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Orma vs Qbserve
Qbserve is a Mac-only app tracker with one-time pricing and local-only data. Orma tracks apps on Mac and Windows, adds coding analytics, health, music, GitHub sync, AI insights, and cloud sync across devices — all free during early access.
| Feature | Orma | Qbserve |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic app tracking | ✓ Native macOS + Windows | ✓ macOS only |
| Productivity scoring | ✓ Category-based analytics | ✓ Real-time productivity score |
| Coding time by project/language | ✓ VS Code + Claude Code extensions | — |
| GitHub activity sync | ✓ Commits, PRs, reviews | — |
| Spotify/music tracking | ✓ Full listening history with album art | — |
| Health data (HR, sleep, steps) | ✓ HealthKit + BLE heart rate | — |
| AI-powered insights | ✓ Weekly cross-platform digest | — |
| Correlation engine | ✓ 19 auto-computed metric pairs | — |
| Cloud sync | ✓ Supabase cloud with multi-device sync | — Local data only |
| iOS companion app | ✓ | — |
| Windows app | ✓ Native WinUI 3 | — Mac only |
| Invoice/billing integration | — | ✓ Freshbooks integration |
| Notification alerts | — | ✓ Real-time productivity alerts |
| Data export | ✓ CSV + JSON with date filtering | ✓ CSV export |
| Free tier available | ✓ All features free during early access | — One-time $40 purchase |
- 01Cross-platform — works on macOS and Windows, not just Mac. Plus iOS companion app for health and location tracking.
- 02Developer-first with VS Code extension, Claude Code hook, and GitHub sync — Qbserve has no coding analytics
- 03Cloud sync means your data follows you across devices and is never lost if your Mac dies
- 04AI-powered weekly insights that analyze patterns across all your data sources
- 05Health, music, and GitHub data in the same dashboard — Qbserve only tracks app usage
- 01One-time purchase ($40) with no ongoing subscription — pay once, use forever
- 02Completely local data storage — nothing leaves your Mac, ideal for privacy-conscious users
- 03Real-time productivity score and notification alerts keep you aware throughout the day
Choose Orma if
Developers who want more than app tracking and value cloud sync, coding analytics, health data, and AI insights across all their devices. If you use both Mac and Windows or want your data accessible anywhere, Orma is the better choice.
Choose Qbserve if
Privacy-first Mac users who want a one-time purchase with zero cloud involvement. If local-only data and a simple productivity score are your priorities, Qbserve delivers that with no subscription.
Can Orma replace Qbserve for Mac app tracking?
Yes. Orma tracks every app switch on macOS with window titles and automatic categorization, just like Qbserve. The difference is Orma syncs to the cloud, works on Windows too, and adds coding, music, health, and GitHub tracking.
Is Orma's data private like Qbserve's local-only approach?
Orma stores data in Supabase (PostgreSQL) with row-level security — only you can access your data. It's not local-only like Qbserve, but your data is encrypted in transit and at rest. The trade-off is cloud sync across devices vs purely local storage.
Why choose Orma over Qbserve's one-time $40 price?
Orma is free during early access and plans to charge $8/mo for Pro features. Qbserve's one-time price is attractive, but it only tracks Mac app usage. Orma gives you coding analytics, health data, music tracking, GitHub sync, AI insights, and correlations — far more value per dollar.
Does Qbserve work on Windows like Orma?
No. Qbserve is Mac-only with no Windows, iOS, or web app. Orma has native apps for macOS, Windows, and iOS, plus a web dashboard accessible from any browser.
try Orma free
All features free during early access. Native Mac and Windows tracker installs in seconds. See your apps, coding, health, and music in one dashboard.