Time tracking comparison, checked July 2026
BusinessHRM vs Hubstaff
A great timer. But your team needs more than a timer.
10 of 10 areas in the table, native on one platform
2 native, 4 with limits, 4 not native
Free forever for unlimited users. No credit card required.
The short answer
Hubstaff is a time-tracking and productivity-monitoring platform that turns tracked hours into timesheets, invoices, and team payouts. BusinessHRM covers the core tracking, with a desktop app for Windows, and adds native HR, attendance, payroll, projects, CRM, and invoicing in one platform.
Our verdict
Choose Hubstaff if tracking time and paying people from it is the whole job, especially on macOS or Linux desktops or with GPS geofencing. Choose BusinessHRM if those hours also need to reach HR records, leave, payroll, projects, a CRM and client invoices without another subscription.
Best fit for BusinessHRM
Teams that started with Hubstaff for monitoring and now juggle separate HR, payroll, and invoicing subscriptions to actually run the company.
How to read this page
The table covers the areas an all-in-one platform is built for, so it naturally favours breadth. Where Hubstaff is the stronger product, we say so first. Checked against Hubstaff's public documentation in July 2026.
Hubstaff is genuinely strong at what it does: automatic time tracking, optional screenshots, activity levels, and GPS for field teams. The gap is everything that happens around the timer. HR records, leave, payroll processing, CRM, and a real client-billing system still live in other tools you pay for and stitch together. BusinessHRM keeps the tracking you came for and adds the rest of the business around it.
Where Hubstaff is strong
Excellent automatic time tracking
Cross-platform apps with automatic timers, optional and blurable screenshots, app and URL logs, idle detection, and activity levels that never log keystroke content.
Strong field and GPS features
GPS tracking with geofencing for automatic job-site clock-in and out, which is genuinely useful for mobile crews, not just desk workers.
Time-to-payment workflow
Approved hours feed pay-rate calculations and payouts through providers like Wise, PayPal, and Payoneer, and convert into client invoices.
Where Hubstaff stops
No native HR system
There are no employee records, documents, or onboarding. You still need a separate HRIS for the people side.
Not a full payroll processor
Hubstaff calculates pay and schedules payouts, but tax filing and statutory compliance are handled by a connected provider like Gusto or Deel.
No CRM or helpdesk
Sales pipeline and customer support exist only through third-party integrations, so those tools stay on your bill.
Side by side, area by area
Native, out-of-the-box capability only. Anything that needs a higher tier, an add-on or a separate product is named.
| Capability | BusinessHRM | Hubstaff |
|---|---|---|
| Time tracking & timesheets | Yes, native | Yes, native |
| Screenshots & activity levels | Yes, native | Yes, native |
| HR records & documents | Yes, native | Not native |
| Attendance, shifts & leave | Yes, native | Higher tiers |
| Payroll | Yes, native | Payouts only |
| Projects, tasks & Gantt | Yes, native | Basic |
| CRM & sales pipeline | Yes, native | Not native |
| Invoicing & online payments | Yes, native | Basic |
| Helpdesk & tickets | Yes, native | Not native |
| One platform, one login, one bill | Yes, native | Not native |
Based on publicly documented features, checked July 2026. Plans and add-ons change, so confirm current details on Hubstaff's own site before you decide.
Which one fits your team
Choose Hubstaff when
- Your team works on macOS or Linux desktops and needs a desktop tracker there. The BusinessHRM tracker is Windows only today.
- Field crews need GPS geofencing that clocks them in and out automatically at a job site.
- You pay contractors through Wise, PayPal or Payoneer and want payouts run from the time tracker.
Choose BusinessHRM when
- You also pay for a separate HR system, project tool, CRM or invoicing app, and want one login instead.
- You want employee records, leave balances and payroll on the same record as the tracked hours.
- You want to start on a free plan for unlimited users and add paid features later.
Why teams move from Hubstaff
Stop stitching tools together
Tracked hours flow straight into payroll and invoices instead of being exported to another app.
One bill instead of five
Replace Hubstaff plus your HR, projects, and invoicing tools with a single per-seat price.
Consent-first by design
Tracking only runs once the employee starts it, they see what is recorded, and they keep or discard their own idle time.
How Hubstaff charges
Hubstaff is priced per user, per month across several tiers, with a small seat minimum and a discount for annual billing. Some capabilities, like higher screenshot limits, GPS, and tasks, sit on upper tiers or as paid add-ons. Prices change, so confirm current figures on hubstaff.com before you decide.
BusinessHRM publishes its prices: Starter is free for unlimited users, Growth is $2 per user per month, and every core module is on every plan.
See BusinessHRM pricingTest it against Hubstaff
Set up a free workspace, bring one team across and compare the two with real work, not a feature list.
How to move over from Hubstaff
No big-bang migration. Run them in parallel until the numbers agree, then decide.
- 1
Day one
Start a free workspace
Sign up with an email address. The Starter plan is free for unlimited users, so the whole team can join before you commit to anything.
- 2
First week
Bring your data across from Hubstaff
Export your member and project lists from Hubstaff. We help you import people, projects and clients, and you keep your Hubstaff reports as the record of past periods.
- 3
First week
Install Team Tracker on Windows PCs
Set the screenshot interval and idle rules per team, then let each person start the tracker themselves. Teammates on macOS or Linux use task timers in the web app.
- 4
First cycle
Run both for one pay period
Keep Hubstaff running for one pay period and compare the numbers side by side before you change anything for real.
- 5
When the numbers agree
Switch off what you no longer need
Cancel the subscriptions BusinessHRM now covers. Your data stays exportable to CSV or PDF, and reachable through the API.
BusinessHRM and Hubstaff: questions
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
Other comparisons
Is BusinessHRM time tracking as capable as Hubstaff?
For teams on Windows PCs, it covers the core: timers and timesheets, optional screenshots, activity levels, idle detection, and app and website logs. Hubstaff is ahead on platform coverage, with desktop apps beyond Windows, and on GPS geofencing for field crews. The BusinessHRM desktop tracker is Windows only today.
Does Hubstaff run payroll and file taxes?
No. Hubstaff calculates pay from tracked time and schedules payouts through providers like Wise, PayPal, or Gusto, but tax filing and statutory compliance are handled by that provider, not by Hubstaff. BusinessHRM includes payroll in the platform.
Does Hubstaff include a CRM or helpdesk?
No. Hubstaff relies on third-party integrations for CRM and support. BusinessHRM has both built in, next to the same client records.
Can I migrate from Hubstaff?
Yes. Our team helps you import people, projects and clients. Keep an export of your Hubstaff reports as the record of hours tracked before the switch.
Outgrowing Hubstaff? Move to one platform
Start free, bring one team across, and keep Hubstaff running until the numbers agree.
Free forever for unlimited users. No credit card required.