Quiz: What is the best Hubstaff alternative for your business?
What is Hubstaff?
Hubstaff lets you manage your teams more effectively. It’s one of the best when it comes to tracking work time, monitoring productivity, paying employees, invoicing clients, and managing projects. It notably works well for remote, field, or on-site teams, and can even boost business efficiency and productivity.
The time tracking app has some unique features, such as generating automated hourly timesheets.
You can save time and get accurate reports with Hubstaff. Keep track of time spent on each project and task, allocate resources better, and plan tasks and projects in a more streamlined manner.
What about salaries and all things cash? Fortunately, Hubstaff also lets you automate payroll, avoiding hassle and errors.
A bane for employees, but a gift for employers: Hubstaff allows you to monitor your employees’ activity. You can check activity levels based on keyboard and mouse usage, and take screenshots for accountability and transparency.
What Are the Top Limitations of Hubstaff?
While Hubstaff offers many benefits, it's important to consider its limitations before exploring alternatives. Some of the top limitations of Hubstaff include:
Privacy Issues
Hubstaff tracks productivity on personal computers, which can cause privacy issues for employees. This can affect their trust and morale.
Location Tracking Inaccuracy
Hubstaff’s location tracking feature is not always accurate. It may show the wrong location of field employees, leading to errors in their work hours.
User-Interface Complexity
Hubstaff’s user interface is not exactly easy to use, especially if you’re tech-savvy or if you have team members who aren’t familiar with trackers. Finding and using certain features may require a learning curve.
Lack of Invoicing Feature
One of the main problems users find with Hubstaff is how it does not have its own invoicing feature. You will need to use other tools to create and manage invoices for your clients, which makes an otherwise streamlined ecosystem cumbersome.
How Much Does Hubstaff Cost?
While it doesn’t need to be pointed out, Hubstaff is not free. There is a free trial, but they’ll need your credit card information to have an account. Not usually a problem for midsize companies, but it can be a deal breaker if you’re just getting started.
What Should a Hubstaff Alternative Have?
Being the most popular doesn’t always translate to being the perfect fit. What features should you look for in a Hubstaff alternative? Here are some of the most important features to watch out for:
Time Tracking and Productivity Analysis
The best alternative should let you track the time spent on tasks, generate timesheets, measure activity levels per task, and analyze data to get useful insights.
Project Management Tools
A Hubstaff alternative should provide project management tools that let you do a variety of work-related processes. These could be something as simple as assigning tasks and monitoring project budgets to setting deadlines and updating progress.
Integration Capability
Integration with other tools is essential to ensure a smooth workflow. Look for alternatives that integrate with project management tools like Trello or Jira, communication platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams, or other business software.
Bonsai caters to the time tracking needs of freelancers and small businesses. It has a user-friendly interface, a rich set of features, and multiple plans and pricing options. It makes project management easier and faster, while also handling invoicing, payments, and contracts.
What Makes Bonsai Better than Hubstaff?
- All-in-one project management: Bonsai It integrates all aspects of your workflow in one simple and accessible platform. It lets you create proposals, manage tasks, track time, and send invoices.
- Smart invoicing and payments: Never lose track of where your money goes or where it’s supposed to go. Bonsai lets you be on top of unpaid invoices, sends automatic payment reminders, and accepts payments directly, eliminating the need for extra financial apps.
- Easy contract creation and signing: Bonsai stands out from its competitors by making contract creation effortless. It allows freelancers to draft, send, and sign legal contracts in minutes.
- Flexible time tracking: Bonsai allows users to log time manually or automatically, and syncs the recorded hours to your invoices. Its time tracking feature is both user-friendly and adaptable, supporting different work preferences.
- Effective client management: The time tracking tool helps you manage each client’s contact information, project status, and payment history, enhancing your business relationships.
Bonsai and Hubstaff are both great tools for project management and time tracking. However, Bonsai has the edge over Hubstaff by automating financial processes and managing contracts.
By combining these freelance business tasks in one platform, Bonsai proves to be the best Hubstaff alternative in the market.
Advantages
With Toggl, users can enjoy features like one-click timers, timeline recording, project and team management, detailed reporting, and integration with various productivity tools. They can also use mobile and desktop apps to track their time from anywhere.
Disadvantages
There were complaints over Toggl’s user interface, and the absence of an offline mode can be a problem for those with unreliable internet connections. Moreover, the free version does not have many of the advanced time management features that the premium plans offer.
How Much Does It Cost?
Toggl follows a freemium model, with its basic features being free. Users who want more features can opt for the Starter plan at $9 per user/month, the Premium plan at $18 per user/month, or the Enterprise plan with custom pricing.
What Do Customers Say?
User reviews on Toggl are mostly positive, with customers liking its ease and usefulness for tracking work hours, though some also pointed out the limitations.
Advantages
A popular pick, Time Doctor lets users track their time for tasks and projects, monitor their team’s activity through screenshots and videos, and generate comprehensive reports on their performance. They can also manage payroll and invoicing, and integrate with common productivity tools like Asana, Slack, and Github.
Disadvantages
Time Doctor does not support offline tracking, which can be an issue for those with poor internet connections. Some users also feel uncomfortable with the constant monitoring feature. It also lacks a scheduling tool to plan ahead.
How Much Does It Cost?
Time Doctor charges monthly fees, ranging from $7 per user for the Basic plan, $10 for the Standard plan, and $20 for the Premium plan. Users can try the software for free for 14 days before deciding to subscribe.
What Do Customers Say?
The software has mostly positive feedback from loyal Time Doctor fans. They like the detailed productivity tracking and the user-friendly interface, but they are worried about the privacy implications of constant monitoring.
Advantages
Want to know what your team is up to, right now? Workpuls lets you see how much they get done, how long they work on different things, and what they do online. It also labels the activities based on productivity, based on the job or department of each employee.
Disadvantages
Workpuls won’t help you if you want to manage your projects. And, it gives you a lot of data, but its reports can be a hassle to make.
How Much Does It Cost?
Workpuls has plans for everyone, starting at $6 per employee per month. You can pick the one that works for you and your wallet. And the best part? You can try it out for free for a week.
What Do Customers Say?
Customers like its easy-to-use interface and detailed tracking, but say that it may need some manual corrections to classify activities accurately.
Advantages
DeskTime lets you see what your team does online, offline, and by project. It also tracks what they use on their computers, and how long they use them. If you want to be less micromanage-y, you can give them some privacy, and track their leaves. DeskTime also goes well with other tools, and lets you rate time by how productive it is.
Disadvantages
DeskTime doesn’t do invoicing or billing, which might be a deal-breaker for some businesses. And, some employees might feel like you’re snooping on them.
How Much Does It Cost?
DeskTime has a free plan for one user with basic time tracking. If you want more, you’ll have to pay $7/month per user. You can try it out for free for 14 days to see if it’s worth it, though.
What Do Customers Say?
Users have given DeskTime good ratings for its simplicity, reliability, and productivity tracking, but some have said that the user interface needs an improvement.
Advantages
RescueTime helps track how you spend your time, block the websites that distract you, and set your own goals. It works on any device, no matter what you use: Windows, Mac, Android, or Linux. Convenience and focus in one, what’s not to love?
Disadvantages
RescueTime only lets you enter time manually if you pay for the premium version, which some users might not like. It can also feel like Big Brother with all its tracking. It also doesn’t have a way to work offline or export your data.
How Much Does It Cost?
Basic tracking is free. If you want more features, like alerts, focus time sessions, and detailed reports, you’ll have to pay $12/month or $78/year for the premium plan. RescueTime also has plans for teams if you run a business. And the best part? You can try it out for free for 14 days.
What Do Customers Say?
User reviews are mostly positive, liking the tool’s ability to improve productivity with accurate and automatic time-tracking. However, some think the premium version is expensive.
Advantages
Harvest is known for its strong time tracking system, which lets you log hours per project. It also uses an invoicing system that pulls hours logged, expense integration, and detailed report generation for project analysis. Lastly, the app also has mobile applications and desktop widgets for on-the-spot time tracking and management..
Disadvantages
Despite those features, Harvest’s weakness is its invoice customization. This is an issue if trying to match your company branding. It also only has basic project management tools, which may not be enough if you need advanced project management functionalities.
How Much Does It Cost?
Harvest is not the cheapest, but it’s also not the most premium at $12 per user per month. It also offers a free plan for a single user managing up to two projects. They also have a 30-day free trial for their paid plans. If you’re a non-profit organization or educational institution, they have special discounts.
What Do Customers Say?
Users like its simple, user-friendly interface, its way of organizing and presenting data, and its quality customer service. However, they also note its limitations in project management and customization.
Advantages
TimeCamp’s big draw is how it tracks your time automatically and provides an invoice based on hours worked. What’s more, the app also lets you track project time and cost, manage attendance, and generate detailed reports. It also lets you integrate with popular apps for project management, communication, and accounting.
TimeCamp is best for individual users, small businesses, and large enterprises and works on desktop and mobile devices.
Disadvantages
Admittedly, TimeCamp is hard to use at first, as it’s known to have quite a steep learning curve. The user interface is not very intuitive and the customer service may be slow sometimes.
How Much Does It Cost?
TimeCamp is free if you are a solo user. If you need more features, or if you need to onboard more members, you can pay from $5.25 per user per month, billed annually. The price increases depending on the features you require.
What Do Customers Say?
Based on customer reviews, TimeCamp has helped many businesses increase their productivity and accountability. However, some users have faced technical issues and trouble in using the software.
Advantages
ActivTrak collects and analyzes data on user activities, behaviors, and time usage. It also provides real-time monitoring and alerts for any unusual or suspicious activities.
It also has features like access management, website and app tracking, time & attendance tracking, and powerful analytics tools. It has a stealth mode that allows invisible tracking of activities to protect employee privacy.
Disadvantages
However, ActivTrak has some limitations as well. It does not have GPS tracking or phone call recording. Some users have reported problems with setup and software lags. The stealth mode may also cause privacy issues for some.
How Much Does It Cost?
ActivTrak has a free plan for small businesses with limited features. For more features, ActivTrak has a premium plan with pricing starting at $7.20 per user per month. They have detailed pricing on their official website.
What Do Customers Say?
Users like its low cost and useful features. However, they have mixed opinions about ease of use and customer support.
Advantages
Timely uses artificial intelligence to automatically record all the work activities and help users balance their workload and avoid burnout. It has a user-friendly dashboard for easy management of clients and projects. It helps with automatic time tracking, detailed reporting, and project and team scheduling.
Disadvantages
Some users may find the Timely’s UI a bit complex, but you do get used to it. Another con is how Timely’s AI-based automatic time tracking feature may not always capture the time spent on specific tasks accurately.
How Much Does It Cost?
The ‘Solo’ plan starts at $7 per month if you’re just going to use it as one person, while prices for business plans depend on the number of employees. As always, they offer a free trial for new users.
What Do Customers Say?
Many praise Timely’s time tracking. Some reviews also state that despite the clunkiness, they do eventually get used to the UI. Its project management tools also received praise. However, some users have different views about its pricing structure and find it a bit expensive.
