Automatic capture
Records your active app, site, and session in the background. No timer to start, no manual tagging to clean up later.
Just shipped
v1.6.5
Time tracking that runs itself
No timers to start, no entries to fill in. drifty records the day as you work and shows you where the focus actually went.
Today, captured automaticallyApps, sites, and focus in one timeline
Tracked
Why drifty
Built for real work patterns.
drifty records the apps, sites, and sessions behind your day, then classifies the work context without manual timers or tags.
AI classification
Uses fast model routes to label captured activity as Focus, Neutral, or Drift without asking you to tag it.
Privacy control
No screen recording or saved screenshots. Run AI locally, in drifty Cloud, or with your own key.
An AI classifier that knows intent and context.
The current app, Soul.md, and the last 30 minutes go in together.
Declaredengineering, writing
LearnedSlack threads stay focus
AmbiguousYouTube may be lecture or drift
drifty AI
Gemini Flash, DeepSeek V4 Flash, Qwen 3.6 27B
AI MODES
Choose where AI runs.
The same activity classification can run in drifty Cloud, through your own API key, or on your Mac.
drifty Cloud
High-performance AI classification, managed by drifty.
- No model setup
- Managed by drifty
- High-performance model routes
SetupNo setup
Cost$5 / month
ModelsGemini Flash, DeepSeek V4 Flash, Qwen 3.6 27B
OpenRouter (BYOK)
Use your own OpenRouter key and control usage.
- Use your own key
- Control usage yourself
- Estimated $4-6/mo (based on usage)
SetupOpenRouter key required
CostAbout $4–6 / month
ModelsGemini Flash, DeepSeek V4 Flash, Qwen 3.6 27B
Local AI
Run classification directly on your Mac.
- Nothing leaves your Mac
- Free forever
SetupLocal model required
Cost$0 / month
ModelsLocal model (uses ~5–7 GB RAM)
01Track & visualize
Automatic tracking, minute by minute.
drifty records your apps, sites, and sessions in three-minute blocks. No manual logging, no timers to start.
Background capture
drifty records the app, site, and session while you work. By the end of the day, the timeline is ready to review.
Background captureLive
09:42
Visual Studio CodeLanding page edits
10:13
drifty.soBrowser focus session
10:58
SlackContext switch
Daily activity timeline
Each block is three minutes, labeled as focus, neutral, or drift. Zoom out for the full day, or switch views to see what filled each hour.
Weekly calendar from captured activity
Captured segments stack into a weekly view automatically. Each card keeps its source apps and sites, with daily rings and weekly bars for a faster summary.
02AI classification
See the detail behind each session.
Categories show the shape of the day, apps and sites show where it happened, and activity details show what the time was actually spent on.
Runs on-device
9 smart categories
Session-level detail
Zero manual tagging
03Insight
Review recurring patterns.
See when focus sessions are most common, when drift increases, and which patterns repeat across the week.
Focus / drift rhythm
See when focus holds, when drift appears, and how your day changes hour by hour.
Weekly focus profile
A weekly heatmap shows when focused work happens most often. The profile summarizes the pattern for planning.
04Companion & recovery
A quieter way back to focus.
Companion stays close in your menu bar, then makes the next move clear when a confirmed drift needs attention.
Keep the next move close
Companion stays in your menu bar as a compact productivity ring. When drift is confirmed, choose a return, break, or correction.
Escalate only when you opt in
Extreme Nudge is a Beta choice for stricter sessions. Instead of showing the alarm, it can close a drift browser tab or quit a drift app, then return to the latest focus surface when it is available.
Meet the optional desktop pet
The local cat is off by default, comes in six coats and four sizes, and only joins an intervention after drift is confirmed. Catch it before its paw lands and the tab or app stays open—the next card simply asks whether you are still drifting.
Why drifty
What each tracker understands
A focused comparison of automatic tracking, same-app context, AI classification, and control.
| Feature | drifty | Rize | RescueTime | Timely |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic tracking | ||||
| Same-app understanding | ||||
| Focus / Drift classification | ||||
| AI control | ||||
| Starting price | From $0/mo | From $12.99/mo | From $9/mo | From $11/mo |
Pricing and features as of July 2026, monthly billing, based on each product's public pricing page.
Community Feedback
Loved by builders and deep workers
Real reactions from builders and researchers using drifty to stay in flow.
Christopher Lawson
@christopherlawsonux
“I've been waiting for something like this forever! Existing time trackers didn't work for me because I always forgot to tell the tracker when I changed projects. I especially love the 'run it yourself and it's free' model.”
Brent Vardy
@codeandsea
“The insights into how much work I do each day are pretty wild. It really helps me see my focus areas and where I need to be more conscious of when I drift. Also love that I can BYOK without signing up for yet another subscription.”
Gal Dayan
@galdayan
“The zero-data-retention pinning on the cloud path is the detail that actually matters most to me here — that's a real commitment, not just a policy line. The BYOK, local, and cloud split is a great answer to where data goes.”
Frequently asked questions
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Do I still have to start timers or tag my work?
No. drifty runs quietly on your Mac, records app, site, and session context in the background, and turns the day into a timeline you can review later. It is meant to understand the work, not just the app name.
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Does drifty record my screen or save screenshots?
No. drifty is not a screen recorder and does not save screenshots. The product is built around activity context, not visual surveillance.
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Where does the AI run?
You choose. Classification can run through drifty Cloud, on your Mac with Local AI, or with your own OpenRouter key.
You can switch modes later.
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What happens when I work without internet?
Activity capture stays local on your Mac. Cloud and OpenRouter classification need a connection; when you are back online, drifty can catch up and classify the captured sessions together. Local AI can classify on-device after you set up a local model.
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Is the download safe to install?
Yes. Every production release ships as a .dmg signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so macOS Gatekeeper verifies it before it opens.
Downloads are versioned and served from the public drifty releases repository.