Hubstaff is a competent time tracker for distributed teams — agencies, remote contractors, and managers who like screenshot monitoring. For small businesses with shift-based hourly workers — clinics, restaurants, retail, trades — it’s usually overkill and the wrong shape. Here’s how ClockOut compares to Hubstaff in real dollars and real use cases, and when each is the right call.
At a glance
| ClockOut | Hubstaff | |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Hourly shift teams (5–50) | Remote/distributed knowledge teams |
| Paid plan starts at | $3 / employee / month | $4.99 / user / month (annual) |
| Free plan past trial | Up to 2 employees | None (14-day trial) |
| GPS clock-in & geofencing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kiosk mode | ✓ | — |
| Shift scheduling (open shifts, swaps) | ✓ | Limited |
| Screenshot monitoring | — | ✓ |
| Activity / mouse tracking | — | ✓ |
| Payroll export (ADP / Gusto / QB) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Per-employee billing sync | ✓ | Per-user license |
| Compliance engine (CA daily OT, etc.) | Pro plan | Limited |
The fundamental difference
Hubstaff is a monitoring tool. Its core thesis: my team is remote, I can’t see them, I want screenshots and activity scores to verify they’re working. That makes sense for agencies with offshore contractors. It’s a terrible fit for a dental office or a 12-person construction crew.
ClockOut is a time clock. Its core thesis: shift workers need to clock in, you need to schedule them, payroll has to run. Verification happens through GPS and geofencing — not by screenshotting their phone every 10 minutes.
Real-dollar pricing for a 10-person team
ClockOut
- Starter: 10 × $3 = $30 / month
- Pro (with compliance engine): 10 × $5 = $50 / month
- No annual commitment, no per-feature add-ons, no “contact sales”.
Hubstaff Time
- Starter: 10 × $4.99 annual = $49.90 / month (paid yearly) or $70/month month-to-month
- Grow: 10 × $7.50 annual = $75 / month
- Team: 10 × $10 annual = $100 / month
- Plus add-ons: time-off, scheduling, integrations may cost extra depending on plan.
For a 10-person hourly SMB, ClockOut Starter is roughly 40% cheaper than Hubstaff Starter (annual) and gives you proper scheduling, kiosk mode, and a free tier when you scale down.
Where the difference shows up
Kiosk mode for shared devices
Restaurants, retail shops, clinics, and construction crews share devices — a tablet at the door, an iPad in the foreman’s truck. ClockOut has a first-class kiosk mode with 4-digit PINs and optional photo capture. Hubstaff is built around 1 user / 1 device, no kiosk.
Shift scheduling
ClockOut includes proper scheduling: recurring shifts, open shifts anyone can grab, peer-to-peer swaps with approval, conflict detection, PTO and availability built in. Hubstaff has basic scheduling but it isn’t the focus and shows it.
Screenshots / activity monitoring
Hubstaff takes screenshots, tracks mouse activity, and produces “activity scores.” Useful for some agency use cases. ClockOut doesn’t do any of this — it’s a deliberate choice. Shift workers shouldn’t be screenshotted; it kills morale and rarely produces useful management data.
Per-employee billing
ClockOut bills for active employees only. Deactivate someone, next bill drops. Hubstaff uses a per-user license model — adding/removing users mid-billing-cycle is more friction.
Who each is for
Pick Hubstaff if
- You manage remote knowledge workers across time zones
- You bill clients hourly for contractor time and need monitoring as audit material
- You want activity scores, screenshots, or productivity tracking
- You don’t care about kiosk mode or shift scheduling
Pick ClockOut if
- You run a 5–50 person team that punches a physical clock or visits clients on site
- You need GPS verification, kiosk mode, and proper shift scheduling
- You want a permanent free tier (up to 2 employees) instead of a 14-day trial
- You’d rather not screenshot your team
- You want flat per-employee pricing with no annual lock-in
FAQ
Does ClockOut do screenshot monitoring like Hubstaff?
No, and we won’t. We don’t think it’s appropriate for hourly shift workers. We verify presence and identity through GPS, geofencing, and (optionally) kiosk photo capture.
Can I migrate from Hubstaff to ClockOut easily?
Yes. Export your employee list from Hubstaff as CSV, import to ClockOut. Historical time data can stay in Hubstaff as an archive. Going forward, all new time data lives in ClockOut.
Does ClockOut have GPS like Hubstaff?
Yes. GPS clock-in with per-site geofencing on every paid plan. Verify the team was at the right location at the right time.
Is ClockOut cheaper than Hubstaff?
For most SMB scenarios, yes. $3/employee/month vs $4.99/user/month annual ($7 month-to-month). And ClockOut has a permanent free tier for 1–2 employees, while Hubstaff is trial only.
Which integrates better with QuickBooks?
Both export to QuickBooks. ClockOut also exports clean CSV to Gusto, ADP, Paychex, and generic payroll systems with no add-on fee.