Comparison
AirStaff vs DeskTime: one payment against a per-user subscription
The difference that matters most is the pricing model. Here is the maths at published prices, what each product does that the other doesn’t, and when DeskTime is the better buy.
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The short answer
DeskTime is sold per user, per month: from $6.42 on annual billing. AirStaff is a lifetime licence: $99 once for 5 staff, $198 for 15. For 15 staff on DeskTime Premium, three years costs $4,952; AirStaff Tier 2 costs $198, once, with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
- $4,754
- saved over three years for 15 staff against DeskTime Premium at list price
- $0
- what AirStaff costs in year two and every year after
- 25x
- DeskTime Premium three-year cost divided by AirStaff Tier 2, at 15 staff
At a glance
| DeskTime | AirStaff | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per user, per month | One payment (lifetime licence) |
| Cheapest paid plan | $6.42 per user per month | $99 once for 5 staff seats |
| Plan in our cost tables | Premium, $9.17 | Smallest tier that covers the team |
| Screenshots | 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 | No free plan; live demo with no signup, and a 60-day money-back guarantee |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | Live demo, no signup or card |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | One payment, nothing to renew |
| Lifetime option | None published | Yes — the whole product is a lifetime licence |
Cost over one, three and five years
DeskTime Premium is the plan we compare against: its cheapest plan that includes screenshots. Higher plans widen the gap.
| Team size | DeskTime · 1 year | 3 years | 5 years | AirStaff, once |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 staff | $550 | $1,651 | $2,751 | $99 Tier 1 |
| 15 staff | $1,651 | $4,952 | $8,253 | $198 Tier 2 |
| 50 staff | $5,502 | $16,506 | $27,510 | $396 Tier 4 |
Every DeskTime plan
| 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 |
Features, honestly
Both products track time and produce reports. This table includes the things DeskTime does that AirStaff does not.
| Feature | DeskTime | AirStaff |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshots | 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 |
| Integrations | Jira, Asana, Outlook, Google Calendar, GitLab, Trello, Zapier (Premium) | Slack webhooks and CSV export; API access on Tier 3 and above |
| Scheduling | Shift scheduling and absence calendar (Premium) | Contracted hours per person, and leave marked on the timesheet |
Where AirStaff differs by design
These are the choices AirStaff made deliberately, stated as our choices rather than as claims about anyone else’s product.
- Pricing model
- One payment for a seat allowance, for the life of the product. No renewal and no price rise, because there is nothing to renew.
- Screenshots
- Detailed (low-res) by default: readable, shrunk to 1024px and compressed to roughly 50–90 KB, never full resolution. Switch to Blurred and the readable frame is never written to disk. Staff always see which mode is on.
- Consent
- Tracking is blocked at the server until the staff member accepts a monitoring notice, and jurisdiction notice periods are enforced. No employer setting bypasses it.
- Retention
- Screenshots are capped at 60 days by default and deleted nightly. Keeping data longer is the thing that costs extra.
- Scope
- Version 1 deliberately leaves out GPS and mobile tracking, per-tab URL capture and screen video.
When DeskTime is the better choice
We would rather you buy the right tool than ask for a refund. Choose DeskTime over AirStaff if any of these matter to you:
- 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.
AirStaff version 1 covers desktop time tracking for remote and offshore office work on Windows and macOS, and it is honest about the edges.
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.
Ask DeskTime the same questions before you roll it out: what its agent captures, what staff can see about themselves, and how long screenshots are kept. The detail of AirStaff’s answers is on the privacy-first monitoring page.
How to switch from DeskTime
AirStaff has no importer for DeskTime data in version 1, so switching means starting fresh and keeping your history where it is. It takes an afternoon, plus any notice period your staff are owed.
Keep your history
Export the timesheets and reports you need to keep from DeskTime while your subscription is still active.
Buy and invite
Pay once for the tier that covers your team. Your licence code arrives by email; redeem it at signup and invite staff with a role and a team.
Install and consent
Each person installs the Windows or macOS agent and accepts the monitoring notice. Tracking starts once any notice period has run.
Overlap, then cancel
Run both for one pay period and compare the timesheets. Then cancel DeskTime at the end of your billing term — check its terms for notice and refunds.
Related comparisons
Sources and how we checked
Prices checked 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.
DeskTime is a trademark of its owner. 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
How much does DeskTime cost per user per month in 2026?
On annual billing, DeskTime lists Pro US$6.42, Premium US$9.17 per user per month, with a custom-quoted top plan, checked 25 September 2026. AirStaff is a one-off $99 to $396 for 5 to 50 staff seats.
How much would 15 staff cost on DeskTime over three years?
On DeskTime Premium at US$9.17 per user per month, 15 staff cost $1,651 a year, or $4,952 over three years, before add-ons and tax. AirStaff Tier 2 covers the same 15 staff for $198, once.
Does AirStaff do everything that DeskTime does for a remote team?
No, and we would rather say so. AirStaff version 1 covers desktop time tracking, screenshots, activity, app and site usage, timesheets and reports on Windows and macOS. DeskTime offers things AirStaff does not, including: 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.
Does AirStaff take screenshots the same way DeskTime does?
What DeskTime lists: Premium and Enterprise only — not on Pro. AirStaff includes screenshots on every tier: detailed but low-resolution by default, blurred at the moment of capture if you prefer, or off. Staff can see which mode is on, and screenshots are deleted after 60 days by default.
Can I import my existing DeskTime data into AirStaff?
Not automatically in version 1. AirStaff starts tracking from the day your team installs the agent. Historical timesheets exported from another tool can be kept alongside as CSV, but there is no migration importer yet.
Is a lifetime licence riskier than paying for DeskTime every month?
It is a fair question to ask any lifetime-deal vendor. A lifetime licence covers the product for as long as we commercially operate it, which the terms state plainly. AirStaff is built to run at under five cents per seat per month in infrastructure, so operating it does not depend on constant new revenue, and every organisation can export its own data at any time. Direct purchases also carry a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Which DeskTime plan do I need to get screenshots?
Premium, at US$9.17 per user per month on annual billing, or Enterprise. DeskTime’s Pro plan at US$6.42 does not include screenshots, so the like-for-like comparison with AirStaff uses Premium.
Why is AirStaff so much cheaper than DeskTime over a few years?
Because of how it is built and sold. Screenshots are compressed to roughly 35KB blurred or 50–90KB detailed and deleted after 60 days, raw slots roll up after 90 days, and the whole system is designed to run under five cents per seat per month. That makes a one-off price viable where a subscription would otherwise be funding storage nobody needs.
Do the maths on your own team.
One payment, no renewals, and a 60-day money-back guarantee on every direct purchase.