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 Insightful: 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.

Buy once from $99 Try the live demo

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 Insightful Workforce Analytics is $8 per user per month. For 15 staff over three years that is $2,695 against $4,320. AirStaff covers 15 staff for $198, once, with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

$2,695: Hubstaff Starter, 15 staff, three years
$4,320: Insightful Workforce Analytics, 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	Insightful	AirStaff
Pricing model	Per user, per month	Per user, per month	One payment (lifetime licence)
Cheapest paid plan	$4.99 per user per month	$8 per user per month	$99 once for 5 staff seats
Plan in our cost tables	Starter, $4.99	Workforce Analytics, $8	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	Paid add-ons: on-demand screenshots $4 and increased-frequency screenshots $3 per seat per month	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	7-day free trial, no card required	Live demo, no signup or card
Billing	Monthly or annual	Annual prices shown; month-to-month on select plans	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 Insightful Workforce Analytics at published annual-billing prices, no add-ons; AirStaff paid once.
Team	Hubstaff	Insightful	AirStaff
5 staff	$299	$480	$99
15 staff	$898	$1,440	$198
50 staff	$2,994	$4,800	$396

3 years. Hubstaff Starter and Insightful Workforce Analytics at published annual-billing prices, no add-ons; AirStaff paid once.
Team	Hubstaff	Insightful	AirStaff
5 staff	$898	$1,440	$99
15 staff	$2,695	$4,320	$198
50 staff	$8,982	$14,400	$396

5 years. Hubstaff Starter and Insightful Workforce Analytics at published annual-billing prices, no add-ons; AirStaff paid once.
Team	Hubstaff	Insightful	AirStaff
5 staff	$1,497	$2,400	$99
15 staff	$4,491	$7,200	$198
50 staff	$14,970	$24,000	$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 Insightful if

Deeper workforce analytics and workflow reporting
HRIS and project-management integrations, SSO and audit logs
Screen recording as a paid add-on
On-premise deployment for organisations of 250 or more

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

Insightful

Insightful published plans, US$ per user per month, checked 25 Sep 2026.
Plan	Annual billing	Monthly billing	What you get
Workforce Analytics	$8	Not published	Screenshot options are paid add-ons
Workflow Optimization	$12	Not published	Listed as beta, for select customers
Combo	$16	Not published	Analytics plus Optimization; includes payroll
Enterprise	Custom quote	Not published	Custom pricing

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, Insightful 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 Insightful?

For 5 staff on annual billing, Hubstaff Starter costs $299 a year and Insightful Workforce Analytics costs $480, at published prices with no add-ons. AirStaff Tier 1 covers 5 staff for $99, once.

Do Hubstaff and Insightful 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. Insightful: Paid add-ons: on-demand screenshots $4 and increased-frequency screenshots $3 per seat per month. 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 Insightful?

Hubstaff: no free plan listed; 14-day free trial, no card required. Insightful: no free plan listed; 7-day free trial, no card required.

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

$2,695 on Hubstaff Starter and $4,320 on Insightful Workforce Analytics, 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 Insightful?

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 Insightful’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.