Softwr

Technology · head to head

RescueTime vs Yellowfin

RescueTime logo

RescueTime

Technology

Take back control of your time

From
$12/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Yellowfin logo

Yellowfin

Business Intelligence

Action-based business intelligence

From
$50/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: RescueTime no free tier since 2023, making it costly for individual experimentation; Yellowfin the pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no per-user price; every model ends in a Get Pricing form
  • They diverge on capability: RescueTime covers Automatic time tracking, Yellowfin covers Automated Analysis.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which RescueTime and Yellowfin actually diverge.

Attributes where RescueTime and Yellowfin differ
AttributeRescueTimeYellowfin
Starting price$12/month$50/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Android, WebWeb, Mobile, Embedded
CategoryTechnologyBusiness Intelligence
Founded20062003

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in RescueTime

  • Automatic time tracking
  • Productivity scoring
  • Detailed categorization
  • FocusTime blocking
  • Goal setting
  • Alerts & notifications
  • Offline time entry
  • API access

Only in Yellowfin

  • Automated Analysis
  • Data Stories
  • Collaboration
  • Signals
  • Embedded Analytics
  • Salesforce
  • Google Analytics
  • SQL Server

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

RescueTime

  • Personal productivity trackingnot Yellowfin
  • Time auditnot Yellowfin
  • Focus improvementnot Yellowfin
  • Work-life balancenot Yellowfin
  • Team productivity analysisnot Yellowfin

Yellowfin

  • Embedding white-labelled dashboards and analytics into a software productnot RescueTime
  • Enterprise reporting with automated business monitoring and alertingnot RescueTime
  • Data storytelling and guided natural language querying for business usersnot RescueTime

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

RescueTime

  • No free tier since 2023, making it costly for individual experimentation
  • Limited iOS support compared to competitors that offer full mobile app access
  • Requires integration via categories and rules rather than direct app detection on some platforms

Yellowfin

  • The pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no per-user price; every model ends in a Get Pricing form
  • One of the three embedded models is a revenue share, so Yellowfin takes a cut of the revenue your analytics module earns
  • Another model prices by server core, so scaling deployment hardware raises the licence cost independently of users
  • Getting a quote requires submitting a form with a marketing consent checkbox and a user-count band rather than seeing a rate card

Pricing, plan by plan

RescueTime

$12/month
  • Standard$12/month
    • Automatic time tracking
    • Focus Time
    • Idle time monitoring
  • Team$6/month
    • All Standard features
    • Team analytics
    • Cross-device tracking

Yellowfin

$50/month
  • Team$50/month
    • Dashboards
    • Stories
    • Collaboration
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Advanced Features
    • Embedding
    • Custom SLA

Which should you pick?

Choose RescueTime if

  • You need automatic time tracking.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want productivity scoring.
RescueTime review

Choose Yellowfin if

  • You need automated analysis.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Embedded.
  • You also want data stories.
Yellowfin review

Questions people ask

Is RescueTime or Yellowfin better?
Neither clearly leads. RescueTime starts at $12/month and Yellowfin at $50/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, RescueTime or Yellowfin?
RescueTime starts at $12/month and Yellowfin at $50/month.
Does RescueTime or Yellowfin run on more platforms?
RescueTime runs on Windows, macOS, Android, Web. Yellowfin runs on Web, Mobile, Embedded.
What is RescueTime best used for?
RescueTime is most often used for personal productivity tracking, time audit, focus improvement, work-life balance. Of those, personal productivity tracking and time audit are not what Yellowfin is typically brought in for.
What can RescueTime do that Yellowfin cannot?
RescueTime covers Automatic time tracking, Productivity scoring, Detailed categorization, FocusTime blocking. Yellowfin covers Automated Analysis, Data Stories, Collaboration, Signals.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

RescueTime: Does RescueTime still have a free tier?

No. RescueTime discontinued its free tier in 2023. The service now requires a paid subscription starting at $12 per month or $78 per year.

Source
Yellowfin: What pricing models does Yellowfin offer?

Yellowfin offers three flexible models for embedded analytics: Aligned Utility Model (price per unit), Revenue Share Model (based on analytics revenue value), and Server Core (fixed price based on server deployment).

Source
RescueTime: What platforms does RescueTime support?

RescueTime supports Windows, macOS, Android, and web. iOS support is limited to passive features like calendar sync and mobile summary emails.

Source
Yellowfin: Is Yellowfin pricing predictable and scalable?

Yes, Yellowfin pricing is simple, predictable and scalable with no hidden costs or surprises.

Source
RescueTime: What are the key productivity features in RescueTime?

RescueTime offers automatic time tracking, Focus Time for blocking distractions, idle time monitoring, goal-setting with reminders, and in 2026 adds AI-Based Focus Sessions with real-time alerts to detect poor focus patterns.

Source
Yellowfin: Are there limits on user access or development environments?

No limitations exist on access to functionality across users. There are also no limits on dev and test licenses, ensuring DevOps is covered.

Source
RescueTime: Is there a team plan for RescueTime?

Yes. The team plan costs $6 per user per month when billed annually, with a minimum of 3 users required.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on RescueTime

More on Yellowfin

Keep looking

Other head to heads