However, its primary audience is companies that want an over-the-shoulder view of employees’ work because it offers GPS-based location tracking, screenshots, app and URL usage tracking, and mouse and keyboard tracking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These features make it controversial for employee privacy and put it firmly in the category of surveillance tools, which may foster distrust and negatively impact team culture in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the opposite corner is Toggl Track<\/strong>, a productivity platform focused on privacy, trust, growth, and performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn\u2019t have any employee monitoring features because its philosophy<\/a> is to equip teams with tools to increase trust and transparency and build a culture of time tracking for growth. The idea is to help everybody seamlessly track time and equip decision-makers with the most advanced time analysis tools \u2014 allowing them to make informed decisions and increase productivity, work-life balance, and profitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toggl Track is a great free option for freelancers and small teams and an affordable option for small businesses. It shines the most when used by large companies with big teams, where the analytics insights can have the biggest impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We compared Hubstaff vs. Toggl Track in the following areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll review each in depth in the article, but first, here\u2019s a summary of our findings!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Price<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Free for one user. Paid plans start at $7\/user\/mo for time tracking and limited reports, payroll, and monitoring. Some features are locked behind paid add-ons.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Free for up to five users with unlimited tracking and projects. Starts at $10\/user\/mo for Project Tasks, Billable Rates, and Project Templates. Also offers a 30-day trial for both paid plans.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n Time Tracking<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Easy-to-use time tracker, but the widget may obstruct other UI elements. Manual time tracking is stiff, requiring approval to edit the time sheet.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Intuitive and powerful time tracking tools in an intuitive interface. The beautiful UI has vibrant colors, tooltips, and keyboard shortcuts that make it quick to learn.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n Team Management<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Powerful built-in workforce management tools, including automated and manual payroll, dedicated stand-up tools, employee task scheduling, and sprints.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Team management tools are in the Toggl Plan suite. No built-in payroll. Less stand-up features that require more setup. But has a powerful task-scheduling dashboard.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n Analytics & Insights<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Offers weekly and summary reports on time tracking data. Multiple report types with email scheduling. Insights on employee device activity. Has an employee productivity leaderboard.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Reports on projects, employee profitability, ROI, and other vital business metrics. Multiple types of insights. Advanced analytics with Custom Dashboards and Charts. Filters for sorting Reports, Charts, and Insights.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n Employee Privacy<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Offers GPS tracking, screenshotting, mouse and keyboard tracking, app & URL usage monitoring, and other employee monitoring tools.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Prioritizes employee privacy and location security. Does not offer activity monitoring tools like GPS tracking or remote screenshotting.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n Integrations<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n 30+ native integrations + Zapier and Hubstaff API\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n 100+ native integrations + Zapier, Integrately, and the Toggl API\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n G2 Reviews<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n Used By<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Instacart, Groupon, ClearDesk, Ahrefs, Ring\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Amazon, Uber, Ogilvy, LinkedIn, Booking.com\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n Best For<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Contractors who need geofencing for on-site workers and managers who want an over-the-shoulder perspective of employees\u2019 activities.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n Managers of large teams who want to increase profitability with powerful analytics and employees who value privacy without micromanagement.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n “All-in-one team productivity tracker” \ud83c\udfc3\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83c\udfaf\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hubstaff<\/a> was created in 2012<\/a> by Dave Nevogt and Jared Brown after they hired freelancers and needed a better way to track and manage their time. They wanted a platform that helps entrepreneurs and freelancers focus on business strategies rather than operational tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hubstaff is an all-in-one time tracking, project management, payroll, and employee monitoring software that helps users track time spent on tasks and projects in real time. It provides several types of reports, helping users make data-driven decisions and improve efficiency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The productivity insights help foster healthy competition among employees with the leaderboard and achievement badges. Hubstaff supports employee monitoring, offering a GPS location tracker, screenshotting, mouse and keyboard activity tracking, and app and URL usage data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s best for companies that require industrial efficiency from their employees, especially those working on physical job sites. However, its employee monitoring tools are a turn-off for teams that value privacy and trust-based work culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n “Analytics-driven growth and productivity” \ud83d\udcca\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alari Aho and Krister Haav created Toggl Track<\/a> in 2006<\/a> after having difficulty figuring out how much time they spent on each client. Realizing its potential, and with positive feedback from their clients, they added Toggl Plan<\/a> and Toggl Hire<\/a> to the portfolio. They made the software available to teams of all sizes, from independent consultants to large development teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toggl has a philosophy of time tracking for self-reflection and career growth. That\u2019s why it uses automation, reminders, and robust integrations to make time tracking more accessible to everyone. This way, employees view time tracking as less of a chore and more of a vital business operation. However, Toggl is more than a time tracker. Its true power lies in the Analytics<\/a> feature, which helps managers discover productivity issues and develop a healthy environment for constructive conversations, mentorship, and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toggl Track is perfect for companies that agree with Toggl\u2019s core values \u2014 respect for employee privacy and ownership of work. Moreover, no other platform on the market provides decision-makers with tools to spot inefficiency and improve it as much as Toggl Track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a nutshell,<\/strong> Toggl Track is easier to use and offers better automated time tracking and project management than Hubstaff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hubstaff <\/strong>doesn\u2019t provide a dedicated timer menu. Instead, it uses a floating timer widget that can appear in any menu and obstruct other UI elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While using the app, we experienced random crashes, poor performance, and problems with some buttons. Furthermore, navigating the UI was unintuitive compared to Toggl. There is a dashboard for quick access to some features, but we found it easier to navigate using the side panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast, Toggl\u2019s <\/strong>UI looks more inviting, with vibrant colors, modern fonts, and tooltips that make navigation a breeze. Unlike Hubstaff, it provides tags, allowing you to group otherwise unrelated projects, clients, and time entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toggl Track lets you choose your preferred timer view:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another useful feature in Toggl Track is the Keyboard Shortcuts<\/a>, which streamline navigation and simplify workflow. Hubstaff doesn\u2019t provide keyboard shortcuts on the web app. Moreover, its desktop app only provides shortcuts for starting and stopping the timer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Toggl’s Keyboard Shortcut<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hubstaff <\/strong>uses geofencing<\/a> to automate time tracking if you have the Locations add-on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It automatically clocks your employees in and out using real-time GPS location. This way, they don\u2019t have to worry about starting or stopping the timer. It also tracks their physical location, which is vital for companies with on-site operators but raises concerns about privacy and micromanagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, Toggl Track\u2019s<\/strong> Desktop App<\/a> lets you set up an Autotracker<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It automatically records your website and app usage and only stores this data locally. You can copy this data to create time entries when you want to log time. This ensures only the data you choose to log is visible to your teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This feature exists purely to make time tracking more seamless, that\u2019s why the user has full control over it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They can choose between two settings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can create as many auto-tracking rules as you want and set reminders for when you forget to start or stop timers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, the desktop app has a fully-featured Pomodoro Timer<\/a> with a built-in countdown timer. The Pomodoro can automatically start the timer for focus sessions and breaks, and it lets you choose from six focus sounds. Hubstaff does not offer this feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hubstaff <\/strong>makes you select a project before starting or stopping the timer and saving the entry. Unlike Toggl, you can\u2019t create a project from the timer menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, you must navigate to the Project Management tab to set up a project. This means you can\u2019t use it as a stopwatch for simple tasks, forcing you to litter your workspace with throwaway projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, Toggl Track<\/strong> isn\u2019t tied to a project for saving time entries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This feature makes it a great time tracker for tasks unrelated to a specific project. Furthermore, if you need to associate an entry to a project later on, it allows you to do so even after saving the entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Hubstaff vs Toggl: Comparison Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"hubstaff\"\n](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Hubstaff-logo.png\"\n){kind=logo}
\n\n Hubstaff<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ![\"ycbm\"\n](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/toggl-track.jpg\"\n)
\n\n Toggl<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n What is Hubstaff?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/Lw7-IgzX7WsfIRqlBWVe5POwqz0UNzpXyoO2Ax_hbI1QDqpgCVnPep6SBGBnO-lkNA_3eDQwmp3XeVdRm2gspIzgkD5Dny-mhpMQD64r2SC1cU5zAEJXto0ATpu2gUvzWn8OMV5yYKncOAhy8EBMivY\")
What is Toggl Track?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/ZPv7qbMOhjXctA7G-b5TA558qXpNSyjYjweW9nBeJVAowY_qZ9a9xBcPmiXGTqfVmTV5MOQk9o5gMENaYrKsICL5s_K8S0SLoPByhaNAu6JXWs_ZTgx_EqoVTwQbYajlt9PfrQpbn7IAdyiIZj-Xaio\")
Hubstaff vs Toggl: Time Tracking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n Hubstaff<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n Toggl<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n User Experience: Toggl\u2019s time tracking interface is more modern and intuitive than Hubstaff\u2019s.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/Tkxu7eqct4_c_Rq_pB0FvyEh1Y16z7i4C1JFhoPGtFGSizHcEOKF5X9-II1iX6Txv-86UpM9f_GwgAL_PzhBg752ewaFwb0jpEfxHlohwuweCFmdoui_MYw8Y2CBTr05phpNSNRaT0W8a6WLsicOL7A\")
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/mvNFOV66B4D43-nNOUUoFKPPVvrxDZj9Dj-wxzuQlZdlh4s1v5eKFVczPnU0AQqd8NXcidg7T-m-7iAGgPXKAPBduo7Q6LiX6y8BdDg0mwbqgUG0eS0vbGI3J4nthnmjHcTskcPhhbpvJQ18QUdzhe0\")
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![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/wr7yijpimo68lslwnZBBrb_48gGLc9yKpSz5gYMhr3jMxab1J3KJLl6zQvztZ3gXN43jy1cHn7CvJwF8gf7Lfts53Lvkt7k4wA9p_LvF7h_H0gGtalnciMBsF4IulszaXF3YUCS6HXX3b-FUVNjiKtM\")
Automated Time Tracking: Hubstaff offers location-based time tracking, while Toggl\u2019s desktop app has a dedicated Autotracker<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/UfpzmBvps0m9Lk54EgAyOHO4ZqPFfHMXXWIkxF0vNfLdz5UoYsD_6VskHvU4aFkVy-BfSwaadDtNskvdN8To5M6P1dp4sf_USsAaWpxX0CCgLSVmF4pno_gtxpDHpyTKW5hQ24crtQXrlsvoLp2gryI\")
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/F_zKsH1nGFqBfILF92WvHFsV4puRNCk4J7DhrTRtQSmYCKtZ-FB02hQOgliOuQ9C_76pOJ7BQFwKQ4gjqYCLPm4jIJ8oZegLJpbvJLCduVU9867d41BGrzwKs7EKqYNtZkwFwkQQxByyerf8kOSgAMo\")
Project Management: Toggl Track provides better project customization and workflow than Hubstaff<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/lsjW3aKq1StECLEaAzixyEkorSp8yh2Xn32rAROljEi_YQmyf6NiUYNbcmJecB5e9K9dDK_jvPpz4njR10b_0CytvGXXRcA0iZpBWJ2JNOkXoDKPSKkng4v-of9F1NE9-gEwDp4HeaMu2Wi9WdiSINs\")
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/c-kY46zrC7tTZG5_YgUKVaIp6iiD8V9LbY-JBfgvDQgvQ92Dz31lXzy6Ev8_u11-2_k5V7hqd2witFiWCj-_taFclzTfaV03-76aejAv_1q4Y16G5mhbxl0Oigr_JrfIOrOaeM--oRg-ayLDyombzc8\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/yI9ykTvZ3zPoJmY2u2OJ5A0CMENpsJXrlo9hT3_2NVtTG1k2kZOWozzEnEmQ6wC4NT_Q7KueEkfoYZgGzVvwp696i8lr2ZhFpWYYNIhLTdLsbjw6VHgxgcPYCMf4ZbzMPnsVC__EmZ31Nd8HTvbEPm8\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/GKeu4oS5ZTnD32X7B0i6mBe3kbydKddrTtigib3vOJi7GTv38wNabjC9tVwSQ6vAQrwOxf8KgfQVxVgtN-n554qBCFnJdRem--FoR28GC_I14HKBIzKziv_QlmiZ_lSPF7ibkyO1YMETQI7T6gshprw\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/D1BwETvJU60yKtsOQAn3Z3Oc83QER6USUBKLTk01zRjMgwysRcZhajv0CU_pqSoSWgGBGA7JwM5rI9RnsXKkVMwbDreNi8x3mN3zTsXm_ZOq4lepT0_H-TdZnQXqS3xMumpUraAV9G8kAbNjyt9FQuQ\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/YvnFliqgbMZ6iLthrIvJrEbECceV5aM6T4X5zte8KGi3WiWb86eFithqGusLZxVcyUlf21lNaeLlJYAl5vE_-3RaQrWTsH8O5QF8AOHK4mSCuhnPO-4gF1kmp89EAAHntdHjJxVUi2KhSV5TM5vikiY\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/-lMJgROr2Q_weKwBeHPwYlLoa3fpLiTflCQfgqBwQolC0MI5EBGK_jctZ0es1D3WzVXWrgI0s3roEQcBEqdvmvZ7S89s8nzwUhYhSPLP3pJJ1xUaMW0BeBBM91mQw0c_HoIkHyhJtyjoKI6xds4eUgg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n