WorkComposer vs Hubstaff: a simpler, cheaper time tracker for desk teams.
WorkComposer Standard is $3.99 per user annually. Hubstaff Starter is $4.99 and includes up to 500 screenshots and 500 app/URL records per user each month; Hubstaff Team removes those limits and adds workforce-operations features for $10.
No credit card required · Cancel anytime · Full feature access during trial
You save
Verify on both pricing pages today — math is on the line below.
$3.99 × 5 = $19.95 · $4.99 × 5 = $24.95
Hubstaff Starter includes screenshots and app/URL tracking at $4.99/user/month annually, but caps each at 500 records per user per month.
WorkComposer charges $3.99/user/month for desk-team tracking, billed annually. For a 5-person team that's $19.95/month vs Hubstaff Starter's $24.95/month — a 20% saving on the base subscription.
What each tier actually costs.
Public pricing as published on each company's website. No estimates, no "starting at" sleight of hand.
WorkComposer Standard
Screenshots, app tracking, reports, integrations.
billed annually · $4.99 monthly
- Free trial
- 7 days, no card
- Screenshots
- Included
- Premium add-ons
- Extended Silent, blurring
Hubstaff Starter
Entry tier. Limited features.
billed annually · $7 monthly
- Free trial
- 14 days, no card
- Integrations
- None
- Screenshots
- 500/user/month
Starter includes client invoicing and limited payments; its screenshots and app/URL tracking have monthly caps.
Hubstaff Team
Their popular tier.
billed annually · $12 monthly
- Free trial
- 14 days, no card
- Integrations
- Unlimited
- Screenshots
- Included
Team adds payroll, scheduling, workforce analytics, API access, and unlimited capture.
Every feature on the table.
Sourced from each vendor's public pricing and features pages. Where Hubstaff's pricing page doesn't disclose a detail, we've noted it.
Automatic tracking policy
Screenshots (configurable interval)
App + URL activity tracking
Idle timeout
Productivity reports
Offline time tracking
Silent / background mode
Integrations (Slack, Asana, Jira, …)
Payroll automation
GPS + geofencing (field teams)
Scheduling + shift management
Client invoicing
API access
Screenshot encryption at rest
Where each tool actually wins.
Hubstaff is genuinely stronger at
We won't pretend otherwise — these matter if your team needs them.
Field workforce features.
Hubstaff has GPS tracking and geofence-triggered clock-in for crews who work outside an office. We don't. If you manage cleaning crews, delivery routes, or construction, Hubstaff is the better fit.
Built-in payroll + payments.
Hubstaff Team automates multi-currency payroll directly from tracked hours via Wise, PayPal, and Bitwage integrations. We integrate with your existing payroll instead of replacing it.
Shift scheduling for field/crew teams.
Hubstaff's shift planning is geared for field crews — late/missed-shift alerts, geofence-triggered start, dispatch-style workflows. We support shift scheduling for desk teams (enable per-user weekly hours, auto-start on shift begin, auto-stop on shift end) but don't ship the crew-dispatch surface.
Where WorkComposer wins
For desk teams, the answers stack up here.
Standard at $3.99 covers what most desk teams need.
Screenshots, app/URL tracking, reports, integrations — all included in Standard. Premium adds Extended Silent Mode (discreet background tracking), screenshot blurring, and higher report-export limits for orgs with specific monitoring requirements.
20% lower than Hubstaff Starter.
$3.99 vs $4.99 annually. Hubstaff Team costs more because it also bundles payroll, scheduling, workforce analytics, and unlimited integrations.
Privacy posture by default.
AES-256 at rest, optional self-hosted screenshot storage in your own S3 bucket or SFTP server, silent-mode on/off toggle per user. Hubstaff's homepage subhead defends against the surveillance critique ("transparency over micromanagement") — ours is built in, not bolted on.
Five steps from Hubstaff to WorkComposer.
If you're on Hubstaff and want to switch, here's the path most teams take. Allow 1 evening for the technical work plus a 1-week parallel run if you want overlap data.
- 1
Export your Hubstaff data.
From Hubstaff: Reports → Time & activities → Export CSV. Pull the last 90 days minimum so you keep a continuity record.
- 2
Sign up for WorkComposer trial.
Free 7-day trial, no credit card. Add the same project + client structure you have in Hubstaff.
- 3
Install on team machines.
WorkComposer desktop runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Same machines you have Hubstaff on — both can run side-by-side during cutover; remove Hubstaff after parallel week.
- 4
Parallel run for 5–7 working days.
Compare totals between the two trackers. Most teams find the numbers reconcile within ±3%.
- 5
Cancel Hubstaff at the end of the billing period.
Not mid-cycle — Hubstaff doesn't refund partial periods on monthly plans.
Have 50+ seats?
Email our team and we'll help plan the parallel-run setup.
Track desk work for $3.99 per user/month annually.
Full feature access, 7-day trial, no credit card. Migrate in an evening, parallel-run for a week to confirm the numbers reconcile.
Common questions.
Is WorkComposer cheaper than Hubstaff?
Yes. WorkComposer Standard is $3.99 per user per month billed annually, versus Hubstaff Starter at $4.99 — about 20% less. Hubstaff Starter also includes client invoicing and limited payments, while its screenshots and app/URL tracking are capped at 500 records per user per month.
Does WorkComposer have screenshots like Hubstaff?
Yes. WorkComposer captures screenshots at a configurable interval, included in the Standard plan. On the Premium plan you can also enable organization-wide screenshot blurring for content-sensitive teams.
What does Hubstaff have that WorkComposer doesn't?
Hubstaff is stronger for field and crew teams: it offers GPS tracking with geofence-triggered clock-in, built-in multi-currency payroll and payments, and crew-oriented shift dispatch. WorkComposer does not ship GPS or built-in payroll. If you manage delivery routes, cleaning crews, or construction, Hubstaff is the better fit.
Can I keep my own control over where screenshots are stored?
Yes. WorkComposer AES-256 encrypts each screenshot file before upload, whether it goes to managed storage or your own S3/SFTP on Premium. Managed S3 additionally applies AES-256 server-side encryption; any additional encryption enforced by your own S3/SFTP infrastructure follows your configuration.
How hard is it to switch from Hubstaff to WorkComposer?
Most teams migrate in an evening: export your Hubstaff data to CSV, start a free 7-day WorkComposer trial (no credit card), install the desktop app on the same machines, and run both trackers in parallel for about a week to confirm the totals reconcile before cancelling Hubstaff at your billing-cycle end.