Hubstaff: Time Tracking with Screenshots & GPS for Remote Teams

Hubstaff is one of the best-known time tracking platforms for remote teams and agencies — and one of the most polarizing. If you need transparent hourly billing with clients, screenshots and activity levels give you a serious documentation tool. If you "just" want to track your own hours, that same monitoring layer can feel like overkill. This review breaks down who Hubstaff actually fits in 2026 — and where Toggl, Clockify or Harvest are the smarter pick.

As of June 2026. We check pricing regularly — confirm current rates on the official Hubstaff pricing page before signing up.

What is Hubstaff?

Hubstaff is a cloud-based time tracking and productivity platform founded in 2012 in Indianapolis. Over 140,000 global users and companies worldwide rely on it for transparent work-hour tracking — primarily remote teams, agencies and solo freelancers with hourly billing.

At its core, Hubstaff combines three building blocks: precise time tracking with automatic timesheets, optional monitoring via screenshots and activity levels (keyboard/mouse activity), and workforce management with scheduling, GPS tracking, project budgets and integrated payroll. The software runs cross-platform on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, plus a Chrome extension.

Key Features of Hubstaff

• Automatic time tracking: Desktop app, mobile app or Chrome extension starts the timer; manual edits are always allowed.

• Screenshot monitoring (optional): Starter plan and above — 500 screenshots per user/month (Grow: 1,500, Team and above: unlimited), random intervals, configurable per user or off entirely.

• Activity levels: Keyboard and mouse activity expressed as a percentage — surfaces idle time without content tracking.

• App and URL tracking: Shows which apps or websites the tracked time was spent in.

• GPS tracking and geofencing: Team plan — automatic clock-in/out when entering defined locations, ideal for field work.

• Project budgets and auto-pause: Set per-project time budgets, auto-pause on inactivity.

• Integrated payroll and invoicing: Payouts via PayPal, Wise, Payoneer or bank transfer; auto-generated client invoices from tracked time.

• 30+ integrations: Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Jira, GitHub, Notion, QuickBooks, Xero, Slack, Zapier and REST API.

Hubstaff Pricing 2026: What Each Plan Costs

Hubstaff has five 2026 plans. The figures below are the list prices for annual billing per seat — monthly billing adds about 30%. Note: all paid plans have a 2-seat minimum.

• Free ($0): 1 user, max 3 clients, 100 screenshots/month, limited data retention, limited reports and invoicing. For sporadic solo use.

• Starter ($4.99/month annual, $7/month monthly): Unlimited time tracking, activity levels, screenshots (500 per user/month), one integration. For teams with basic monitoring needs.

• Grow ($7.50/month annual, $9/month monthly) — most popular: Everything in Starter plus 1,500 screenshots per user/month, app/URL tracking, project budgets, auto-pause. The standard pick for agencies and remote teams that need client proof of work.

• Team ($10/month annual, $12/month monthly): Everything in Grow plus unlimited screenshots, GPS tracking, geofencing, scheduling, attendance mode, integrated payroll. For hybrid teams with field work or fixed shifts.

• Enterprise ($25/month, annual only): Adds SSO, onboarding support, higher limits, custom reports.

All paid plans come with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required. Accepted payment methods: credit card, PayPal, bank transfer.

Who Should Use Hubstaff?

Hubstaff is clearly worth it for three audiences: remote teams with hourly billing that need to show clients exactly what was done and when — screenshots and activity levels become a real trust-builder here. Agencies with distributed staff that want payroll, project budgets and client invoicing in one tool. And solo freelancers with field work or shift-based setups, where GPS tracking and attendance mode solve actual problems.

If you only need solo time tracking with no screenshot requirement, Toggl Track or Clockify is leaner and cheaper — Hubstaff's feature set is overkill and the 2-seat minimum makes the effective price unattractive. On sensitive client projects (legal, therapy, health) the screenshot module should be turned off deliberately, or a non-monitoring tool chosen instead.

Hubstaff vs Alternatives

• Toggl Track — the lean, freelancer-friendly choice. No monitoring, polished UI, generous free tier for up to 5 users. Better fit for solo freelancers without screenshot needs.

• Clockify — free time tracking for up to 5 users on the free plan, with cheap paid tiers beyond that. Ideal for budget-conscious teams that don't need screenshots.

• Harvest — combines time tracking with strong invoicing and project management. Better pick when invoicing is the main use case and monitoring isn't needed.

• RescueTime — fully automated productivity tracking for solo users without client-facing features. Complementary to Hubstaff rather than a direct competitor.

• Time Doctor — closest head-to-head competitor with a similar screenshot and activity model. Stricter monitoring (website blocking), slightly cheaper on the Team tier.

For the full overview of the top time tracking tools for freelancers in 2026, see our time tracking tool comparison →.

Final Verdict: Is Hubstaff Worth It?

In 2026, Hubstaff is one of the most mature options for remote teams and agencies that need to combine transparent hourly billing with integrated payroll and optional monitoring. The 14-day free trial makes it easy to evaluate every feature without risk.

For solo freelancers without a team or screenshot need, Toggl Track or Clockify is the better call — leaner, cheaper, and without the 2-seat minimum. If you actually need screenshots, GPS or payroll, Hubstaff gives you a robust, cross-platform tool at a fair price.