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The best Hubstaff alternatives for remote teams are Time Doctor, Insightful, Toggl Track, Clockify, Harvest, DeskTime, ActivTrak and Connecteam: eight time tracking and employee monitoring apps, free to about $17 per user a month on annual billing as of October 2026, against the $4.99 to $25 per seat tiers on the Hubstaff pricing page. Each Hubstaff alternative below is judged on how deep its monitoring goes, whether its timesheets export to payroll and invoicing, and its price per seat against Hubstaff’s Starter and Team tiers. Time Doctor and Insightful are the Hubstaff alternatives that keep its screenshots and activity monitoring depth; Toggl Track, Clockify and Harvest are the lighter Hubstaff alternatives without screenshots; DeskTime and ActivTrak turn tracked activity into productivity analytics; and Connecteam is the Hubstaff alternative for hourly staff.
Hubstaff alternatives compared
| Tool | Best for | Starting price (USD) | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Doctor | Like-for-like monitoring depth with screenshots | Per-user prices on its pricing page; annual billing takes 16.6% off | Closest match to Hubstaff’s feature set |
| Insightful | Workforce analytics with screenshots included | $8 per seat a month (annual) | Screenshots in the base plan |
| Toggl Track | Manual tracking with no screenshots | $0 for up to 3 users; Starter $9 per user a month (annual) | No screenshots, keystrokes or location data |
| Clockify | A free plan that scales past one seat | $0 for up to 5 users; Basic $3.99 per user a month (annual) | Cheapest paid tier in this list |
| Harvest | Client billing and invoicing | $0 for 1 seat; Teams $9 per seat a month (annual) | Invoicing and expenses built in |
| DeskTime | Productivity metrics at a lower per-seat price | Pro $6.42 per user a month (annual, excluding VAT) | Screenshots from the Premium plan |
| ActivTrak | Aggregate analytics, screenshots only as an add-on | $0 for up to 3 workers; Work Activity Tracking $10 per worker a month (annual) | No screenshots in the core plans |
| Connecteam | Hourly and field staff clocking in from a phone | $0 for up to 10 users; Basic $29 a month flat for the first 30 users (annual) | GPS clock-in from the Basic plan |
Time Doctor and Insightful are the best Hubstaff alternatives for teams that want the same monitoring depth, Clockify is the best free Hubstaff alternative for a small remote team, and Connecteam is the best Hubstaff alternative for hourly staff who clock in from a phone.
Like-for-like replacements
Time Doctor and Insightful are the like-for-like replacements: the Hubstaff alternatives with the same monitoring features, automatic screenshots, app and URL activity reports and payroll integrations.
Time Doctor
Best for: the closest like-for-like replacement, screenshots included
Time Doctor mirrors Hubstaff’s feature set: time tracking with screenshots, activity levels and app and URL reports, with payroll integrations from the Standard plan. A team that wants Hubstaff’s depth in a new tool starts here.
Its pricing page lists Basic, Standard, Premium and Enterprise plans billed per user, and annual billing currently takes two months free, a 16.6% discount on the monthly price. The per-user figures load dynamically rather than in the page text, so read them there before budgeting; the published add-ons are Software Cost Insights at $3 per user a month and Payroll Native Integration at $200 per integration a month.
Pros
- Screenshots and activity levels at Hubstaff’s depth
- Payroll integrations from the Standard plan
- Annual billing takes two months free
Cons
- No free plan, only a 14-day trial
- The native payroll integration costs $200 per integration a month
- Per-user prices only render in the browser, so budgets need the live page
Insightful
Best for: workforce analytics instead of keystroke-style monitoring
Insightful packages the same data Hubstaff collects (screenshots, app and URL usage, activity levels) as workforce analytics, with dashboards built for operations teams rather than per-person checking. Screenshots are included in its base plan rather than sold as an add-on.
Its pricing page currently starts at $8 per seat a month for Workforce Analytics, billed annually, with screenshots included; the Workflow Optimization plan is $12 in beta, the Combo plan is $16, and Enterprise pricing is custom. On-demand screenshots, increased screenshot frequency and screen recording are each a $3 to $4 per seat add-on, and there is no free plan, only a 7-day trial.
Pros
- Screenshots included in the $8 base plan
- Analytics dashboards built for operations teams
- A 7-day trial with no credit card required
Cons
- No free plan
- Monthly billing is available only on select plans
- Screen recording and on-demand screenshots cost extra
Tools with lighter monitoring
Toggl Track, Clockify and Harvest are the time tracking apps without screenshots in this list: they record hours, timesheets and client billing and take no screenshots on any plan.
Toggl Track
Best for: manual time tracking with no screenshots at all
Toggl Track tracks hours with one-click timers and weekly timesheets and collects nothing else: its own documentation states that it does not take screenshots, record keystrokes, or log browsing history or location. A team that needs hours and payroll data, not visual proof, gets the cleanest option in this group.
Its pricing page lists a free plan for up to 3 users, Starter at $9 per user a month on annual billing ($12 monthly), Premium at $16 ($24 monthly) and custom Enterprise pricing, with a 30-day trial on the paid plans.
Pros
- No screenshots, keystrokes, browsing history or location tracking
- Free for up to 3 users
- A 30-day trial on the paid plans
Cons
- No screenshot or activity-level proof of work on any plan
- The free plan stops at 3 users
- Premium at $16 per user a month on annual billing sits above Hubstaff’s Team tier
Clockify
Best for: a free plan that scales past one seat
Clockify offers the longest-running free plan in this list: up to 5 users against Hubstaff’s single free seat, with timers, timesheets and reports included. Its Pro plan adds an optional activity-monitoring agent for company devices, but no plan takes screenshots.
Its pricing page lists Basic at $3.99 per user a month on annual billing ($4.99 monthly), Standard at $5.49 ($6.99), Pro at $7.99 ($9.99) and Enterprise at $11.99 ($14.99), with a 7-day trial of the Pro features from a free account.
Pros
- Free for up to 5 users
- Basic is the cheapest paid tier in this list at $3.99 on annual billing
- Pro’s activity monitoring is optional and limited to company devices
Cons
- No screenshots on any plan
- Activity monitoring and GPS tracking start only on Pro
- Pro’s kiosk photo capture takes camera photos at login, which some teams rule out
Harvest
Best for: client billing and invoicing, not activity levels
Harvest is built around client billing: invoicing and expense tracking sit next to the timers and timesheets, and payments connect through QuickBooks, Xero and Stripe. It collects no screenshots and reports no activity levels on any plan.
Its pricing page lists a free plan for 1 seat with 2 projects, Teams at $11 per seat a month on monthly billing ($9 annual), Enterprise at $17.50 ($14) and custom Enterprise Plus pricing, with a 30-day trial.
Pros
- Invoicing and expense tracking built in
- Payment integrations for QuickBooks, Xero and Stripe
- A free seat for solo use
Cons
- The free plan covers one seat and two projects only
- No screenshots or activity levels on any plan
- Invoice payment by ACH or bank transfer requires 10 or more seats on annual billing
Productivity analytics platforms
DeskTime and ActivTrak are the productivity analytics Hubstaff alternatives: they turn tracking data into aggregate remote work productivity metrics, productivity percentages by app and site, with screenshots only where you switch them on.
DeskTime
Best for: productivity metrics at a lower per-seat price
DeskTime scores each workday automatically: it tracks apps and document titles, calculates productivity percentages, and adds screenshots from its Premium plan. It suits a team that wants Hubstaff-style activity data at a price below Hubstaff’s monthly Starter tier.
Its pricing page currently lists Pro at $6.42 per user a month and Premium at $9.17, on annual billing and excluding VAT; Enterprise is custom for 200 or more users, and there is no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Pros
- Productivity scoring and document title tracking on the base plan
- Pro at $6.42 per user a month undercuts Hubstaff’s monthly Starter price
- Screenshots available from Premium
Cons
- No free plan, only a 14-day trial
- Screenshots need the Premium plan at $9.17 per user a month
- Per-user prices are published on annual billing only, excluding VAT
ActivTrak
Best for: aggregate analytics without screenshot-by-screenshot surveillance
ActivTrak keeps screenshots out of its core plans entirely: they arrive only through the Screen Details add-on, and not on the Productivity Optimization tier at all. The platform reads work patterns in aggregate, with a free tier for small teams.
Its pricing page currently lists a free plan for up to 3 workers with 30 days of history, then Work Activity Tracking at $10, Workforce Management at $15, Productivity Optimization at $17 and Workflow at $21 per worker a month, billed annually only; the AI Insights add-on is $4 per worker.
Pros
- Free for up to 3 workers
- Screenshots only as an opt-in add-on
- Aggregate reporting rather than per-person checking
Cons
- Annual billing only, with no monthly option
- The Screen Details add-on with screenshots is not available on the Productivity Optimization plan
- The free plan keeps just 30 days of history
Time clocks for hourly teams
Connecteam is the time clock app for remote hourly employees in this list: phone-based clock-in with real-time GPS, geofencing from the Advanced plan, and no screenshot feature in its plans.
Connecteam
Best for: hourly and field remote staff who clock in from a phone
Connecteam runs the time clock through its Operations hub: staff clock in and out from their phones with real-time GPS, and geofencing marks work sites from the Advanced plan upward. The pricing pages list no screenshot feature, so it replaces Hubstaff’s proof-of-work depth with location-based clock-in data instead.
Its pricing page lists a free Small Business plan for up to 10 users, then Basic at $29 a month on annual billing ($35 monthly), Advanced at $49 ($59) and Expert at $99 ($119), each flat for the first 30 users, with per-user rates by hub beyond that; GPS clock-in starts on Basic and geofencing on Advanced.
Pros
- Free for up to 10 users
- GPS clock-in from the Basic plan, geofencing from Advanced
- Flat pricing covers the first 30 users
Cons
- A team of five pays the same flat rate as a team of 30
- Geofencing starts only on the Advanced plan at $49 a month on annual billing
- No screenshots or activity-level proof of work
Cost comparison
| Tool and plan | 10 seats, monthly cost (USD) | What changes the number |
|---|---|---|
| Hubstaff Team | $100 | Monthly billing is $120; add-ons cost $2 to $4 per seat |
| Time Doctor | Per-user prices on its pricing page | Annual billing takes 16.6% off; the payroll integration is $200 a month |
| Insightful Workforce Analytics | $80 | Screen recording adds $4 per seat |
| Toggl Track Starter | $90 | Monthly billing is $120; Premium would be $160 |
| Clockify Standard | $54.90 | Basic instead of Standard would be $39.90 |
| Harvest Teams | $90 | Monthly billing is $110 |
| DeskTime Pro | $64.20 | Premium with screenshots would be $91.70 |
| ActivTrak Work Activity Tracking | $100 | Annual billing only; AI Insights adds $4 per worker |
| Connecteam Basic | $29 | Flat fee covers the first 30 users; monthly billing is $35 |
A 10-seat remote team currently pays $29 to $100 a month across these Hubstaff alternatives, which is $2.90 to $10 per user a month on annual billing. Connecteam’s $29 flat fee is the floor of the band, and ActivTrak’s Work Activity Tracking tier and Hubstaff’s Team tier sit at the $100 top.
The crossovers sit at the free tiers and the per-seat plans. Clockify stays free to 5 users, ActivTrak to 3 workers, Toggl Track to 3 users and Connecteam to 10 users, against Hubstaff’s Free plan at 1 user. Connecteam’s flat $29 a month beats the mid-tier per-seat plans once a team passes about five seats, though Clockify’s Basic tier stays cheaper until roughly eight seats.
Payroll exports carry real cost at the top end: Hubstaff runs payroll through integrations on its higher tiers, and Time Doctor’s pricing page lists its Payroll Native Integration at $200 per integration a month. The choice of export matters most once your team works in several states, because multi-state payroll brings registration and filing duties in each one.
Monitoring laws by state
Whether you have to tell employees about monitoring software depends on the states they work in: New York, Connecticut and Delaware each require prior notice of electronic monitoring, Illinois adds consent duties for biometric clock-in, and staff in the EU bring the GDPR’s transparency principles into scope. A switch of tool is the moment to re-check the notices, because the duties follow the new tool.
- New York: Civil Rights Law section 52-c, in force since May 2022, requires written or electronic notice of electronic monitoring when an employee is hired, a written or electronic acknowledgment from the employee, and a posted notice in a conspicuous place.
- Connecticut: section 31-48d of the General Statutes requires prior written notice to all employees who may be affected, informing them of the types of monitoring that may occur.
- Delaware: title 19, section 705 of the Delaware Code requires notice to employees of monitoring of telephone transmissions, email and internet usage.
- Illinois: if the replacement tool uses face or fingerprint clock-in, section 15 of the Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14) requires written information about the collection and a written release from the employee before any biometric identifier is collected.
- Staff in the EU: the GDPR’s principles of lawfulness, fairness and transparency apply to employee monitoring data, as the European Commission’s data protection guidance sets out.
A tool that records only hours and timesheets, with no screenshots or keystrokes, sits under fewer of these notice rules: Toggl Track, Clockify and Harvest collect none of that data on any plan. US employers still owe federal record-keeping for non-exempt staff regardless of which tool they run, as the DOL’s FLSA recordkeeping fact sheet sets out, and the wider employer responsibilities for remote employees follow the states each team member works in.
Scaling framework
Team size picks the best time tracking tool for your remote team faster than features do: the free plans carry a solo team, per-seat pricing wins through the middle sizes, and flat or custom pricing takes over past 100 workers.
Up to 5 seats, the free tiers do the work. Clockify covers up to 5 users, Toggl Track up to 3, ActivTrak up to 3 workers with 30 days of history, and Connecteam up to 10 users on a plan built for hourly staff. Hubstaff’s Free plan stops at 1 user, the tightest free cap in this list.
From 5 to 25 seats, per-seat pricing decides: Toggl Track Starter at $9, Clockify Standard at $5.49, Harvest Teams at $9 and DeskTime Pro at $6.42 per user a month on annual billing all undercut Hubstaff’s Team tier at $10, and Hubstaff’s Starter at $4.99 still covers basic tracking.
From 25 to 100 seats, depth and integrations decide. Time Doctor and Insightful carry the like-for-like monitoring load, Hubstaff’s Team tier sits in the same band, and Connecteam’s Advanced plan at $49 a month flat covers the first 30 users for hourly teams.
Past 100 seats, and with hourly or field staff, flat pricing and analytics take over: Connecteam’s Expert plan at $99 a month flat and ActivTrak’s Workflow tier at $21 per worker a month serve this range, against Hubstaff’s Enterprise tier at $25 per seat.
Whatever the size, the numbers pay off only if they feed the remote team KPIs you actually report on. These stages also assume employees on your payroll; if you are managing a remote team that mixes contractors, check each tool’s export formats against your payroll flow before you switch.
FAQ
The best one matches what you need the tracking to do: Time Doctor and Insightful for the same screenshots-and-activity depth, Toggl Track, Clockify or Harvest when hours and timesheets are enough, DeskTime or ActivTrak for aggregate productivity data, and Connecteam for hourly staff who clock in from a phone. On price alone, Clockify’s free plan for up to 5 users is the cheapest first step for a small team.
Yes. Hubstaff’s Free plan covers a single user, and its paid tiers currently start at Starter, $7 a seat a month on monthly billing or $4.99 on annual, per the Hubstaff pricing page.
No. Clockify’s free plan covers up to 5 users, and the paid plans currently start at $3.99 per user a month on annual billing ($4.99 monthly), per its pricing page.
Clockify’s free plan is the best free app for tracking work hours for most small remote teams: it covers up to 5 users against Hubstaff’s single free seat. Connecteam’s free plan covers up to 10 users for hourly teams, Toggl Track’s covers up to 3, and ActivTrak’s covers up to 3 workers with 30 days of history.
Yes. Hubstaff can capture screenshots of a team member’s screen while they track time: its product pages state that each feature can be enabled or disabled, that screenshot frequency can be changed, and that screenshots can be blurred or turned off entirely. Toggl Track, Clockify and Harvest take no screenshots at all.
