Last reviewed: 2026-08-16
Hubstaff built its brand on workforce monitoring — screenshots, activity scores, GPS, and idle-time alerts. That fits distributed ops and field crews. Agencies billing clients by the hour need time tracking for invoicing and transparency, not default surveillance.
These five tools fit a billable agency stack: projects, CRM, margins, and client-facing proof — without treating your designers like warehouse staff. For a head-to-head feature table, see our Corcava vs Hubstaff comparison.
Automatic screenshots and activity percentages signal distrust on creative and knowledge work. Client billing rarely needs keystroke-level proof — it needs approved hours tied to deliverables.
Hubstaff tracks hours well but CRM, deal pipeline, and margin reporting live elsewhere. You still assemble Pipedrive, Asana, and invoicing around the tracker.
Basic client invoicing exists, but bill rates vs pay rates, uninvoiced hour reports, and project ledgers are not the product center. Finance still exports and reconciles.
A call center and a 15-person dev agency both track time — only one bills retainers and needs client portals. Match the category to your business model.
Corcava pricing from corcava.com/pricing. Hubstaff list pricing from hubstaff.com/pricing, checked 2026-08-16. Competitor prices from public pricing pages, same date. Confirm before purchase.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price (published) | Billable agency fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corcava | Agencies & consultancies | $9/seat/mo (corcava.com/pricing) | CRM + time + invoicing + Project Finances |
| Hubstaff | Remote workforce monitoring | Free (1 user); Starter $7/user/mo, 2-seat min (hubstaff.com/pricing) | Strong monitoring; add CRM/billing stack |
| Toggl Track | Timer-first teams | Free (5 users); Starter $9/user/mo, annual (toggl.com/track/pricing) | Excellent timer; no native invoicing |
| Harvest | Time + invoicing | Free (1 seat); Teams $9/seat/mo, annual (getharvest.com/pricing) | Mature billing; light PM and no CRM |
| Clockify | Free unlimited timers | Free; Standard $5.49/seat/mo, annual (clockify.me/pricing) | Cheap timer; invoicing on paid tiers |
| Timely | Automatic time capture | Starter $9/user/mo, annual (memory.ai/pricing) | AI-assisted logging; still timer-category |
Tracks time for billing and client transparency — optional screenshots for client-facing proof, not default employee surveillance. Hours connect to CRM deals, tasks, bill rates, and invoices on one record. Time tracking sits inside delivery, not beside it.
Typical buyer: 5–50 person agency or dev shop also running PSA-style workflows.
Best-in-class timer UX without mandatory screenshots. Billable rates and project alerts help agencies, but invoicing and CRM still require Harvest, FreshBooks, or a PSA. Good when timer quality is the only gap in Hubstaff.
Mature time-to-invoice discipline Harvest users already trust. Stronger billing workflows than Hubstaff for client work, but CRM and delivery boards remain separate purchases. Compare on team margin reporting before you commit.
Unlimited free timers when budget is tight. Paid tiers add invoicing and approvals, but you still wire CRM and project delivery elsewhere. Often the first step off Hubstaff before a full stack consolidation.
Automatic time suggestions reduce manual timer friction for consultants who forget to click start. Privacy-forward compared to Hubstaff surveillance, but still a timer category tool — not a client-revenue platform.
