Hubstaff

Track opt-in work time without screenshots, keystrokes, or hidden monitoring

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price $7/mo per seatsubscription / year $84estimated build time closest consolation build: one sittingreplaced by 0 people

A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Hubstaff, track opt-in work time without screenshots, keystrokes, or hidden monitoring. The hard boundary is workforce tracking, payroll, gps, scheduling, reports, and compliance operations, plus ubiquitous capture, coaching, and team workflow.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • workforce tracking, payroll, GPS, scheduling, reports, and compliance operations
  • cross-device history
  • team timesheets and payroll
  • behavioral datasets
  • blocking across every platform

Why people still pay

People still pay for Hubstaff because the timer is simple, but people pay for frictionless capture and a history they trust enough to invoice or change habits from. The recurring cost buys idle detection, permissions, app metadata, privacy, notifications, sync, reports, integrations, and backups, not just the visible interface.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • desktop OS
  • notification permission
  • optional accessibility permission for app-name tracking
  • local SQLite
01
Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, and optional OS accessibility APIs.
02
Model the inputs, state transitions, and outputs named in this time tracking, focus and attention prompt; keep source IDs and timestamps.
03
Interface for this time tracking, focus and attention workflow: a desktop window with source import, a work list, and result export.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, and optional OS accessibility APIs. Model the inputs, state transitions, and outputs named in this time tracking, focus and attention prompt; keep source IDs and timestamps.

2

Phase 2, implement

Create one-click start and stop, manual entries, idle detection, tags, projects, and notes.

3

Phase 3, implement

Keep any application-name tracking opt-in and never record window contents or keystrokes.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Add Pomodoro-style focus sessions, break reminders, and an optional allowlist blocker. Export CSV and JSON and make the underlying event log inspectable.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

If notification permission is unavailable, keep the source record and show a recoverable error instead of a fabricated result. Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: An invalid input or interrupted operation must retain the source and show a recoverable state; exported records must reload with the same IDs. State the practical limit: workforce tracking, payroll, GPS, scheduling, reports, and compliance operations.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused time tracking, focus and attention workflow for the personal core of Hubstaff. Requirements:

- Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, and optional OS accessibility APIs. Model the inputs, state transitions, and outputs named in this time tracking, focus and attention prompt; keep source IDs and timestamps.
- Paid product context: Track opt-in work time without screenshots, keystrokes, or hidden monitoring. Build only this DIY scope: Track opt-in work time and focused sessions without screenshots, keystrokes, or hidden monitoring, review patterns locally, and export a transparent activity record.
- Create one-click start and stop, manual entries, idle detection, tags, projects, and notes.
- Keep any application-name tracking opt-in and never record window contents or keystrokes.
- Add Pomodoro-style focus sessions, break reminders, and an optional allowlist blocker. Export CSV and JSON and make the underlying event log inspectable. Add automatic local backups and a privacy screen explaining every collected field.
- Use a desktop window with source import, a work list, and result export. Required input or access: desktop OS; notification permission.
- Recovery: If notification permission is unavailable, keep the source record and show a recoverable error instead of a fabricated result.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: An invalid input or interrupted operation must retain the source and show a recoverable state; exported records must reload with the same IDs.
- Out of scope: workforce tracking, payroll, GPS, scheduling, reports, and compliance operations; cross-device history. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

share on X ↗

Alternatives to building your own

Super ProductivityProjects, timesheets, reports and break reminders live in one local app; no manager surveillance dashboard attached.21kaug 2026open source↗solidtimeModern multi-user timers, clients and billable rates in one Compose stack; the desktop apps are still beta.8.8kjul 2026open source↗KimaiTimesheets, rates, reports and invoices are all there; approvals need its free plugin and the server still needs an adult.4.9kaug 2026open source↗

all 8 free alternatives to Hubstaff →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

Hubstaff pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
free$0/user$0/user1 owner seat; 100 screenshots/user/month; 500 to-dos; 3 clients; no scheduled reports; 1 free organization/account.Permanent free plan documented in Hubstaff's official plan guide; separate from the 14-day paid-plan trial.
small business essentials—$123 paid seats + the owner free (4 members total); 3 clients; unlimited screenshots and app/URL tracking; no add-ons.$144/year paid upfront; annual only; offered to qualifying new small organizations.
starter$7/user$4.99/user2-seat minimum; 500 screenshots/user/month; 500 apps + 500 URLs/user/month; 500 to-dos; 5 clients.
grow$9/user$7.50/user2-seat minimum; 1,500 screenshots, 1,500 apps, and 1,500 URLs/user/month; 1,500 to-dos; unlimited clients; 1 integration.
team$12/user$10/user2-seat minimum; unlimited screenshots, app/URL tracking, and integrations; scheduling, approvals, payroll, and workforce analytics.
enterprise—$25/user2-seat minimum; enterprise deployment, SSO, SCIM, HIPAA/SOC 2 controls, concierge setup, and 2-hour email support SLA.Annual only on the public rate card.

free tier1 owner seat; 100 screenshots/user/month; 500 to-dos; 3 clients; no scheduled reports; 1 free organization/account.

billingFree plan + annual-only $144 Small Business Essentials + paid per-seat plans with monthly, quarterly, or annual billing; Enterprise annual only; 14-day paid-plan trial

hidden costsPaid per-seat plans have a 2-seat minimum; everyone except Project Viewers counts, including owners, managers, inactive users, and users with tracking disabled. Add-ons start at $2.50/seat/month for Insights, $2.50 for Tasks, $1.67 for data retention, $2.50 for more screenshots, $3.33 for Locations, and $2.50 for Silent App. Monthly added seats are charged for the full cycle; quarterly/annual additions are prorated; removed seats receive no credit or refund. VIP support can add $29 or $99/organization/month.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Hubstaff

Can you build your own Hubstaff with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Hubstaff, track opt-in work time without screenshots, keystrokes, or hidden monitoring. The hard boundary is workforce tracking, payroll, gps, scheduling, reports, and compliance operations, plus ubiquitous capture, coaching, and team workflow.

What does the Hubstaff build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Track opt-in work time and focused sessions without screenshots, keystrokes, or hidden monitoring, review patterns locally, and export a transparent activity record. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: workforce tracking, payroll, GPS, scheduling, reports, and compliance operations; cross-device history; team timesheets and payroll. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Hubstaff prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Hubstaff project take?

The catalogue estimate is closest consolation build: one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Hubstaff?

workforce tracking, payroll, GPS, scheduling, reports, and compliance operations; cross-device history; team timesheets and payroll; behavioral datasets; blocking across every platform. People still pay for Hubstaff because the timer is simple, but people pay for frictionless capture and a history they trust enough to invoice or change habits from. The recurring cost buys idle detection, permissions, app metadata, privacy, notifications, sync, reports, integrations, and backups, not just the visible interface.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Starter plan is $7/mo per seat (monthly per seat), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building Hubstaff?

Super Productivity: Projects, timesheets, reports and break reminders live in one local app; no manager surveillance dashboard attached. solidtime: Modern multi-user timers, clients and billable rates in one Compose stack; the desktop apps are still beta. Kimai: Timesheets, rates, reports and invoices are all there; approvals need its free plugin and the server still needs an adult. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/hubstaff/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

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