Best Employee Monitoring Software in 2026

Why employee monitoring software needs a careful choice

Employee monitoring tools all promise "visibility", but they collect very different things. At one end, a tool records which apps and websites were in use and turns that into time and productivity reports. At the other end, a tool records video of the screen, logs every keystroke, reads clipboard contents and can block a file transfer before it happens. Both are sold as employee monitoring software, and both can be configured to run with or without the employee seeing an icon.

That range matters because everything you collect has to be justified, secured and eventually deleted. A screenshot can contain a customer's card number; a keystroke log can contain a password or a private message.

The six tools in this guide cover that whole range:

• ActivTrak and Insightful are workforce analytics platforms: app and website usage, active and idle time, productivity categories and attendance, with screenshots kept optional.
• Hubstaff and Time Doctor are time trackers with monitoring built in: screenshots, activity levels and app and URL tracking sit next to timesheets and payroll.
• Teramind and Controlio go furthest: screen recording, optional keystroke logging and behavior rules that can alert on or block activity, with Teramind adding full data loss prevention (DLP).

Everything below comes from each vendor's own pricing pages, product pages and help centers as of October 2026.

A plain note on law, consent and transparency

Monitoring rules differ by country, and in some countries by state or province. Some places require employees to be told before monitoring starts, some restrict monitoring of personal communications or personal devices, and some regulate how long monitoring data can be kept. This guide is not legal advice. Before you roll out any of these tools, tell your staff what you monitor, why and who can see it, put it in a written policy, and check the rules where your employees actually work with someone qualified to advise you.

The vendors say similar things. ActivTrak's employee monitoring page tells buyers that they "must get employees' consent and inform them of the nature and extent of your monitoring". Hubstaff recommends a time tracking policy "that aligns with regulations in your region to preserve transparency and trust". Teramind's knowledge base describes its keystroke channel as one you can switch off if you are "navigating strict local regulations regarding keystroke logging". Controlio offers a pop-up at the start of each monitoring session reminding employees that they are being monitored.

This guide assumes the most common situation: a business that monitors company-owned computers, tells its employees, and wants useful data without collecting more than it needs. That assumption drives the top pick.

What to look for in employee monitoring software

1. What it actually captures. Separate these categories when you compare tools, because vendors bundle them differently:

• App and website usage: which programs and sites were in focus, and for how long. Every tool here does this.
• Activity levels and idle time: whether the keyboard and mouse were in use, without recording what was typed. Hubstaff, Time Doctor and Insightful all state that they do not log the actual keys pressed.
• Screenshots: periodic still images of the screen. Hubstaff, Time Doctor and Insightful include them; ActivTrak only takes them when an alarm fires, and only with a paid add-on.
• Video screen recording and live view: continuous or triggered video. Teramind and Controlio include it in their base plans; Time Doctor and Insightful sell it on higher plans or as add-ons.
• Keystroke logging: recording the text typed. Teramind (UAM plan and up) and Controlio (optional) offer it. ActivTrak, Insightful, Hubstaff and Time Doctor state that they do not.
• Productivity scoring: labeling apps and sites as productive or unproductive and scoring time against that. All six do some version of this.
• DLP and insider risk: rules that detect or block risky actions such as USB transfers, uploads or sensitive content. Teramind is the specialist; ActivTrak, Insightful and Controlio offer lighter alarm and rule features.

2. Transparent vs stealth modes. Every vendor here offers a way to run without a visible app. Hubstaff sells a Silent App, Time Doctor has an Automatic app, ActivTrak documents silent deployment, Insightful has a Stealth mode, Teramind has Stealth and Standard agents, and Controlio offers "Stealth or tray icon modes". The useful question is what the transparent option looks like: can employees see their own data, start and stop tracking on personal devices, and know when they are being recorded?

3. Privacy controls. Look for screenshot blurring, the ability to exclude apps and websites (password managers, personal banking, health portals), tracking schedules that stop collection outside working hours, and role-based access so a manager sees their team only.

4. Data retention. How long data is kept affects both cost and risk. Plan defaults here range from 30 days (ActivTrak Free) to 24 months (Insightful) and up to 6 years with a Hubstaff add-on. Shorter is often safer.

5. Pricing model. Watch for annual-only billing (ActivTrak), seat minimums (Teramind and Controlio list 5, Hubstaff 2), and add-ons that turn a cheap base price into a mid-priced one.

What each tool captures

This table summarizes what each vendor documents. "Add-on" means a paid extra; plan names show where a feature starts.

ActivTrak: full review

What it is. ActivTrak is a workforce analytics platform. It installs an agent on company computers and turns app and website activity into reports on productive time, attendance, schedule adherence, workload and, on higher plans, team benchmarks and burnout risk. Its pitch is "insight, not oversight", and its documentation backs that up with privacy settings that default to collecting less.

What it captures. According to ActivTrak's help center article "What Data Does ActivTrak Collect?", the agent records which activity was in use, for how long, and the executable, along with computer and user details. Title bars and full URLs are only collected with the Screen Details add-on or by enabling Advanced Details on the Workforce Management or Productivity Optimization plans. Screenshots are only taken "when triggered by an alarm" and only with Screen Details. The same article lists keystroke logging and video camera monitoring under "Data never collected by ActivTrak", and the privacy article states that ActivTrak "does not offer video monitoring".

Privacy controls. This is where ActivTrak stands out. The help center lists privacy controls that hide title bars, URL subpages and screen images from all dashboards by default, configurable role access, tracking schedules aligned with working hours, a Do Not Track list that stops all data collection for a user, anonymized and aggregated data options, optional data hashing, and a Personal Insights dashboard that lets employees see their own work data. One trade-off to note: per the Screen Details help article, accounts created after January 24, 2023 that buy Screen Details run with privacy controls off, and cannot switch between the two.

Transparency vs stealth. ActivTrak's agent guide describes both transparent deployment (employees are told and, on macOS, grant permissions) and silent deployment (installation without prompts, through group policy or remote management tools). Silent deployment is listed on all paid plans. The company says it encourages organizations "to be transparent with employees about the use of ActivTrak".

Security and compliance features. On the Work Activity Tracking and Workforce Management plans, the pricing table lists compliance alarms, potential false activity detection, mouse-jiggler detection, sensitive content detection, USB device and file transfer detection, website blocking, and alarm notifications by email, Microsoft Teams, Slack and webhooks. HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA and SOC 2 Type 2 are listed on every plan.

Pricing. All prices are per worker per month, billed annually; the pricing FAQ says "We currently only offer annual plans."

• Free: $0 for up to 3 people, 30 days of data history.
• Work Activity Tracking: $10, 6 months of history.
• Workforce Management: $15, 6 months of history.
• Productivity Optimization: $17, 1 year of history.
• Add-ons: Screen Details $2 per user per month (must cover every license), AI Insights $4, Data History $1 (extends history up to 3 years). A paid support plan is required above 50 licenses.

The 14-day trial gives full access to the Workforce Management and Productivity Optimization bundle; afterwards the account drops to the Free plan.

Who it is for. Businesses that want productivity and attendance data, monitor transparently, and would rather not hold screenshots or keystrokes at all.

Limits. Annual contracts only. Screenshots are alarm-driven rather than periodic, so teams that want a regular visual record should look at Hubstaff, Time Doctor or Insightful. Several security features (alarms, website blocking) are not marked on the Productivity Optimization plan, so check the table if you need both.

Hubstaff: full review

What it is. Hubstaff is a time tracker for hourly and remote teams that adds monitoring, scheduling, payroll and GPS. The standard desktop app is a visible timer the employee starts and stops, so monitoring only happens during tracked time.

What it captures. According to Hubstaff's help center:

• Screenshots are taken at random within each 10-minute interval, at 1x, 2x or 3x frequency. Starter includes 500 per user per month, Grow 1,500, and Team and Enterprise unlimited. A "More screenshots" add-on raises the rate to up to 10 per 10 minutes and includes all secondary monitors.
• Activity levels mark each second as active or inactive based on keyboard and mouse input. "Hubstaff does not record specific keystrokes and mouse movement."
• App and URL tracking is capped at 500 of each per user per month on Starter and 1,500 on Grow, unlimited on Team and Enterprise.
• Insights (an add-on, included on Enterprise) adds unusual activity detection, unproductive apps and URLs, focus and meeting time.
• Locations add mobile GPS tracking and geofenced job sites.

Privacy controls. Owners can blur screenshots for the whole organization or for specific users on paid plans. Owners and managers can delete screenshots while keeping the time, and regular users can remove blocks of activity (screenshot and time together). A Data retention add-on extends storage up to 6 years.

Transparency vs stealth. The Silent App runs in the background on company-owned devices with no start or stop timer, tracking time, activity, screenshots, apps and URLs. It is included in Enterprise and sold as an add-on for other plans. Hubstaff recommends a written time tracking policy alongside it.

Pricing. Starter $4.99 per seat per month billed annually ($7 monthly), Grow $7.50 ($9), Team $10 ($12), Enterprise $25 billed annually. The paid plans have a 2-seat minimum. Add-ons include Silent App ($2.50 annually / $3 monthly, starting price), Insights ($2.50 / $3) and More screenshots ($2.50 / $3). There is a 14-day free trial with no credit card; the pricing page does not list a free plan.

Who it is for. Teams paying people by the hour, where monitoring exists to back up timesheets and payroll rather than to investigate behavior.

Limits. No documented video recording. Screenshot and app/URL caps on the cheaper plans. Unusual activity detection sits in the Insights add-on.

Time Doctor: full review

What it is. Time Doctor is a time tracker and workforce analytics tool used heavily by remote and outsourced teams. It runs in two modes: an Interactive app where the employee starts and pauses tracking, and an Automatic app with no interface.

What it captures. According to Time Doctor's help center and pricing page:

• Screenshots on every plan, taken at random within the interval you choose, capturing all connected monitors.
• Activity levels from keyboard and mouse use; "The actual keys pressed are not recorded."
• Web and app usage on Standard and up, labeled Productive, Unproductive, Neutral or Unrated, with ratings set company-wide, per group or per user.
• Video screen recording on Premium, or as a $3 per user per month add-on on Basic and Standard.
• Unusual activity report (mouse jiggler and clicker detection) on Premium or as a $3 add-on.

Privacy controls. Admins can blur screenshots for everyone or specific users, and blurred screenshots cannot be unblurred. Videos cannot be blurred. A Web and App Privacy setting (Off, Basic, Extended, Custom) controls how much URL and window detail is collected. The Interactive app "does not track any activity on the computer when time tracking is paused or stopped." Historical data is kept for 3 months on Basic, 6 months on Standard and 2 years on Premium.

Transparency vs stealth. The Automatic app tracks "silently whenever the computer is on", with "no user interface" and "no pausing", and is available on all plans. Time Doctor recommends it for work-only devices and the Interactive app for remote teams or where personal use is allowed. Payroll is only available to Interactive companies.

Pricing. Basic $6.67 per user per month billed annually ($8 month to month), Standard $11.67 ($14), Premium $16.70 ($20), Enterprise custom. The 14-day trial includes all Premium features and needs no credit card.

Who it is for. Remote and distributed teams, including outsourced staff, where managers want screenshots and app usage tied to tracked time.

Limits. Web and app usage, the core of productivity reporting, starts on Standard rather than Basic. Video recording costs extra below Premium.

Insightful: full review

What it is. Insightful (formerly Workpuls) is a workforce analytics platform covering attendance, activity tracking, productivity reports, capacity planning and, through add-ons, insider threat detection.

What it captures. The pricing page's compare table lists, on the Workforce Analytics plan: automatic and manual clock in and out, active and idle time, engagement levels, idle and irregular behavior alerts, screenshots, productive time analysis, categorized work time and app and website usage. On-demand screenshots ($4 per seat per month), increased-frequency screenshots (up to 120 per hour, $3) and video screen recording ($4) are add-ons. Insightful's monitoring page answers "Does Insightful use keystroke logging?" with "No."

DLP and insider risk. The Workspace Security Plan add-on ($4 per seat per month) covers insider threat detection, IT forensics (detailed activity logs), app and website alerts, keyword alerts and shadow AI detection; these are included on Enterprise.

Privacy controls. Admins can blur screenshots and choose the blur intensity, optionally saving the original. Under Settings, specific apps and websites can be set to "Don't Track Time" or "No Screenshots" for the whole organization or a team; the help center suggests applying "Don't Track Time" to unproductive, neutral and unlabeled activity so only productive work is visible. One caveat from the same article: privacy rules apply to the window in focus, but screenshots capture both monitors, so a restricted app on a second screen can still appear. Data retention is listed as 24 months on every plan.

Transparency vs stealth. Insightful documents two modes. In Visible mode the icon sits in the tray, employees can clock in and out and can open their own dashboard. In Stealth mode there is no icon and no employee control. Personal computers are always Visible with manual clock in and out, so personal use outside working hours is not tracked.

Pricing. Workforce Analytics $8 per seat per month, Workflow Optimization $12 (beta), Combo Plan $16, Enterprise custom, all billed annually. The page says month-to-month billing is "available on select plans" but does not show those prices. Admin, manager and client users are free unless they are tracked. The free trial lasts 7 days with all features except automatic time mapping.

Who it is for. Growing teams that want productivity analytics and periodic screenshots at a lower per-seat price, with a clear Visible mode for transparent rollouts.

Limits. SSO and audit logs are Enterprise only. Payroll and invoicing are listed as "Coming Soon". Video recording and insider risk tools are add-ons.

Teramind: full review

What it is. Teramind is a user activity monitoring and data loss prevention platform. It can be used for productivity, but its feature set and documentation are built around security investigations, compliance and insider risk.

What it captures. According to Teramind's pricing comparison table:

• All plans (Starter and up): screen recording and live view, remote control, web pages and applications, activity blocking, instant messaging, social media, searches and time tracking.
• UAM and up: email, console commands, file transfers, online meetings, keystrokes, printing, camera usage and geolocation, plus SIEM integration and pre-packaged productivity rules.
• DLP and up: clipboard, sensitive content detection, redaction of sensitive content, content-based rules, 200 pre-packaged DLP rules and automatic DLP blocking.
• Enterprise: OCR and custom field capture inside websites and apps.

Privacy controls. Teramind's knowledge base has a detailed guide to privacy-friendly setups. Each monitoring channel (keystrokes, audio, files and others) can be switched off. Monitoring schedules stop collection outside work hours. Apps and websites can be excluded; excluded windows are automatically blacked out in recordings and live view ("Dynamic Blackout"). Opening an Incognito or InPrivate window stops URL and keystroke logging. Password fields are not logged when the relevant toggles are off. Screen recording can be limited to "Record only when behavior rule was violated", and remote control can display an on-screen message. A per-profile "Delete history after" retention setting is documented for On-Premises and Private Cloud deployments.

Transparency vs stealth. Teramind offers three agents. The Revealed agent requires user acknowledgement, has an interface, and only monitors after the user clicks Start. The Standard agent requires acknowledgement at installation but has no interface and cannot be stopped by the user. The Stealth agent needs no acknowledgement and is "available to vetted customers only".

Pricing. Per seat per month: Starter $14 billed annually or $15 monthly, UAM $28 or $30, DLP $32 or $35, Enterprise and Government custom. The annual figures on the card are rounded; the page's total for 10 seats is $138 a month on Starter. Teramind's licensing article lists a 5-seat minimum and says annual payments are upfront and non-refundable, while monthly plans can be canceled at any time. The cloud trial lasts 7 days, needs no credit card and is capped at 5 users.

Who it is for. Regulated industries, security teams and organizations whose main concern is data leaving the company, where detailed forensic evidence is part of the requirement.

Limits. For productivity-only monitoring, Teramind captures far more than needed, and the privacy configuration is up to you. Keystroke logging needs UAM at $28 per seat.

Controlio: full review

What it is. Controlio is a computer monitoring platform for Windows and macOS endpoints, with cloud and on-premises deployment. It combines productivity analytics with screen recording and behavior rules at a low per-user price.

What it captures. Controlio's pricing page lists, on the Basic plan: productivity summary per user, AI-based activity categorization, detailed time breakdown by day, application and website, behavior rules (apps, websites, keystrokes, USBs, sessions, user activity), and screen live stream and video recording. The compare table marks screen streaming and recording, keystrokes, files, emails and printing as optional. Advanced adds per-department productivity, workload and burnout, focus and multitasking, mouse jiggler and clicker detection, SSO, REST API and locations tracking.

Rules and security. Behavior rules cover web filtering, application control, removable drives, keystrokes, sessions, violation-triggered screen recording and blocking of mouse jigglers and clickers. Controlio's security page says recording can be enabled for specific employees or teams, only in specified apps or websites, or in response to a rule violation.

Privacy controls. Controlio's compliance page describes a built-in GDPR mode in which "No windows titles, web URLs, screen recordings, keystrokes, searches, files, emails, and printings will be collected", and an optional pop-up at the start of each monitoring session reminding employees that they are monitored. Storage runs from 6 to 36 months depending on settings. Dashboard access can be restricted with two-step authentication, IP filtering and an immutable audit log.

Transparency vs stealth. The compare table lists "Stealth or tray icon modes" on every plan.

Pricing. Basic $6.67 per user per month billed annually or $7.99 monthly; Advanced $9.99 annually or $11.99 monthly; Enterprise on request for 100 or more users. Basic and Advanced cover 5 to 10,000 users. On-premises installation is available from 10 users on request. A 14-day free trial is offered.

Who it is for. Small and mid-sized businesses that want screen recording and policy rules without paying security-platform prices.

Limits. Endpoints are Windows and macOS only. Locations tracking, SSO and mouse jiggler detection need Advanced. Because keystrokes and recording are available from the cheapest plan, the burden is on the buyer to switch off what they do not need.

Pricing comparison: a 10-person team

Here is what each tool costs per month for 10 monitored employees on annual billing, using only the prices published on each vendor's pricing page. The plan chosen is the cheapest one that includes app and website usage reporting plus a visual record (screenshots or video), since that is what most buyers mean by monitoring.

A few notes on the math:

• Without a visual record, costs drop: ActivTrak Work Activity Tracking is $100 and Insightful Workforce Analytics is $80 (Insightful already includes periodic screenshots, so the Screen Recording add-on is only needed for video). For many transparent programs, app usage and productive time are enough.
• Teramind jumps to $275 a month on UAM (keystrokes, email, file transfers) and $321 on DLP. On monthly billing, Starter is $150.
• Monthly billing raises the others: Controlio Basic $79.90, Hubstaff Team $120, Time Doctor Standard $140. ActivTrak does not offer monthly billing.
• Free option: ActivTrak's Free plan covers 3 people at $0 with 30 days of history, which is enough to pilot the reports with a small group.

How to choose

Start with the purpose, then pick the least invasive tool that meets it.

• "We want to understand workloads, attendance and productive time." ActivTrak or Insightful. Both give productivity analytics without keystroke logging. ActivTrak defaults to the strictest privacy settings and offers a free plan; Insightful includes periodic screenshots and 24 months of retention for $8.
• "We pay people by the hour and need proof of work." Hubstaff or Time Doctor. Screenshots and activity levels sit next to timesheets, and both tie monitoring to tracked time when you use the visible app. Hubstaff adds payroll on Team; Time Doctor adds video on Premium.
• "We need to stop data leaving the company or investigate incidents." Teramind. Screen recording, keystrokes, file transfer and clipboard monitoring, and DLP blocking are its core job.
• "We want screen recording and policy rules on a small budget." Controlio, with GDPR mode or monitoring profiles to limit what is collected.

Then run a short checklist before you buy:

1. Write down exactly which data you will collect and why. If you cannot explain why you need keystrokes or video, switch them off or pick a tool that does not collect them.
2. Decide whether you will run visible or hidden. For most businesses, a visible agent plus a written policy is simpler to defend and better for trust.
3. Turn on the privacy controls on day one: blur screenshots, exclude personal and sensitive apps, set tracking schedules, and restrict who can see what.
4. Set the shortest retention period that still meets your needs.
5. Let employees see their own data where the tool allows it (ActivTrak's Personal Insights, Insightful's employee dashboard in Visible mode).
6. Check the rules in each country or state where your people work before switching anything on.

Conclusion

For a typical business that monitors company computers openly, ActivTrak is the best fit. It collects app and website activity and turns it into productivity, attendance and workload reports, it does not log keystrokes or record video, screenshots stay off unless you buy Screen Details, and privacy controls are on by default. The free plan covers 3 people, and paid plans start at $10 per worker per month on an annual contract.

For a visual record tied to hours worked, choose Hubstaff (stronger on payroll) or Time Doctor. Insightful is the best value for analytics plus screenshots, Teramind fits when data loss prevention is the goal, and Controlio offers screen recording and behavior rules for the lowest price here.

Whichever you choose, collect only what you can justify, tell your employees what is collected, and check the local rules before you start.