Ruam vs Timely
Checked . Sources linked in the table.
The short answer
Pick Ruam if you run a team on shifts and want attendance, approvals and time off in one place, at one flat price. Pick Timely if you want a private automatic timeline that each person turns into their own timesheet entries, or you need Windows today. Both skip screenshots and keystrokes.
Free forever for one person. Teams get 7 days free, no card.
- Screenshots
- No. Timely promises never to support screenshots.
- Keyboard and mouse activity
- No. Timely promises never to support keystroke monitoring.
- Apps and sites recorded
- Its Memory timeline is private to the person. It records page titles, file paths and timestamps of apps in use, not page content.
- Who sees the data first
- Yes. The Memory timeline is private, and managers see only the timesheet entries people log.
- Shifts and attendance
- No. Timely's pricing page lists planned time and capacity, not shift scheduling.
What it costs as your team grows
Timely charges per user, has no free plan and starts with a 14-day trial. Enterprise is by sales.
Ruam
$69 a month
Billed yearly, or $99 month to month.
Team, unlimited people. Flat, not per person.
| Timely plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $225 | $275 |
| Premium | $400 | $500 |
| Unlimited | $550 | $700 |
Prices are USD per person per month, before sales tax. Source · Timely pricing page
Ruam and Timely, side by side
Screenshots
RuamNo. Ruam has no screenshot feature on any plan.
TimelyNo. Timely promises never to support screenshots. Source
Keyboard and mouse activity
RuamNo. No keystroke or mouse tracking, no webcam and no activity scores.
TimelyNo. Timely promises never to support keystroke monitoring. Source
Apps and sites recorded
RuamYes, the site name and page title during work time. On the desktop app, only if the person turns it on. Managers never see page titles.
TimelyIts Memory timeline is private to the person. It records page titles, file paths and timestamps of apps in use, not page content. Source
Who sees the data first
RuamYes. People review their own day in their Logbook before anything is shared.
TimelyYes. The Memory timeline is private, and managers see only the timesheet entries people log. Source
Shifts and attendance
RuamYes, on Team and up. Shifts across time zones, overnight shifts, and attendance against the schedule.
TimelyNo. Timely's pricing page lists planned time and capacity, not shift scheduling. Source
Approvals and time off
RuamYes, on Team and up. Approvals for timesheets, manual time and schedule changes, plus time off with balances and holidays.
TimelyPartly. Approval states for time entries on Premium and up, with locked time on Unlimited. No time off feature; Timely suggests logging leave as a project. Source
Platforms
RuamWeb clock, Chrome extension, and apps for Mac and Windows (from the Microsoft Store). No Linux. iPhone and Android are coming soon.
TimelyMac and Windows. Its mobile apps are no longer actively developed and its Chrome extension is no longer maintained. Source
Free plan
RuamYes. Free for 1 person at $0. Paid plans start with a 7-day trial, no card.
TimelyNo. There is a 14-day trial. Source
Pricing model
RuamFlat price, not per person. Starter $39 a month for up to 10 people. Team $99 and Business $249 for unlimited people.
TimelyPer user. Starter $9, Premium $16 and Unlimited $22 a month billed annually, or $11, $20 and $28 billed monthly. Source
Where Timely is better
- A Memory timeline that stays private, with managers seeing only the entries people choose to log.
- Mobile apps exist, though Timely says they are no longer actively developed.
Where Ruam is better
One flat price
Team is $99 a month for unlimited people, where Timely charges for every user.
Shifts, approvals and time off
Team has all three in one place, with attendance against the schedule.
Tracking inside the schedule
Paid plans count time on their own, inside the shift for teams with shifts, and Free starts the day with one tap.
A free plan
Free is $0 for one person, where Timely starts with a 14-day trial.
What each one records
Ruam records
- Work time only: inside the shift for people on one, otherwise from the first active minute (on Free, from one tap on Start my day).
- The app in front, and on the web the site name and page title. On the desktop app, sites are off until the person turns them on.
- Never screenshots, screen recordings, keystrokes, mouse movement, audio, video or webcam.
- Managers see hours, status and breaks. They never see page titles.
Timely records
- A Memory timeline that is private to the person.
- Managers see only the timesheet entries that are logged.
- A promise never to support screenshots or keystroke monitoring.
Switching from Timely in 3 steps
- 1
Start on Ruam and invite your team from a CSV.
- 2
Set the shift schedule, then ask everyone to use the web clock, the Chrome extension or the Mac app.
- 3
Run both for one pay period and compare the hours, then cancel Timely. Export your Timely history first, because Ruam does not import it.
Moving a whole team? Book a call and we'll set it up with you.
Questions
Does Timely take screenshots?
No. Timely promises never to support screenshots or keystroke monitoring. Ruam has neither, so the difference is team features and price.
Is Ruam cheaper than Timely?
For 25 people on monthly billing, Timely Starter is $275 a month and Premium is $500, against Ruam Team at $99. For one to three people, Timely Starter at $11 a seat costs less than Ruam Starter at $39.
Does Timely work on Windows?
Yes, on Mac and Windows. So does Ruam, with its Windows app from the Microsoft Store.
Can managers see everything in Timely?
No. The Memory timeline is private, and managers see only logged timesheet entries.
Do I need a card to try Ruam?
No. Paid plans have a 7-day trial with no card, and Free is $0 for one person.
How we compared
We checked Timely's pricing and privacy pages in October 2026 and linked each one next to the claim it supports. Ruam facts come from Ruam's own product and privacy pages. Ruam is made by Kratuva Inc., which is a bias to keep in mind. If something here is wrong, write to hello@ruam.ai and we will correct it.
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See where the time goes this week.
Free forever for one person. Teams get 7 days free, no card.
Timely is a trademark of its owner. Ruam is not affiliated with or endorsed by Timely. Prices and features are from Timely's public pages, checked October 2026.