ActoTracker for Mac

With its ability to keep track of how often documents and Web pages are open, ActoTracker for Mac is a good program for those operating businesses based on hourly rates, among other possibilities. While its interface lacks clear graphics, it proves easy to figure out.

ActoTracker for Mac immediately opens into its main menu, which seems rather cluttered. A tutorial to walk the user through the features would have been helpful, but ultimately the main controls can be figured out after playing with them for a time. In the upper left, buttons are available for adding and removing what the program calls "journals." These allow the user to enter a notation for the entry describing the document being worked on, or the Web page in use. As entries are made, corresponding notations arise in a list in the main screen, which shows the title, file path, time spent, importance, and the end time of the use. Users have the option to change the layout from a list to a set of icons. A start/stop button in the upper right operates the timer. Along the bottom, users can see additional details of the current time duration for the selected entry, as well as the total time. During testing, the application did a good job of tracking usage. For example, when operating Microsoft Word, it automatically started the timer as it was being used.

For those who need an application to track the time spent on certain programs or Web sites, ActoTracker for Mac performs the job well, provided the user has patience in figuring out its controls and options.