DeskTime vs Insightful (2026): which should you pick?

Pick DeskTime if

• Fits if you run a team and want hours recorded without anyone filling in a timesheet
• Works for hybrid teams that want to see who's working from the office and who's remote

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free plan, because there isn't one once the 14-day trial ends
• Not for you if your team would object to being watched, since managers see sites, apps and document titles
• Pricey if you need screenshots, integrations, the API or shift scheduling, which start on Premium at $9.17 a user
• Too light for tracking away from a desk, as the phone app is a companion to the desktop app, not a full tracker
• Watch out: there's no invoicing, and Enterprise for 200 or more users is priced on request

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

DeskTime

• No free plan is listed; a subscription is needed after the 14-day trial.
• Screenshots, integrations and API access, and shift scheduling are listed under Premium rather than Pro.
• The mobile app is described as a companion to the desktop app rather than a full tracker.
• Enterprise is aimed at teams of 200 or more users and priced 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.

DeskTime

Automatic time tracking

The desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux tracks working time without timers or manual timesheets. A web timer and offline time entries cover work away from the computer.

URL, app and document tracking

Managers see which sites and apps were used, along with document names, email subjects and app titles, and the data feeds a productivity calculation for each person.

Screenshots

Screenshots of employees' screens can be captured as proof of work. The pricing page lists them as a Premium feature.

Project tracking

Tracked time can be assigned to projects and tasks to follow the hours and progress of specific pieces of work.

Shift scheduling and absences

Plan and manage employee shifts in one place, and use the absence calendar to see who is sick, on vacation or out of office.

Private time and AI summaries

Employees can turn on private time for off-the-clock computer use. An AI summary describes each day's work activity in text.

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.

DeskTime

• Pro$6.42

  per user / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)

  For small teams and startups. Highlights include document title tracking, productivity calculations and calendar integrations.

• Premium$9.17

  per user / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)

  For hybrid and growing teams. Highlights include screenshots, integrations and API access, and shift scheduling.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For organizations of 200 or more users. Everything in Premium plus custom API work on request, an account manager and employee training.

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.

DeskTime

• Annual discount

  Lower rate with annual billing

  DeskTime lists Pro at $6.42 per user a month with annual payment against $7 monthly, and Premium at $9.17 against $10, which is about 8% less.

• By country

  Lower price shown to buyers in India

  On 9 October 2026 the pricing page showed Pro at ₹366.67 per user a month, billed annually, to a reader in India, or $4.58 in dollars. A copy of the page from 8 September lists Pro at $6.42.

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.