Does PlaceTimer need me to press start?

No. It starts and pauses on its own based on the Wi-Fi network and whether your Mac is awake.

Does my location data leave my Mac?

No. PlaceTimer has no server and no analytics; everything is stored locally.

Available

PlaceTimer

PlaceTimer is a Mac menu bar app that automatically tracks how long you spend at each place, recognising where you are from the Wi-Fi network.

Download on the Mac App Store

Overview

There is no start or stop button. When the Mac wakes, PlaceTimer recognises the café, office or home it is in, starts a session and shows the elapsed time in the menu bar. It pauses when the lid closes.

PlaceTimer uses no server and no analytics. Places and session history are stored only on the Mac.

Key features

Recognises places from Wi-Fi, including separate 2.4 and 5 GHz networks and branches of the same chain
Two clocks: time at the place and active working time
A day strip coloured by place
Daily, weekly and monthly totals per place
Correction tools: switch place, merge places, delete a session

Frequently asked questions

Does PlaceTimer need me to press start?: No. It starts and pauses on its own based on the Wi-Fi network and whether your Mac is awake.
Does my location data leave my Mac?: No. PlaceTimer has no server and no analytics; everything is stored locally.
Which macOS version does it need?: macOS 26 or later.

Current status

Available on the Mac App Store.