Trying to make a decision in the Hubstaff vs. Clockify debate? Both are popular time tracking tools with solid reputations, but that doesn't mean there isn't a correct fit for your team.
On the surface, they offer many of the same basics: employee time tracking, team management features, and reporting. But when you dig in, the differences start to matter — especially when it comes to how each tool handles productivity insights, automation, and scaling your business.
This guide breaks down the key features, pricing, and strengths of Hubstaff and Clockify so you can make a clear, informed decision based on how your team works.
112,000+ businesses trust Hubstaff for time tracking
Hubstaff vs. Clockify: At a glance
| Feature | Hubstaff | Clockify |
|---|---|---|
Time Tracking |
|
|
Device compatibility |
|
|
Integrations |
|
|
Productivity monitoring |
|
|
Attendance tracking |
|
|
Workforce analytics |
|
|
Reporting |
|
|
Payroll |
|
|
Invoicing |
|
|
Task Management |
|
|
Customer support |
|
|
Free trial |
|
|
Best for (summary) | Teams needing time tracking with productivity insights | Freelancers and small teams needing free tracking |
Who each tool is for
There's no such thing as a perfect time tracking tool. The choice between Hubstaff and Clockify often boils down to the intended use case. Check out the table below and explore some areas where each tool excels.
| Use case | Best tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
Teams that need time tracking | Both | Both Hubstaff and Clockify provide reliable time tracking with start/stop timers, manual entry, and mobile + desktop apps. |
Teams that need productivity tools | Hubstaff | Hubstaff includes built-in activity monitoring, optional screenshots, and an Insights add-on for deeper visibility into focus time, utilization, and project health. |
Teams that need automated payroll | Hubstaff | Hubstaff automatically processes payments after timesheet approvals. It integrates with popular payment platforms like Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, and Gusto. |
Teams that need integrations | Clockify | Clockify offers a wider range of out-of-the-box integrations, making it easier to connect with third-party apps. |
Accurate time tracking and task switching
Both Hubstaff and Clockify make it easy to track time. Both tools handle the basics of time tracking well — start the timer, log your hours, and switch between tasks.
You can create your own tasks, switch between projects seamlessly, and improve time tracking accuracy with idle time detection settings. If your team needs reliable time tracking, either option will get the job done.
Winner: Tie
Automated timesheets
Both Hubstaff and Clockify simplify timesheet management. Both tools allow users to track time to tasks and projects and generate itemized timesheets in real time. Users can easily review their hours, create manual time entries, and leave notes before submitting them for manager approval.
What happens after approval is where the two tools start to differ. Hubstaff goes a step further by tying timesheets directly into its built-in payroll system. Once employee hours are approved, Hubstaff can send automatic payments directly from the app to multiple platforms like PayPal, Wise, and Deel.
Clockify, on the other hand, doesn't offer integrated payroll. So, while it covers the basics well, you'll need to handle payouts separately in another tool if that's part of your workflow.
Winner: Hubstaff
“[Hubstaff] saves a lot of time and effort as we don't have to maintain sheets individually.”
Employee activity tracking
You'll gain visibility into team activities during work hours with both Hubstaff and Clockify. Their activity monitoring features help you understand work progress by showing time spent on tasks, keyboard and mouse activity levels, website and app usage, and optional screenshots.
Time tracking with screenshots can offer additional context for what’s being worked on, and both tools give employees control over this feature — including the option to disable or delete captures.
Overall, both Hubstaff and Clockify cover the bases well here, making it a fairly even match for activity tracking.
Winner: Tie
Productivity insights
While both Hubstaff and Clockify show basic activity data like app/URL usage, keyboard and mouse activity, and optional screenshots, Hubstaff takes this a step further with its Insights add-on.
Insights provides deeper metrics such as productivity trends, industry benchmarks, unusual activity detection, and focus time analysis. These reports help identify time drains, reduce unnecessary meetings, and improve overall team efficiency.
Hubstaff also includes 20+ detailed reports that connect time tracking data to project health and workforce performance, giving leaders actionable insights for better decision-making.
Winner: Hubstaff
“The time tracking is accurate, the activity levels help with accountability, and the screenshots give us visibility without micromanaging.”
Shift scheduling
Hubstaff and Clockify each offer standard employee scheduling features like shift planning, calendar views, recurring shifts, and the ability to compare scheduled vs. actual time worked. However, each offers some unique, useful scheduling features.
Hubstaff includes late or missed shift notifications to manage day-to-day changes on the fly. Clockify, on the other hand, adds features like drag-and-drop scheduling. Despite their differences, they're both powerful tools for managing employee schedules.
Winner: Tie
“Clockify is a versatile tool as it offers customizable reports, integrations with tools like Asana and Trello, and team collaboration features.”
Automated payments
While Clockify allows you to use timesheets as a reference for payroll, it lacks a fully integrated payroll system. Hubstaff, on the other hand, streamlines payroll by sending payments directly with platforms like PayPal, Wise, and Payoneer without leaving the Hubstaff app.
Once you’ve set pay rates and approved timesheets, Hubstaff automatically processes payments based on the tracked time and sends funds straight to your employees’ accounts.
Winner: Hubstaff
Automatic invoicing
Both Clockify and Hubstaff allow you to create invoices based on tracked time. Hubstaff takes it further by letting you not only create invoices but also email them directly to clients and receive payments right from the app.
This added benefit helps create a seamless workflow, from tracking time to getting paid, without switching between apps, and elevates Hubstaff over Clockify when it comes to invoicing.
Winner: Hubstaff
Integration options
When it comes to integrations, Clockify offers a wider range with over 80 connections with popular communication, project management, accounting, and CRM tools.
While it offers fewer integrations than Clockify, Hubstaff connects with essential platforms like Slack, Asana, Salesforce, and PayPal to streamline workflows for specific business needs.
Both tools integrate with key systems, making either great for enhancing productivity and simplifying processes. However, Clockify comes out on top because with significantly more integrations.
Winner: Clockify
Ease of use
Clockify and Hubstaff deliver a smooth experience when it comes to time management and productivity tracking, but they approach it differently.
Clockify offers a feature-rich interface, presenting key features and data in a tabular format. It makes navigating through tasks and time entries straightforward and efficient for teams that need to assign tasks and manage productivity in one place.
Hubstaff, on the other hand, keeps things streamlined. Its minimalist timer app runs quietly in the background, while the web dashboard presents real-time insights in a clean format with drag-and-drop widgets. Everything feels lightweight and intentional, with less clutter and fewer distractions.
Both platforms are easy to get started on, and neither will leave you fighting the interface. Whether you prefer a more detailed dashboard or a stripped-down workflow, you'll be set either way.
Winner: Tie
Each month, Hubstaff tracks:
What Hubstaff customers say
“We work in a lot of different industries, so I can’t always know what’s a 45-minute task and what’s a four-hour task. With tools like Hubstaff, you can tell. You then decide if a whole project should’ve taken 16 hours or if someone is just not the right fit.”
OneIMS President and Founder
“We believe — just like Hubstaff — that talent is everywhere and people should be able to work any time, anywhere, even in their pajamas,” says Kothari. “As a company, we believe in the same future of work as Hubstaff, which is great because our values align.”
Co-founder at Tallyfy
Pricing: Hubstaff vs Clockify
Hubstaff Plans
Hubstaff offers robust time tracking features with flexible plans to meet business needs. Even the basic plans provide enough functionality for small teams, with the ability to track time, manage payments, and monitor activity levels.
Free plan. Includes time tracking, timesheets, activity levels, basic reports, and payments.
Starter ($7.00/user/month). Includes limited app and URL tracking, limited screenshots, and payment functionality.
Grow ($9.00/user/month). This includes tasks, project budgets, work breaks, idle timeouts, one integration, and more detailed reports.
Team ($12.00/user/month). Includes unlimited screenshots, app & URL tracking, payments and payroll, unlimited integrations, scheduling, timesheet approvals, and overtime tracking.
Enterprise ($25.00/user/month, billed annually). Provides enterprise-level features like higher API limits, single sign-on, and enterprise deployment. Hubstaff is also up to date with GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC-2 Type II compliance.
Despite the slightly higher pricing, Hubstaff's pricing plans are ideal for businesses that want to automate admin tasks like payroll and invoicing while gaining detailed productivity insights. See for yourself – start your free 14-day trial.
Clockify Plans
Clockify offers some of the most competitive pricing among time tracking apps, with one of the most generous free versions available. It covers a wide range of features even in its entry-level plans, making it a great tool for businesses that need time tracking without a steep cost.
Free plan. Includes basic time tracking, timesheets, project tracking, unlimited users, and reporting features.
Basic ($4.99/user/month). Adds administrative controls like bulk editing, time audits, and project templates.
Standard ($6.99/user/month). Includes invoicing, time off tracking, approvals, and attendance tracking.
Pro ($9.99/user/month). Adds scheduling, forecasting, labor cost tracking, multiple currencies, GPS tracking feature, and screenshots.
Enterprise ($14.99/user/month). Includes advanced security features like single sign-on, audit logs, and custom subdomains.
Productivity Suite ($15.99/user/month). Adds team communication and project management features on top of the Enterprise plan’s features.
Clockify is excellent for those starting out or small teams looking for flexible, cost-effective plans.
Hubstaff vs. Clockify: Deciding factors
Choosing between Hubstaff and Clockify comes down to what your team needs most in a time tracking platform — a simple way to track time or a more built-out time tracking tool to handle enterprise-grade workforce management operations like payroll and invoicing.
If you’re a small team or just getting started with time tracking software, Clockify makes a strong case. Its free plan is generous, and the interface is straightforward once you get the hang of it. For basic tracking, managing projects, and keeping an eye on team hours, it covers a lot of ground without costing a cent.
Hubstaff, on the other hand, is built for teams that want to take things a step further. Features like built-in payroll, automated invoicing, and detailed productivity reporting can help reduce manual work and make things more efficient. These features stand out if your team is growing or you're managing remote workers across different roles and schedules.
In the end, both tools are solid, and they’re easy to try. Each offers a free trial, and getting set up doesn’t take long. The best move is to test them both in your workflow to see which one clicks with your team and best meets your day-to-day needs.
Versatile time tracking for increased productivity
Try Hubstaff free and discover why it’s the ultimate, all-around choice for smart businesses.