20 Best Employee Monitoring Tools in 2024

With remote work becoming more commonplace, it has become critical for organizations to adjust. After all, many employees have expressed a preference to work from home or telecommute. There are many reasons for this but one is that they believe it will enhance their productivity. However, even if employers agree to such a setup, they would be hard-pressed to monitor the productivity levels of employees. They may also have difficulty getting an overview of how the whole team works. More importantly, there are also the risks of time theft or timesheet fraud as well as data leakage or theft.

This is where employee monitoring software solutions play a critical role. These not only track the hours an employee spends working but also monitor employee activities, including their web browsing patterns and app usage. Because of this, organizations can have peace of mind knowing that they can look at reports to spot inconsistencies and possible security risks. There are plenty of tools out there that promise complete visibility into employees’ productivity. But there are a few standouts.

In this article, we look at the top 20 best employee monitoring tools and discuss each one’s unique functionalities to help you narrow down your choices.

Very few things can cause so many people and organizations to adapt at once such as a pandemic. When COVID-19 swept the globe, businesses either had to close for the moment or for good or change their ways to continue to survive. A fortunate few did the latter with the help of digitization. Fifteen percent of companies worked remotely before COVID-19, data from a survey showed. And by the latter part of 2020, 34% of respondents expressed that they expect their entire workforce to be remote. Lastly, by June 2021, 42% of organizations said that they expect to adopt a hybrid model.

This is a boon to many, especially as more workers are expressing their preference to work from home. The main reason for wanting to work remotely is that they will have more flexibility in how they spend their time (67%). A large number of people also said that they like that arrangement because they can choose where they want to work (62%). But while this has been helpful to employees, organizations are facing challenges, particularly when it comes to time tracking and productivity management.

After all, productivity statistics point out that employee disengagement can cause industries to lose between $483 to $605 billion in productivity per year. That is why employee monitoring tools exist. These applications track the behaviors of employees during work hours so that leaders and employers can be sure of their productivity. Not only that, these solutions help them get rid of or prevent potential security risks. There are plenty of examples out there but the examples below are some of the best in the category.

Best Employee Monitoring Tools in 2025

1. Connecteam

Connecteam is a comprehensive employee management software with robust employee monitoring tools. Its Operations Hub includes a time clock, an employee scheduler, a task manager, and forms and checklists. It is also worth noting that the time clock comes with a GPS feature. With this, you can be certain that employees are in the right locations when they clock in.

Meanwhile, the task manager helps you assign tasks to the right persons. This will allow you to delegate important jobs for them to be done well. Plus, you can track the progress of tasks and projects so you can see whether your team members are being productive. At the same time, the forms and checklists can offer insight into your employees’ activities too. With these, you can be certain that they are working on their tasks meticulously. The application sends the reports they make to you in real-time so you are always aware of the goings on in the field.

Connecteam

Try out Connecteam with their free trial

VISIT WEBSITE FREE TRIAL

2. Insightful

Insightful is a workforce analytics software with employee monitoring capabilities. These include keeping track of their productivity, the time they spend working on tasks, and the remote work they do. The latter is especially beneficial because today’s workforce are now in a hybrid or true remote work setting. With this in mind, it is crucial to keep an eye on what really goes on during work hours, especially as remote work and telecommuting statistics reveal that remote employees can be unproductive for an average of 27 minutes a day. Although it should be noted that that figure is 10 minutes less than on-site workers’ length of unproductivity per day.

Additionally, Insightful offers powerful data regarding employee behavior on their computers. You will get a complete report of the apps and websites they use, their activity logs such as their active and idle times, and screenshots. There is also a real-time monitoring feature. Moreover, you have the ability to label websites and apps to determine whether they are productive or unproductive. In this way, you will see easily whether website and app usage is aligned with their work. Then, you can analyze productivity through reports that can aid you in coming up with work policies.

Insightful

Try out Insightful with their free trial

3. Time Doctor

Time Doctor is a simple but powerful time tracking application with employee monitoring capabilities. It can integrate with project management software so that employees can easily track the time they work on tasks. This also allows you to see how much time they spend on certain tasks for you to adjust deadlines in the future when necessary.

Apart from that, Time Doctor can monitor the sites employees visit and the applications they use. As well, it can tell you the time they spend on those. And in case they become idle, the solution pops up from the background and asks workers whether they are still working or taking a break. Thus, you can prevent time theft.

4. FlexiServer

FlexiServer is an automatic employee time logging software. Since it logs attendance automatically, there is no need for workers to queue in front of a time clock. This makes for a flexible working environment, especially when you have remote workers. This is because remote and work-at-home staff can just install the application and monitor their activities.

With that, organizations can be certain that their employees are being productive. This also lets you see what tasks take up most of their time. Plus, you can make sure that there are no security breaches since you can monitor the apps they use. As well, by implementing this solution, you can prevent the misuse of resources or the company’s time being spent on personal activities.

5. Pivotal Tracker

Pivotal Tracker is an agile project management software that is story-driven. Employers or team managers can delineate a goal to focus the team. There are also workspaces that allow users to put projects side-by-side to track progress and see what else they need to do.

Employers can use this application for monitoring, as it provides reports on activities. The solution presents findings visually so you have clear visibility of what team members have been working on. And, at the same time, determine the health of projects through the Burnup report. With this, you can identify bottlenecks to remove them and improve the workflow.

6. RescueTime

RescueTime is an automatic time-tracking solution. It has time management features as well as employee productivity and monitoring capabilities. One of its standout tools is its daily focus, which helps users stay on track with their tasks. It also aids teams in understanding how members use their time by identifying distracting sites and apps.

In line with these, employers or managers can block team members from accessing what they deem as distracting programs and websites. In this way, workers can remain focused during the time. Plus, this allows leaders to block potential security risks.

7. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a comprehensive time tracking solution designed for teams with remote or field workers. It provides accurate time tracking on multiple devices, allowing users to continue tracking their work even when they are on their mobile devices. This means that they can monitor activities and their overall productivity continuously across different devices.

Moreover, Hubstaff has a robust employee monitoring module. You can see how they spend their time on their computers, such as the URLs and the applications they access. Administrators can also enable the screenshot feature to have more visibility of employee activities. As a result, they can be assured that team members are not engaging in activities that may pose a security risk.

8. Deputy

Deputy is a team scheduling solution, task management software, and time management application rolled into one comprehensive platform. It helps you capture the time worked by each member simply, ensuring that they are productive during work hours. On top of that, this helps you in having accurate timesheets, letting you pay your employees on time. This is highly beneficial, as payroll automation can decrease costs by as much as 80%.

Deputy also assists in making sure that it really is the employee who is starting their work time. This is because it has a facial recognition feature that starts shifts automatically. With this, there can be fewer instances of fraud.

9. ActiveCollab

ActiveCollab is a project management software that makes work visible to everyone. Because of this, you will always know what team members are working on. Plus, you can be certain that your team is never surprised by deadlines.

Moreover, the time management module has an intuitive task time tracking function. This lets you see how much time is spent on tasks to the minute. In addition, the application has a team timesheet where managers can drill down into what tasks the whole team spent their time on. Because of this, you can better adjust deadlines and be assured that everyone is working on what they are supposed to.

10. Monitask

Monitask is a computer monitoring software that also tracks time and keeps an eye on employee productivity. This all-in-one solution includes online timesheets and a clock-in/clock-out board as well. Since these related features are in one platform, it is easy to manage them.

As a web-based employee monitoring tool, this platform assists organizations in making teams more productive by monitoring activities in the least invasive way possible. It provides proof of work so there is no need to micromanage team members. Work hours are associated with tasks and projects, thus allowing leaders to review time logs, activities, and screenshots. With this, companies can prevent the abuse of resources.

11. ActivTrak

ActivTrak is a solution that utilizes workforce analytics to help leaders manage their teams’ productivity levels. However, it has a different approach compared to most employee monitoring and productivity management solutions. It does not have keystroke logging, email monitoring, camera access and video recording, and similar features. Instead, it focuses on an ethical approach.

This means that ActivTrak gathers insights from user activity such as application usage and web browsing habits. Managers and employers can set a benchmark from these to optimize team activities and, ultimately, boost productivity. It also sends weekly reports and personal insights to each employee so that they, too, can understand their computer activities and work towards being more efficient and productive in the workplace.

12. InterGuard

Interguard is an employee productivity monitor and recorder. It simplifies employee monitoring, is easy to install, and is user-friendly so you can start utilizing it across your team or organization immediately. This is highly beneficial to you if you have remote workers or if you are thinking of implementing a work-from-home or telecommuting policy.

This software places importance on tools that can detect insider threats. Among these are features that can record all user activity on the internet. Even when the user is not connected to the organization’s network, it can monitor and log such activities. Plus, it can analyze and index data for pertinent searches and alerts. As a result, you will know when to execute an action such as remotely deleting or retrieving files from a computer.

13. We360.ai

We360.ai is an employee productivity monitoring software that offers insights into performance, presence, and activities. To that end, it tracks worker activities in real time, which is beneficial to managers who like to do spot checks on their team members. In case they prefer to let the day pass before checking on their members’ activities, they can take a look at screenshots instead. The solution takes them in intervals so you can find out how employees are engaged throughout the day.

There is an application monitoring tool with the platform, too. It can analyze the time spent by employees on business and non-business-related apps to provide insights into their productivity. With this, managers can identify their most productive members and intervene with those who are less productive.

14. Workstatus

Workstatus is an intuitive employee monitoring and management software. It automates employee time-tracking and employee monitoring. To accomplish the former, the software employs a tool that tracks employees’ use of websites and applications. This helps provide a snapshot of browsing patterns and other activities that can help in the management and optimization of time at work. Meanwhile, with the latter, the solution has real-time employee behavior monitoring. It utilizes web and app use tracking for this together with screen records to provide a comprehensive summary of activities.

Other than these features, Workstatus offers attendance management, geofencing, and GPS tracking. Together, these let you check when employees clock in and clock out. The geofencing limits their capability to log in and off to certain locations only. In addition, the GPS tracking capability helps you make certain that remote or field employees are at the intended venue at the time they clock in.

15. Apploye

Apploye is a time-tracking app for all kinds of teams. Whether your workforce is in-office, remote, or mobile, it can log their clock-in and clock-out times. With this at your disposal, you only have to use a single solution for managing time use and attendance. And since this application also works on mobile, you and your employees can track time on job sites. This removes the hassle of having to drop by the office at the start and end of the day just for attendance.

If you are using Apploye for your remote workers, you can take advantage of the live feed and instant screenshot features. The former can show you what each team member is working on at the moment. On the other hand, the latter can capture the goings-on on your employees’ computers at regular intervals. With this, you can be assured to have visibility into everyone’s productivity.

16. Kickidler

Kickidler is a new-generation employee monitoring application. It tracks user activities without interrupting workflows. It can actively record computer screens and keystrokes. Using this platform, employees can continue working without having to deal with incessant notifications. They will only receive alerts when they are violating company policies. Not only that, it will remind them to take a break when they have been working for too long. The solution is flexible in that regard so it is up to supervisors how they will configure it to suit their team’s workflow.

But Kickidler does not only report to the supervisor or the employer. It also provides employees with a self-monitoring interface. With that, they can see their productivity statistics and make changes to their work behaviors to improve.

17. CloudDesk

CloudDesk is a suite of virtual workspace products that includes an employee monitoring software. However, it does not only track and record the activities of workers but also provides productivity insights. Because of that, you can be proactive and make changes for optimization rather than just reactive.

Moreover, CloudDesk differentiates itself by not including what can be considered intrusive features. A few examples are audio recording, video capture, spy or stealth mode, and password capturing. Nevertheless, it can give you a complete picture of employee activities during work hours. With the insights you gain, you can find ways to increase employee engagement.

18. OgyMogy

OgyMogy is an all-around monitoring tool for computers and mobile devices. You can use this on Windows and Mac computers alike as well as on Android phones and tablets. Because of its comprehensive coverage, you can be sure there are little to no blind spots in your employee monitoring strategy. With this, you can prevent data leakage across all business devices.

Since employees also use their mobiles for calling and sending SMS messages, OgyMogy can give you a complete report on their call and SMS histories. And just like other similar solutions, it can tell you the websites they browse and all about their social media use. Plus, the application can let you know of the videos and the photos they took, to ensure that they did not capture sensitive documents.

19. Zoho BackToWork

Zoho BackToWork is an employee monitoring software that helps you keep an eye on the wellness and work readiness of employees. This is centered around ensuring that every member of the organization is in good health. With its wellness module, employees can conduct self-assessments and fill up contact tracing forms. In this way, you can take steps to protect the health of your workforce.

There is also a wellness dashboard that gives a complete overview of the health and wellness scores of every business location. This helps you have a benchmark that each branch can follow. Thus, you can optimize the steps you take to maintain the safety of the workplace.

20. TMetric Time Tracker

TMetric Time Tracker is a smart time-tracking solution. This can capture every task that team members work on and how much time they spent on them. On top of that, it can detect zero activity and notify the user of break time. Because of that, it can generate accurate billable hours. As well, it enables employers to optimize schedules and deadlines.

In line with that, it has a team management module. With this, you can see the team’s workload and monitor their productivity. Similar to the above features, this can help in adjusting deadlines. Also, this lets you find bottlenecks and get rid of them effectively.

What is the best employee monitoring tool for you?

These leading solutions have several things in common: they track time, they monitor productivity by logging web and app usage, and they take screenshots. There may be variations but those are some of the basic features that you can find in an employee monitoring tool.

The best one among all of these examples is Connecteam. At first glance, it is vastly different from the usual employee monitoring software. However, upon a closer look, one would find a comprehensive set of time tracking features. Connecteam’s time clock, in particular, is robust. It has a one-touch clock-in and clock-out capability. This is tied to its ability to provide real-time visibility into employees’ locations with GPS. Not only that, it helps ensure compliance so that break times and overtime work are in line with labor regulations.

Further, it has checklists and forms that allow you to gather information from your team efficiently. As soon as they complete these forms, you receive them. Because of that, you can monitor their activities as they complete them on the go. But if you want to go further in understanding your team, you can employ embedded analytics software. This tool can also be helpful in your efforts to boost productivity by gaining insight into day-to-day operations.

By Jenny Chang

Jenny Chang is a senior writer specializing in SaaS and B2B software solutions. Her decision to focus on these two industries was spurred by their explosive growth in the last decade, much of it she attributes to the emergence of disruptive technologies and the quick adoption by businesses that were quick to recognize their values to their organizations. She has covered all the major developments in SaaS and B2B software solutions, from the introduction of massive ERPs to small business platforms to help startups on their way to success.