hidden first and private clients kept out
Focus, the Astrolinks way
If you like RescueTime's focus insights, the detailed breakdown in Astrolinks covers some of the same ground. It's part of Pro and the trial, and off until you turn it on. Then it shows each document, ticket, page and meeting with its time, focus blocks of 25 minutes or more, interruptions from chat or email, and switches per hour. It's for you only. A company never sees it.
There's no blocking, and no score. Just a clear picture of your day, on your computer. See automatic time tracking for how the log works.
What switching looks like
There's nothing to import. Install Astrolinks, go through the three short welcome steps and the Get started card, and add each client with a rule: a word in their window titles, a website or an app. Work as usual. At the end of your first day, press Summarize my day and see what each client's draft looks like.
Using both
Some people do. RescueTime for focus, Astrolinks for client reports and invoices. If you do, remember each tool keeps its own data under its own policy. Check both.
If you're a freelancer deciding where to start, the Astrolinks for freelancers page shows a typical week.
A note on this comparison
RescueTime is a trademark of its owner. This comparison reflects each product's public information as of October 2026. Features, plans and policies change, so check RescueTime's own site for the current details.