Most time trackers can tell you a person worked eight hours. They can’t tell you whether those hours went into the right project, which apps ate up the day, or whether the person was actually active at the keyboard.
That gap is why more businesses are moving toward tools that combine time tracking with employee monitoring, rather than treating them as separate systems.
With the right platform, you get work hours, screenshots, app and website usage, activity levels, idle time, project breakdowns, and reports - all from one dashboard, instead of stitching together data from two or three tools.
This matters most for remote teams, agencies, BPOs, and companies managing contractors, where visibility into how time is actually spent is just as important as the total hours logged.
Not every tool strikes the same balance, though. Some lean harder into time tracking, others into deeper monitoring or security controls. Below, we compare the best options for 2026.
Quick Answer
Apploye is the best remote employee monitoring software that combines time tracking and monitoring in one platform, offering screenshots, activity tracking, idle time detection, and project-based reporting.
The Starter plan is free for up to 10 users, while the Elite plan starts at $4.50 per user/month when billed annually. Higher plans add more advanced monitoring, screenshots, instant screenshots, API access, and enterprise features.
We’ll look at Apploye and other popular options, including Hubstaff, Time Doctor, DeskTime, Insightful, and Monitask, to see how they differ in monitoring, time tracking, pricing, and overall value.
Before looking at each tool, there are a few things you should check.
How to Choose Employee Monitoring Software With Time Tracking?
Choosing this type of software isn’t only about finding the lowest price. You also need to understand what the software tracks, how it tracks, and whether the information is actually useful.
Here are the main things we’d look at.
Check how time is tracked
See whether employees can track time automatically or manually. Also check whether the platform supports desktop apps, mobile apps, browser tracking, or all three.
See what monitoring data is included
Screenshots, apps, URLs, idle time, activity levels, and productivity reports all tell you something different. Make sure the tool gives you the data you actually need.
Connect time with projects
For agencies, this is especially important. You should be able to see how many hours were spent on a particular client, project, or task.
Check screenshot controls
Not every team needs screenshots every few minutes. Look for settings that let you control screenshot frequency and decide where monitoring applies.
Don’t treat activity as performance
Activity data can be useful, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Someone can have low keyboard activity while doing valuable work such as research, meetings, design, or planning.
Look for payroll and invoicing
If you pay employees based on tracked hours or bill clients for those hours, built-in payroll and invoicing can save a lot of manual work.
Calculate the real cost
Look beyond the starting price. Screenshots, screen recording, advanced reports, and other features may cost extra.
Think about privacy
Before monitoring employees, understand what information is collected and what rules apply where your business operates.
6 Best Employee Monitoring Tools That Combine Time Tracking and Monitoring
There are many employee monitoring tools available today, but they don’t all solve the same problem.
Some are designed mainly for time tracking. Others focus on productivity analytics. A few go much deeper into security and employee activity. Here are the six platforms we’d consider.
1. Apploye: Best Overall for Time Tracking + Employee Monitoring
Apploye is our top choice for teams that want employee monitoring and time tracking together. The biggest advantage is that you don’t have to manage them as two separate systems.
Employees can track their working hours while managers can also see screenshots, app usage, website activity, idle periods, activity levels, and real-time work status.
Apploye also connects this information with projects, tasks, timesheets, payroll, client invoicing, and reports. That makes it especially useful for agencies and service businesses.
For example, imagine an employee tracks eight hours for a client project.
You can see the total time, the project and task, the applications used, website activity, activity levels, and screenshots when you need more context.
You don’t have to switch between several different platforms to put the information together.
Another useful point is that Apploye doesn’t record the actual characters employees type. Its activity tracking uses keyboard and mouse interaction to measure activity. It doesn’t work as a traditional keystroke logger.
The free Starter plan is another reason smaller teams may want to try Apploye, as their free employee monitoring software is free forever for up to 10 users.
The free plan includes core time tracking, basic screenshots, limited app and URL tracking, activity analytics, timesheets, attendance and leave tracking, and projects.
That gives small teams a practical way to test the platform before moving to a paid plan.
What It Is Ideal For
Remote agencies, BPOs, outsourcing companies, contractors, and distributed teams that want time tracking and employee monitoring in one platform.
You’ll Love About Apploye:
- Time Tracking: Track working hours across projects and tasks.
- Screenshot Monitoring: Capture screenshots during tracked work.
- App & URL Tracking: See which applications and websites are being used.
- Activity Analytics: Understand active and inactive work periods.
- Real-Time Activity: See who is currently tracking time.
- Productivity Monitoring: Review activity and productivity patterns.
- Projects & Tasks: Connect tracked hours to actual work.
- Timesheets: Review and approve employee time.
- Payroll: Use tracked work data for payroll.
- Client Invoicing: Turn billable hours into client invoices.
- Reports: Review and export time and activity information.
- Screen Recording: Add continuous screen recording when needed.
- Integrations: Connect Apploye with other business workflows.
Apploye Pricing
- Starter: Free forever for up to 10 users. Includes time tracking, basic screenshots, activity analytics, limited app and URL tracking, timesheets, attendance, and projects.
- Elite: $4.50/user/month when billed annually, $6 quarterly, or $7 monthly. Adds full monitoring, screenshots, app and URL tracking, reports, payroll, invoicing, and integrations.
- Power: $8/user/month when billed annually. Adds up to 60 screenshots per hour, instant screenshots, API access, and advanced monitoring.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing with features such as SSO, account provisioning, BAA, higher API limits, guided onboarding, dedicated support, and deployment options.
Positives About It:
- Time tracking and monitoring are available in one platform.
- The free plan supports up to 10 users.
- Screenshots, apps, URLs, and activity data work together.
- Projects and tasks give monitoring data more context.
- Payroll and client invoicing are built into the platform.
- The starting paid price is relatively low.
- It works well for agencies and outsourced teams.
- You can expand into more advanced monitoring as your team grows.
Negatives:
- Some advanced monitoring features require higher plans or add-ons.
- Productivity data should still be viewed alongside actual work results.
2. Hubstaff: Best for Time Tracking and Workforce Management
Hubstaff is a well-known time tracking platform that also includes employee monitoring features. The platform can combine tracked time with screenshots, activity levels, app and URL usage, projects, tasks, clients, invoices, and workforce management.
This makes it useful for companies where time tracking is the main priority. Hubstaff can also show how much time employees spend on different applications and websites while their timers are running.
Another advantage is its support for different operating systems and devices. For businesses already using time tracking for projects and client work, Hubstaff can be a practical choice.
3. Time Doctor: Best for Detailed Productivity Monitoring
Time Doctor puts a strong focus on remote workforce visibility. It combines time tracking with screenshots, projects, tasks, app and website usage, productivity reports, attendance, payroll, and workforce analytics.
One of its main strengths is the amount of productivity information available. Managers can use the platform to understand how employees spend their working hours and how that time is distributed across projects and activities.
Higher plans add more advanced monitoring and reporting features. This makes Time Doctor useful for companies that need more than basic time tracking.
4. DeskTime: Best for Automatic Time and Productivity Tracking
DeskTime takes a more automatic approach to time tracking. The software can automatically record applications and websites used during working hours. It then turns that information into time and productivity data.
This is useful for teams that don’t want employees entering every activity manually.
DeskTime also offers idle-time tracking, project tracking, productivity calculations, screenshots on eligible plans, scheduling, attendance, and reporting.
The setup is relatively straightforward. If your main goal is to understand where working hours are going, DeskTime is worth considering.
5. Insightful: Best for Workforce Analytics
Insightful takes a workforce analytics approach to employee monitoring. The platform combines activity tracking with real-time visibility, screenshots, application and website usage, active and idle time, engagement data, and productive-time analysis.
This makes it useful for companies that want to understand workforce trends rather than simply check individual working hours.
Plus, Insightful can help managers see how teams are spending time and identify broader patterns across the organization. Its Workforce Analytics plan starts at $8 per seat/month when billed annually. Higher plans add more workflow and analytics capabilities.
Additional monitoring features, such as screen recording and higher screenshot frequency, can also be available as add-ons.
6. Monitask: Best Simple Monitoring + Time Tracking Combination
Monitask keeps things simple. The platform combines time tracking, screenshots, activity monitoring, projects, reports, and employee productivity information.
For a small remote team, that may be all you need. You don’t always need a large workforce analytics system.
If the main questions are “How much time was tracked?” and “What happened during those hours?”, a simpler tool can be easier to manage.
Monitask’s higher plans add features such as website and app monitoring, integrations, team management, employee scorecards, and task management.
But, Which One Should You Choose?
If your main goal is to find employee monitoring software that also handles time tracking, we’d put Apploye first for most teams.
Well, the reason is simple.
Apploye doesn’t treat monitoring and time tracking as two separate jobs.
You can track employee hours, connect them with projects and tasks, review screenshots, see application and website usage, check activity levels, monitor idle time, approve timesheets, manage payroll, and create client invoices from one platform.
That’s particularly useful for agencies. Suppose an employee records eight hours for a client.
With Apploye, you can see those hours alongside the project, tasks, activity data, applications, websites, and screenshots. You get much more context than a basic timesheet can provide.
Price is another advantage. The Starter plan is free forever for up to 10 users, while Elite starts at $4.50 per user/month when billed annually.
However, Hubstaff is a strong choice when time tracking, projects, payments, and workforce management are your main priorities.
Time Doctor is better suited to teams that want deeper productivity reporting and workforce insights.
But if you want time tracking + screenshots + app and URL monitoring + activity tracking + projects + payroll + client invoicing, Apploye offers one of the most complete combinations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why combine time tracking and employee monitoring?
Time tracking tells you how many hours were recorded. It doesn’t always explain what happened during those hours.
Monitoring can add more context through screenshots, apps, websites, activity levels, and project information. Keeping both in one system can also save managers from switching between several tools.
Which employee monitoring software also tracks time?
Several platforms offer both features.
Some popular examples include Apploye, Hubstaff, Time Doctor, DeskTime, Insightful, Monitask, and Teramind.
The main difference is what each platform focuses on. Some prioritize time tracking. Others focus on productivity, workforce analytics, or security.
Does Apploye track employee time automatically?
Yes. Apploye supports automatic time tracking through its desktop and mobile applications. It also supports manual time entries and timesheets.
Does Apploye take screenshots?
Yes. Apploye can capture screenshots during tracked work time. The Starter plan includes basic screenshot monitoring, while higher plans offer more frequent screenshots. Elite supports up to 18 screenshots per hour, and Power supports up to 60 screenshots per hour.
Does Apploye monitor apps and websites?
Yes. Apploye can track application and website usage during tracked work time. The free Starter plan has limited app and URL tracking, while paid plans offer more extensive tracking.
Does Apploye record keystrokes?
No. Apploye uses keyboard and mouse activity to calculate activity levels, but it does not record the actual characters employees type.
Final Note
The best employee monitoring software isn’t the one that collects the most data - it’s the one that gives you useful information without making your workflow harder. That’s why combining time tracking with monitoring is valuable for remote teams.
Apploye is our overall pick because it brings both sides together: time tracking, screenshots, app and URL monitoring, activity analytics, projects, tasks, timesheets, reporting, payroll, and client invoicing, all in one platform. Its free Starter plan supports up to 10 users, and paid plans start at $4.50 per user/month billed annually.
Hubstaff suits teams that mainly need time tracking and workforce management. Time Doctor works better for detailed productivity reporting.
But if you’re running a remote agency, BPO, or distributed team and want a tool that answers both “How much time did they work?” and “What happened during that time?” - Apploye is a strong place to start.
