Hubstaff vs. LogWork: Which time tracking software best suits your business?
Whether you’re a massive global BPO firm, a small business owner, or somewhere in between, you need an affordable and scalable time tracking solution — but is it possible to have both?
Hubstaff and LogWork are both trusted time tracking and employee monitoring platforms, offering useful tools for managing remote, distributed, and on-site teams. However, there are some key differences:
Hubstaff is a comprehensive time tracking tool with built-in productivity monitoring, automated payroll, invoicing, and GPS tracking for mobile and distributed teams.
LogWork offers a simpler, user-friendly experience geared towards freelancers and small teams, featuring intuitive time and activity tracking.
In this comparison guide, we'll break down the key features, pricing, and use cases for Hubstaff and LogWork to help you determine which tool best suits your business needs. Let's dive in.
112,000+ businesses trust Hubstaff for time tracking
Quick table comparing Hubstaff and LogWork
| Category | Hubstaff | LogWork |
|---|---|---|
Starting Price | From $4.99/user/month (Starter). Billed annually. | From $3.99/user/month (Basic). Free plan available. |
Free Trial | 14-day free trial | Free plan with limited features |
Time Tracking | Project/task-based tracking via web, desktop & mobile apps. GPS tracking/geofencing for field teams. Detects idle time and prompts users. | Simple timer-based tracking with screenshots. No GPS tracking or geofencing available. |
Timesheets & Approvals | Automatically generates timesheets from tracked time. Managers can review, approve, reject, or adjust entries. Supports budgets, pay rates, and overtime. | Provides timesheet-style reports (exportable to PDF/Excel) but no approval workflow or payroll processing. |
Productivity Monitoring | Optional/configurable screenshots, app/URL usage, activity levels, and idle-time detection provide flexiblity and allow managers to gain visibility to the extent they see fit. | Monitoring-first: It takes random screenshots (plan-based limits), tracks app/web usage, and reports active vs. idle. Limited flexibility in configuring settings. |
Payments | Automated global payments via apps like PayPal, Wise, Deel, Payoneer, and Gusto. Supports multi-currency and automated recurring schedules. | No built-in payments or invoicing. Timesheets must be exported to other tools for payroll processing. |
Integrations | Broad native integrations with project management, payroll, CRM, and accounting platforms. Additional integrations available through Zapier. | Integrations via browser extensions and Zapier (3,000+). Wide reach but fewer direct/native connections. |
Reporting | Detailed reports on hours, activity, idle time, and budgets. Filter, export (PDF/CSV), and schedule reports. | Basic reports: time logs, screenshots, app/web usage. Exportable to PDF/Excel. |
Workforce Analytics | Advanced layer beyond reports: focus time, unusual activity detection, inefficiency trends, work classification, benchmarks. | No workforce analytics. Limited to daily activity tracking details and time reports. |
Best Fit | Growing businesses, distributed/global teams, agencies, and BPOs needing time tracking + payments + workforce analytics. | Freelancers or very small teams needing simple, low-cost tracking and screenshot monitoring. |
Key Feature Comparison
Time tracking features
Hubstaff: Provides detailed task-based time tracking with real-time data on hours worked, earnings, and more, directly from the dashboard. Your team can start tracking with one click from desktop or mobile apps to seamlessly generate automated timesheets that can be converted into in-app payments.
Ensure time tracking accuracy with customizable idle timeout settings, GPS tracking, and geofenced Job sites to automatically start or stop tracking as employees enter or leave the area.
LogWork: Delivers basic timer-based time tracking that’s intuitive for first-time users. Like Hubstaff, it includes simple one-click tracking and idle time detection but lacks GPS functionality, approvals, or deeper activity insights.
Comparison: Hubstaff provides flexible time tracking for remote, hybrid, and field teams — ideal for businesses that need accountability and automation. LogWork is a simpler solution for small teams that need straightforward tracking without more advanced features like GPS or timesheet approvals.
Timesheets and approvals
Hubstaff: Automatically generates accurate and detailed timesheets from tracked time, eliminating administrative work and errors associated with manual entry. Users can add notes, manual time entries, and submit for manager approval. Once approved, timesheets trigger in-app payments that can be sent out through popular payroll integrations.
LogWork: Provides colourful automated timesheets and the option to create and export timesheets in various formats (PDF/Excel). It doesn't include timesheet approval workflows or direct payroll processing capabilities like Hubstaff.
Comparison: Hubstaff and LogWork offer user-friendly time tracking, but with LogWork, you'll need to manually export timesheets to PDF and pay your team outside of the app.
Take Hubstaff for a Spin
Explore our Logwork alternative in this interactive demo covering time tracking, employee productivity, reporting, and more.
Productivity monitoring
Hubstaff: Hubstaff offers built-in productivity monitoring that prioritizes visibility without micromanagement. Users can customize settings to enable, disable, blur, or adjust the frequency of app and URL usage, activity levels, idle time, and screenshots. You can further configure this data with role-based permissions to tailor visibility and access for managers, clients, and specific job roles.
LogWork: Tracks apps and websites used, generates daily activity reports, and takes random screenshots (with limits based on plan). Some monitoring features are customizable, but it’s less adaptable and may feel intrusive for teams seeking a lighter-touch approach with deeper productivity analytics.
Comparison: Hubstaff offers a balanced and configurable approach to productivity monitoring for teams that want insights without over-surveillance. In contrast, LogWork has limited flexibility and productivity intelligence.
Payroll and invoicing
Hubstaff: Streamlines payroll processing for global teams with built-in payment features that allow you to send payments to multiple providers like PayPal, Wise, Deel, Payoneer, and Gusto from one central location. Multi-currency payments, recurring schedules, and client invoicing round out a versatile payment platform.
LogWork: There are no built-in payments or invoicing options available. LogWork generates timesheets with tracked hours that can be exported, but payroll and billing must be handled in external systems.
Comparison: Hubstaff offers comprehensive global payment options through trusted third-party providers, supports multi-currency transactions, and provides built-in client invoicing. In contrast, LogWork allows you to create timesheets, but requires external tools to manage and process payments.
Reporting features
Hubstaff: Hubstaff offers over 20 schedulable reports that give you visibility into your team's work patterns. You can choose from reports like Time & Activity, Payments, and Amounts Owed, apply custom filters, and email them directly from the app. From your fully customizable dashboard, you can also see real-time productivity data, hours worked, project spend, and more.
LogWork: LogWork also provides reporting features, focusing mainly on employee activity. However, businesses seeking more advanced reports covering billable hours, payments, or projects may be limited.
Comparison: Both Hubstaff and LogWork offer reporting features, but Hubstaff provides a wider variety of report types and customization options. LogWork instead focuses more on core activity tracking with basic reporting.
Workforce analytics
Hubstaff: Hubstaff goes far beyond basic time reporting with a comprehensive workforce analytics layer designed to help managers boost productivity without micromanaging. With the Hubstaff Insights add-on, you gain access to advanced productivity metrics, including focus time, work-time classifications, and time spent on core versus non-core tasks. You can track productive vs. unproductive apps and URLs, benchmark team activity levels, gauge overall team utilization, and uncover trends that signal burnout, bottlenecks, or coaching opportunities.
LogWork: LogWork lacks a dedicated workforce analytics system. Its functionality is limited to standard timesheet reports and basic activity tracking, offering only a surface-level view of how time is spent, with little support for deeper analysis or trend detection.
Comparison: If your team needs detailed insights into productivity patterns, workload balance, and operational inefficiencies, Hubstaff offers a robust analytics suite ideal for growing or distributed teams. LogWork is better suited for smaller teams that focus solely on daily time tracking and don't require deeper behavioral or workflow insights.
Integration capabilities
Hubstaff: Hubstaff offers a broad ecosystem of native integrations spanning project management (Asana, Trello, Jira), CRM (Salesforce, Zoho), accounting (QuickBooks, FreshBooks), payroll (Gusto, Payoneer), and communication tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams). You can also connect with Zapier for access to 3,000+ other apps. This makes it easy to integrate with your existing business workflows without requiring additional software applications. Hubstaff's API allows deeper automation and flexibility across platforms for custom setups.
LogWork: LogWork integrates with 70+ tools through browser extensions. Like Hubstaff, a Zapier integration provides access to thousands more. While these integrations offer decent coverage for everyday use cases, they rely heavily on third-party automation rather than native connections.
Comparison: Both tools offer broad integration capabilities, but the depth and reliability differ. Hubstaff provides stronger, native integrations that support complete business workflows for growing teams and larger businesses. LogWork has significantly more integrations, but may require more setup to achieve a broader workflow depth.
Each month, Hubstaff tracks:
What our 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 comparison
Hubstaff
Starter ($4.99/user/month/annual)
Time tracking and timesheets
App & URL tracking and limited screenshots
Clients and invoices
Basic payments and reports
Grow ($7.50/user/month/annual)
Reports and project budgets
Idle timeout and work breaks
Expenses tracking
Team ($10/user/month/annual)
Insights add-on (Trial)
Tasks add-on
Payments, payroll, and scheduling
Insights and team management
Overtime, time off, and holiday tracking
Enterprise ($25/user/month/annual)
Location tracking
Higher limits on public API
HIPAA and SOC-2 Type II Compliance
Single sign-on and the Hubstaff Corporate app
LogWork
Free
Unlimited time tracking
Unlimited users, projects, and clients
Up to 3 screenshots/hour
Basic ($3.99/user/month)
Up to 15 screenshots/hour
Application, activity, and web monitoring
Per-user settings
Premium ($5.99/user/month)
Up to 30 screenshots/hour
Enhanced application, activity, and web monitoring
Per-user settings
Ease of Use & Support
Hubstaff
While feature-rich, many reviews note that the UI is user-friendly, dashboards are intuitive, and there are onboarding guides, a knowledge base, and easily accessible support channels.
Support includes email, live chat, and, in higher tiers, dedicated support/account setup.
Because of its comprehensiveness, some users may experience a learning curve.
Hubstaff's structure (teams, permissions, compliance options) scales as teams grow, which tends to offset the added complexity.
"Hubstaff facilitates the management of technical projects, tracking time spent on specific tasks, and monitoring employee activity. It proves to be an efficient solution for managing our remote teams and in-office employees."
- Dennis M.
Head of Software Engineering
LogWork
Very lightweight by comparison, with easy-to-start tracking, minimal setup, simple dashboards, and limited configuration options.
Support is presumably more basic (help docs, email). LogWork does not appear to offer dedicated support tiers or an enterprise-level SLA at this time.
Because features are simpler, there's less to configure, which helps ease of use and constrains flexibility for more advanced workflows.
Best for (Who Should Use Each?)
Hubstaff:
Growing or distributed businesses (agencies, BPOs, remote-first teams) that need more than just raw time data (payroll automation, budgeting, scheduling, analytics, etc.).
Teams that expect to scale, or need compliance, SSO, security controls, or enterprise-level support.
Organizations that want to centralize time tracking, project billing, and financial operations (payroll/invoicing) in one tool.
LogWork:
LogWork is a great choice for freelancers or very small teams that want an affordable, low‑complexity time tracking and screenshot tool without heavy overhead.
Teams or users who don't require built-in payroll, advanced analytics, scheduling, or deep integration.
Situations where cost constraints are strong and simplicity is more important than sophistication.
Final Verdict: Hubstaff vs. LogWork
Hubstaff is an all-in-one time tracking software with built-in productivity tracking that gives leaders visibility without micromanagement. Beyond simple time and activity tracking, Hubtsaff offers a range of features designed to boost overall workforce productivity, like payroll integration, detailed reports, automated timesheets, project budgeting, GPS tracking, and more.
On the other hand, LogWork is primarily focused on tracking time and employee activity at a basic level. It offers basic time tracking with user-friendly tools at an affordable rate. However, it lacks the broader management and reporting features that Hubstaff provides.
If you’re looking for basic time tracking at an affordable price, LogWork is a great choice. However, if you need a versatile time tracker with a well-rounded feature set, Hubstaff is the perfect fit.
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