How to vibe codeRize
Automatic time tracking that gives your whole team visibility
rize.io ↗Productivity & Time Tracking
The verdict: can you vibe code Rize?
Build a web-based dashboard prototype in a weekend, but the native OS background tracker requires serious systems programming.
Cloning Rize for personal use exposes a brutal division: building the Next.js analytics dashboard and Supabase database layer is straightforward, but capturing background window metadata reliably on macOS and Windows without draining batteries or hitting OS accessibility permission walls is a serious engineering undertaking. A solo developer can build a web interface wrapper and mock data quickly, but writing a robust, low-overhead native daemon in Swift and C# to replace the core capture engine takes weeks of low-level systems debugging.
Estimated effort: 6+ weeks of part-time systems and full-stack development
What you can't replicate
- Rize's battle-tested cross-platform native client stability across thousands of varied user machines
- Instant organic brand trust and high-profile creator network effects
- Extensive pre-built integrations with third-party enterprise tools
Founded
2020
Raised
—
Team
1-10
Cheapest paid tier
$9.99/mo
What Rize does
Rize is a desktop-first automated time-tracking and productivity-visibility software that captures foreground window metadata, categorizes work with AI, and surfaces deep work metrics and billable hours without invasive employee surveillance.
Core features
- OS-level foreground window tracking daemon (macOS/Windows)
- Local event debouncing and idle state detection
- AI categorization engine mapping raw app titles and URLs to projects
- Focus Quality Score and deep-work session calculation
- Distraction blocker with configurable app/site rules
- Google Calendar and task management integrations (Asana, ClickUp, Linear)
- Project profitability and billable hour calculation engine
- Team utilization and workspace management dashboard
The business
Pricing
- Individual Basic$9.99/mo
- Individual Pro$29.99/mo
- Team$29.99/seat/mo
Funding
Unknown / bootstrapped
Pay vs build, cumulative
Break-even at month 1 — after that, every month is money kept.
The hard parts of vibe coding Rize
- Building a lightweight native system daemon (Swift/AppKit for macOS, C# for Windows) that polls OS accessibility APIs without battery drain or triggering security alarms
- Real-time local event aggregation and privacy filtering so raw untagged data never leaks upstream
- Reliable client-side LLM categorization pipelines mapping noisy window title strings to semantic business projects
- Two-way calendar sync and robust offline-first synchronization logic
How to vibecode Rize
Prerequisites
macOS / Windows Machineexisting hardware
Required to compile and test native background tracking daemons.
Xcode / Visual Studiofree
Native IDE tooling for building Swift/AppKit or C# system tray daemons.
Node.jsfree
Runtime environment for building the web dashboard frontend and API backend.
GitHub Accountfree
Repository hosting and CI/CD deployment pipelines.
AI coding tools
Recommended stack
| Frontend | Next.js |
|---|---|
| Backend | Next.js API Routes / Node.js |
| Database | Supabase |
| Auth | better-auth |
| Payments | Stripe |
| Other | Swift / SwiftUI (macOS native daemon), C# / Windows Forms (Windows native daemon), OpenAI API, Tailwind CSS, Vercel AI SDK |
Build guide
01Scaffold Full-Stack Web Dashboard & Database
Initialize the Next.js project with Tailwind CSS and configure Supabase Postgres schema for users, time entries, projects, and categories.
Create a new Next.js project configured with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and better-auth. Set up Supabase database integration with tables for users, projects, time_entries (columns: id, user_id, app_name, window_title, browser_url, start_time, end_time, duration_seconds, category_id, is_billable), and categories. Write migration scripts and database type definitions. Implement the main analytics dashboard layout with responsive sidebar navigation and placeholder charts for daily focus time and productivity scores.02Build macOS Native Background Tracking Daemon
Develop a lightweight Swift/AppKit application that utilizes macOS Accessibility APIs to poll active foreground application names and browser URLs.
Write a standalone macOS application in Swift using SwiftUI and AppKit that requests accessibility permissions (AXIsProcessTrusted). Implement a background polling timer (every 5 seconds) to retrieve the active frontmost application bundle identifier, process name, and window title. For supported browsers (Google Chrome, Safari, Brave), use AppleScript or browser extension messaging to extract the active tab URL. Write a local SQLite caching layer and a background HTTP sync worker that pushes batched activity logs securely to the Next.js backend API.03Build Windows Native Background Tracking Daemon
Develop a C# system tray utility for Windows 10/11 using Win32 API hooks to capture foreground window handles and titles.
Create a Windows desktop system tray application in C# (.NET) that uses Win32 API functions (GetForegroundWindow, GetWindowThreadProcessId) to monitor active window switches. Capture process executable names and window titles. Implement a local SQLite buffer for offline activity logging and set up an HTTP client background service that syncs batched time logs to the central Supabase backend endpoint with proper authentication headers.04Implement AI Categorization Pipeline
Build backend background jobs using OpenAI API and the Vercel AI SDK to automatically parse raw window metadata and assign projects.
Implement an asynchronous processing pipeline in the Next.js backend that analyzes incoming raw time entry logs. Using the OpenAI API and Vercel AI SDK, evaluate window titles, app names, and URLs against user-defined project definitions to classify each session into correct projects and categories with an AI confidence score. Store the categorized results back into Supabase and provide an endpoint for users to review, approve, or override AI tags.05Develop Focus Metrics and Productivity Analytics
Calculate deep-work sessions, distraction frequencies, and custom Focus Quality Scores based on aggregated time entries.
Build analytics computation engines in the Next.js dashboard that aggregate time logs into daily, weekly, and monthly views. Implement algorithms to detect deep-work blocks (sustained activity without app switching) and calculate a composite Focus Quality Score incorporating session duration, context-switching frequency, and break intervals. Build interactive charts using Recharts to visualize focus time, meeting hours, and distraction trends.06Add Billable Hours, Profitability, and Team Workspaces
Implement organization workspaces, member management, hourly billing rates, and real-time project profitability calculators.
Extend the database schema and backend APIs to support multi-tenant team workspaces, member roles, and seat deactivation with data preservation. Add configuration screens for hourly rates per project and client. Build a profitability dashboard that multiplies billable hours by hourly rates, displaying team utilization metrics, revenue margins, and exportable client report summaries.
Cost vs paying for Rize
What will you build it with?
Starting total with Claude Code$0 one-time
Starting costs (one-time)
- Apple Developer Account (optional for personal local sideloading)$0 (local build) / $99/yr (signed distribution)
- AI Coding Assistant Subscriptions$20.00
Total$20.00 one-time
Ongoing costs (monthly)
- Supabase Database & Vercel Hosting$0/mo (Hobby Tiers)
- OpenAI API Categorization Calls~$2-5/mo
Total~$3-5/mo
Paying for Rize
$29.99/mo (Team plan)
Your time to build
45-60 hours
AI tool credits
$20.00 (Claude Pro / Cursor)
Break-even
Not a financial substitution — build for personal control and learning
Vibe code Rize: FAQ
- Can you vibe code Rize yourself?
- Serious undertaking — 42/100 vibecodeable. Build a web-based dashboard prototype in a weekend, but the native OS background tracker requires serious systems programming.
- How long does it take to vibe code Rize?
- 6+ weeks of part-time systems and full-stack development — roughly 45-60 hours of hands-on time with an AI coding agent.
- How do you build your own Rize?
- Scoped to personal use: Next.js on the front, Next.js API Routes / Node.js behind it, Supabase for data. Follow the 6-step build guide on this page — each step has a paste-ready prompt for an AI coding agent.
- How do you code your own Rize without being an expert?
- Use an AI coding tool (Claude Code or Cursor) and work in small steps: scaffold, data model, core screens, then deploy. Realistic effort: 6+ weeks of part-time systems and full-stack development. The prompts on this page are written so the AI does the heavy lifting.
- How much does it cost to vibe code Rize instead of paying?
- About $20.00 one-time to start and ~$3-5/mo to run, versus $29.99/mo (Team plan) for Rize. Break-even: Not a financial substitution — build for personal control and learning.
- What stack should you use to vibe code Rize?
- Next.js; Next.js API Routes / Node.js; Supabase; plus Swift / SwiftUI (macOS native daemon), C# / Windows Forms (Windows native daemon), OpenAI API, Tailwind CSS, Vercel AI SDK.