The Controlio Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Controlio in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Controlio
The Insider’s Guide
Employee monitoring with time logs, screen video and app tracking
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among time tracking apps, read from Controlio’s own pages.
Made by EfficientLab, LLC · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Controlio’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Controlio’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 4 of the 69 other time tracking apps we grade
Controlio is employee monitoring software that logs work time, apps and websites, scores productivity and can record screens as continuous video. It runs as a cloud service or on a company's own servers, and its agent has an optional stealth mode. Plans are priced per user with a 14-day trial.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Controlio, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Prices are shown for annual billing only, the agents run on Windows and Mac only, and the stealth mode means local monitoring law matters.
- 1
Best for staff monitoring on Windows and Mac
Controlio measures productivity, logs work time and records screens, in the cloud or on your own servers.
- 2
Paid plans start at $6.67 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $6.67 per user / month, billed annually.
- 3
You can try it first
14-day free trial, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, Windows and macOS.
- 5
Productivity measurement
AI-based categorization of activity as productive or distracting, with scores for users and departments.
- 6
Work time logging
Breaks the day into applications and websites, with attendance and working-hours reports.
- 7
Screen recording
Records screens as continuous video instead of periodic screenshots, and offers a live view of user desktops.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 4 of 69
That is against the other time tracking apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Controlio you could make: time tracking. What surrounds it you could not. The 6 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Controlio at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $6.67 per user / month, billed annually
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows
- Made by
- EfficientLab, LLC
- Category
- Time Tracking
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for staff monitoring on Windows and Mac
Controlio measures productivity, logs work time and records screens, in the cloud or on your own servers. Prices are shown for annual billing only, the agents run on Windows and Mac only, and the stealth mode means local monitoring law matters.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | 14-day free trial with no card needed, and no free plan. |
| Features | C | Productivity reports, screen recording, behaviour rules and compliance modes, but the listing shows agents only on Windows and Mac and nothing on projects or invoicing. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. Agents have to be installed on each computer and rules set before the reports mean much. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web dashboard with Windows and Mac agents; a REST API only on Advanced, one integration on record and no phone apps. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Controlio is for
- Fits if you manage Windows and Mac staff and need activity reports
- Works for companies that want the data kept on their own servers
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Companies that want video-level visibility of staff screens
- Organizations that need monitoring data on their own servers
- IT-managed teams that want rules and alerts on user behavior
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$6.67
A month to start, for each person
Controlio is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $6.67 per user / month, billed annually.
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.
Enterprise
Custom
For 100+ users: private cloud, custom storage and SLA, onboarding and priority support.
Trying it first
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Read from controlio.net on Nov 12, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 17% with annual payments
The pricing page labels annual payments as 17% off compared with monthly payments.
Stated on controlio.net
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, macOS and Windows
Employee monitoring with time logs, screen video and app tracking. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: self-hostable, public API, time tracking, screen recording, dashboards.
Web dashboard with Windows and Mac agents; a REST API only on Advanced, one integration on record and no phone apps.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
What it works with
- Active Directory
Controlio is made by EfficientLab, LLC.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
4/69
Other time tracking apps it is graded above
Controlio's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 4 of the 69 other time tracking apps we grade, and level with 12.
Its paid plans start at $6.67 a month for each person, against a middle price of $6.70 for the category: 27 of the 58 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 26 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 70 time tracking apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Controlio’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 14 of 69
- CFree plan and trialAbove 10 of 69
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 69
- CEase of useAbove 2 of 69
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 3 of 69
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 64 time tracking apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Controlio is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Controlio you could make: time tracking. What surrounds it you could not. The 6 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 53 of the 69 other time tracking apps grade higher. It costs $80.04 a year.
What you could make
- Time tracking: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Recording the screen with its sound, and somewhere to keep the video.
- Connections that pull numbers from dozens of other services.
- A real app for macOS and Windows. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Active Directory among them, and has an API.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: HIPAA.
What this rests on. Controlio’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Teramind, ActivTrak, KeepActive (formerly Kickidler), Insightful and Time Doctor
The 5 tools Controlio is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Teramind
Free trial
Employee monitoring, insider risk and data loss prevention.
- Controlio is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Controlio also covers screen recording.
- Teramind also covers reports.
- 2.2GPA
ActivTrak
Free plan · from $10/mo
Workforce analytics that tracks activity and work time automatically.
- ActivTrak has a free plan. Controlio does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Controlio lists Windows and macOS apps.
- Controlio is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.0GPA
KeepActive (formerly Kickidler)
Free trial · from $4.17/mo
Employee monitoring and time tracking with screenshots and recordings.
- Only Controlio lists a web app.
- Only KeepActive (formerly Kickidler) lists a Linux app.
- Controlio also covers dashboards.
- 2.2GPA
Insightful
Free trial · from $8/mo
Workforce analytics with automatic time tracking and attendance.
- Only Insightful lists a Linux app.
- Controlio is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Controlio also covers screen recording.
- 2.4GPA
Time Doctor
Free trial · from $6.67/mo
Employee time tracking and workforce analytics for remote teams.
- Only Time Doctor lists Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Only Time Doctor lists a browser extension.
- Controlio is self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Controlio free?
No, Controlio is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
How much does Controlio cost?
Controlio lists 3 plans. Basic: $6.67 per user / month, billed annually.
What platforms does Controlio work on?
Controlio is available on Web, Windows and macOS.
Does Controlio offer any discounts?
Controlio publicly lists the following: Save 17% with annual payments.
Does Controlio have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Controlio is listed for Web, Windows and macOS.
Does Controlio have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Controlio is listed for Web, Windows and macOS.
Is Controlio open source?
Controlio is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Can Controlio be self-hosted?
Yes. Controlio's own site says it can be run on a server of your own.
Does Controlio have an API?
Yes. Controlio offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Controlio integrate with?
Controlio's listing names Active Directory. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Controlio?
Controlio is made by EfficientLab, LLC.
What are the alternatives to Controlio?
The closest alternatives to Controlio in our directory are Teramind, ActivTrak, KeepActive (formerly Kickidler), Insightful and Time Doctor.
How does Controlio compare with other time tracking apps?
Controlio's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 4 of the 69 other time tracking apps we grade, and level with 12.
Is Controlio good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Controlio C for value for money. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4.
Could I make my own version of Controlio?
The plain part of Controlio you could make: time tracking. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Controlio’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Controlio's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by EfficientLab, LLC. Prices change, so check controlio.net before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Controlio, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/controlio
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Controlio: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/controlio
Know someone choosing between time tracking apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/controlio/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded time tracking apps after Controlio, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Time Tracking Insider's GuideEvery one of the 70 time tracking apps we grade, compared
- Jibble Insider's GuideFree time clock and attendance tracker with GPS and face recognition3.4 GPA
- Clockify Insider's GuideTeam time tracker and timesheets with a free plan for 5 users3.2 GPA
- TimeCamp Insider's GuideTime tracking with attendance, billing and a free plan for any team3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Controlio’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Controlio is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by EfficientLab, LLC. Prices and plans change: check controlio.net before you buy.