Time Tracking · Researched comparison

Best Employee Time Tracking Software for Remote Teams

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The short answer

Time Doctor is the top pick for remote teams, because it pairs time tracking with screenshots, activity levels, and attendance, so a manager can see how remote hours were spent. Hubstaff is close behind, with GPS, payroll, and activity data in one tool.

On this page

Key takeaways

  • Time Doctor leads for remote teams because screenshots, activity levels, and attendance sit in one dashboard.
  • Hubstaff suits remote and field teams that need GPS, payroll, and activity data from the same hours.
  • Clockify suits remote teams on a budget, because the free plan covers 5 users and Pro adds GPS at $7.99.
  • DeskTime suits remote teams that want automatic app reports without manual timers.
  • Tell staff what is recorded before you turn monitoring on, because trust matters more than the extra data.

Comparison

How these compare
ToolBest forPrice rangeFree plan
Time DoctorRemote teams whose managers need proof of work$6.67 per user/month (billed annually)Free trial (14 days)
HubstaffRemote and field teams that need activity data and GPS$4.99 per user/month (billed annually)Free trial (14 days)
ClockifySmall teams that want a free start with room to grow$3.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
Toggl TrackFast one click timers and clean client reports$9 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
DeskTimeTeams that want fully automatic tracking with app reports$6.42 per user/month (billed annually)Free trial (14 days)
HarvestTeams that bill clients for hours and want invoicing built in$9 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
EverhourTeams that track time inside Asana, Trello, and other project apps$5 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
TimeCampAutomatic tracking on a free plan with no user cap$3.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes

How we choose

We compared vendor pricing pages, product documentation, and feature lists for employee time tracking tools that suit remote teams, and we checked free plan limits and starting prices on each vendor site. This guide was prepared by the Taskreports Editorial Team. We reviewed published prices and plan details rather than claiming hands-on use, and we favored tools that work across time zones, keep a usable free plan or trial, and show a clear price for screenshots, activity reports, and payroll.

Our full method

The shortlist

★ Best overall

Time Doctor

Best for Remote teams whose managers need proof of work

  • Screenshots and activity levels show how work time is spent
  • attendance and payroll on Standard
Price$6.67 per user/month (billed annually)
See Time Doctor pricing

Time Doctor tracks time with screenshots, activity levels, and app and website use, which gives a manager a clear record of how remote work hours were spent. Team members start a timer or let automatic tracking run, and managers see projects, tasks, and idle time in one dashboard. Attendance, schedules, and leave tracking sit on the same record, so payroll has a single source for hours.

There is no free plan, only a 14 day trial that opens all features. Basic costs $6.67 per user per month billed annually and covers time tracking, screenshots, and projects. Standard costs $11.67 per user per month billed annually and adds payroll, attendance, and more than 60 integrations. Premium costs $16.70 per user per month billed annually and adds video screen recording and AI benchmarks. Time Doctor suits a remote team whose manager needs proof of work, not just a total of hours.

Price: $6.67 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: timedoctor.com

Watch out for

  • No free plan, only a 14 day trial
  • integrations and payroll need Standard
2

Hubstaff

Best for Remote and field teams that need activity data and GPS
$4.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Hubstaff combines a timer with activity monitoring, screenshots, and GPS, which suits teams with remote and field staff in one account. Office staff log time on desktop, field staff clock in on mobile with GPS, and managers see activity levels, app use, and timesheets in one dashboard. Payroll and invoicing run from the same hours, so a team can pay staff and bill clients from one record.

There is no free plan, only a 14 day trial. Starter costs $4.99 per seat per month billed annually and covers time tracking, limited screenshots, and activity levels, with a 2 seat minimum. Grow costs $7.50 per seat per month billed annually and adds project budgets and expenses. Team costs $10 per seat per month billed annually and adds payroll, scheduling, and unlimited screenshots. Add ons for insights, tasks, and locations cost extra per seat, so check the pricing page for the full total.

Price: $4.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: hubstaff.com

What we like

  • Activity levels, screenshots, and GPS in one tool
  • payroll and invoicing from tracked time

Watch out for

  • No free plan, only a 14 day trial
  • Starter, Grow, and Team each have a 2 seat minimum
3

Clockify

Best for Small teams that want a free start with room to grow
$3.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Clockify gives small teams a timer, timesheets, and a calendar view without a large monthly bill. Team members start a timer or add time by hand, managers approve timesheets, and reports show hours by project, client, and person. The free plan covers up to 5 users with unlimited projects and clients, which is enough for a small team to run real client work before spending anything.

Basic costs $3.99 per user per month billed annually and adds billable rates, kiosk clock in, and project templates. Standard costs $5.49 per user per month billed annually and adds invoicing, timesheet approval, and time off. Pro costs $7.99 per user per month billed annually and adds scheduling, budgets, expenses, and GPS tracking. The step up in price is tied to clear features, so a team can start free and move up only when invoicing or approvals become part of the routine.

Price: $3.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: clockify.me

What we like

  • Free plan covers up to 5 users with unlimited projects
  • timers on web, desktop, and mobile

Watch out for

  • Billable rates need a priced tier
  • activity monitoring and GPS need Pro
4

Toggl Track

Best for Fast one click timers and clean client reports
$9 per user/month (billed annually)

Toggl Track keeps time tracking close to one click. Start the timer, add a short description, pick a project, and the entry is logged. The timer runs on web, desktop, mobile, and browser extension, so a freelancer can start work on a laptop and stop it on a phone without losing the entry. Reports show time by client, project, and week, which makes invoicing faster at month end.

The free plan covers 3 users on new accounts, which suits a freelancer plus two regular collaborators, while older workspaces keep 5 seats. Starter costs $9 per user per month billed annually and adds billable rates, project templates, and scheduled reports. Premium costs $16 per user per month billed annually and adds approvals, labor costs, and profitability. A freelancer who bills by the hour will want Starter for billable rates, but the free plan covers the core timer and reporting well enough to start.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: toggl.com

What we like

  • One click timer with a clean interface
  • reports split time by client and project

Watch out for

  • Free plan covers only 3 users on new accounts
  • approvals and profitability need Premium
5

DeskTime

Best for Teams that want fully automatic tracking with app reports
$6.42 per user/month (billed annually)

DeskTime runs in the background and records app and website use automatically, so a team member does not need to start or stop a timer. The tracker labels each app as productive, unproductive, or neutral, and reports show how the workday was spent by person, project, and app. Screenshots and idle time detection add a record for managers who need to see activity, not just totals.

DeskTime has a 14 day trial and no free plan. Pro costs $6.42 per user per month billed annually and covers automatic tracking, app reports, and screenshots. Premium costs $9.17 per user per month billed annually and adds scheduling, invoicing, and project costing. A team that wants automatic capture without manual timers will find DeskTime easy to adopt, but a team that only needs a simple timer can spend less elsewhere.

Price: $6.42 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: desktime.com

What we like

  • Fully automatic tracking with app and website reports
  • screenshots and productivity labels

Watch out for

  • No free plan, only a 14 day trial
  • scheduling and invoicing need higher tiers
6

Harvest

Best for Teams that bill clients for hours and want invoicing built in
$9 per user/month (billed annually)

Harvest links tracked hours to invoices in one place. A team member starts a timer against a project, Harvest totals the hours at the client rate, and the invoice goes out from the same record. That short path from hours to invoice is the reason small firms that bill by the hour keep using it, because there is no export and reentry step between tracking and billing.

The free plan covers 1 seat and 2 projects, which suits a solo freelancer testing the flow. Teams costs $9 per seat per month billed annually and adds team reporting, invoicing, and accounting integrations. Enterprise costs $14 per seat per month billed annually and adds profitability reporting, timesheet approvals, and single sign on. Harvest also charges usage fees for active projects, clients, tasks, and invoicing beyond base allowances, so check the pricing page for the full cost before budgeting.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: getharvest.com

What we like

  • Invoicing built in from tracked time
  • clean reports by client and project

Watch out for

  • Free plan covers only 1 seat and 2 projects
  • usage fees apply beyond base allowances on priced tiers
7

Everhour

Best for Teams that track time inside Asana, Trello, and other project apps
$5 per user/month (billed annually)

Everhour puts its timer inside the project tools a team already uses, including Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Basecamp, and GitHub. A person starts the timer from a task card without opening a second app, and the hours flow into Everhour reports, budgets, and invoices. That embedded timer is the main reason to choose Everhour, because tracking happens where the work happens, so fewer hours go unlogged.

The free plan covers up to 5 users with basic tracking, but it leaves out the project app integrations. Lite costs $5 per user per month billed annually and adds budgets, expenses, and scheduling, with a 2 seat minimum. Team costs $8.50 per user per month billed annually and adds approvals, invoicing, and resource planning, with a 5 seat minimum. A team that already lives in Asana or Trello will get the most from Everhour, while a team without those apps can use a simpler timer instead.

Price: $5 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: everhour.com

What we like

  • Timer embedded in Asana, Trello, and other project apps
  • budgets and invoices from tracked time

Watch out for

  • Free plan covers up to 5 users without project app integrations
  • Team has a 5 seat minimum
8

TimeCamp

Best for Automatic tracking on a free plan with no user cap
$3.99 per user/month (billed annually)

TimeCamp records time in two ways, with a manual timer and with automatic capture that watches app and website use and turns it into timesheet entries. A freelancer can let the automatic tracker fill in the gaps on a busy day, then review and assign the entries to projects before the week ends. The desktop and mobile apps cover the main platforms, and GPS tracking suits teams that work away from a desk.

The free plan covers unlimited users and unlimited projects, which is the widest free offer in this list. Starter costs $3.99 per user per month billed annually and adds invoicing, attendance, and time off. Premium costs $6.99 per user per month billed annually and adds billable time, budgets, and app tracking. Ultimate costs $9.99 per user per month billed annually and adds approvals and labor costs. Automatic tracking on the free plan makes TimeCamp a strong first choice for freelancers who forget to start a timer.

Price: $3.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: timecamp.com

What we like

  • Free plan covers unlimited users and projects
  • automatic tracking fills timesheets from app use

Watch out for

  • App and website reports need Premium
  • invoicing needs Starter

What to check before you buy

Check how the tool handles time zones, because a remote team rarely shares one clock. Clockify, Time Doctor, Hubstaff, and DeskTime record time per person and show reports in local time, but timesheet approval deadlines and payroll cutoffs still need one shared rule. Agree on the week boundary and the approval day before the rollout, so hours from different zones land in the same pay period.

Check which tier holds screenshots, GPS, and payroll, because those features often sit above the entry tier. Time Doctor adds payroll on Standard and video recording on Premium, Hubstaff adds payroll on Team, and Clockify adds GPS on Pro. Time Doctor, Hubstaff, and DeskTime give a 14 day trial with no free plan, while Clockify and TimeCamp have free plans. Trial the top two tools with a real week of remote work before you commit, and confirm the price on the vendor pricing page on the day you buy.

FAQ

Which time tracking tool is best for remote teams?

Time Doctor is the best choice for most remote teams, because it pairs time tracking with screenshots, activity levels, attendance, and payroll. Hubstaff suits teams that also have field staff and need GPS. Clockify suits remote teams on a budget, with a free plan for up to 5 users and GPS on the Pro tier at $7.99 per user per month.

Do remote teams need screenshots and activity monitoring?

Not every remote team does. Screenshots and activity levels help when a manager needs proof of work or when hours feed payroll, and Time Doctor and Hubstaff record both. Clockify Pro adds activity monitoring without screenshots on lower tiers. If the team is trusted and the work is judged by output, a simple timer from Toggl Track or Clockify is enough.

Can a remote team track time across time zones?

Yes, because these tools record time per person and show reports in local time. Clockify, Time Doctor, Hubstaff, and DeskTime all handle distributed teams, but the team still needs one shared rule for the week boundary and the approval day. Agree on those rules before the rollout, so hours from different zones land in the same pay period.

How much does remote employee time tracking cost?

Clockify Basic costs $3.99 per user per month billed annually, Time Doctor Basic costs $6.67, and DeskTime Pro costs $6.42. Hubstaff Starter costs $4.99 per seat per month billed annually with a 2 seat minimum. TimeCamp is free for unlimited users. The full cost depends on which tier holds payroll, GPS, and screenshots for the team.

What should a remote team check before buying a monitoring tool?

Check what is recorded, who can see it, and how long it is kept. Time Doctor and Hubstaff record screenshots and activity levels, and DeskTime labels app use as productive or unproductive. Tell staff what is recorded and why before you turn monitoring on, and check the vendor page for screenshot storage limits and privacy controls.

Sources we checked

How we score

Need the method behind these picks?

We publish the criteria and the weights, so you can disagree with them.

Time Doctor#1 PICK
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