The Hubstaff Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Hubstaff 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.
Hubstaff
The Insider’s Guide
Time tracking with screenshots, activity levels and payroll
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among time tracking apps, read from Hubstaff’s own pages.
Made by Netsoft Holdings, LLC · checked Oct 5, 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 Hubstaff’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Hubstaff’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 19 of the 42 other time tracking apps we grade
Hubstaff is time tracking and workforce management software aimed at remote, hybrid and field teams. While the timer runs it can record screenshots, activity levels and the apps and URLs in use, and the tracked hours feed timesheets, client invoices and team payments. Workforce analytics, task management, GPS locations and a background silent app are sold as add-ons on the lower plans.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Hubstaff, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Staff press start on a timer and the timesheet fills itself in.
- 1
Best for managers who want proof of work from remote staff
Hubstaff is time tracking that can take screenshots and log activity levels and the apps and sites in use while the timer runs, then pay people from their tracked hours.
- 2
Paid plans start at $4.99 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $4.99 per seat / month, billed annually (2-seat minimum).
- 3
You can try it first
14-day free trial, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, with a browser extension too.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 19 of 42
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 Hubstaff you could make: time tracking, reports, invoicing and tasks. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Hubstaff at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $4.99 per seat / month, billed annually (2-seat minimum)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- Made by
- Netsoft Holdings, LLC, since 2012
- Category
- Time Tracking
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
- Store rating
- 4.5 on the App Store, 1,530 ratings
The report card
Best for managers who want proof of work from remote staff
Hubstaff is time tracking that can take screenshots and log activity levels and the apps and sites in use while the timer runs, then pay people from their tracked hours. Starter is $4.99 a seat but has no integrations and 500 screenshots a seat, app tracking and payroll need Team at $10, Insights and Locations cost extra, every plan has a 2-seat minimum, and there's no free plan.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | Starter is $4.99 a seat a month billed annually, but it has no integrations and 500 screenshots a seat. The things people buy Hubstaff for, unlimited screenshots, app and URL tracking and payroll, mean Team at $10, and Insights and Locations cost extra again. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No free plan. Hubstaff's FAQ says free use is limited to the 14-day trial, which needs no credit card. After that you're paying for at least 2 seats whether you have 2 people or not. |
| Features | B | A timer on desktop, web and mobile, with screenshots, activity levels and app and URL tracking, then timesheets, client invoices, project budgets, payroll and geofenced job sites. The whole job is here; the plans just slice it into pieces. |
| Ease of use | B | 4.5 from about 1,500 App Store ratings. Staff press start on a timer and the timesheet fills itself in. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a browser extension. Jira, Asana, Trello, Slack, GitHub, QuickBooks and PayPal connect, and there's a public API. Mind that Starter comes with no integrations and Grow with 1. |
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 Hubstaff is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Remote teams whose managers want screenshots and activity data as proof of work
- Companies that pay contractors from tracked hours
- Field teams that need mobile location tracking and geofenced job sites
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$4.99
A month to start, for each person
Hubstaff is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $4.99 per seat / month, billed annually (2-seat minimum).
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.
Trying it first
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Read from hubstaff.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on hubstaff.comOther 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.
Stated on support.hubstaff.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
7
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and Browser extension
Time tracking with screenshots, activity levels and payroll. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, tasks, time tracking, invoicing, reports.
The whole job is here; the plans just slice it into pieces.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Jira
- Asana
- Trello
- Slack
- GitHub
- QuickBooks
- PayPal
- Deel
Hubstaff is made by Netsoft Holdings, LLC, and has been around since 2012.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
19/42
Other time tracking apps it is graded above
Hubstaff's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 19 of the 42 other time tracking apps we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 24 of 42) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $4.99 a month for each person, against a middle price of $6.55 for the category: 12 of the 35 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 43 time tracking apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Hubstaff’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 42
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 42
- BFeaturesAbove 22 of 42
- BEase of useAbove 23 of 42
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 24 of 42
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 39 time tracking apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Hubstaff 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 Hubstaff you could make: time tracking, reports, invoicing and tasks. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $59.88 a year.
What you could make
- Time tracking, reports, invoicing and tasks: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Jira, Asana and Trello among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Hubstaff’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
Time Doctor, DeskTime, TimeCamp, Clockify and WebWork
The 5 tools Hubstaff is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Time Doctor
Free trial · from $6.67/mo
Employee time tracking and workforce analytics for remote teams.
- Hubstaff also covers tasks and invoicing.
- 2.6GPA
DeskTime
Free trial · from $6.42/mo
Automatic time tracking and productivity monitoring for teams.
- Only Hubstaff lists a browser extension.
- Hubstaff also covers tasks and invoicing.
- 3.2GPA
TimeCamp
Free plan · from $3.99/mo
Time tracking with attendance, billing and a free plan for any team.
- TimeCamp has a free plan. Hubstaff does not, though it has a free trial.
- TimeCamp is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Hubstaff also covers tasks.
- 3.2GPA
Clockify
Free plan · from $3.99/mo
Team time tracker and timesheets with a free plan for 5 users.
- Clockify has a free plan. Hubstaff does not, though it has a free trial.
- Hubstaff also covers tasks.
- Clockify also covers Pomodoro timer.
- 2.8GPA
WebWork
Free trial · from $3.99/mo
Time tracking with screenshots, payroll and an AI assistant.
- WebWork also covers team chat.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
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 Hubstaff free?
No, Hubstaff is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
How much does Hubstaff cost?
Hubstaff lists 4 plans. Starter: $4.99 per seat / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly); 2-seat minimum.
What platforms does Hubstaff work on?
Hubstaff is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.
Does Hubstaff offer any discounts?
Hubstaff publicly lists the following: 2 months free with annual billing; Small Business Essentials flat-fee plan.
How is Hubstaff rated?
Hubstaff's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1,530 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Is Hubstaff open source?
Hubstaff is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does Hubstaff have an API?
Yes. Hubstaff offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Hubstaff integrate with?
Hubstaff's listing names Jira, Asana, Trello, Slack, GitHub, QuickBooks, PayPal and Deel.
Who makes Hubstaff?
Hubstaff is made by Netsoft Holdings, LLC. It dates from 2012.
What are the alternatives to Hubstaff?
The closest alternatives to Hubstaff in our directory are Time Doctor, DeskTime, TimeCamp, Clockify and WebWork.
How does Hubstaff compare with other time tracking apps?
Hubstaff's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 19 of the 42 other time tracking apps we grade, and level with 8.
Is Hubstaff good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Hubstaff D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $4.99 a month for each person, against a middle price of $6.55 for the category: 12 of the 35 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Hubstaff?
The plain part of Hubstaff you could make: time tracking, reports, invoicing and tasks.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Hubstaff’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Hubstaff's own pages on 5 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-09-19.
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 Netsoft Holdings, LLC. Prices change, so check hubstaff.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 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.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Hubstaff, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/hubstaff
- 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, "Hubstaff: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/hubstaff
Know someone choosing between time tracking apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/hubstaff/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded time tracking apps after Hubstaff, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Time Tracking Insider's GuideEvery one of the 43 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 Hubstaff’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. Hubstaff is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Netsoft Holdings, LLC. Prices and plans change: check hubstaff.com before you buy.