Workpuls Teramind ActivTrak Hubstaff DeskTime Time Doctor RescueTime Kickidler Veriato Work Examiner
OVERVIEW
Price $6/user/month $6/user/month $7.20/user/month $7/user/month $7/user/month $9.99/user/month $6/user/month $9.99/user/month $150/licence/year $60/licence (lifetime)
Free trial 7 days 7 days No 14 days 14 days 14 days 30 days 7 days Yes 30 days
Ease of use Very easy Difficult Very easy Easy Easy Very easy Very easy Very easy Very difficult Easy
TRACKING METHODS
Unlimited (tracker working 24/7)
Fixed (defined working hours)
Automatic (when computer is connected to a specified network)
Manual (start/stop)
Project based (track time only on projects)
GENERAL MONITORING FEATURES
Stealth mode
App and website usage
Real-time monitoring
Offline time tracking
Attendance
Activity levels
Keylogger
Geolocation
Remote desktop control
Website/activity blocking
SCREENSHOTS AND RECORDING
Screenshots
Screenshots on demand
Screen recording
PRODUCTIVITY FEATURES
Productivity trends
Websites and apps labeling
Category labeling
Productivity alerts
ADVANCED SECURITY FEATURES
User behavior analytics
Data loss prevention
Advanced file and web monitoring
REPORTING
Productivity reports
Team reports
Timelines
Email reports
Access management
PLATFORMS
Web
Mac desktop app
Windows desktop app
Linux desktop app
Mobile app iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android Android
Browser extension Chrome Chrome Chrome
Other Citrix, VMware Chrome OS
OTHER
Support Phone, email, online Phone, email, online Phone, email, online Email, online Phone, email, online, in-person Online Phone, email, online Email, online, Viber, Whatsapp Phone, email, online, support ticket Phone, email, online
Knowledge base
Video tutorials
Integrations comming soon
API
Deployment cloud, on-premise cloud, on-premise, AWS, Azure cloud cloud cloud cloud cloud on-premise cloud, on-premise on-premise
Kronos Humanity Timeclockplus Tsheets Wheniwork Deputy Replicon Jibble EbilityTimeTracker OnTheClock BeeBole
OVERVIEW
Price(per month)Available upon requestFrom $2 per userAvailable upon requestFrom $6.40 per user+$16Free for up to 75 usersFrom $2.50 per userBasic plan:$30 for 5 users+$5 per additional userFrom $1.50 per employeeFrom $4 per user+$8From $2.20 per user$5.99 per user per month
Free trial30 days14 daysYes14 days14 days14 days30 days30 days,no credit card required
Ease of useDifficultEasyDifficultVery easyEasyEasyDifficultVery easyEasyEasyEasy
FEATURES
Timecard management
Scheduling
Shift Trading
Timesheets
Break time management
Real-time tracking
PTO Management
Payroll
Invoicing
Client billing
GPS tracking
Clock out reminders
Alerts
Manual time
PUNCH-IN METHODS
Web app
Mobile app
Time clock device
Time clock kiosk
Facial recognition
Fingerprint scanning
Geofencing
Group punch-in
REPORTING
Visual reports
Email reports
Time rounding
MANAGEMENT
Permissions
Manager approvals
Add time for others
Integrations
PLATFORMS
Web
Android app
iOS app
Mac desktop app
Windows desktop app
Linux desktop app
OTHER
SupportPhone and onlinePhone and onlinePhone,chat and onlinePhone and chatEmail and onlineChat and phonePhone,email,chat and onlinePhone and onlinePhone,email,chat and onlinePhone and onlineOnline chat and video support in English,French,and Spanish
Knowledge base
Video tutorials
Community forum
API
Workpuls Hubstaff Toggl TimeDoctor Harvest TimeCamp Timely Everhour Tick TMetric
OVERVIEW
Price (per month) $6 per user $5.83 per user $9 per user $9.99 per user $10.80 per user $5.25 per user $99 for 5 users $7 per user $19 for 10 projects $5 per user
Free trial 7 days 14 days 30 days 14 days 30 days Yes 14 days 14 days 30 days 30 days
Ease of use Very easy Difficult Difficult Very easy Easy Very easy Easy Difficult Very easy Difficult
TIME TRACKING METHODS
Manual
Start/stop buttons
Automatic time mapping
IN-DEPTH TASK AND PROJECT ANALYSIS
Screenshots
App and website usage
Activity levels coming soon
Real-time tracking
TASK AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project adding
Project templates
Project status
Task assignment
Task priorities
Budgeting coming soon
Mark billable/non-billable hours
Payroll calculation
Invoicing
ALERTS
Idle time reminders
Deadline alerts coming soon
Budget alerts coming soon
REPORTING
Client login
Productivity analysis
Email reports coming soon
PLATFORMS
Web
Mac desktop app
Windows desktop app
Linux desktop app coming soon
iOS app Beta
Android app
Browser extension Chrome Chrome, Firefox Chrome Chrome Chrome, Firefox Chrome Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge
OTHER
Support Phone and online Email and online Email and online Online Online, email and phone Email, online and support ticket Email and chat Email and chat Email Chat
Knowledge base
Video tutorials
Integrations coming soon
API
On-premise hosting

Employee monitoring business is not a new idea but the monitoring software as we know it today is a relatively young invention. However, regardless of this fact and within this short amount of time, employee monitoring software market has seen an exponential growth.

This little piece of computer program is more and more likely to be ever-present in the modern workplace and shape the business world to fit a new mold of cyber monitoring.


When will this happen? And what can we expect from online PC monitoring software in the future - new features, new applications of the existing ones, more precision and automation? Or all of the above?


Before we take a look at the future of PC utilization software, let’s take a quick look back and see how we got here.


A Brief History of Employee Monitoring Software


The idea and the need for some form of programs to monitor computer activity was probably as old as the widespread use of computers in the workplace. As soon as work got transferred from piles of papers on employees’ desks to the hard drive on their computers and, even more significantly perhaps, to online repositories, the question of how to monitor office computers began getting asked more and more often.


Then there were other social changes that added fuel to the fire. With phenomena like economic growth and the emergence of huge international enterprises, rapid technological advances and the rise of the popularity of remote work, finding the way of how to monitor computer user activity became almost a default concern for any business.


Will this result in the further spread of employer computer monitoring?


The Rising Popularity of Employee Monitoring Services


As we’ve mentioned earlier, more and more companies are realizing the need to monitor workers’ computer activities. Now, according to a recent Gartner research, more than half of all the companies are using some method of employee monitoring, which is an increase from just 30% of companies in the year 2015. The trend is obvious and its upwards trajectory is steep.


The same research predicted this number to reach as much as 80% of companies by next year.


Employee computer monitoring will definitely constitute a huge fraction of this number simply because the increasing number of business processes are being conducted in the digital realm. Besides, these systems are getting more powerful, so, for example, some of their features like an app for employees to clock in and out have the potential to take over some other types of employee monitoring, such as, in this particular case, keycards.


New Features and New Applications


Such a high demand for usage monitoring software has also created an extremely competitive market. As a result of this competition, new features of office monitoring software are constantly being added and improved upon.


Today, we have advanced technology like computer keystroke tracking software, employee screen capture software and even automated time trackers. The last one, for instance, can automatically assign employees’ time on different tasks to specific projects based only on the names of the files they’re working on.


The future can only hold more of such automatic, precise and useful functionalities.


As for the practical use and application of surveillance software for PC, it’s very likely going to surpass the limits of simple time tracking and activity monitoring program. One of the possible emerging technologies it can apply to is robotic process automation (RPA) which is essentially a way to teach a computer program to perform some types of repetitive and time-consuming digital tasks, which will allow employees to focus on innovation, creativity and customer relations. Screen watching software can provide the basis for the RPA learning process by mapping out all the specific steps that employees do in order to accomplish a task.


This is just one potential use case. There surely are many others. And with the staggering pace of technological development in general, there are bound to be more and more in the future.


Conclusion


The field of employee monitoring is developing rapidly in order to respond to the pace of the increase in demand. It’s expected to be even more popular and, with the new advanced and automatic features, the opportunities for its application are also expected to become more varied. Companies are starting to realize this potential and it’s becoming crystal clear that desktop monitoring software is here to stay.

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Employee Monitoring

The Future of Employee Monitoring Software: Where Are We Heading?

Written by
Kristina Valjarevic
Published on
September 12, 2019

Employee monitoring business is not a new idea but the monitoring software as we know it today is a relatively young invention. However, regardless of this fact and within this short amount of time, employee monitoring software market has seen an exponential growth.

This little piece of computer program is more and more likely to be ever-present in the modern workplace and shape the business world to fit a new mold of cyber monitoring.


When will this happen? And what can we expect from online PC monitoring software in the future - new features, new applications of the existing ones, more precision and automation? Or all of the above?


Before we take a look at the future of PC utilization software, let’s take a quick look back and see how we got here.


A Brief History of Employee Monitoring Software


The idea and the need for some form of programs to monitor computer activity was probably as old as the widespread use of computers in the workplace. As soon as work got transferred from piles of papers on employees’ desks to the hard drive on their computers and, even more significantly perhaps, to online repositories, the question of how to monitor office computers began getting asked more and more often.


Then there were other social changes that added fuel to the fire. With phenomena like economic growth and the emergence of huge international enterprises, rapid technological advances and the rise of the popularity of remote work, finding the way of how to monitor computer user activity became almost a default concern for any business.


Will this result in the further spread of employer computer monitoring?


The Rising Popularity of Employee Monitoring Services


As we’ve mentioned earlier, more and more companies are realizing the need to monitor workers’ computer activities. Now, according to a recent Gartner research, more than half of all the companies are using some method of employee monitoring, which is an increase from just 30% of companies in the year 2015. The trend is obvious and its upwards trajectory is steep.


The same research predicted this number to reach as much as 80% of companies by next year.


Employee computer monitoring will definitely constitute a huge fraction of this number simply because the increasing number of business processes are being conducted in the digital realm. Besides, these systems are getting more powerful, so, for example, some of their features like an app for employees to clock in and out have the potential to take over some other types of employee monitoring, such as, in this particular case, keycards.


New Features and New Applications


Such a high demand for usage monitoring software has also created an extremely competitive market. As a result of this competition, new features of office monitoring software are constantly being added and improved upon.


Today, we have advanced technology like computer keystroke tracking software, employee screen capture software and even automated time trackers. The last one, for instance, can automatically assign employees’ time on different tasks to specific projects based only on the names of the files they’re working on.


The future can only hold more of such automatic, precise and useful functionalities.


As for the practical use and application of surveillance software for PC, it’s very likely going to surpass the limits of simple time tracking and activity monitoring program. One of the possible emerging technologies it can apply to is robotic process automation (RPA) which is essentially a way to teach a computer program to perform some types of repetitive and time-consuming digital tasks, which will allow employees to focus on innovation, creativity and customer relations. Screen watching software can provide the basis for the RPA learning process by mapping out all the specific steps that employees do in order to accomplish a task.


This is just one potential use case. There surely are many others. And with the staggering pace of technological development in general, there are bound to be more and more in the future.


Conclusion


The field of employee monitoring is developing rapidly in order to respond to the pace of the increase in demand. It’s expected to be even more popular and, with the new advanced and automatic features, the opportunities for its application are also expected to become more varied. Companies are starting to realize this potential and it’s becoming crystal clear that desktop monitoring software is here to stay.