Lifetime licence. One payment, no renewals — your licence codes are emailed the moment payment clears, and every direct purchase carries a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Head to head

Hubstaff vs DeskTime: prices, screenshots and a third option

Two per-user subscriptions compared on published prices and features, with AirStaff alongside for anyone who would rather pay once.

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60-day money-back guarantee on every direct purchase.

The short answer

On published annual prices, Hubstaff is cheaper: Hubstaff Starter is $4.99 and DeskTime Premium is $9.17 per user per month. For 15 staff over three years that is $2,695 against $4,952. AirStaff covers 15 staff for $198, once, with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

$2,695: Hubstaff Starter, 15 staff, three years
$4,952: DeskTime Premium, 15 staff, three years
$198: AirStaff Tier 2, 15 staff, once

At a glance

At a glance. Competitor details from each vendor’s pricing page, checked 25 Sep 2026.
	Hubstaff	DeskTime	AirStaff
Pricing model	Per user, per month	Per user, per month	One payment (lifetime licence)
Cheapest paid plan	$4.99 per user per month	$6.42 per user per month	$99 once for 5 staff seats
Plan in our cost tables	Starter, $4.99	Premium, $9.17	Smallest tier that covers the team
Screenshots	Yes. Capped at 500 per user per month on Starter and 1,500 on Grow; unlimited on Team and Enterprise	Premium and Enterprise only — not on Pro	Included on every tier: detailed low-res by default, blurred at capture, or off; deleted after 60 days by default
Free plan	None listed	None listed	No free plan; live demo with no signup, and a 60-day money-back guarantee
Free trial	14-day free trial, no card required	14-day free trial	Live demo, no signup or card
Billing	Monthly or annual	Monthly or annual	One payment, nothing to renew
Lifetime option	None published	None published	Yes — the whole product is a lifetime licence

Cost for 5, 15 and 50 staff

One year. Hubstaff Starter and DeskTime Premium at published annual-billing prices, no add-ons; AirStaff paid once.
Team	Hubstaff	DeskTime	AirStaff
5 staff	$299	$550	$99
15 staff	$898	$1,651	$198
50 staff	$2,994	$5,502	$396

3 years. Hubstaff Starter and DeskTime Premium at published annual-billing prices, no add-ons; AirStaff paid once.
Team	Hubstaff	DeskTime	AirStaff
5 staff	$898	$1,651	$99
15 staff	$2,695	$4,952	$198
50 staff	$8,982	$16,506	$396

5 years. Hubstaff Starter and DeskTime Premium at published annual-billing prices, no add-ons; AirStaff paid once.
Team	Hubstaff	DeskTime	AirStaff
5 staff	$1,497	$2,751	$99
15 staff	$4,491	$8,253	$198
50 staff	$14,970	$27,510	$396

Which one to pick

Choose Hubstaff if

GPS, geofences and job sites through its Locations add-on, for field and mobile staff
Client invoicing from Starter, and payroll on the Team plan
Project budgets from the Grow plan
Unlimited integrations on Team and Enterprise

Choose DeskTime if

Integrations with Jira, Asana, Outlook, Google Calendar, GitLab, Trello and Zapier on Premium
Shift scheduling and an absence calendar on Premium
Document title tracking from the Pro plan

Choose AirStaff if

You want desktop time tracking, screenshots, activity and timesheets on Windows and macOS
You would rather pay once than per user, every month
You want staff to see their own data and accept a notice before anything is recorded
You do not need GPS, mobile tracking or payroll in the same tool

Every plan, side by side

Hubstaff

Hubstaff published plans, US$ per user per month, checked 25 Sep 2026.
Plan	Annual billing	Monthly billing	What you get
Starter	$4.99	$7	Screenshots capped at 500 per user per month; client invoicing
Grow	$7.50	$9	1,500 screenshots per user per month; project budgets; one integration
Team	$10	$12	Unlimited screenshots; payroll; unlimited integrations
Enterprise	Custom quote	$25	Custom quote on annual billing; $25 per user per month billed monthly

DeskTime

DeskTime published plans, US$ per user per month, checked 25 Sep 2026.
Plan	Annual billing	Monthly billing	What you get
Pro	$6.42	Not published	No screenshots
Premium	$9.17	Not published	Screenshots, integrations and API, shift scheduling
Enterprise	Custom quote	Not published	Custom pricing, 200+ users

What your staff experience

Staff did not choose the tracker, so what they see matters as much as the price. On AirStaff:

Nothing is recorded until they accept a monitoring notice, and notice periods such as the 14 days required in New South Wales run first.
Keyboard and mouse activity is counted, never captured. There is no keystroke log.
They can see which screenshot mode is on, and screenshots are deleted after 60 days by default.
Their own “My data” view shows the same hours, screenshots and activity their manager sees, with a one-click download.
Nothing is recorded while they are clocked out, and idle time is never counted as paid time.

The detail is on the privacy-first monitoring page.

Sources and how we checked

Prices checked 25 Sep 2026 on each vendor’s own pricing page, in US dollars per user per month on annual billing unless stated. Plans and prices change — check the vendor’s page before you decide.

By Geoff Philcox, founder · Last updated 27 September 2026

Hubstaff, DeskTime are trademarks of their owners. AirStaff is not affiliated with or endorsed by any company named on this page. No competitor logos or screenshots are used.

Questions people actually ask

Which is cheaper for a small team, Hubstaff or DeskTime?

For 5 staff on annual billing, Hubstaff Starter costs $299 a year and DeskTime Premium costs $550, at published prices with no add-ons. AirStaff Tier 1 covers 5 staff for $99, once.

Do Hubstaff and DeskTime both take screenshots of staff screens?

Hubstaff: Yes. Capped at 500 per user per month on Starter and 1,500 on Grow; unlimited on Team and Enterprise. DeskTime: Premium and Enterprise only — not on Pro. AirStaff includes screenshots on every tier, detailed but low-resolution by default or blurred at capture, and staff can see which mode is on.

Which has a free plan or a free trial, Hubstaff or DeskTime?

Hubstaff: no free plan listed; 14-day free trial, no card required. DeskTime: no free plan listed; 14-day free trial.

What do 15 staff cost on Hubstaff versus DeskTime over three years?

$2,695 on Hubstaff Starter and $4,952 on DeskTime Premium, at published annual-billing prices before add-ons and tax. AirStaff Tier 2 is $198, once.

Is there a cheaper option than both Hubstaff and DeskTime?

Over more than a few months, yes: AirStaff is a lifetime licence from $99 for 5 staff seats, with screenshots, activity, timesheets and reports on every tier. It leaves out GPS, mobile tracking and payroll, so it is cheaper for desktop teams rather than for everyone.

Which should I pick if I need GPS or mobile tracking for field staff?

Hubstaff offers it: Locations add-on, from $3.33 per user per month. We did not find GPS listed on DeskTime’s pricing page. AirStaff does not offer GPS or mobile tracking in version 1.

Or pay once and stop comparing subscriptions.

One payment, no renewals, and a 60-day money-back guarantee on every direct purchase.