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AI · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Simulation of a desktop app I built on the web

Built an accountability agent that tracks user activity so I don't procrastinate. Thought showing a fun simulation of the usability of the app on the web would be cool. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

This product is a web-based simulation demonstrating a desktop accountability agent designed to track user activity and reduce procrastination. The creator built it as a proof-of-concept to showcase how the app would… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

  1. 1

    A simple offline way to keep yourself accountable

    2016 · 100hoursproject.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2AM

    Started as a timer to track my freelance coding hours and stay focused. It’s local-only, zero-login, minimalist. Not monetizing it (yet), just seeing if others find it helpful. Thoughts welcome.

    2025 · iamlockedin.com · its alternatives →

  3. 3

    Minimalistic progress tracking for teams.

    2016 · workingon.co · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    I initially released this as just an IOS app. Since then it has been growing steadily but a lot of people have emailed asking for a web / android version. It took me nearly 2 months to build a version for the web. The nice thing about using Convex as my backend is that all the data is always synced between the app and web. I do not have to setup any syncing logic. The moment you change something in the app, it will reflect on the web version in realtime. I know there are loads of these kind of tools online but it's starting to feel like mine is actually starting to differentiate itself…

    2025 · three-cells.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5IS

    Hey HN friends, I keep getting distracted working from home and always end up watching youtube, browsing blogs like HN or just mindlessly scrolling then I feel like crap because I didn’t do enough. I went through dozens of productivity tools but they’re quite overwhelming to use and none of them actually helped me focus. So I built http://complish.ai, a web-based sidebar that helps me focus on one task at a time. I launched it last month and have over 3,000 users now and I’ll be keeping it free. Would love for you all to try and give some feedback!

    2023 · its alternatives →

  6. 6

    I'm an undergrad at cal who's trying to get better at React and building apps. I'd love any feedback on the general UI and user experience, new to coding products! If you don't want to download it, but still want to give me feedback, app demo vid & pictures in official launch https://tinyurl.com/reactlaunch Please let me know your thoughts, critical or supportive! Looking to learn

    2022 · chrome.google.com · its alternatives →

  7. 7

    Track real work vs. procrastination with a single click

    2025 · procrastination-slayer.com · its alternatives →

  8. 8AC

    We created Slash (https://getslash.co/hn) after realizing that todo list apps are hopelessly broken. They're great at making lists, but offer you no help in crossing them off. In fact, they often create even more stress when you're staring at a list 100 items longs. Slash is a task "do-er" that helps you CRUSH your list by focusing on one task at a time. Quickly enter your tasks, hit 'Start', and the window shrinks down to a small always-on-top window that shows your current task and how long you've been working on it. When you're done, hover over the task name and click…

    2019 · its alternatives →

  9. 9YP

    Care to share a screenshot and the 'killer feature' of any of your personal, self-built productivity tools? eg. I made my own calendar and money-tracker last year - there are no other users, it makes no money, I have no plans to make it public, but it holds my life together :) http://i.imgur.com/h2keJDg.png GREAT BECAUSE... it tells me how much I'm going to get paid this month. Absolutely no ulterior motive here (ie. I'm not canvassing opinions for a productivity app startup or anything), just interested.

    2013 · i.imgur.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    Hey HN I just launched TimeSnap, a lightweight desktop app built for deep work and distraction control. What it does: Tracks your focus sessions Lets you whitelist apps (everything else is considered a distraction) Shows you exactly when and where you lost focus Optional glowing screen border for visual feedback Clean UI with session history, achievements & recap No bloat. No complicated setups. Just a fast way to get into flow and stay there. Check it out https://usefsgh.gumroad.com/l/uxhixl($39.99) I'd love your feedback on the concept, design, or anything you'd…

    2025 · usefsgh.gumroad.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11
    GRIT▲8

    Study together. Stay accountable.

    Jul 2026 · studywithgrit.lovable.app · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    More habit tracking software. Contribute to willmeyers/working-increments development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13BY

    I've just published my app and I would love to have more feedback on it. I got the idea when I was busy moving around several projects during my last semester. And I always don't know which project I should work on next. Even worse, whenever I'm busy with something, I no longer have time to "read book", "go jogging" etc. That's when I thought it would be great if there is an app that keeps track of all the tasks that you want to do and habits that you want to make. And here it is! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKVr0k9Hax0…

    2014 · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    I built this app in less than 4 hours over a busy and noisy weekend to help me stay focused while studying, during my college days. Since then I have been maintaining this open source project. Its been quite a fruitful and enjoyable ride. Hope you all like it :)

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15

    Over the past three months, I’ve been working with my dad on this app as a way to learn Cursor, shadcn/ui, and Next.js. I’m currently studying UX design at the University of Michigan, and I’ve been really impressed by how much vibe-coding tools have advanced over the last six months. This work journal includes private AI-generated insights with scheduled summaries that can be shared with your team or manager. You can also choose to make a summary public—like I’ve done here for my work on this web app: https://www.workjourney.ai/summary/mkblt2zt-hn2kdbus If anyone has…

    Jan 2026 · workjourney.ai · its alternatives →

  16. 16SW
  17. 17IB

    I didn’t want another app, notification, or dashboard. I wanted a subtle daily reminder through something I already look at all the time — my desktop. So I built a small local-first daemon that updates the wallpaper once a day with a message aligned to my goals. Site: https://gen-wal.laptopserver.dev GitHub: https://github.com/nicemit/gen-wal Would love feedback.

    Jan 2026 · its alternatives →

  18. 18IP

    Hey hackers, Like many of you, I'm always trying to optimize my productivity, and I have tried a lot of apps out there to do so. I didn't find the exact one that I could use, so I built one for myself. Check it out and let me know if you have any thoughts!

    2024 · focusmax.io · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    I built this app to manage my day because making schedules manually each week was tedious. The app automatically generates a new schedule every week and helps me stick to it. I first posted an early prototype a while back—this is the polished version. If you try it, I’d love to hear your feedback. (* with the subdomain it's day-chunks.web.app)

    2024 · day-chunks.web.app · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Do it. Delegate it. Own your time.

    Jun 2026 · app.youhavetime.co · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    Self-accountability app

    2025 · its alternatives →

  22. 22
    Didon▲10

    As an indie engineer, I wanted some real feedback on my productivity, like having an actual external boss. I tried using time trackers (even a physical timer), but they weren't good at tracking everything. So I built Didon, an AI time tracker that watches the screen periodically and generates work logs, then summarizes them into your workday report.

    Jun 2026 · didon.app · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    Track your tasks while watching the day go by

    2018 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  24. 24TA

    Hey! I just launched TimeSlate.app — a completely free web app to help students stay focused and organized with zero friction. No accounts, no ads, no subscription What it does: - Pomodoro Timer - Task Manager – Tag tasks by subject, assign priorities, track progress. - Subjects - Revision Timetable – Block out your day visually with subject-based time blocks. - Dashboard – See time spent, tasks completed, Pomodoros per subject/day. It’s built for students, self-learners, or really anyone trying to structure deep work time without distractions. Why I made this: Every productivity app I…

    2025 · timeslate.app · its alternatives →

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