Comparison
AirStaff vs Hubstaff: 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 Hubstaff is the better buy.
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The short answer
Hubstaff is sold per user, per month: from $4.99 on annual billing. AirStaff is a lifetime licence: $99 once for 5 staff, $198 for 15. For 15 staff on Hubstaff Starter, three years costs $2,695; AirStaff Tier 2 costs $198, once, with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
- $2,497
- saved over three years for 15 staff against Hubstaff Starter at list price
- $0
- what AirStaff costs in year two and every year after
- 14x
- Hubstaff Starter three-year cost divided by AirStaff Tier 2, at 15 staff
At a glance
| Hubstaff | AirStaff | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per user, per month | One payment (lifetime licence) |
| Cheapest paid plan | $4.99 per user per month | $99 once for 5 staff seats |
| Plan in our cost tables | Starter, $4.99 | 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 | 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, no card required | 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
Hubstaff Starter is the plan we compare against: its cheapest paid plan. Higher plans widen the gap.
| Team size | Hubstaff · 1 year | 3 years | 5 years | AirStaff, once |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 staff | $299 | $898 | $1,497 | $99 Tier 1 |
| 15 staff | $898 | $2,695 | $4,491 | $198 Tier 2 |
| 50 staff | $2,994 | $8,982 | $14,970 | $396 Tier 4 |
Hubstaff Team is the plan with unlimited screenshots, and the one our home page figures use. The same table on that plan:
| Team size | Hubstaff · 1 year | 3 years | 5 years | AirStaff, once |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 staff | $600 | $1,800 | $3,000 | $99 Tier 1 |
| 15 staff | $1,800 | $5,400 | $9,000 | $198 Tier 2 |
| 50 staff | $6,000 | $18,000 | $30,000 | $396 Tier 4 |
Every Hubstaff plan
| 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 |
Features, honestly
Both products track time and produce reports. This table includes the things Hubstaff does that AirStaff does not.
| Feature | Hubstaff | AirStaff |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshots | Yes. Capped at 500 per user per month on Starter and 1,500 on Grow; unlimited on Team and Enterprise | Included on every tier: detailed low-res by default, blurred at capture, or off; deleted after 60 days by default |
| GPS and location | Locations add-on, from $3.33 per user per month | No — desktop tracking only in version 1 |
| Invoicing | Yes, from Starter | No — timesheets and reports export to CSV and PDF for client billing |
| Payroll | Team and Enterprise | Approved timesheets export to CSV and PDF for your payroll |
| Projects and budgets | From Grow | Projects, clients and cost from each person’s rate, Tier 2 and above |
| Integrations | One on Grow; unlimited on Team and Enterprise | Slack webhooks and CSV export; API access on Tier 3 and above |
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 Hubstaff is the better choice
We would rather you buy the right tool than ask for a refund. Choose Hubstaff over AirStaff if any of these matter to you:
- 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.
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 Hubstaff 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 Hubstaff
AirStaff has no importer for Hubstaff 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 Hubstaff 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 Hubstaff 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.
Hubstaff 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 Hubstaff cost per user per month in 2026?
On annual billing, Hubstaff lists Starter US$4.99, Grow US$7.50, Team US$10 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 Hubstaff over three years?
On Hubstaff Starter at US$4.99 per user per month, 15 staff cost $898 a year, or $2,695 over three years, before add-ons and tax. AirStaff Tier 2 covers the same 15 staff for $198, once.
Does AirStaff do everything that Hubstaff 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. Hubstaff offers things AirStaff does not, including: 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.
Does AirStaff take screenshots the same way Hubstaff does?
What Hubstaff lists: Yes. Capped at 500 per user per month on Starter and 1,500 on Grow; unlimited on Team and Enterprise. 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 Hubstaff 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 Hubstaff 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.
Is Hubstaff Enterprise still priced at $25 per user per month?
Only on monthly billing. On annual billing Hubstaff now lists Enterprise as a custom quote, so there is no published annual figure to compare. The tables on this page use the published Starter, Grow and Team prices instead.
Why is AirStaff so much cheaper than Hubstaff 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.