ActivTrak and Hubstaff are two leading players in time tracking and employee monitoring. Both platforms have powerful features, making it difficult to decide which one to use.
If you’re looking for a more advanced tool, covering productivity analytics and reporting, ActivTrak is the one to focus on. On the other hand, if you’re more interested in employee time tracking to measure team performance, give Hubstaff a look.
In this article, we’ll compare ActivTrak and Hubstaff to see how they compare.
ActivTrak Overview
ActivTrak is a comprehensive employee monitoring and detailed analytics solution designed to help organizations gain actionable insights into team productivity, optimize workflows, and ensure compliance with data privacy regulations. It aggregates analytics on workforce productivity and their daily work habits using real-time data.
ActivTrak Features
- User Activity Monitoring: Provides real-time monitoring of employee activity tracking and how they best use their working time. This helps in improving areas of low productivity and identifying website and app usage by employees.
- Productivity Analytics: By analyzing employee tasks and projects data, ActivTrak can identify trends and behaviors that can lead to better workflow optimizations and more efficient working.
- Employee Coaching: As ActivTrak monitors user activity and analyzes productivity trends, it can identify potential areas and topics where employees can receive extra job training, help guide team meetings, and tackle employee performance.
Read more: The Top 11 ActivTrak Alternatives.
Hubstaff Overview
Hubstaff is a time-tracking and employee monitoring software solution that aims to streamline workforce management, improve productivity, and enhance company transparency. It monitors employee activity via time-tracking and provides detailed reports.
Hubstaff Features
- Time Tracking: A core Hubstaff feature, task and project time tracking can be automated, or done manually by staff through Hubstaff Time. Idle time is registered and time reports are generated. Time tracking can be seamlessly continued using different devices, including mobile apps.
- Employee Monitoring: Screenshots and webcam monitoring can be used to verify that work is being done. Location tracking features via GPS confirms their current whereabouts if they are visiting clients or in home office.
- Project Management: Provided through Hubstaff Tasks, Hubstaff’s project management feature boosts team collaboration and improves progress on tasks and projects. One tool is Kanban-style project boards.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ActivTrak | Hubstaff |
| User Activity Monitoring | ActivTrak offers comprehensive user activity monitoring, including website and application tracking, keystroke logging, and screen recording. | Hubstaff’s user activity monitoring focuses primarily on tracking time spent on tasks and applications, with optional screenshot and webcam monitoring. |
| Productivity Analytics | ActivTrak provides advanced productivity analytics, including user behavior analysis, productivity benchmarking, and risk scoring. | Hubstaff offers basic productivity metrics, such as time spent on tasks and applications, but lacks advanced analytics capabilities. |
| Time Tracking | ActivTrak offers basic time tracking capabilities, but it is not the primary focus of the solution. | Time tracking is a core feature of Hubstaff, allowing users to track time spent on tasks and projects accurately. |
| Project Management | ActivTrak does not have built-in project management features. | Hubstaff includes project management tools, such as task assignment, project milestones, and team collaboration features. |
| Reporting and Analytics | ActivTrak provides detailed reports and analytics on user activity, productivity, and potential risks. | Hubstaff offers reporting capabilities focused on time tracking, project progress, and employee productivity. |
Use Cases
ActivTrak Use Cases
Workforce Optimization
ActivTrak assists in workforce optimization by giving its platform granular control over every company data point. These valuable insights can then help companies make better data-driven decisions about how best to improve.
Compliance and Data Security
There has to be a delicate balancing act between collecting employee data and complying with data security requirements. ActivTrak is built with data privacy in mind, and it obeys important legal compliance standards, such as GDPR in the European Union and HIPAA in the United States.
Hubstaff Use Cases
Remote Team Management
As workforces steadily transition into remote teams, management of these remote employees becomes an important priority. Hubstaff offers payroll automation features, tracking hours worked, task progress, and more.
Client Billing and Reporting
By using Hubstaff, an organization can track time on client projects, as well as expense tracking, invoice creation, and online payment third-party integrations.
Freelance and Contract Work
Freelancers and contractors can use Hubstaff to track their billable hours accurately and provide transparent reporting to clients.
Pros Compared
ActivTrak Pros
Comprehensive User Activity Monitoring
ActivTrak offers detailed user activity monitoring, including website and application tracking, keystroke logging, and screen recording, providing organizations with a comprehensive overview of employee behavior and productivity.
Advanced Productivity Analytics
ActivTrak’s productivity analytics features, such as user behavior analysis, productivity benchmarking, and risk scoring, enable organizations to identify areas for improvement and optimize workflows. Visited websites are classed as productive or unproductive, and customizable reports outline actionable productivity insights.
Robust Data Leak Prevention
With its content filtering, file activity monitoring, employee email monitoring, and data exfiltration detection capabilities, ActivTrak helps organizations safeguard sensitive information and comply with data privacy regulations. Its anomaly detection features identify risky behaviors which may point to an insider threat. Employees are flagged if they access sensitive data without permission.
Hubstaff Pros
Seamless Time Tracking
Hubstaff’s core functionality revolves around accurate time tracking, allowing users to easily log time spent on tasks and projects, facilitating efficient accurate billing and productivity monitoring. Time tracking can be used on various devices, which is enormously helpful for a remote workforce and a hybrid workforce.
Project Management Tools
Hubstaff includes project management features, such as task assignment, project milestones, and team collaboration tools, enabling organizations to streamline workflows and improve team coordination. Kanban-style project boards ensure that project tracking remains consistent, and tasks are updated in real-time.
Remote Team Monitoring
With its employee monitoring and time tracking capabilities, Hubstaff is well-suited for managing remote teams, ensuring accountability, and measuring productivity across distributed workforces. It also automates payroll functions, such as invoice creation, ensuring remote staff are paid correctly and on time.
Cons Compared
ActivTrak Cons
Limited Project Management Capabilities
ActivTrak does not offer built-in project management features, which may be a drawback for organizations seeking an all-in-one solution for employee monitoring and project management. Many describe its limited functionalities in this area as “basic.”
Potential Privacy Concerns
The extensive user activity monitoring and keystroke logging capabilities of ActivTrak may raise privacy concerns among employees, potentially impacting morale and trust within the organization. However, data privacy controls, where users can customize what is seen in reports, can mitigate this, ensuring a degree of employee privacy.
Steep Learning Curve
ActivTrak’s advanced features and comprehensive reporting capabilities may require a significant learning curve, particularly for non-technical users or smaller organizations. The wide number of features—usually a plus—can also be a negative if the user feels overwhelmed.
Hubstaff Cons
Limited Productivity Analytics
While Hubstaff provides basic productivity metrics, such as time spent on tasks and applications, it lacks advanced analytics capabilities and detailed insights offered by solutions like ActivTrak. It focuses on the core feature of time tracking, while other features are relegated to the background.
No Dedicated Data Leak Prevention
Hubstaff does not offer dedicated data leak prevention features, which may be a concern for organizations handling sensitive information or operating in highly regulated industries. However, its basic user activity monitoring could be seen as an indirect method of preventing data leaks.
Limited User Activity Monitoring
Hubstaff’s user activity monitoring capabilities are primarily focused on time tracking and optional screenshot and webcam monitoring, lacking the comprehensive monitoring offered by ActivTrak. Some companies may see Hubstaff’s user activity monitoring as sufficient for their basic needs.
Pricing Comparison
Both ActivTrak and Hubstaff offer various customizable pricing plans based on the number of users and the features required. It is advisable to visit their respective websites or consult with their sales teams to obtain accurate and up-to-date custom pricing information, since pricing can change at any time.
When To Use ActivTrak or Hubstaff
When to Use ActivTrak
- For organizations operating in highly regulated industries or handling sensitive data, where solid data leak prevention and compliance features are crucial.
- For businesses seeking a comprehensive user activity monitoring and advanced workforce analytics tool to optimize workflows and employee efficiency.
When to Use Hubstaff
- For organizations with remote or distributed teams, where accurate time tracking, employee monitoring, integration options, and accountability are essential.
- For freelancers, contractors, or agencies that require transparent time tracking and project management capabilities for client billing and reporting.
Teramind: A Better Alternative
So, how does Teramind compare to ActivTrak and Hubstaff? Which unique features does Teramind offer that provide a better user experience and customer satisfaction?
| Feature | ActivTrak | Hubstaff | Teramind |
| Time Tracking | Automatic time tracking based on user activity | Manual and automatic time tracking with desktop and mobile apps | Comprehensive automatic time tracking with advanced user activity monitoring |
| Productivity Monitoring | Detailed productivity analytics and reports | Basic productivity tracking through activity levels | In-depth productivity analysis with AI-powered insights and recommendations |
| Screenshot Capture | Configurable screenshot capture | Customizable screenshot frequency | Intelligent screenshot and screen recording with OCR capabilities |
| Project Management | Basic project tracking | Integrated project management with budgeting and invoicing | Advanced project tracking with resource allocation and performance analytics |
| Reporting | Comprehensive productivity and efficiency reports | Time and activity reports with project-based filtering | Customizable reports with advanced filtering and scheduling options |
| Integrations | Limited third-party integrations | Extensive integration options with popular project management tools | Wide range of integrations with security, HR, and productivity tools |
| Data Loss Prevention | Not available | Not available | Advanced DLP features with content analysis and policy enforcement |
| Insider Threat Detection | Limited capabilities | Not available | Comprehensive insider threat detection and prevention system |
| User Behavior Analytics | Basic user activity tracking | Limited user behavior analysis | Advanced UBA with machine learning algorithms for anomaly detection |
Despite the benefits ActivTrak and Hubstaff, Teramind remains the industry leader. In addition to the usual features asked for by typical customers, Teramind goes one step further by offering comprehensive employee monitoring tools, file transfer monitoring, and data loss prevention.
These advanced monitoring features result in better-informed decisions. Along with outstanding analytical and categorization tools, Teramind also includes user behavior analytics and root cause analysis, which can then forecast potential future problems.
Comprehensive Employee Monitoring Capabilities
Employers looking for a better set of employee monitoring tools should consider Teramind. Some of these industry-leading features include email content and attachment monitoring, file tracking, and monitoring print jobs and computer clipboards. No stone is left unturned.
Insider Risk Detection & Prevention
If a company needs insider risk management, then Teramind has heavy-hitting tools that can effortlessly do the job. Data loss prevention, user privilege management, and access control are just three of the many features available.
Data Loss Prevention
Companies can stay one step ahead of data prevention loss with Teramind features such as classifying sensitive data, creating real-time monitoring and identifying suspicious activity which could indicate a risk from within the company.
Business Process Optimization
Turn your company into a well-oiled machine with Teramind’s accurate reports into inefficient processes and how to convert them into efficient ones instead.
Pricing
Teramind pricing is based on the number of “seats” or users per month. It is also slightly cheaper if billed annually.
- Starter: $11.25 per month per user (when billed annually)
- UAM: $22.50 per month per user (when billed annually)
- DLP: $26.25 per month per user (when billed annually)
Conclusion
ActivTrak and Hubstaff have a lot to offer consumers, with features that every company will need to realize their productivity potential and real-time insights on employee performance and unproductive activities.
User reviews consistently rate Teramind as the #1 choice for businesses. Its comprehensive business insights will improve and optimize a company’s workflows even further. With its productivity management software and advanced capabilities, Teramind is an obvious choice here. Don’t settle for less.
