What are the best Hubstaff alternatives?

Updated on 6 July 2026

The best Hubstaff alternative depends on what you actually need. Plain timers such as Toggl Track count hours with no monitoring, activity analytics such as ActivTrak score app usage without storing captures by default, screenshot trackers such as Time Doctor capture more visual evidence, and ScreenJournal measures the work itself while storing no footage.

This page compares six alternatives across those camps, says plainly what each is best at, and is honest about when you should simply stay with Hubstaff.

Why do teams look for a Hubstaff alternative?

Teams usually leave Hubstaff for one of three reasons: they do not want to keep a screenshot archive, they find activity percentages a weak proxy for real output, or they only ever needed simple hours. None of these is a flaw unique to Hubstaff; they come with the screenshot-tracker category itself.

To be fair to the incumbent: Hubstaff is a timer-based tracker that typically captures up to three randomised screenshots per ten-minute period, and admins can blur, limit or disable captures. Its activity percentage is calculated from how long the keyboard and mouse were in use over tracked time, and it does not record which keys are pressed and never records video or audio, per its FAQ. Employees can view their own screenshots, and screenshot deletion can be enabled. For field teams it adds GPS and geofencing on mobile, plus payroll and invoicing. If those defaults match how you manage, it is a capable tool. The alternatives below suit the teams they do not.

How do the six alternatives compare?

The table below summarises each alternative in one row: what kind of tool it is, what it captures and stores, and who it genuinely suits.

Which Hubstaff alternative fits your team?

Is Time Doctor a good Hubstaff alternative?

Only if you want more visual evidence, not less. Time Doctor captures screenshots at an admin-chosen frequency and, on its Premium plan or as an add-on, records continuous screen video in three-minute clips. It offers an interactive mode the employee starts and a silent mode that runs in the background on company devices, per configuration, and its Unusual Activity Report flags artificial input patterns. Best for: outsourcing and BPO teams whose clients expect screencast evidence. If you are leaving Hubstaff to get away from captures, Time Doctor moves in the opposite direction.

Is Insightful a good Hubstaff alternative?

Yes, if you want productivity labels on top of captures. Insightful (formerly Workpuls) tracks apps and websites with productivity labels, takes screenshots at configurable intervals, and offers on-demand screenshots and screen recording as paid add-ons. It can run in a visible mode, where employees clock in and see their own dashboard, or a stealth mode with no tray icon and no employee control. It does not record keystroke content. Best for: operations teams that want app labelling and attendance alongside captures. The screenshot-archive concern that pushed you off Hubstaff applies here too.

Is Monitask a good Hubstaff alternative?

Yes, for small teams that want something lighter. Monitask tracks only while an employee has clocked in, captures screenshots at random or set intervals, and lets employees see their most recent capture. Its activity percentage comes from input checks, and it does not record keystroke content. Be aware that it also sells a separate stealth edition that runs hidden on company-owned devices. Best for: budget-conscious small teams that want employee-started tracking with screenshots.

Is Toggl Track a good Hubstaff alternative?

Yes, if you only need hours. Toggl Track is a plain timer with projects and reporting, and it publishes an anti-surveillance statement: no screenshots, no screen recording, no keystroke tracking, no location tracking, and no plans to add them. Best for: freelancers, agencies and trust-first teams that bill time and want no monitoring of any kind. The honest trade-off: it gives you no proof of work at all, only the hours people record.

Is ActivTrak a good Hubstaff alternative?

Yes, if what you really want is analytics rather than evidence. ActivTrak logs app and website usage with productivity categories and keeps screenshots off by default; captures are only available through an optional add-on and are alarm-triggered rather than taken on a schedule. It does no keystroke logging at any tier and now ships a conversational AI assistant that answers from usage data. Best for: leaders who want app-usage analytics without storing captures. The honest trade-off: app time is still a proxy. Three hours in Figma counts as design time whether or not anything was designed.

Is ScreenJournal a good Hubstaff alternative?

Yes, if what you wanted from Hubstaff was never really the screenshots but the certainty. ScreenJournal is an AI work visibility tool that reads on-screen work as it happens, turns it into a detailed timeline of what each person actually did, and then deletes the raw screen data. Timelines accumulate into a searchable chronicle of everyone's work history, and from them ScreenJournal generates timesheets and reports automatically and drafts standup summaries on request, answering questions about any of it in plain English.

Instead of an archive of captures a manager must interpret, every timeline entry records what was done, in which app and for how long, with a score employees can see and contest. Personal activity is skipped in real time, and employees can redact entries before a manager sees them. A redacted entry is erased entirely and never appears in anyone's search; redaction is unavailable only for roles a company flags as a data-leak risk. Best for: teams that want proof of work, accurate timesheets and plain-English answers without keeping footage. It is not the right choice if a client or regulator contractually requires stored screenshot evidence; a screenshot tracker satisfies that requirement directly. For a row-by-row breakdown, see ScreenJournal vs Hubstaff.

When should you stay with Hubstaff?

Staying put is the honest answer for some teams. Keep Hubstaff if a client or regulator contractually requires stored screenshot evidence, if you run field teams that need GPS, geofencing and payroll in one tool, or if your team has genuinely accepted a timer-first workflow with activity percentages and it is answering the questions you ask of it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just turn screenshots off in Hubstaff?

Yes. Hubstaff lets admins limit, blur or disable screenshots per configuration. Switching them off leaves activity percentages as your main evidence, and those measure keyboard and mouse input, not output. If you need proof of work without captures, that is output measurement, which is a different kind of tool.

Which Hubstaff alternative has no screenshots at all?

Toggl Track never captures screens and states it never will. ActivTrak keeps screenshots off by default and only adds them through an optional add-on. ScreenJournal reads the screen to build its timeline, then deletes the raw screen data, so no screenshot archive exists to review, secure or leak.

How do I prove work happened without screenshots?

By measuring output instead of storing evidence. ScreenJournal's timeline records what each person actually did: the task, the app, the duration and a score, in plain English. That is easier to act on than a folder of captures, because it is already interpreted, and it doubles as the source for timesheets and reports.

Which question should decide your shortlist?

Whichever camp a tool is in, ask one question of it: when you need an answer about work, does the tool give you the answer, or does it give you footage to interpret? Timers give you hours, trackers give you captures, and analytics give you proxies. A searchable record of the work itself gives you the answer.