Hubstaff vs Time Doctor (2022): Which Time Tracker Can Get the Job Done?

Tracking the actual hours your employees work can be a tough challenge, but time trackers can take the heavy lifting out of the picture, making things a whole deal easier.

Hubstaff and Time Doctor are among the most popular tools in the market. They’ve got you covered from tracking to monitoring. Each of them has unique benefits to offer, but which one should you get? Here we compare the two to help you make a sound investment.

Hubstaff vs Time Doctor Comparison Chart

Name	Hubstaff	Time Doctor
Price	Check Price at Hubstaff.com	Check Price at Timedoctor.com
Time Tracking	Yes	Yes
Activity Tracking	Yes	Yes
Screenshots	Yes	Yes
Reports	Yes	Yes
Automatic Payments	Yes	Yes
Invoice	Yes	No
GPS Tracking	Yes	Yes (Android only)
Geofencing	Yes	No
Integration Support	Yes	Yes
Free Version	Yes	No
Free Trial Period	14 days	14 days
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome browser extension, Chrome OS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome browser extension

Tracking Performance

The two will let you stay on top of your employees’ activity.

Time tracking on Hubstaff or Time Doctor is pretty straightforward, and each has an interface that’s easy to navigate.

For starters, Hubstaff’s dashboards consist of “Me” and “Team.” It goes without saying that “Me” will show your activity, while “Team” will show the team’s. You also have the option to view timesheets to see how much time your employees spent on a project and task.

What makes Hubstaff stand out in this regard is it provides activity levels. These are approximations of how much work employees actually did based on keyboard strokes and mouse movement. This is something that Time Doctor doesn’t have.

Meanwhile, Time Doctor gives not only employees the option to create tasks for themselves but also managers. That way team members can just start the tracker and work on what their higher-ups assigned them right away. Just like Hubstaff, you can also get comprehensive reports on which tasks and under which project employees have been working on. Needless to say, you can download reports in PDF or CSV on both services.

Time Doctor also has what it calls “distraction management.” To begin with, managers can set how long a user can stay idle. A pop-up will appear asking what the employee is doing if the limit is reached and be put on a break if they take too long to respond. Team members will also get a message when they spend too much time on other websites, such as Facebook and YouTube. Hubstaff also has a similar tool, but Time Doctor’s is arguably more intuitive.

The two time trackers will also take note of the websites and apps employees use during work hours. Both feature GPS tracking as well, but in Time Doctor’s case, it’s available only on Android. Speaking of, only Hubstaff features geofencing, which automatically starts and stops the timer as users enter or leave a designated job site.

Monitoring Performance

Both are packed with features to keep tabs on your employees.

Taking screenshots is a basic feature for time trackers. At that, Hubstaff takes a screenshot up to three times every 10 minutes at random intervals. Meanwhile, Time Doctor takes one depending on the frequency the manager specified. For the record, it captures screens every three minutes by default. Also, it takes things up a notch with webcam shots. Employees might not exactly appreciate that, but the option’s there.

On that note, both tools do uphold team members’ privacy. Neither one records keystrokes, for instance. Employees have the ability to delete screenshots as well, but they’ll need permission from the higher-ups for that on Hubstaff.

Ease of Use and Setup

Besides compatibility across multiple platforms, the two have a Chrome browser extension to boot.

Getting the trackers up and running isn’t rocket science on either one. Both have to be installed on a computer to work for obvious reasons, but setting things up is easy. For Hubstaff, employees will accept an invitation from their employer, log in, and download the app—and voilà, they’re ready to get busy. On the other hand, users will have to download the app for Time Doctor and log in, and that’s pretty much it.

As for using the app itself, team members only have to click on the start and stop buttons for tasks they’re working on. As easy as 1-2-3.

Pricing

How much you’ll pay for the services are the same across the board.

Hubstaff and Time Doctor cost the same. Each one has three paid subscriptions that are priced at $7 a month, $10 a month, and $20 a month.

However, only Hubstaff has a free version available. Of course, features are restricted in this tier. It only tracks time and activity levels and offers limited screenshots.

Both also offer a 14-day free trial, so you can take them out for a spin before making any commitment.

Verdict

Hubstaff has extra features that make it more compelling, but Time Doctor has a more intuitive user interface.

Hubstaff

Feature-packed time tracker

Time Doctor

Time tracker with a focus on productivity

You can’t really go wrong with either one. They both do their job and they do it really well. However, Hubstaff has better support for GPS tracking, geofencing, and other additional features such as invoicing and expense tracking, to name a few. In other words, it’s packed with more tools to work with. If you need those, then you’ll be better off with Hubstaff.

In Time Doctor’s defense, it serves its purpose really well. Notably, its distraction management tool and layout, among other things, make it stand out from the crowded sea of time trackers. If you don’t really need the extra features that Hubstaff has, then Time Doctor can go a long way.

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