Controlio vs Insightful (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Insightful grades higher than Controlio: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Insightful grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Controlio
Employee monitoring with time logs, screen video and app tracking
Insightful
Workforce analytics with automatic time tracking and attendance
Which one is for you
Pick Controlio if
- Fits if you manage Windows and Mac staff and need activity reports
- Works for companies that want the data kept on their own servers
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if your team uses Linux or phones, as agents run on Windows and Mac only
- Skip it if you need billing or invoicing, as it is built for monitoring, not billing clients
- Watch out: the agent can run hidden, so check local monitoring and consent laws first
- Watch out: the API, single sign-on and burnout views need Advanced at $9.99, and on-premises starts at 10 users
Pick Insightful if
- Fits if you want time and attendance reports for a Windows, Mac or Linux team
- Works for companies that need data pulled into their own warehouse
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want screenshots or recording, which are paid add-ons of $0.50 to $4 a seat
- Skip it if you want to try the dearer plans, as Insights and Intelligence need a sales conversation
- Pricey if you are a small team, as Insights is $24 a seat with a 50-seat minimum, yearly only
- Watch out: Intelligence has no published price, and on-premises hosting is quoted by sales
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAControlioFair | 2.2GPAInsightfulFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$6.67 per user a month billed yearly, which is the middle of time tracking. The monthly rate is not stated. | C$8 per seat a month billed yearly ($10 monthly), between the middle of $6.67 and the dearest quarter at $9. Add-ons run from $0.50 to $4 a seat. |
| Free plan and trial | C14-day free trial with no card needed, and no free plan. | C7-day trial of Analytics with no card needed, and no free plan. |
| Features | CProductivity reports, screen recording, behaviour rules and compliance modes, but the listing shows agents only on Windows and Mac and nothing on projects or invoicing. | CTime, attendance, app and workload reports, but screenshots, screen recording and the data warehouse are paid add-ons. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Agents have to be installed on each computer and rules set before the reports mean much. | CNo store rating on record. Agents have to be rolled out to each computer and reports tuned. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb dashboard with Windows and Mac agents; a REST API only on Advanced, one integration on record and no phone apps. | BWeb, Windows, Mac and Linux agents, an API and a data warehouse, with 8 integrations on record; no phone apps. |
| Best for | staff monitoring on Windows and Mac | workforce analytics with time and attendance |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Controlio and Insightful. How we grade
Price against what you get
Controlio starts at $6.67 a month for each person and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Insightful starts at $8 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Insightful scores higher, and starts $1.33 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other time tracking apps on the chart, 26 score higher than Controlio for less, and 20 score higher than Insightful for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Controlio is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Controlio also covers screen recording.
- Insightful also covers reports.
At a glance
| Controlio | Insightful | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $6.67 per user / month, billed annually | $8 per seat / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 7-day free trial of Analytics, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | EfficientLab, LLC | Insightful.io, Inc |
| Price read from | controlio.net | insightful.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Controlio
- Endpoint agents run on Windows and macOS only.
- The agent can run in a stealth mode with no visible icon, so local monitoring laws matter.
- Prices shown are for annual billing; the monthly rate is not stated in the page text.
- On-premises installs start at 10 users and private cloud at 100 users, on request.
Insightful
- Screenshots, screen recording, security features and the data warehouse export are paid add-ons ($0.50 to $4 per seat a month).
- Insights needs at least 50 seats, is billed yearly only, and begins with a Work Audit request rather than a self-serve trial.
- Intelligence has no published price, and Insights and Intelligence are not available to try without a sales conversation.
- On-premise or private cloud hosting exists for Workforce Analytics only, at an extra cost quoted by sales.
Key features
Controlio
- Productivity measurement
- AI-based categorization of activity as productive or distracting, with scores for users and departments.
- Work time logging
- Breaks the day into applications and websites, with attendance and working-hours reports.
- Screen recording
- Records screens as continuous video instead of periodic screenshots, and offers a live view of user desktops.
- Behavior rules
- Alerts on rules about apps, websites, keystrokes, USB devices, sessions and idle or active periods.
- Cloud or on-premises
- Runs as a hosted dashboard or on-premises, with server support for AWS, Windows and Linux.
- Compliance modes
- Offers a GDPR mode, and says on-premises deployment can be used to meet HIPAA.
Insightful
- Time and attendance
- Automatic and manual clock-in and clock-out, break capture, offline time entry, shift scheduling, automatic timesheets and absence alerts.
- App, website and AI tool activity
- Shows how the workday is spent across apps and sites, with productive-time categories, idle time alerts and time spent in online meetings.
- Capacity and workload reports
- Eleven workforce reports on productivity, capacity and workload trends, delivered by CSV or email and kept for 24 months.
- Project and task time
- Tracks time against projects and tasks, with integrations to project management, help desk and HR tools such as Jira, Asana, Zendesk and ADP.
- Add-ons for monitoring depth
- Screenshots, on-demand screenshots, screen recording, and security and audit-log features are separate per-seat add-ons billed on the plan's cycle.
- Data warehouse and API
- A paid add-on sends Insightful data to BigQuery or Snowflake and opens the public API for custom integrations.
Plans
Controlio
Basic$6.67
per user / month, billed annually
5 to 10,000 users: productivity and time reports, behavior rules, screen live stream and video, 6 months of storage.
Advanced$9.99
per user / month, billed annually
Adds workload and burnout views, mouse jiggler detection, REST API, single sign-on and location tracking.
EnterpriseCustom
For 100+ users: private cloud, custom storage and SLA, onboarding and priority support.
Insightful
Analytics$8
per seat / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
Time and attendance, app, website and AI tool use, capacity and workload, project and task time. Monthly billing drops to $8 after six months.
Insights$24
per seat / month, billed annually; 50-seat minimum
Everything in Analytics plus people intelligence: custom reports, workload balance and work patterns, and AI chat. Starts with a Work Audit.
IntelligenceCustom
Adds process intelligence: process maps built from recorded work and automation recommendations. Annual contracts quoted on request.
Ways to pay less
Controlio
- Annual discount
Save 17% with annual payments
The pricing page labels annual payments as 17% off compared with monthly payments.
Insightful
- Annual discount
Save 20% on Analytics with yearly billing
Insightful's pricing page lists Analytics at $8 per seat a month billed yearly, against $10 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Controlio or Insightful?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Controlio is cheaper to start with: $6.67 a month for each person, against $8 a month for each person for Insightful. Controlio starts at $6.67 per user / month, billed annually, and Insightful starts at $8 per seat / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Controlio or Insightful?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Controlio nor Insightful has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Controlio and Insightful run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Insightful lists a Linux app. Both list a web app and macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.