ActivTrak vs Employee Monitoring Software

Clockify

DeskTime

Connecteam

Clockify is a time tracking app that helps teams track work hours across projects. For unlimited users, project and client managers can measure employee productivity, track the progress of every project and do all necessary reporting and administration work in one place.

DeskTime is a fully automated time tracking and productivity software that helps managers and teams eliminate manual timesheets. Boost efficiency by 30% with real-time insights into app usage, project costs, shift scheduling, and absence management.

An all-in-one employee app that's both powerful, affordable and easy to use, especially for the mobile workforce.

Get real-time visibility into work habits, productivity trends, remote vs. in-office performance & easily spot engagement issues.

Access Controls/Permissions

Active Directory Integration

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Ad hoc Reporting

Alerts/Escalation

Alerts/Notifications

Attendance Tracking

Audit Management

Audit Trail

Automatic Backup

Automatic Time Capture

Behavior Tracking

Benchmarking

Browsing History

Compliance Management

Customizable Dashboard

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Dashboard

Database Creation

Data Import/Export

Data Integration

Data Management

Data Visualization

Email Alerts

Employee Activity Monitoring

Employee Database

Employee Email Monitoring

Employee Management

Employee Scheduling

Employee Self Service

Engagement Tracking

Event Logs

Feedback Management

Goal Setting/Tracking

Historical Reporting

Idle Time Monitoring

Key Performance Indicators

KPI Monitoring

Labor Forecasting

Location Tracking

Meeting Management

Monitoring

Offline Time Tracking

Online Time Tracking

Payroll Integration

Performance Management

Performance Metrics

Policy Management

Predictive Analytics

Prioritization

Productivity Analysis

Productivity Tools

Progress Tracking

Project Management

Publishing/Sharing

Real-time Alerts

Real-Time Analytics

Real-Time Data

Real-Time Monitoring

Real-Time Notifications

Real-Time Reporting

Real-Time Updates

Remote Access/Control

Remote Monitoring & Management

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Resource Management

Role-Based Permissions

Scheduled/Automated Reports

Screen Activity Recording

Search/Filter

Secure Data Storage

Self-service Analytics

Self Service Data Preparation

Single Sign On

SSL Security

Strategic Planning

Task Management

Third-Party Integrations

Time & Attendance

Timesheet Management

Time Tracking

Trend Analysis

Trend/Problem Indicators

Usage Tracking/Analytics

Visual Analytics

Workflow Management

Reviewers appreciate ActivTrak’s robust free version and say it’s valuable for small businesses. Some users report the paid plans justify their price, but others find per-user licensing expensive and restrictive, especially for larger organizations.

Value for money

Reviews for ActivTrak come from a wide variety of industries, including Information Technology and Services (14% of reviewers), Computer Software (5%), and Insurance (4%). The most frequent use case for ActivTrak cited by reviewers is employee monitoring (74% of reviewers).

ActivTrak

Web-based

Windows

Chromebook

Teramind

Insightful

Time Doctor

Hubstaff

Free

Essentials

Essentials Plus

Professional

Enterprise

Occasional lags and reliability issues

83% of reviewers feel negative about Performance and Speed. Reviewers report experiencing slow loading times, occasional freezing, and the need to restart the software. Some users say bandwidth usage can slow down browsing, and real-time features may not always function as expected. They mention bugs, glitches, and issues with updates or storage limits that disrupt workflow. Users indicate that the software sometimes becomes unresponsive, especially when devices are not properly shut down or when storage capacity is reached, requiring manual intervention to restore functionality.

Complex and inconsistent user handling

IT Director

51% of reviewers feel negative about User Management. Reviewers indicate difficulties with deleting or managing users, especially when profiles are removed from local devices but persist in the system. Some users report confusion when switching machines or using generic logins, leading to overlapping or unclear user data. They mention challenges with importing users, setting aliases, and distinguishing between multiple accounts. Users say these issues can complicate administration and sometimes require extra effort to resolve, particularly in environments with frequent user changes.

Challenging setup and removal process

39% of reviewers feel negative about Installation and Uninstallation. Reviewers indicate that installing the software on multiple machines can be time-consuming and sometimes problematic, especially with agent reliability or compatibility issues. Some users say uninstalling the software is more difficult than expected, with removal instructions not always readily available. They report that updates and upgrades may cause agents to stop working, requiring reinstallation. Users mention occasional conflicts with antivirus or security products and note that the initial setup can be confusing, particularly when deploying across larger teams.

High costs and limited free tier

40% of reviewers feel negative about Pricing. Reviewers say the software’s paid plans are expensive, especially for small businesses or organizations with many users. Some users report that the free version has strict storage and user limits, forcing upgrades to access more features or retain data. They mention a lack of transparent pricing information and challenges with contract terms, cancellations, and auto-renewals. Users feel the cost structure is not always suitable for smaller operations, and customer service around billing and refunds can be frustrating.

Rich and versatile feature set

93% of reviewers feel positive about Features. Reviewers appreciate the abundance of built-in functionalities, noting that the software offers more features than they initially expected or required. Some users say the advanced options, such as weekly digests and Google account login, enhance their workflow. They find the system’s flexibility allows them to expand usage over time, and the features are generally easy to use. Users indicate that having multiple modules in one solution eliminates the need for separate tools, and they value the ongoing addition of new features based on user feedback.

Detailed and accessible information

President

It was simple to implement and provides a summary of the information we need with the ability to go deeper when required.

90% of reviewers feel positive about Information Management. Reviewers indicate the software delivers comprehensive, accurate, and well-organized data about user activities. Some users say retrieving information is straightforward, and they value the detailed documentation and clear infographics. They appreciate the ability to access both high-level summaries and in-depth details as needed. Users think the system presents information in an easy-to-understand format, making it simple to distinguish between work-related and non-work activities, and facilitating informed decision-making.

Comprehensive staff oversight tools

95% of reviewers feel positive about Staff Management. Reviewers indicate the software enables them to monitor team productivity, conduct on-the-spot audits, and maintain data security without disrupting user workflows. Some users say the cloud-based setup streamlines administration and eliminates the need for local servers. They appreciate being able to set parameters, review staff activities, and generate insightful statistics that help identify coaching opportunities and areas for improvement. Users think the tool is especially valuable for remote work scenarios, providing visibility into staff performance and supporting fair evaluations for both clients and employees.

Intuitive and simple operation

94% of reviewers feel positive about Ease of Use. Users think the software is straightforward, requiring minimal effort to learn and navigate. Reviewers appreciate that it is easy to log in, manage accounts, and interpret available data. Some users report that the interface is clear and options are simple to understand, making daily tasks more efficient. They find that even those with limited technical skills can quickly adapt to the system. Many reviewers highlight that the uncomplicated design saves time and reduces the learning curve for both administrators and staff.

Effective remote employee tracking

92% of reviewers feel positive about Employee Monitoring. Users say the software provides clear visibility into employee activities, including internet usage, application time, and productivity metrics. Reviewers indicate the monitoring tools, such as screenshots, real-time tracking, and web filtering, help maintain productivity and enforce company policies. Some users report that remote monitoring is convenient, especially for distributed teams, and that the interface makes it easy to manage and review employee performance. They appreciate being able to track behaviors discreetly and access comprehensive reports from any location.

Manager

By having reliable insights into individual and team activity levels, we can improve scheduling, allocate resources more effectively, and ensure accountability across departments.

Its reporting tools are intuitive, and the data it provides is easy to understand and apply across teams. While there are areas that could be enhanced, such as more robust visual recording options, the core functionality performs well and consistently meets our expectations.

Some features are not as intuitive as they could be, and it can take extra time to find specific information or reports. Once you become familiar with the layout, it does offer valuable insights and tracking capabilities, but the learning curve can be frustrating at first.

The platform delivers this data in an intuitive, easy-to-read format that supports informed decision-making and continuous performance improvement.

The absence of a true video-recording option further limits the ability to review continuous activity or reconstruct events accurately.

Director

The cancellation process is particularly poor—clearly designed to be difficult, as you can't simply opt out of renewal or cancel through the same dashboard used for payments or upgrading your plan. While it's easy to increase your bill, reducing or canceling your service is made unnecessarily complicated.

Instead, I got the same recycled explanation about notice periods. If you do business with ActivTrak, watch your renewal date very carefully, because once they renew you, do not expect much flexibility or a real conversation.

Customer interactions with support and sales have been poor, almost robotic with canned responses on anything except when they're trying to get more money out of you with plan or feature upsells.

Owner

ActivTrak is notoriously bad at distinguishing between someone staring at a screen because they are deeply analyzing a creative problem and someone who has simply walked away to get coffee.

Supervisor-Trainer

You can narrow down specific dates and times to look at for groups and individuals.

It is useful for seeing when employees sign in, and out and what they are on during the day.

I very much appreciate the live report in particular the activity log achieved a level of team performance that I never thought possible before.

IT Systems Administrator

It does a good job with screen shots and app usage reporting.

Director of Accounting

Great Metrics with enough detail to clearly see an employees day, how they are working, how much time they are spending on each tasks, etc.

It was a tug-of-war between high-level strategic clarity and low-level cultural friction.

System Admin

Takes forever to fix the tracking if something happens

Assistant Manager

Sometimes it marks useful work as “unproductive,” especially if we’re on certain websites or tools that don’t look like work to the system.

Additional functionality that would be valuable is only available in upgraded versions.

The agent installations are generally unstable and frequently stop reporting.

RCM Account Manager

Ability to track so many things, websites, utilization, productivity decline, high passive time.

We have been able to gain insights into productivity in ways that were not possible before.  

What frustrated me most was not just the invoice, it was the canned responses.

Production Manager

It was really helpful for me to see what kinds of things people on my team were doing while they work and where we had people spending too much time using certain tools and programs.

It led to some issues with people feeling uncomfortable with being tracked and took a lot of time/conversations to get everybody on board with what we are trying to do.

IT Support Engineer

We mostly use it to track the activities of problematic people, and help us prevent some incidentes and bad use of the computers and keep safe information of our customers.

Got a full team performance in a way I never could before.

Director of Business Intelligence

I understand we have a contract but we are always willing to work with our own customers in individual circumstances and I believe we had a strong case to get  a partial refund.   If you look, they do an exceptional job with their digital marketing to not allow any reviews on most platforms... only on places they can pay to put their fake reviews in and real customers can't comment.

I find the software’s logic frustratingly narrow.

My overall experience with ActivTrak has been very positive, especially considering the value it provides for the cost.

IT Coordinator

The insights help our leadership know who to keep track of.

Office Manager

The graph is great because it gives you breakdowns for the day and week.

IT PM

customer support has been very helpful when I have needed them

Director of Corporate Sales

It helps us to provide coaching to improve our empoyees.

I really appreciate the fast response and support.

The printable reports is lacking and could be better formatted.

ActivTrak makes it easy to see how our team is spending their time.

They require a one year paid up front commitment and 5 users minimum.

I am able to see whether the team is actively using tools provided for workflow.

I like that it's in real time that you can view employees productivity.

Association Administrator

That it tracks the activity of each employee.

IT Manager

It is a simple tool that works really well and gives me basic information I need.

The price is a little bit high after they chnaged the pricing tiers a few years ago.

Being able to make sure remote employees are being productive.

DevOps Manager

ActivTrak is fairly hidden though can be found by developers/competent IT people who know what to look for and it gives a way to be able to see after a fair amount of customising and configuring.

Set up is confusing especially if you have to reinstall, as is the website.

Decent hours reporting, I can see my teams screens.

There are other platforms out there who do the same thing, while their UI may not be as pretty, their service and functionality ore than make up for the visual shortcomings.

ActivTrak vs Employee Monitoring Software Comparison (2026)

ActivTrak

Employee Monitoring Software

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives