Hubstaff vs Time Doctor

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Hubstaff

Time tracking and workforce monitoring for remote and field teams, with screenshots, GPS and payroll.

Paid

Visit Hubstaff Hubstaff profile

Time Doctor

Employee time tracking and productivity analytics for remote and hybrid teams.

Paid

Visit Time Doctor Time Doctor profile

The short answer

Both are paid time trackers with optional employee monitoring and no permanent free plan. Pick Hubstaff if you manage field or hourly staff and want GPS job sites, automatic clock-in and built-in payroll. Pick Time Doctor if you run a remote or outsourced team and care most about productivity analytics by role. The main difference: Hubstaff leans toward paying people accurately, Time Doctor toward analysing how work time is spent.

Hubstaff or Time Doctor: our take

Hubstaff is aimed at managers of distributed and field teams. Employees track time against projects and tasks, and optional monitoring records activity levels, apps and URLs, idle time and screenshots. Its standout features are GPS tracking and job sites that clock people in and out automatically, plus timesheets, scheduling, time off, invoicing and automated payroll to services like PayPal and Wise. Time Doctor tracks tasks and projects too, but its emphasis is workforce analytics: app and website use, idle time, attendance, work-life balance metrics and productivity ratings by role, with higher plans adding meeting insights and software cost reports.

Both companies stress transparency. Time Doctor lets monitoring be switched on or off per role and lets employees see their own data; Hubstaff makes screenshots optional. Even so, both are bought largely for verification, so a clear policy matters if you want staff to accept them. Neither has a free plan. Hubstaff offers a 14-day trial without a card and a 30-day money-back guarantee; Time Doctor offers a 14-day trial, and some features are paid add-ons, such as Software Cost Insights at $3 per user/month. Time Doctor includes 60+ integrations on Standard and above.

Hubstaff runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and the web, with a Chrome extension. Time Doctor covers Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome and Android, so iPhone-heavy field teams should check its mobile support first.

For construction, cleaning, delivery or other field work, or any business paying hourly contractors, Hubstaff's GPS and payroll tools fit better. For BPOs, agencies and remote teams that need proof of work and detailed productivity reporting, Time Doctor is the stronger choice. Small teams that only want timesheets will find both heavier than necessary.

Choose Hubstaff if…

Companies paying remote or field staff by the hour who need verified time
You need iOS, which Time Doctor doesn't list
GPS job sites and automatic clock-in for field work
Payroll and invoicing built in

Choose Time Doctor if…

Remote, hybrid and outsourced teams that need detailed productivity analytics
Deep productivity and activity analytics
Monitoring settings configurable per role

What is Hubstaff?

Hubstaff is aimed at managers of distributed and field teams who need to verify time and pay people for it. Employees track time against projects and tasks with desktop, mobile and browser apps, and optional monitoring records activity levels, apps and URLs used, idle time and screenshots. Field teams can use GPS tracking and job sites that clock people in and out automatically. Timesheets, attendance, scheduling, time off, budgets, invoicing and automated payroll to services such as PayPal and Wise are built in, and there are many integrations with project tools. Plans are priced per seat and add more monitoring, insights and payroll features at higher tiers, with a 14-day free trial and no permanent free plan. It runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and the web, plus a Chrome extension. The monitoring features are the main reason teams buy it, and also the main reason some employees resist it, so policy and transparency matter.

What is Time Doctor?

Time Doctor tracks the time employees spend on tasks and projects and adds workforce analytics on top: which apps and websites are used, idle time, optional screenshots, attendance, work-life balance metrics and productivity ratings by role. Managers get timeline and project reports, payroll exports and alerts, and higher plans add integrations, single sign-on, client login access, meeting insights and software cost reports. The company highlights that monitoring features can be turned on or off per role, and employees can see their own data. Pricing is per user per month on Basic, Standard and Premium plans with annual discounts, plus an Enterprise tier and paid add-ons, and there is a 14-day trial with no card. It runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome and mobile. It suits outsourcing firms, BPOs and remote teams that need proof of work; smaller teams that just want simple timesheets will find it heavier and more surveillance-oriented than necessary.

Side by side

Attribute	Hubstaff	Time Doctor
Pricing	Paid	Paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Browser extension
Best for	Companies paying remote or field staff by the hour who need verified time	Remote, hybrid and outsourced teams that need detailed productivity analytics
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	Hubstaff	Time Doctor
Free trial	14 days, no card	14 days