Hubstaff
Time Tracking Verified May 2026
Time tracking with optional screenshots, activity levels, GPS, scheduling, and payroll — built to give remote and field teams visibility into how work hours are spent.
- Time tracking tied to payroll and invoicing
- Strong field-team support
- Transparent per-user pricing
- More than a stopwatch
How Hubstaff scored 49/100
6 weighted criteria, each scored out of 10 and published with its reasoning. Featured placements never move a score.
Deal Strength
3.0 /10You get the standard public rate card with a two-seat minimum and a 14-day free trial. There is no coupon and no exclusive rate, so the link gets you what any direct visitor gets.
Value for Money
5.0 /10Starter is $4.99/seat/mo with a 2-seat minimum, against Toggl at $9/seat, Time Doctor at $7/seat and Clockify at $3.99/seat. Mid-tier money for screenshots and activity tracking, right at the category norm.
Capability
8.0 /10Time tracking spans desktop, mobile and GPS, with optional screenshots, activity levels, URL and app logs, project budgeting, payroll payouts via PayPal, Wise and Gusto, workforce analytics and geofencing. It sits between lighter Toggl and more aggressive Time Doctor.
Time to Value
5.0 /10Signup takes seconds and the 14-day trial needs no card. Rolling it out is slower: desktop apps to install, projects to configure and screenshot settings to agree with staff, so use most of those 14 days.
Trust & Reliability
5.0 /10Hubstaff is long-established, with payroll integrations to PayPal, Wise and Gusto and enterprise plans available, but publishes no uptime figure, SLA or independent review counts. Nothing negative surfaced either.
Flexibility & Exit
3.0 /10Paid plans carry a two-seat minimum and monthly billing adds roughly 10-15%, which nudges you toward annual. Data export and cancellation terms are not documented, so confirm you can take timesheets with you.
About Hubstaff
Quick answer
Hubstaff is a workforce-management tool centered on time tracking, with optional screenshots, activity monitoring, GPS for mobile teams, scheduling, and built-in payroll. It is best for remote, agency, and field teams that bill by the hour or need visibility into how time is spent. Pricing is transparent and per-user across four tiers, but a two-seat minimum and per-seat billing affect the real cost.
What is Hubstaff?
Hubstaff is a workforce-management platform built around time tracking. Employees and contractors track time through a desktop, web, or mobile app, and Hubstaff can optionally capture screenshots, activity levels, app and URL usage, and GPS location for field workers. That tracked time then feeds the practical outputs that make the tool useful: timesheets, automated payroll, and client invoicing based on real hours. It is widely used by remote agencies, outsourcing firms, and services businesses that need an accurate picture of where time goes.
The honest framing is that Hubstaff sits at the intersection of productivity tooling and employee monitoring. The monitoring features (screenshots, activity scoring) are powerful for accountability and client billing, but they touch privacy and trust, so the best deployments are transparent with the team about what is tracked and why. Used that way — as a billing and operations backbone rather than surveillance — Hubstaff delivers clear value, and its scheduling and project tools round it into more than a stopwatch.
Key features
Time tracking
Desktop, web, and mobile timers with timesheets, idle detection, and project and task attribution.
Activity and screenshots
Optional activity levels, app and URL tracking, and screenshots for accountability and client billing.
GPS and geofencing
Location tracking and job-site geofencing for mobile and field teams on supported plans.
Payroll automation
Pay employees and contractors based on tracked hours and set bill and pay rates.
Scheduling and attendance
Shift scheduling, attendance, and time-off so managers can plan and reconcile coverage.
Reports and integrations
Productivity and time reports plus integrations with project, accounting, and payroll tools.
Hubstaff pricing
Hubstaff has transparent per-user pricing across four tiers. Starter (around $7 per user per month) covers core time tracking and basic reporting. Grow (around $9) adds more reporting and an integration. Team (around $12) brings payments, scheduling, and unlimited integrations. Enterprise (around $25, annual only) adds custom setup and dedicated support. Annual billing lowers each per-user rate. Two important nuances: there is generally a two-seat minimum, and Hubstaff bills per seat regardless of whether every member actively tracks — plus optional add-ons like extra data retention or more screenshots can raise the total. Confirm your configured cost at signup.
Hubstaff vs Time Doctor vs Toggl Track
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubstaff | Teams billing/paying by tracked hours, field crews | ~$7–$25/user/mo | Time tracking tied to payroll, invoicing, and GPS |
| Time Doctor | Teams wanting deep productivity monitoring | Per-user tiers | Detailed productivity and distraction tracking |
| Toggl Track | Teams wanting lightweight, privacy-friendly tracking | Free tier + per-user tiers | Simple, no-surveillance time tracking |
✓ Use it if you
- Bill clients or pay staff based on tracked hours
- Manage remote, agency, or field teams
- Need GPS and geofencing for mobile crews
- Want time tracking, scheduling, and payroll in one tool
✗ Skip it if you
- Want time tracking without any monitoring features
- Have a solo workflow where the two-seat minimum is wasteful
- Prefer the lightest possible, privacy-first tracker
Is Hubstaff worth it?
Hubstaff is worth it for teams whose operations run on tracked hours — agencies, outsourcing firms, and field-services businesses — because it turns time data directly into payroll and client invoices, with GPS for mobile crews as a real differentiator. Its monitoring features are powerful but should be deployed transparently to keep team trust; if you do not need monitoring at all, a lighter tool like Toggl Track may fit better. With clear, public per-user pricing and an annual discount, it is easy to budget — just account for the two-seat minimum and any add-ons before you commit.
What's included
- Time tracking on desktop, web, and mobile
- Optional screenshots and activity levels
- App and URL tracking
- GPS tracking and geofencing for field teams
- Automated payroll and client invoicing
- Shift scheduling, attendance, and time off
- Productivity and time reports
- Integrations with project, accounting, and payroll tools
Hubstaff pricing
Verified May 2026. Vendor's published rates at the time we checked — always confirm at checkout.
| Plan | Price | Term | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $7/user/mo | annual, min 2 users | Time tracking · Screenshots · Activity rates · 1 integration |
| Grow | $9/user/mo | annual | Everything in Starter · Invoices · Per-client budgets · Reports |
| Team | $12/user/mo | annual | Everything in Grow · Payroll · Attendance · Scheduling |
| Enterprise | $25/user/mo | annual | Everything in Team · Custom roles · Priority support · Single sign-on |
Getting started
4 steps. The last one is the part most people skip.
- 1
Open Hubstaff through the link on this page
It carries our referral tag. The price you pay is identical either way, and it never changes the score on this page.
- 2
Compare the tiers against what you actually use
The pricing table on this page lists what each plan includes. Match it to real usage rather than the tier the vendor highlights.
- 3
Start on the smallest plan that fits
Most vendors let you move up mid-cycle and bill the difference, so starting low costs you nothing but starting high does.
- 4
Check the renewal terms before you commit
Note the renewal date and the rate it reverts to, so the second invoice is not a surprise. Annual plans are usually cheaper per month but harder to exit.
Where Hubstaff wins and loses
What works
- Time tracking tied to payroll and invoicing
- Strong field-team support
- Transparent per-user pricing
- More than a stopwatch
What doesn't
- Monitoring touches privacy
- Two-seat minimum
- Per-seat billing regardless of use
The bottom line
A capable, surveillance-oriented time tracker for distributed teams, offering standard pricing and solid features but with a mandatory seat minimum and no exclusive deal.
There are four: Starter (core tracking), Grow (more reporting plus an integration), Team (payments, scheduling, unlimited integrations), and Enterprise (custom setup and dedicated support, annual only).
Screenshots and activity tracking are optional features you can enable or disable. Many teams turn them off or limit them; transparency with staff is recommended when they are on.
Most plans have a two-seat minimum, and Hubstaff bills per seat regardless of how actively each member tracks time.
Yes. Higher tiers automate payroll and client invoicing based on tracked hours, with configurable bill and pay rates.
Hubstaff bundles monitoring, GPS, payroll, and scheduling for hourly and field teams, while Toggl Track is a lighter, privacy-first time tracker without screenshots or surveillance.