Yaware vs Timely

Timely and Yaware both automatically track the time you spend on different work activities without the need for manual timers. But the tools diverge sharply over the purpose and ethics for capturing that data.

Yaware is an employee monitoring tool in the most dystopian sense of the term. It automatically tracks the time employees spend in different apps and websites and directly shares this information with their employers. It is also able to take timed screenshots of employee screens and remotely access their computer webcams to take period photos of them to “prove” they are working. With few features to help actual users manage or report their time, Yaware is a top-down tool designed for paranoid employers.

In extreme contrast, Timely is a privacy-first automatic time tracking tool built to empower employees. It captures the time each user spends in websites and apps throughout the day to streamline timesheet logging and support personal time management. Crucially, all captured data stays 100% private to each individual—no colleague or boss can ever access it or take screenshots. The objective is to enable employees by minimizing essential admin and providing insights into the way they work, rather than creating a mechanism to police them.

In this context, Yaware’s free trial matters relatively little. Ultimately, a robust automatic time tracking solution should satisfy a very basic purpose: capturing hours as accurately and easily as possible without destroying team trust and culture.