Employee Monitoring Software Comparison: 12 Tools (2026)
This page is the data behind the monitoring software review, laid out side by side so you can filter rather than read: twelve tools, fifteen criteria, pricing and minimums as published in October 2026, and a filter that removes anything that cannot run on your platforms, exceeds your price or lacks a feature you need. It does not rank. The review pages in this series rank for particular situations; this one exists so you can check their reasoning against the facts.
Three things the matrix cannot show: how a tool treats the employee in practice, which depends on configuration; how the entry price grows with add-ons, which the cards below list; and what it is like to administer, which is in each tool's card and in the verified reviews the evaluation drew on.
Filter the field
Set the platform you must support, the most you will pay per seat, whether on-premise is required, and which features are required or unwanted.
Entry price is the cheapest published plan per seat per month on annual billing in October 2026, before minimums and add-ons.
The 12 tools, alphabetically
One line each; the matrix and cards carry the detail.
- ActivTrak: the most useful data with the least intrusion.
- Controlio: recording and keystrokes at time-tracker prices.
- CurrentWare: control and reporting in one suite.
- DeskTime: the cheapest tool with scheduling built in.
- Hubstaff: time, screenshots, GPS and payroll in one product.
- Insightful: location-aware productivity analytics.
- Kickidler: live screen viewing at the lowest price.
- Monitask: quick, cheap and adjustable screenshots.
- Teramind: the deepest capture and the only real DLP here.
- Time Champ: attendance, shifts and monitoring from $3.90 a seat.
- Time Doctor: remote-team time tracking with work-life balance reporting.
- Veriato: behaviour-based risk scoring.
Comparison at a glance
Fifteen criteria. Yes means the capability exists on some plan, not that it is on by default or on the entry plan; the cards say which plan.
| Tool | Entry price per seat | Minimum seats | Platforms | Screenshots | Keystrokes | Screen video | Stealth agent | DLP or blocking | Attendance or shifts | GPS | Payroll | Free plan | On-premise | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 ActivTrak | $10 | None | Windows, macOS, Chromebook | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | 6 to 12 months on paid plans, 30 days free |
 Controlio | $6.67 | None | Windows, macOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Configurable; on-premise option |
 CurrentWare | $12 | None | Windows, macOS | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Held on your own server or the SaaS tenant |
 DeskTime | $6.42 | None | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Unlimited on paid plans |
 Hubstaff | $4.99 | 2 | Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook, iOS, Android | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Unlimited on paid plans |
 Insightful | $8 | None | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | 24 months standard |
 Kickidler | $2.75 | None | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Configurable; on-premise option |
 Monitask | $6.49 | None | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 month (Pro) to 2 months (Business); longer on Enterprise |
 Teramind | $14 | 5 | Windows (full); macOS and Linux with reduced features | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Configurable; on-premise and private cloud available |
 Time Champ | $3.9 | None | Windows, macOS, Linux; iOS and Android for GPS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Detailed activity 1 week on Professional; longer on Enterprise |
 Time Doctor | $6.7 | None | Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook, Android | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Up to 2 years on Premium |
 Veriato | $18 | 5 | Windows, macOS, Chromebook, Android | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Configurable; cloud or on-premise |
The tools in detail
ActivTrak
The most useful data with the least intrusionPlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Free covers three people with 30 days of history. Work Activity Tracking ($10) adds unlimited users, real-time visibility, break identification and app and website use. Workforce Management ($15) adds schedule adherence trends, offline meeting time and false-activity detection. Productivity Optimization ($17) adds organisation-wide productivity trends, utilisation and workload balance, capacity planning and AI coaching, with a year of retention. Workflow ($21) adds task discovery and recommendations. Extra history is $1 per worker per month per year, to three years.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. ActivTrak is the analytics-only column: no keystrokes, optional screenshots, a free tier, no Linux.
Where it falls short
- No Linux agent and no keystroke logging, so it cannot serve investigations
- The useful features sit on the $15 and $17 plans; the $10 plan is thin
- Data retention of 6 to 12 months unless you pay for more
Controlio
Recording and keystrokes at time-tracker pricesPlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Basic ($6.67) covers app and website tracking, productivity scoring, screenshots and reports. Advanced ($9.99) adds continuous screen recording, keystroke logging, file and USB tracking and alerts. Enterprise is quoted and includes on-premise deployment and volume discounts from 100 licences. Monthly billing is $7.99 and $11.99.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. Controlio is the budget recording column: screen video and keystrokes on Windows and Mac, cloud or on-premise, no Linux.
Where it falls short
- No Linux agent
- Continuous recording and keystrokes raise notice and consent obligations in several states
- Analytics are basic next to ActivTrak or Insightful
CurrentWare
Control and reporting in one suitePlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Each module is sold separately per user per month: BrowseReporter ($12) for activity reporting and optional screenshots, BrowseControl ($6) for web and application filtering, AccessPatrol ($12) for USB and peripheral control with DLP alerts, enPowerManager ($6) for power and logon schedules. The full suite is $20. Billing is annual, licences grow in blocks of five, and the minimum contract is about $1,440 a year.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. CurrentWare is the control column: blocking and USB policy alongside reporting, your server or theirs, annual minimum.
Where it falls short
- Annual billing with a minimum around $1,440 a year
- Productivity analytics are simpler than the specialists'
- Suite pricing adds up if you only need reporting
DeskTime
The cheapest tool with scheduling built inPlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Lite is free for one user with basic automatic tracking. Pro ($6.42 annual, $7 monthly) adds URL and app tracking, productivity calculation, document title tracking, project tracking, offline time and calendar integrations. Premium ($9.17 annual, $10 monthly) adds screenshots, shift scheduling, the absence calendar, integrations and API. Enterprise is quoted for 200-plus users and adds a custom API, an account manager and training.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. DeskTime is the lightest column: automatic tracking, private time, scheduling, screenshots only on Premium, free for one.
Where it falls short
- Screenshots only on Premium
- Productivity scoring is simple and needs tuning per role
- Reporting is lighter for large organisations
Hubstaff
Time, screenshots, GPS and payroll in one productPlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Starter ($4.99) covers time tracking, timesheets, limited screenshots and activity, with a two-seat minimum. Grow ($7.50) adds projects, budgets, reports and integrations. Team ($10) adds unlimited screenshots, app and URL tracking, payroll, scheduling, idle timeouts and expenses. Enterprise ($25, annual only) adds SSO, higher limits, account provisioning and a dedicated manager. Monthly billing is $7, $9 and $12 for the first three.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. Hubstaff is the broadest platform column: every operating system plus mobile, GPS and payroll, moderate capture, two-seat minimum.
Where it falls short
- Activity percentages reward mouse movement, not work, and people know it
- Two-seat minimum and add-ons on the lower plans
- Monitoring depth is modest by design; not a security tool
Insightful
Location-aware productivity analyticsPlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Workforce Analytics ($8) covers real-time overview, app and website use, screenshots, capacity analysis and online support. Workflow Optimization ($12, in beta) adds workflow mapping and project management integrations. Both together cost $16 and add work location insights, payroll and a dedicated manager. Enterprise is quoted and adds team utilisation, insider threat detection, audit logs and SSO. Add-ons are $4 each for Workspace Security, on-demand screenshots and screen recording, and $0.50 for data warehouse integration.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. Insightful is the location-aware analytics column: utilisation, work location, 24-month retention, recording as an add-on.
Where it falls short
- Screen recording and on-demand screenshots are $4 add-ons each
- Workflow Optimization is still in beta
- On-premise needs 250 employees
Kickidler
Live screen viewing at the lowest pricePlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Time Tracking (from about $2.75 depending on term) covers activity and productivity analysis, time tracking and an employee self-monitoring view. Employee Monitoring (from about $5.50) adds live screen viewing, video recording, keystroke logging, violation detection and remote control. Both are sold monthly, annually, for longer terms and as lifetime licences, and the price falls steeply with the term; confirm the figure for your region in writing.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. Kickidler is the lowest-price column on a long licence: live viewing, video and keystrokes, cloud or on-premise.
Where it falls short
- Live viewing and remote control are intrusive and unlawful without notice in several states
- Interface and documentation lag the premium products
- Pricing varies by term and region; confirm in writing
Monitask
Quick, cheap and adjustable screenshotsPlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Pro ($6.49) covers time tracking, screenshots, activity, one integration and one month of data. Business ($8.99) adds website and app monitoring, team and task management, unlimited integrations and two months of data. Business Premium ($12.99) adds full URL and search query tracking, document access monitoring and location. Enterprise is quoted for 100-plus and adds longer retention, audit logs and custom reporting. Monthly billing is $7.99, $10.99 and $15.99.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. Monitask is the small-team billing column: adjustable screenshots, payroll exports, short retention.
Where it falls short
- Data kept for only one or two months on the main plans
- Website and app tracking only from the Business plan
- Not built for large organisations
Teramind
The deepest capture and the only real DLP herePlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Starter ($14) covers activity monitoring, screen recording, app and website tracking and basic rules. UAM ($28) adds keystroke logging, OCR, email and chat capture, printing and file tracking and the full behaviour rules engine. DLP ($32) adds content classification, data exfiltration controls and compliance templates. Enterprise is quoted. All plans carry a five-seat minimum; monthly billing is $15, $30 and $35.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. Teramind is the security column: everything captured, rules that block, DLP, five-seat minimum, highest entry price.
Where it falls short
- Five-seat minimum and the highest entry price here
- Mac and Linux agents lack many Windows features
- Capable of collecting far more than most employers should; needs policy discipline
Time Champ
Attendance, shifts and monitoring from $3.90 a seatPlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Starter ($3.90) covers automatic attendance, app and website tracking with productivity classification, timesheets, offline tracking and time zone support for up to two teams. Professional ($6.90) adds silent tracking, configurable idle timeout, screenshots at a set frequency, late reports, productivity and app reports, multiple shifts, manager hierarchies and up to ten teams. Enterprise ($13.90) adds live screen video, real-time statuses and alerts, suspicious activity detection, screenshot blurring, custom reports, Azure SSO and up to fifty teams. Screen recording, keylogger, project management, HR and DLP are add-ons on Professional and above.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. Time Champ is the attendance-plus-monitoring column: the lowest full-plan price, configurable capture, add-ons for recording and DLP, short history below Enterprise.
Where it falls short
- Detailed activity history is short on Professional; longer history means Enterprise
- Screen recording, keylogging and DLP are paid add-ons
- A younger vendor with a smaller review base than the leaders
Time Doctor
Remote-team time tracking with work-life balance reportingPlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. Basic ($6.70) covers automatic tracking, screenshots, timeline reporting, offline sync and projects. Standard ($11.70) adds web and app use, attendance, leave and breaks, payroll, the Office versus Remote report and 60-plus integrations. Premium ($16.70) adds screen video, advanced AI reporting, connectivity tracking, executive dashboards, two years of history and a dedicated success manager. Enterprise is quoted and adds private deployment. Monthly billing is $8, $14 and $20.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. Time Doctor is the remote-team column: payroll, integrations, work-life balance and Office versus Remote reporting from the Standard plan.
Where it falls short
- Integrations and payroll start at the $11.70 Standard plan
- Screenshots and activity scoring draw the usual objections from staff
- Interface shows its age in places
Veriato
Behaviour-based risk scoringPlans and add-ons
Plan ladder. User Activity Monitoring ($18, five-user minimum) covers email, chat, web, application, screenshot, login, idle, file, network and keystroke capture, productivity scoring, unlimited alerting and recording policies. Insider Risk Management is quoted with a twenty-user minimum and adds the risk dashboard, user and group risk scoring, behaviour baselining and sentiment analysis. Cloud or on-premise; volume discounts apply.
In one line
See the matrix above for the feature-by-feature position. Veriato is the insider risk column: behaviour scoring and comprehensive capture, five-user minimum, security buyers only.
Where it falls short
- Five-user minimum and $18 a seat; the risk tier is quote-only with a 20-user floor
- Overkill for a productivity question
- No Linux agent
How to read the matrix
Start by crossing out. A missing platform, a seat minimum above your team, or an entry price above your ceiling removes a tool regardless of its other merits; the filter does this. Then decide which capabilities you need absent as well as present: a company that wants analytics without the possibility of keystroke capture should prefer the tools that cannot do it (ActivTrak, Hubstaff, DeskTime, Insightful, Monitask, Time Doctor, CurrentWare) over the tools that can but are switched off. Then read the retention column, which is the one buyers forget and the one that decides whether the tool can answer a question six months later. Only then compare the yeses.
Price per seat at 10, 25 and 100 people
| Tool and entry plan | 10 people | 25 people | 100 people | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kickidler Time Tracking (approx. $2.75) | $27.50 | $68.75 | $275 | Varies by term; lifetime licences lower it further |
| Time Champ Starter ($3.90) | $39.00 | $97.50 | $390 | Professional at $6.90 is the plan with screenshots |
| Hubstaff Starter ($4.99) | $49.90 | $124.75 | $499 | Two-seat minimum |
| DeskTime Pro ($6.42) | $64.20 | $160.50 | $642 | Screenshots on Premium at $9.17 |
| Monitask Pro ($6.49) | $64.90 | $162.25 | $649 | Website tracking on Business at $8.99 |
| Controlio Basic ($6.67) | $66.70 | $166.75 | $667 | Enterprise by quote at scale |
| Time Doctor Basic ($6.70) | $67.00 | $167.50 | $670 | Most teams need Standard at $11.70 |
| Insightful Workforce Analytics ($8) | $80.00 | $200.00 | $800 | Recording $4 add-on |
| ActivTrak Work Activity Tracking ($10) | $100.00 | $250.00 | $1,000 | Free for 3; fuller plan $15 |
| CurrentWare BrowseReporter ($12) | $120.00 | $300.00 | $1,200 | Annual minimum about $1,440 |
| Teramind Starter ($14) | $140.00 | $350.00 | $1,400 | Five-seat minimum; UAM $28, DLP $32 |
| Veriato UAM ($18) | $180.00 | $450.00 | $1,800 | Five-user minimum |
Monthly totals on annual billing at the entry plan, October 2026 prices. The gap between the cheapest and the most expensive is roughly six to one at every size, and the gap between an entry plan and the plan most teams end up on is usually larger than the gap between vendors. The small business page has a calculator that applies the minimums at any headcount.
Three ways to shortlist
- By kind. Analytics (ActivTrak, Insightful, DeskTime), time trackers with monitoring (Hubstaff, Time Doctor, Monitask, Time Champ), security (Teramind, Veriato, Controlio, CurrentWare, Kickidler). Pick the kind, then compare within it.
- By situation. The review pages in this series do this: the remote teams page, the small business page and the hybrid teams page each rank a subset for one case.
- By what you refuse to collect. Decide the capture you will not do, remove every tool that cannot be configured without it or that sells it as the default, and compare what is left. This is the shortlisting method that produces a tool the team will accept; the ethical monitoring playbook explains why.
How these tools were evaluated
I evaluated each tool against the same checklist: what it captures and how configurable that is, which platforms it runs on, how it treats the employee (visible or silent agent, access to their own data, screenshot blurring and private time), what the published pricing is and what the minimum commitment really costs, how long data is kept, where it can be deployed, and what the vendor's own documentation and verified user reviews say about reliability and support. Pricing was taken from each vendor's pricing page in October 2026; where a vendor publishes no price, the page says so rather than guessing. Free plans and trials were used where they exist. I did not run a formal benchmark, and the page does not claim one.
Disclosure. I have done work for Time Champ. It appears here because it belongs in this category, it is held to the same criteria as every other product, its drawbacks are listed like everyone else's, and it bought no placement. There are no affiliate or vendor links on this page.
Key takeaways
- Twelve tools, fifteen criteria, no ranking; filter by platform, price, deployment and features before reading anything else.
- Yes in the matrix means the capability exists on some plan; the cards say which plan and what it adds.
- Entry prices run from about $2.75 to $18 per seat; the gap between an entry plan and the plan teams actually use is usually bigger than the gap between vendors.
- Read the retention column; it decides whether the tool can answer a question six months later.
- Shortlist by kind, by situation, or by what you refuse to collect.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare employee monitoring software?
Cross out first: platforms you need, seat minimums above your team, prices above your ceiling, deployment you cannot accept. Then decide which capabilities you need absent as well as present, check retention, and only then compare features. The filter and matrix on this page are built for that order.
What features should employee monitoring software have?
For most employers: application and website tracking, active and idle time, productivity classification by role, reporting by team, configurable or disabled screenshots, an employee self-view, and controllable retention. Keystroke logging, screen video and DLP are security features that most employers should not deploy by default. Attendance, GPS and payroll matter for hourly and field teams.
Which employee monitoring software is cheapest?
On entry plans in October 2026: Kickidler at roughly $2.75 per seat on a long-term licence, Time Champ Starter at $3.90, Hubstaff Starter at $4.99, then DeskTime, Monitask, Controlio and Time Doctor between $6.42 and $6.70. ActivTrak is free for up to three people. Add-ons and the plan teams actually need change the order.
Which employee monitoring tools do not log keystrokes?
ActivTrak, Hubstaff, DeskTime, Insightful, Monitask, Time Doctor and CurrentWare do not offer keystroke logging. Teramind, Veriato, Controlio and Kickidler include it; Time Champ offers it as a paid add-on that is off unless bought.
Which employee monitoring software can be installed on-premise?
Teramind, Veriato, Controlio, CurrentWare and Kickidler offer on-premise deployment. Insightful offers it for organisations of 250 or more. ActivTrak, Hubstaff, DeskTime, Monitask, Time Champ and Time Doctor are cloud only.
Does the matrix show which plan includes each feature?
No; a yes means the capability exists on some plan or as an add-on. The cards below the matrix state which plan carries each feature and what the add-ons cost, and the price table shows what the entry plan costs at 10, 25 and 100 people.