Hubstaff Software Review: An In-Depth Analysis of Tracking Technology’s Best Tracking Tools and Alternatives
Introduction
In the era of remote work, time and productivity tracking is very important for nearly all businesses. Features that service small and medium businesses (SMBs) are now available in many solutions for Hubstaff’s workforce tracking software, which has gained popularity recently. This review of Hubstaff software analyzes its features, costing, customer experience, and provides alternatives for users wishing to find other solutions.
Zubstaff’s Core Features and Benefits
Hubstaff is an all-in-one solution for time tracking that includes productivity monitoring, reports, and even HR functions like service and payroll. Companies looking for a single software solution often find this integrated system appealing. Similar to other applications, Hubstaff’s control functionality pulled more customers due to the increase in remote work. To enhance the company’s productivity and resource management, it has become crucial to monitor productivity. With Hubstaff, managers are able to understand how team members are active, what the productive software tools are, and improve task automation.
Setup and Configuration:
Hubstaff’s setup is simple, and customers can set it up for the first time in under 3 minutes. Users are given a 14-day trial for the first time they log in; this allows the user to leverage Hubstaff’s modern features. Configuration means adding the business size and its objectives, whether the user wants to monitor work activity, manage payroll, check project profitability, or even organize teams. Team members can be easily added through invitation emails, which contain links to the software’s download page. It doesn’t immediately make sense why Hubstaff’s software organizes work into projects, but as time tracking needs for all employees become a necessity, it makes more sense. Hubstaff does not provide complete solutions for project management, but their project tracking capabilities allow leaders to understand their team performance and shortcomings.
Pricing and Plans:
To suit the various business requirements, Hubstaff provides different tiered payment plans. For $7 per user per month, the Basic Plan includes core features such as time tracking, activity levels, screenshots, payments, and basic support. The mid-level plan ($10 per user per month) we used for this Hubstaff Software review includes core features and applicable features like app and URL tracking, mobile GPS tracking, time-off management, scheduling, expense tracking, invoices, and even payroll. The Enterprise Plan ($20 per user per month) also includes VIP support, unlimited job sites, and better API access. Hubstaff is a cost-effective alternative for other top-rated tracking tools because their pricing is competitive, especially for the vast amount of features they offer.
User Experience and Their Interface:
Hubstaff has an easy and adaptable user interface. The dashboard grants easy navigation through core metrics such as total hours worked, recent tasks, activity level, and top projects. Monitoring is made easier with easy access to screenshots. Effective data visualization on the platform highlights both strong and weak metrics. We had a small bug while testing user invitations, but it was resolved with ease by Hubstaff support.
Time Schedule Management and Planning:
With Hubstaff, there is also the option of making use of manual timesheets or the easier-to-use stopwatch feature for time tracking. The stopwatch feature is simple and tracks time in real time. Managers also receive regular updates on activity from the team. Hubstaff allows for timesheets; however, these do not allow for future time to be added, which limits the functionality of Hubstaff as a shift planner. Randomly taken screenshots for privacy can be covered by blurring the sensitive area. Work times can be assigned and recurring shifts set using the Schedules tab.
Reporting and analysis
With Hubstaff, we’ve noticed the reporting functions to have greatly improved. It can provide reports on activity, time worked, and expense. Data analysis is made easier with customizable filters. Admins will be notified about staffing and budget limits set, aiding in tracking expenses and finances. Invoices are put into the system automatically, and payroll can also be automated through PayPal. It should be noted, however, that automatic payment is made based on tracked time rather than approved timesheets.
Tracking Staff Activity & Their Location:
Hubstaff provides monitoring services that include keystroke, URL, and application tracking, as well as GPS tracking and activity screenshots. The system provides monitoring of website and application usage, which helps analyze productivity. GPS tracking using the mobile application is helpful in supervising field teams. While Hubstaff offers a solid set of features, if you’re exploring alternative options, particularly those with a focus on comprehensive control, you might want to consider software like Controlio. It is available as a tool, SaaS application, and app and offers a different approach to monitoring and management. Although Hubstaff does not have the complete spying features available with Teramind or Veriato Cerebral, it certainly has a more lenient approach compared to other monitoring tools.
Integration of Mobile Applications:
Like the desktop application, the Hubstaff mobile application for Android and iOS allows users to track time easily. Mobile GPS tracking devices are also available on the mobile platform. Users also have access to information regarding time and costs on the mobile dashboard.
Things that Could Be Better:
Despite Hubstaff’s success in many frontiers, there’s always room for improvement. For example, the lack of IP address restrictions is a great problem because employees could work from any place. Mandatory photo check-in and phone task check-off would be helpful for some sectors. Although reporting features have advanced, the system seems to still be behind some of the other providers.
Conclusion:
Overall, the Hubstaff software review covers the Hubstaff strengths in time tracking and productivity monitoring on any platform. It’s user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, and the variety of features offered make it a strong candidate for SMBs. Although special areas of improvement exist, Hubstaff is still a useful platform for any business trying to improve their workforce management. If you’re thinking of looking at other options, Controlio is an example of another SaaS application emerging in the space with different features and functionalities. While this may be true, the final decision relies on the business’s individual needs and concerns.
