ActivTrak vs Hubstaff
A comparison between an analytics product and an operations suite. ActivTrak records continuously and turns it into workforce metrics. Hubstaff is timer-led and turns it into timesheets, screenshots, GPS traces and a payroll run.
The difference that decides it
Feature lists make these products look interchangeable. This is the axis they actually differ on.
What happens after the data is collected. ActivTrak's job ends with a dashboard someone interprets; Hubstaff's ends with people being paid. If the output you need is an operational one, that is the whole decision.
At a glance
ActivTrak and Hubstaff facts come from their own public pages, on the dates shown below the table.
| Dimension | ActivTrak | Hubstaff | ActivityPulse |
|---|---|---|---|
| How time gets recorded | Automatically and continuously while the agent runs; there is no timer for a person to start. | A timer the person starts and stops, with idle prompts; app and URL activity is recorded while it runs. | Automatically, from the foreground window. Nobody starts or stops a timer, so nothing is lost to forgetting. |
| What is captured by default | Application and website usage, with productivity classification applied automatically. | Time plus activity levels from mouse and keyboard frequency; screenshots configurable per organisation. | Foreground app and window metadata only. Nothing more without an explicit admin change. |
| Screenshots | Optional screen captures, configurable by policy. | A core feature, configurable in frequency and available on paid plans. | Off by default. Available on higher plans and only after a compliance review. |
| Keystroke capture | Does not record keystroke content. | Records keystroke and mouse frequency to compute an activity percentage; not the content of what is typed. | Never records keystroke content, on any plan. |
| Productivity scoring | Central to the product: productivity scores, focus and collaboration metrics, and benchmarking across teams. | Activity percentages per person, used as the headline productivity signal. | None. Hours are attributed to projects; the product does not grade the person. |
| Tenant data isolation | Shared multi-tenant architecture. | Shared multi-tenant architecture, per their security documentation. | A separate database per organisation, so isolation is structural. |
| Offline capture | Records activity offline and uploads when the agent reconnects. | Offline tracking is supported and syncs when the connection returns. | Queues locally and syncs idempotently — no hour lost, none counted twice. |
| Desktop platforms | Windows, macOS and ChromeOS. | Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome, iOS and Android. | Windows and macOS. |
| Entry price (per user / month) | Free for up to 3 users, then around $10 with a seat minimum. | Free for one user, then around $7 on the entry paid tier. | Free up to 3 users, then $4 billed annually ($5 monthly). |
Sources: ActivTrak (checked 2026-09-05); Hubstaff (checked 2026-09-05). Products change — if something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Choose ActivTrak if…
Choose ActivTrak if you are measuring how an organisation works — focus time, collaboration patterns, team benchmarks — and nothing downstream depends on it.
Choose Hubstaff if…
Choose Hubstaff if it is replacing several tools: timesheets, field-team GPS and payroll in one contract. It is the broadest product here and the only one that pays anyone.
Choose ActivityPulse if…
Choose ActivityPulse if you want ActivTrak's automatic capture and Hubstaff's billable-hour output, without the scoring in one or the screenshots in the other. Hours land against projects as they happen, and export for billing or payroll rather than running it.
ActivTrak vs Hubstaff — questions
Does ActivTrak run payroll like Hubstaff?
No. Payroll is a Hubstaff feature; ActivTrak is an analytics product and ActivityPulse exports hours for a payroll system rather than paying people itself.
Which requires less from employees day to day?
ActivTrak — it records continuously with no timer for anyone to start or stop. Hubstaff depends on someone starting it, with idle prompts while it runs. ActivityPulse is automatic like ActivTrak.
Which is cheaper to start with?
Both have a low entry point but different shapes: ActivTrak is free for up to three users then around $10 with a seat minimum; Hubstaff starts around $7. ActivityPulse is free up to three users, then $4 billed annually with no seat minimum.
See where the hours actually went
Free for up to three people. Windows and macOS. No keystroke content on any plan, and screenshots off unless an administrator turns them on.