HiveDesk vs Hubstaff (2026): which should you pick?

Pick HiveDesk if

• Fits if you manage remote staff and want screenshots and activity levels
• Works for agencies that invoice from tracked hours

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you use Android, as only an iPhone app is listed
• Tight if you want screenshots on a phone, which work only in the desktop app
• Not for you if you need many integrations, since only Asana is listed
• Watch out: the annual per-user price isn't shown

Pick Hubstaff if

• Fits if you manage a remote team and want screenshots and activity data as proof of work
• Works for companies that pay contractors from their tracked hours

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free plan, as free use ends with the 14-day trial
• Pricey if you need integrations, app and URL tracking or payroll, because those mean Team at $10 a seat
• Not for you if you work alone, since the plans have a 2-seat minimum
• Watch out: Insights, Tasks, Locations and the silent app cost $1.67 to $3.33 a seat extra on lower plans
• Tight if you're on Starter, with 500 screenshots a seat a month, limited reports and no integrations

HiveDesk

• Screenshots work only in the desktop app on Windows, Mac and Linux, not on the iPhone app.
• The mobile app is listed for iPhone only; no Android app is mentioned on the pricing page.
• The integrations page lists only Asana, with API access requested by contacting the vendor.
• The 20% annual saving is shown on a toggle, but the annual per-user price is not displayed.

Hubstaff

• No free plan: Hubstaff's FAQ says free use is limited to the 14-day trial.
• Starter, Grow and Team have a 2-seat minimum, and Enterprise is listed as billed annually.
• Starter includes no integrations and Grow includes 1; unlimited integrations need Team.
• Insights, Tasks, Locations and the silent app cost extra on lower plans: $1.67 to $3.33 per seat a month on annual billing.

HiveDesk

Automatic time tracking

The desktop app tracks time against projects and tasks, with manual entries and notes allowed, break tracking and a web app or Chrome extension as alternatives.

Screenshots and activity levels

Periodic screenshots plus keyboard and mouse activity levels, which the vendor says never record what is typed. Screenshots are not available on mobile.

Schedules, adherence and shrinkage

Shift scheduling with overtime slots, plus reports comparing check-ins against the shift and scheduled hours against hours worked.

Timesheets and approval

Tracked hours roll up into weekly timesheets by project and task that managers can edit, approve and export to PDF or Excel.

Leave and attendance

Leave policies, time-off requests with approval, public holiday lists, attendance tracking and overtime tracking for payroll.

Invoicing and cost tracking

Invoices can be generated from timesheet data with custom tax rates, and hourly cost rates give labor cost per task, project and client.

Hubstaff

Timer and timesheets

A timer on desktop, web and mobile produces timesheets on every plan. Timesheet approvals, scheduling and attendance, time off and overtime start on Team.

Screenshots and activity levels

Captures screenshots, activity levels and the apps and URLs used during tracked time. Starter allows 500 screenshots per seat a month, Grow 1,500, and Team is unlimited.

Insights

A workforce analytics add-on from $2.50 per seat a month that classifies work time, reports focus and meeting time and flags unusual activity. Included with Enterprise.

Payments and payroll

Team members can be paid from their tracked hours. Payments are limited on Starter and Grow and open up on Team, with integrations such as PayPal, Wise, Deel and Gusto.

Clients, invoices and budgets

Client invoices are part of every plan, with Starter capped at 5 clients. Project budgets and expense tracking start on Grow.

Locations

Mobile location tracking with geofenced job sites and work orders. It is a $3.33 per seat a month add-on for Team, included with Enterprise and not offered on Starter or Grow.

HiveDesk

• HiveDesk$5

  per user / month, billed monthly

  The only plan: time tracking, activity monitoring, scheduling, attendance, leave, invoicing, projects, clients and reporting. Annual billing is listed at 20% less.

Hubstaff

• Starter$4.99

  per seat / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly); 2-seat minimum

  Time tracking, timesheets, activity levels, clients and invoices, limited reports and payments, and 500 screenshots per seat a month.

• Grow$7.50

  per seat / month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly); 2-seat minimum

  Adds full reports, 1 integration, idle timeout, project budgets, expenses and the Tasks add-on, with 1,500 screenshots per seat a month.

• Team$10

  per seat / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly); 2-seat minimum

  Adds unlimited screenshots and app and URL tracking, teams, payments and payroll, unlimited integrations and a 3-month Insights trial.

• Enterprise$25

  per seat / month, billed annually

  Adds the silent app, Locations and Insights, higher public API limits, ACH payment, HIPAA and SOC 2 Type II compliance, and SCIM provisioning.

HiveDesk

• Annual discount

  20% off with annual billing

  The pricing page has a Monthly or Annual toggle labeled as saving 20%; it does not show the per-user annual figure.

Hubstaff

• Annual discount

  2 months free with annual billing

  The pricing page labels annual billing "2 months free": Team is $10 per seat a month annually against $12 monthly, and Starter is $4.99 against $7.

• Other savings

  Small Business Essentials flat-fee plan

  Hubstaff's support site describes a special-offer plan for new organizations at $144 a year, billed annually, with 3 paid seats plus a free owner seat and no add-ons.