Hybrid work is a popular trend in today’s working process. Managers hire employees both in the office and at home. It comes both with benefits and challenges. Flexibility is one of the key benefits, ensuring high productivity. How to measure productivity, activity vs idle time or teams engaged? The solution is employee monitoring software that helps solve these problems.
The tracking tools give clear insights into how work gets done. With the right tool, businesses can boost focus, reduce time waste, and improve teamwork.
But not all software is the same: some focus on productivity, when others offer deep security features. Defining the needs helps managers choose the right solution.
This article explores the 5 best employee monitoring software for hybrid work. At the top of the list is CleverControl, a powerful platform designed for modern teams. Let’s take a closer look.
CleverControl – Best Overall for Hybrid Teams
CleverControl is an employee monitoring tool with a rich set of features built also for hybrid work. It gives managers real-time records into how teams work whether they’re in office, remote, or both. It tracks apps, websites, attendance, screen time, and more. It balances visibility with well-being by offering features like inactivity tracking and self-monitoring dashboards.
Key Features
Here are some of the standout features of CleverControl:
| Feature | What it does |
| Live screen & webcam broadcast / recording | See what employees are doing in real time. Record screens, webcam videos, and audio if needed. |
| Application / website / chat / Internet usage tracking | Track what apps are used, which websites are visited, and how much time is spent on non-work sites. |
| Keylogger, screenshots, external storage monitoring, printer activity | Capture keystrokes, take screenshots, see when USB drives are connected, and monitor printing to avoid misuse of company resources or data leaks. |
| Work time & attendance monitoring | Track when work starts and ends, active vs idle time, attendance, and late log-ins. |
| AI scoring & contextual insights | Uses AI to compare activity to benchmarks, highlighting distractions or inefficiencies. |
| Self-monitoring dashboard for employees | Gives employees access to their own metrics so they can see where they spend time and reduce distractions. |
| Multiple deployment options | Available in cloud-based, on-premise, and local versions depending on business needs. |
Price Plan
| Plan duration | Price Per PC / user / month | Notes |
| 3 months | ~$11.00 | Good for short-term monitoring projects. |
| 6 months | ~$6.60 | More affordable with mid-term commitment. |
| 12 months | ~$4.70 | Best value for most businesses. |
Time Doctor – Best for Productivity Tracking
Time Doctor is a popular employee monitoring and time tracking software designed for hybrid and remote teams. It focuses on boosting productivity by helping employees stay on task and giving managers detailed activity records. Stay connected with employee PC monitoring software.
Key Features
| Feature | What it does |
| Time tracking | Tracks work hours automatically, including manual and idle time logging. |
| Distraction alerts | Sends gentle pop-ups when users spend too much time on unproductive sites or apps. |
| Website & app usage monitoring | Records which websites and applications employees use and for how long. |
| Productivity reports | Generates detailed daily, weekly, and monthly reports showing time spent on tasks and projects. |
| Screenshots & activity levels | Option to capture random screenshots and track keyboard/mouse activity for accountability. |
| Integrations | Connects with popular tools like Trello, Asana, Slack, Jira, and more. |
| Mobile & desktop apps | Available on multiple platforms for flexibility in hybrid environments. |
Price Plan
| Plan | Price per user / month | Best for |
| Basic | ~$7 | Simple time tracking and productivity monitoring. |
| Standard | ~$10 | Adds integrations, screenshots, and reporting. |
| Premium | ~$20 | Includes advanced features like client logins, video screen captures, and VIP support. |
Teramind – Best for Security & Compliance
Teramind is a security and productivity analytics platform. It provides organizations with tools to track, record, and analyze user behavior on their digital systems. The goal is to protect sensitive data from insider threats (both malicious and negligent), ensure compliance with regulations, and optimize employee productivity.
Key Features
| Feature | What is does |
| Live screen viewing | View real-time live feeds of any user’s desktop. |
| Session recording | Record full desktop activity to video files for later review. |
| Keystroke logging | Captures all keyboard input typed by a user. |
| User behavior analytics (UBA) | AI establishes a normal behavior baseline for each user and flags anomalies. |
| Real-time alerts | Instantly notifies admins of specific rule violations or risky behavior. |
| Optical character recognition (OCR) | Reads and analyzes text within images and scanned documents on the screen. |
| Data loss prevention (DLP) | Blocks the transfer of sensitive data via email, cloud, USB, etc. |
| Productivity dashboard | Measures and categorizes time spent on applications and websites. |
| Automated reports | Generates detailed reports on activity, productivity, and security events. |
| Cloud & on-premise deployment | Offers flexible deployment options to suit different IT infrastructures. |
Price Plan
| Plan | Price per user / month | Best for |
| Starter | $14.00 | Productivity monitoring and time tracking |
| UAM (User Activity Monitoring) | $28.00 | Insider threat detection and behavior analytics |
| DPC (Data Protection & Compliance) | $32.00 | Data loss prevention (DLP) and regulatory compliance |
| Enterprise | (Contact Sales) | Large organizations with complex, custom security needs |
Hubstaff – Best for Simple Time Tracking
Hubstaff is perfectly designed for straightforward time tracking and productivity management. It’s a favorite among remote teams and freelancers who need to accurately log hours worked on various projects. The tool simplifies payroll and invoicing with its intuitive reporting and automated timesheets. Ultimately, it provides clarity for both workers and managers without complex security features.
Key Features
| Feature | What it does |
| Activity monitoring | Tracks application and website usage to measure productivity levels. |
| Automatic time tracking | Records work hours in the background and captures time spent on different tasks and projects. |
| Weekly limits | Lets you set maximum weekly hours to help prevent team burnout and manage capacity. |
| Payroll & invoicing | Automatically processes payments and generates invoices based on tracked time and activity. |
| Screenshot capture | Takes periodic screenshots of team members’ screens to provide visual context for work activity. |
| GPS & location tracking | Records location data for remote or mobile teams working from the field. |
| Project budgeting | Allows you to set time or monetary budgets for projects and alerts you when you’re close to exceeding them. |
| Work scheduling | Helps managers create and assign shifts, track attendance, and manage time-off requests. |
Price Plans
| Plan | Price per user / month | Best for |
| Starter | $7 | Time tracking, limited screenshots, activity levels, and payroll for 1 user. |
| Grow | $10 | All Starter features + unlimited screenshots, invoicing, timesheet approvals, and basic reporting. |
| Team | $15 | All Grow features + advanced reporting, project budgets, client and invoicing limits, and VIP support. |
| Enterprise | Contact Sales | All Team features + concierge account setup, custom features, and dedicated success manager. |
ActivTrak – Best for Workforce Analytics
ActivTrak excels at transforming raw activity data into clear workforce analytics. Rather than just monitoring screens, its powerful platform analyzes work patterns to identify bottlenecks and peak productivity periods. Consequently, managers gain actionable insights that help them streamline operations, protect employee focus time, and ultimately build a more efficient and balanced work environment. It’s designed not to watch employees, but to understand how work actually gets done.
Key Features
| Feature | Best for |
| Productivity reports | Measuring and improving team efficiency and focus |
| Behavior alerts | Identifying unusual or risky user actions in real-time |
| Workflow analysis | Optimizing processes and eliminating operational bottlenecks |
| Team dashboard | Providing managers with an overview of team activity and performance |
| Privacy mode | Respecting employee privacy by blurring or pausing monitoring during sensitive times |
| Granular access controls | Ensuring only authorized personnel can view specific data or reports |
| Cloud-based deployment | Quick, scalable setup without complex hardware requirements |
Price Plans
| Plan | Price per user / month | Best for |
| Essential | $10.00 | Growing teams needing advanced productivity reporting and benchmarks. |
| Professional | $15.00 | Organizations requiring behavior analytics and insider risk detection. |
| Enterprise | $19.00 | Large enterprises needing custom deployment, advanced security, and dedicated support. |
Summing Up
Choosing the right employee monitoring tool is less about watching screens and more about empowering your hybrid team to thrive. Each platform we’ve explored-from Teramind’s security focus to Hubstaff’s simplicity-brings something unique to the table.
Ultimately, the best choice hinges on your specific goals: whether that’s safeguarding sensitive data, improving productivity insights, or fostering trust through transparency.
Remember, technology should enable people, not just manage them. By selecting a tool that balances clarity with respect, you don’t just monitor work-you support better, more meaningful work, no matter where your team logs in from.