How it compares01
A timer asks
“How long did I mean to spend on this?” — you start and stop it.
How it compares
Different tools answer different questions.
Timers track your intention. Employee-tracking tools check compliance. Automatic trackers log everything. FocusMirror keeps a ledger of your hours — every increment accounted for, closed to one nightly statement, privately, and ending in one thing to try.
01
The core difference
Which question you’re askingThe core difference
It’s about which question
you’re asking.
02
Employee tracking asks
“Is this person complying?” — built for someone else to watch.
03FocusMirror
FocusMirror asks
“Where did every hour go, and what's one thing to change?”
02
Side by side
Categories, not call-outsSide by side
The honest
matrix.
Categories, not call-outs — most tools blend a few of these. The point is fit, not winners.
| Manual timer | Automatic tracker | Employee tracking | FocusMirror | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it starts | Manual start/stop | Always-on background | Always-on, often hidden | Auto-attributes, you close the books |
| Gives a productivity score? | No | Often | Sometimes | Never — an accounted %, not a grade |
| Takes screenshots? | No | Usually no | Often | Never |
| Captures content / URLs? | No | Sometimes, in detail | Often | Never — domains only, titles stay on device |
| Built for an employer? | No | No | Often | Never |
| Ends with a recommendation? | No | Rarely | No | Yes — exactly one |
| Main purpose | Bill / track intention | Detailed auto-logging | Oversight & compliance | A ledger for your hours |
03
When another tool is better
Narrow on purposeWhen another tool is better
We’d rather you use
the right thing.
FocusMirror is narrow on purpose. If your job is one of these, another tool is the better fit — and that’s fine.
01
Billable hours & invoicing
A timer built for that — Toggl, Harvest, or an automatic biller like Rize — beats a reflection tool.
02
A granular log of every doc & site
Automatic trackers like Timing or RescueTime capture more detail than FocusMirror chooses to.
03
Overseeing a team
That's employee-tracking software — and deliberately not what FocusMirror is. We only answer to the individual.
04FocusMirror
A private ledger of your hours
An accounted % instead of a score, no employer dashboard, and one change to try tomorrow. That's FocusMirror.
04
Which fits you?
Answer two questionsWhich fits you?
Answer
two questions.
It’ll point you elsewhere if that’s the honest answer.
How it compares
If you want reflection,
not oversight.
Private by design, an accounted % instead of a score, and one thing to try tomorrow. Free to start on macOS.