Team productivity without screenshots
Hubstaff pricing and features verified in October 2026
An alternative to Hubstaff: compare before switching
Workday, meetings, absences, insights and app analytics in one platform. Monthly billing from €1.99/user and a Free plan.
- ✓No screenshots
- ✓Monthly billing from 1 user
- ✓Free plan available
ThePulseTracker vs Hubstaff
| Criterion | ThePulseTracker | Hubstaff |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price, monthly billing (per user/month) | €1.99 | $7.00 (Starter) |
| Entry price, annual billing (per user/month) | €1.67 (€19.99/year) | $4.99 (Starter) |
| Free plan or trial | ✓ Free plan with no end date | 1-seat Free plan (owner) |
| Platforms | Windows agent; reports on the web | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS, plus a Chrome extension |
| App and website usage | ✓ App and domain | From Starter, monthly quota |
| Attendance and workday | ✓ First and last activity, presence hours and breaks | Team plan and above |
| Productivity classification | ✓ Company-wide; by department and section on Plus | |
| Single sign-on (SSO) | Corporate plan, on request | Enterprise |
| Self-hosted deployment | Corporate plan, on request | |
| Paid add-ons | None: a single paid plan | Yes (Insights, Locations, Silent app…) |
Third-party data (prices in US dollars per user per month) verified on October 15, 2026 on their official pages: Hubstaff, Hubstaff: data collected and controls.
Who is each tool a good fit for?
ThePulseTracker fits if…
- ✓You want to measure productivity without screenshots or screen recordings
- ✓You need meetings and absences not to count as wasted time
- ✓You want automatic insights and per-app license analysis
- ✓You want monthly billing from 1 user, with no add-ons
Hubstaff fits if…
- ✓You bill clients by the hour or run payroll from tracked time
- ✓You need screenshots as proof of work
- ✓You manage field teams with locations and automatic clock-in by site
All alternatives at a glance
Select a tool's name to see its detailed comparison.
| Criterion | ThePulseTracker | HubstaffThis page | Time DoctorSee comparison | InsightfulSee comparison | ActivTrakSee comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price, monthly billing (per user/month) | €1.99 | $7.00 (Starter) | $8.00 (Basic) | Select plans only, price not published | ✗ Annual plans only |
| Entry price, annual billing (per user/month) | €1.67 (€19.99/year) | $4.99 (Starter) | $6.67 (Basic) | $8 (Workforce Analytics) | $10 (Work Activity Tracking) |
| Free plan or trial | ✓ Free plan with no end date | 1-seat Free plan (owner) | 14-day trial | 7-day trial | Free plan up to 3 people, 30 days of history |
| Platforms | Windows agent; reports on the web | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS, plus a Chrome extension | |||
| App and website usage | ✓ App and domain | From Starter, monthly quota | From Standard | ✓ On Workforce Analytics | ✓ From the Free plan |
| Attendance and workday | ✓ First and last activity, presence hours and breaks | Team plan and above | From Standard | Clock-in and shifts (plan not specified) | From Work Activity Tracking |
| Productivity classification | ✓ Company-wide; by department and section on Plus | Productivity Ratings from Standard | Productive time analysis | Automatic classification on all plans | |
| Single sign-on (SSO) | Corporate plan, on request | Enterprise | Premium or as an add-on | Enterprise | Paid plans |
| Self-hosted deployment | Corporate plan, on request | On-premise from 250 employees | |||
| Paid add-ons | None: a single paid plan | Yes (Insights, Locations, Silent app…) | Yes (SSO, HRIS…) | Yes (on-premise…) | Yes (AI Insights, Screen Details…) |
Third-party data (prices in US dollars per user per month) verified on October 15, 2026 on their official pages: Hubstaff, Hubstaff: data collected and controls, Time Doctor, Insightful, ActivTrak.
Features available in the platform today
Dashboard and metrics
Free and PlusProductive, necessary, idle and unproductive time by person, team and department. Each day is classified as active (5 min or more of activity), minimal activity or no activity. Global view on Free; by department, manager and person on Plus.
Workday summary
First and last activity, presence hours and breaks of 5 min or more on a daily timeline, with meetings marked. Each person can see their own workday.
Absence detection
If there is a gap of 1 h or more within the person's usual workday, they are asked whether it was a meeting. If they confirm, that time becomes necessary and their manager is notified.
Meetings
Managers and admins declare or schedule meetings and manage participants. Once accepted, idle or absent time in that window becomes necessary. Meetings can be rejected, reopened or reverted.
Automatic insights
PlusWeek-over-week change, deviation from the average, positive streak, best week, least productive day, sustained idle time, heavily used unclassified apps and top performer of the month. Group insights are only generated when the group reaches a minimum size.
Anomalies and notifications
Alerts with critical, warning or info severity and active, in review and closed statuses. Detects stuck keys without knowing which key, and lets you reclassify that time. Notification center on Plus.
Comparison and ranking
PlusCompare several people over the same period, sort them by productivity, idle or necessary time and follow their trend by day, week, month or year.
App analytics
PlusConcurrent users per app (peak, average and P95), a day-by-hour heatmap, and a comparison with contracted licenses to spot surplus or shortage.
Classification rules
Free and PlusDecide which apps and domains are productive, necessary, unproductive or hidden. Company rules on Free; by department and section on Plus.
Org chart, teams and departments
Org chart, departments, sections and teams by manager. Each manager sees the people on their team.
Devices and Windows agent
Signed installer with enrollment included, device approval, terms signed by each employee and remote agent updates.
Exports and audit
JSON, CSV, PDF and Excel for dashboards, workday, comparisons, rules, team and insights; JSON, CSV and PDF for app analytics. 7-day audit log on Free and full history on Plus.
How time without activity gets explained
A gap with no activity is not always wasted time. ThePulseTracker detects it within the workday, asks the person and, if it was a meeting, reclassifies it as necessary time with a full trail.
- 1
Workday calculated from activity
First and last activity, presence hours (the span minus breaks of 5 min or more) and number of breaks, with export.
- 2
Absence detected within the workday
A gap of 1 h or more that starts within the usual workday, estimated from the median of the last 30 days (at least 5 days with data). People with highly variable hours can be excluded.
- 3
Meeting confirmed and reversible
If the person confirms, or an admin accepts a declared meeting, idle or absent time in that window becomes necessary. It can be reverted without breaking the metrics.
How Hubstaff approaches it
Hubstaff includes attendance and shifts on the Team plan and above, plus locations with automatic clock-in by site as an add-on on Team and included on Enterprise. ThePulseTracker calculates the workday from activity, with no clock-in, asks about absences during the workday and reclassifies meeting time as necessary.
ThePulseTracker does not connect to Outlook or Google Calendar: meetings are declared in the platform or confirmed from the absence prompt.
What the agent sees and what it never sees
The Windows agent only sends what is needed to measure activity. Collecting less data makes it easier to apply the GDPR principles of data minimisation and proportionality.
What it records
- •Foreground app and usage time
- •Browser domain
- •Active and idle periods
- •Whether a key stays pressed continuously
What it never records
- ✗No visual record of your activity: images, video or screen content
- ✗Content of the keys pressed
- ✗File contents
- ✗Email contents
Controls for the company
- ✓Each employee signs the agent terms
- ✓Role-based access: each manager sees their team
- ✓Group insights only above a minimum size
- ✓Audit log of changes
GDPR compliance also depends on how each company defines the purpose and informs its staff. ThePulseTracker limits the data collected; informing employees and, where required, the impact assessment remain the company's responsibility. See the agent privacy documentation
How to choose: questions worth asking
What happens to meeting time?
Check whether it counts as idle and who can correct it. In ThePulseTracker it becomes necessary once confirmed.
Can you pay month to month?
ActivTrak only offers annual plans and Insightful offers monthly billing on select plans. ThePulseTracker offers monthly billing from 1 user.
What does it really cost?
Add the add-ons you would need to the per-user price: SSO, screenshots, integrations or longer history.
Who will see the data?
Review the roles. In ThePulseTracker each employee sees their own workday, each manager sees their team and group insights respect a minimum size.
ThePulseTracker plans
Free
Global dashboard, personal history, company rules and a 7-day audit log.
Plus
Views by department, manager and person, insights, app analytics, comparisons, notifications, exports and full audit history. Minimum 1 user.
Corporate
Active Directory and SSO integration, SLA and deployment on your own infrastructure.
Switch tools in four steps
- 1
Create your account
Sign up on the Free plan and set up departments and sections.
- 2
Import your team
Upload a CSV using our template or exported from Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or Sesame HR.
- 3
Install the agent
Download the signed installer from Devices and approve each computer. Data arrives as soon as the agent is active.
- 4
Run both in parallel
Keep both tools for a few weeks, validate the data and cancel the old one when you are confident.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Hubstaff cost compared with ThePulseTracker?
According to its official pricing guide (verified October 2026), Hubstaff costs $7/user/month on Starter billed monthly or $4.99 billed annually; Grow, $9 or $7.50; Team, $12 or $10; Enterprise, $25. ThePulseTracker Plus costs €1.99/user/month or €19.99/user/year, with no add-ons.
What does Hubstaff have that ThePulseTracker doesn't?
Screenshots, payroll and payments, client invoicing and locations with automatic clock-in for field teams. If any of these is essential, Hubstaff is the better fit.
What does ThePulseTracker offer that could tip the decision?
Weekly automatic insights, per-app license analysis with P95 and an agent that never takes screenshots. All with monthly billing from 1 user.
Does Hubstaff require screenshots or log keystrokes?
Hubstaff states that screenshots are optional and configurable and that it does not record the keys pressed. It measures keyboard and mouse activity frequency. The difference is that ThePulseTracker does not offer screenshots; this does not mean Hubstaff requires them.
What if I'm also considering Time Doctor?
This page includes a table with every alternative, including Time Doctor, ActivTrak and Insightful. Select each name to open its detailed comparison.
Does ThePulseTracker take screenshots or record what is typed?
No. The agent takes no screenshots or recordings, does not record what is typed and does not access files or emails. From the browser it only records the domain.
Does it integrate with Outlook or Google Calendar?
No. Managers and admins declare meetings in the platform.
Can it be used as a time clock?
The workday summary shows first and last activity, presence hours and breaks based on activity. If you need a legally valid time record, review your case before deciding.
Can I pay month to month?
Yes. Plus costs €1.99/user/month billed monthly with no lock-in, or €19.99/user/year. The minimum is 1 user.
Can I import my team from another tool?
Yes. You can import your team via CSV and start measuring as soon as the agent is installed.
Hubstaff is a trademark of its owner. This comparison is editorial and not affiliated with Hubstaff. Third-party prices and plans may change: always confirm them on their official website.
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