What makes CH Pulse different from other monitoring tools?

CH Pulse focuses on honest, lightweight signals — app and window time, keystroke counts (never the actual keys), periodic screenshots and browser activity — stored locally first and rolled up in a clean owner dashboard. Privacy screenshot mode is on by default, skipping sensitive apps entirely, and there's no per-seat pricing to worry about as your team grows.

How much does CH Pulse cost?

Everything CH Pulse ships today is completely free, with no per-seat pricing. Screenshots are kept for 30 days; all other data is kept forever. Optional paid features may be added in the future — always new capabilities, never something that is free today. Teams that need longer screenshot retention, dedicated support or custom features can book a call for a custom plan.

Does CH Pulse record what employees type?

No. The keyboard signal is a count of keypresses only — the actual keys are never read or stored. All activity is stored locally first, and sync to the dashboard is optional and one-way.

What platforms does CH Pulse support?

The desktop app runs natively on macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel) and Windows 10+, with an optional Chrome extension (Manifest V3) for browser activity tracking.

Does CH Pulse screenshot private chats or banking apps?

No — privacy screenshot mode is on by default. Instead of recording the whole screen, it captures only the active window, and it never captures sensitive apps at all: a built-in skip list of well-known chat, banking and password apps (which owners can extend) blocks the screenshot entirely while those apps are in front. Traditional monitoring tools capture the full screen regardless of what is visible.

Time & activity tracking · macOS & Windows

Time tracking that
respects the
people it
measures.

A privacy-first time tracker for macOS & Windows. CH Pulse measures active app & window time, keystroke volume, periodic screenshots and browser activity — stored locally on each computer, and rolled up for owners in a clean web dashboard.

Download for macOS Download for Windows

Add to Chrome Sign up

Free to start · Universal macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel) & Windows 10+.

signals tracked

100%

stored locally first

keystrokes recorded

One tracker, three ways to use it.

Track just yourself, your team, or your family — the same honest signals and local-first privacy. You decide who, if anyone, sees the data.

Just you

Track your own app time, activity and screenshots — 100% local. No account, and nothing ever leaves your computer.

No account needed

Your team

Active time, screenshots and activity for staff or freelancers, rolled up for you in one clean web dashboard.

Free account

Your family

Keep an eye on your kids' screen time with the same gentle, transparent signals — so you can talk about it together.

Free account

Everything that matters. Nothing that doesn't.

Four lightweight signals give an honest picture of the workday — without screen-scraping content or logging what people type.

App & window time

Idle-aware active time per app and window. Idle gaps are hatched out, not counted.

Keystroke volume

Counts only — a measure of typing activity. Actual keys are never captured or stored.

Periodic screenshots

Automatic captures on a set interval, compressed under 50 KB, with an auto-delete retention window. Privacy mode (the default) captures only the active window — never the whole screen — and skips chat, banking and password apps entirely.

Browser pages & time

A featherweight Manifest V3 extension reports active page and time — to the local app only.

Local-first storage

Everything lands in a single local SQLite file. Sync to the owner dashboard is optional and one-way.

Menu-bar status

A quiet menu-bar (system-tray on Windows) indicator shows tracking, idle or paused — and lets you start, stop or open the app.

Up and running in three steps.

No server setup required to get started.

Install the desktop app

The employee installs CH Pulse on macOS or Windows and grants the requested capture permissions (Accessibility, Input Monitoring and Screen Recording on macOS). Status auto-updates the moment they're granted.

Add the Chrome extension

Optional. Logs the domains you visit so browsing shows in reports.

Get it on the Chrome Web Store →

Owners watch the rollup

Activity syncs one-way to the dashboard, where owners review time, keystrokes, browser history and screenshots per employee.

Monitoring that respects the person.

Transparency isn't a setting — it's how the product is built.

Keys are never recorded

The keyboard signal is a count of presses per bucket. The keys themselves are never read or stored.

Local-first storage

All activity lands in a local SQLite file. Sync to the dashboard is optional, one-way and idempotent.

Domain-only option

Browser tracking can store just the domain instead of the full URL — your policy, your call.

Retention you control

Screenshots auto-delete past a set window, and the whole capture policy is managed centrally by the org.

Pricing

Free today. The core stays free forever.

Everything CH Pulse ships today is completely free — no trials, no seats to count, no credit card. As the product grows, optional paid features may be added for teams that need more. Nothing you use today will ever move behind a paywall.

Free forever

Free core

$0forever

Everything shipped today — desktop apps, Chrome extension, full web dashboard, unlimited employees. Free forever.

Unlimited employees — no per-seat pricing
Desktop app, Chrome extension & web dashboard
Screenshots kept 30 days; all other data kept forever

Download for macOS Download for Windows

Custom

Let's talk

Need longer screenshot retention, dedicated support, or custom features? Let's build a plan that fits your team.

Longer screenshot retention windows
Priority support & onboarding
Custom features & integrations

Our pledge: anything free today stays free forever. Future paid features will always be new, optional capabilities — never a claw-back.

Free today. The core stays free forever.

Download the desktop app and sign up — no card, no trial clock. Free forever for the core.

Download for macOS Download for Windows Sign up

Opening the app on Windows

CH Pulse is an independent app from a small team. We haven't yet paid for an expensive Windows code-signing certificate, so the first time you run the installer Windows may show a “Windows protected your PC” screen. This is normal for indie apps, and the app is safe to run.

1On that screen, click More info.
2Then click Run anyway to start the installer.

Got it — download now