Time tracking is one of the categories where “free” actually works well. Clockify proved it, their generous free plan sent shockwaves through the category and forced every paid competitor to justify their pricing. Hubstaff responded not by going free, but by going deeper: monitoring, screenshots, GPS, payroll integration, and workforce-management features that Clockify deliberately doesn’t try to match.
Last updated: 6 November 2026
So the comparison isn’t really “which time tracker is better”, it’s “do you need a time tracker, or do you need a workforce management platform that includes time tracking?” Both have a clear answer for the right buyer. This comparison walks through pricing, features, and which one fits your team.
⚡ Quick Verdict
- →Pick Hubstaff if you need monitoring, screenshots, GPS, or payroll automation, the full workforce-management stack, not just a timer.
- →Pick Clockify if you just need time tracking with a generous free plan, simple and clean.
📑 Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Market snapshot
- The global time tracking software market was valued at USD 6.1 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 17.3 billion by 2033, growing at 14.2% a year from 2026 to 2033, according to Grand View Research.
- Hubstaff lists Starter at $4.99, Grow at $7.50 and Team at $10 per seat per month, with Enterprise quoted, a 14-day trial with no credit card, and no free plan, per the Hubstaff pricing page (checked 6 November 2026).
- Clockify lists a Free plan (the pricing card says up to 5 users), then Basic at $3.99, Standard at $5.49, Pro at $7.99 and Enterprise at $11.99 per seat per month on annual billing, per the Clockify pricing page (checked 6 November 2026).
Hubstaff Overview
Hubstaff is a workforce management platform that includes time tracking as its foundation but extends into screenshots, activity monitoring (keyboard and mouse), GPS for field teams, payroll automation, and project budgeting. It’s built for situations where someone other than the person doing the work needs visibility, agencies billing clients hourly, BPOs running offshore teams, field-service businesses tracking on-site hours.
Hubstaff lists no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and paid plans start at $4.99/user/month. The trade-off you pay for is verification: managers can see screenshots, activity levels, and GPS locations to confirm that billed hours were actually worked. For broader category context, see our roundup of best time tracking software for remote teams.
Clockify Overview
Clockify took a different bet: a free plan with unlimited tracking. The free tier is shockingly complete, a small team of up to five can track time across hundreds of projects and pay nothing. Premium tiers add reports, billable rates, time audits, and admin controls, but the core timer is always free.
The product philosophy is the opposite of Hubstaff’s. No screenshots. No activity monitoring. No GPS. Just a clean timer with strong reporting and a generous free tier that earned Clockify millions of users. It’s the default starter pick for any team that just needs time tracking and doesn’t want to pay until they need premium features.
Pricing Compared
Hubstaff lists no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Paid plans: Starter at $4.99/user/month, Grow at $7.50/user/month, Team at $10/user/month, and Enterprise quote-based. All paid tiers include monitoring features.
Clockify has a free plan for up to 5 users with unlimited tracking. Paid add-ons: Basic at $3.99/user/month (admin features), Standard at $5.49/user/month (billing/invoicing), Pro at $7.99/user/month (custom fields, scheduling), Enterprise at $11.99/user/month (SSO, audit log).
For a team of 20 just tracking time, Clockify Basic at $3.99 is $79.80/month against $99.80/month for Hubstaff Starter, and Clockify’s free plan covers a team of up to five at no cost. That gap is real and it’s why Clockify wins on starter-pick economics. As you add monitoring, payroll, or GPS, the comparison flips toward Hubstaff because Clockify doesn’t offer those features at any tier.
Features Compared
Hubstaff strengths: Optional screenshots (configurable interval), activity rate from keyboard/mouse, GPS tracking with geofencing for field teams, automatic payroll based on tracked hours, integrations with QuickBooks/Gusto/Wise for paying contractors, idle-time detection, project budgets with overrun alerts.
Clockify strengths: A free plan, browser extensions and desktop apps for 100+ tools, clean reporting with billable/non-billable splits, project profitability dashboards, Pomodoro timer mode, autotracker that suggests entries from app usage (on-device, no surveillance), time audits to find suspicious entries.
The lists barely overlap because they’re answering different questions. Hubstaff is asking “how do I verify my team’s billable hours?” Clockify is asking “how does my team track time without friction?”
Monitoring vs Self-Reporting
This is the philosophical split that decides the comparison. Hubstaff is designed around the assumption that the person tracking time is being measured by someone else, a client, an agency manager, a payroll system. Workers see what’s captured (Hubstaff is transparent, not stealth) but the experience is “you are being monitored.”
Clockify is designed around the opposite assumption: the person tracking time is reporting their own hours. There’s nothing to verify because nothing is being measured by surveillance. That makes Clockify popular with consulting firms, in-house teams, and small agencies where trust isn’t a problem.
If your team would resent screenshots, Hubstaff is the wrong tool. If your business model requires verifying billable hours, Clockify is the wrong tool.
Integrations and Reporting
Both integrate with the major project management tools: Asana, Trello, Jira, ClickUp, Linear, Notion, GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Google Calendar. Clockify’s browser extension has slightly broader one-click timer coverage (100+ tools); Hubstaff’s coverage is solid but narrower.
For reporting, both are competent. Clockify’s reports lean toward agency billing and project profitability, the questions a PM or freelancer asks. Hubstaff’s reports lean toward attendance, work-vs-idle ratios, and labour cost, the questions an operations or HR lead asks. Both export to CSV, PDF, and integrate with QuickBooks for invoicing.
Side-by-Side Table
| Feature | Hubstaff | Clockify |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | None listed (14-day trial) | Up to 5 users |
| Starting Paid Price | $4.99/user/mo | $3.99/user/mo (Basic) |
| Screenshots | Yes (configurable) | No |
| Activity Monitoring | Yes | No |
| GPS Tracking | Yes | No |
| Payroll Automation | Built-in + integrations | Limited |
| Browser Extensions | Good | Excellent (100+ tools) |
| Pomodoro / Autotracker | No | Yes |
| Best For | Agencies, BPOs, field teams | Consulting, in-house teams, freelancers |
Which Should You Choose?
Pick Hubstaff if you bill clients by the hour and need verifiable activity logs, run remote or offshore teams where trust requires evidence, operate a field-service business that needs GPS, want time tracking that flows directly into payroll, or treat workforce monitoring as a core operational requirement. Hubstaff is the manager’s tool.
Pick Clockify if you just need clean time tracking without monitoring, have a team that funds its own subscriptions or works on trust, want to scale to many users without scaling cost, value Pomodoro and autotracker for personal productivity, or your business model doesn’t depend on verified billable hours. Clockify is the practitioner’s tool.
For most teams in 2026, the deciding question is: do my unit economics depend on verified billable hours? If yes, Hubstaff pays for itself many times over through fraud prevention and accurate invoicing. If no, Clockify free is genuinely hard to beat.
⏱️ Try Hubstaff for Verifiable Time Tracking
Activity monitoring, GPS, screenshots, and payroll automation, the workforce management platform for teams that bill by the hour.
Start Hubstaff Free Trial →Final Word
Hubstaff and Clockify aren’t really competing for the same buyer in 2026. If you need workforce management with verifiable time tracking, Hubstaff is the right pick. If you need clean time tracking with a generous free tier, Clockify wins on starter economics. The deciding factor is whether your business depends on verifying hours or just tracking them. For broader context across the category, see our roundup of best employee monitoring tools for outsourcing agencies.
FAQs
Is Hubstaff or Clockify better?
Better depends on your need. Hubstaff is better when you need monitoring, GPS, or payroll automation. Clockify is better when you just need time tracking and want a generous free plan.
Is Clockify really free?
Yes, for small teams. Clockify’s free plan supports up to 5 users tracking unlimited time across unlimited projects. Paid tiers add admin features, reporting, billing, and security, but the core timer is permanently free.
Does Hubstaff have a free plan?
No. Hubstaff’s pricing page lists a 14-day free trial but no free plan. Paid plans start at $4.99/user/month.
Which has better monitoring features?
Hubstaff, by design. Screenshots, activity levels, GPS, and idle-time detection are all native Hubstaff features. Clockify deliberately does not include monitoring.
Can Clockify track GPS?
No. Clockify does not include GPS tracking. For field-service or location-based time tracking, Hubstaff is the better choice.
Which is better for agencies billing clients hourly?
Hubstaff, if you need to defend billed hours with activity evidence. Clockify, if your clients trust you and you just need clean reports.
Do both integrate with QuickBooks?
Yes, both support QuickBooks integration for invoicing and payroll. Hubstaff’s QuickBooks integration is deeper because Hubstaff’s payroll automation is more developed.
Which has better mobile apps?
Both offer iOS and Android apps. Hubstaff’s mobile app includes GPS tracking and field-team features. Clockify’s mobile app is lighter and focused on simple time entry.
How much does Hubstaff cost compared with Clockify?
Hubstaff lists Starter at $4.99, Grow at $7.50 and Team at $10 per seat per month, with a 14-day trial and no free plan. Clockify lists a Free plan, then Basic at $3.99 and Standard at $5.49 per seat on annual billing. Both pages were checked on 6 November 2026.
How many users can use Clockify for free?
Clockify’s pricing page describes the Free plan as for up to 5 users, though its FAQ says you can invite up to 4 people, so the limit is stated inconsistently. Older coverage described unlimited users, so check the pricing page before you rely on a larger free team.