Employee monitoring software typically costs $5 to $20 per user per month for time tracking and activity monitoring, and $14 to $35 per user for security-focused products with keystroke logging and data loss prevention. Annual billing is usually 7% to 30% cheaper than monthly. Seat minimums, add-ons and data history limits are the costs buyers most often miss.
Key takeaways
- Time tracking and activity monitoring tools typically cost $5 to $20 per user per month. Security-focused products cost $14 to $35.
- Annual billing is usually 7% to 30% cheaper than monthly. Take it only after a successful trial.
- Seat minimums, add-ons, usage caps and data history limits are the costs buyers most often miss.
- At $8 per user per month, the software costs the same as 16 minutes of work from an employee paid $30 an hour.
What do the main vendors charge?
Prices are per user per month, in US dollars.
| Vendor | Entry plan, annual / monthly | Top self-serve plan, annual / monthly | Minimum seats | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BirdsEye | $5 / $6 | $12 / $15 | None | 14 days |
| Hubstaff | $4.99 / $7 | $10 / $12 | 2 | 14 days |
| Time Doctor | $6.67 / $8 | $16.67 / $20 | None listed | 14 days |
| DeskTime | $6.42 / $7 | $9.17 / $10 | None listed | 14 days |
| Insightful | $8 / $10 | $24, annual only | None on the entry plan, 50 on the upper plan | On the entry plan, length not stated |
| ActivTrak | $10, annual only | $21, annual only | None listed | 14 days |
| Teramind | $14 / $15 | $32 / $35 | 5 | Available |
Hubstaff, Time Doctor, DeskTime, Insightful and Teramind also sell enterprise plans at higher or custom prices.
- Hubstaff$4.99
- BirdsEye$5
- DeskTime$6.42
- Time Doctor$6.67
- Insightful$8
- ActivTrak$10
- TeramindAbout $14
List prices per user per month on annual billing, checked on 11 November 2026.
What does a 25-person team pay per year?
On annual billing, at list price, before add-ons and tax:
| Vendor | Entry plan | Middle plan |
|---|---|---|
| BirdsEye | $1,500 | $2,400 |
| Hubstaff | $1,497 | $2,250 on Grow, $3,000 on Team |
| Time Doctor | $2,000 | $3,500 |
| DeskTime | $1,926 | $2,751 |
| Insightful | $2,400 | Sold from 50 seats |
| ActivTrak | $3,000 | $4,500 |
| Teramind | $4,200 | $8,400 |
Entry plans are not equivalent. Before you compare numbers, check what each one includes. Some entry plans cap screenshots or leave out application tracking and attendance. The comparison pages price each product on the lowest plan that covers app tracking, screenshots and attendance.
What drives the price?
- Depth of monitoring. Hours and applications cost least. Video recording, keystroke logging and data loss prevention cost most.
- Workforce features. Payroll, scheduling, invoicing and GPS raise the tier.
- Analytics. Benchmarks, coaching and capacity planning sit in upper tiers.
- Compliance and identity. Single sign-on and compliance attestations are usually enterprise features.
- Support level.
What hidden costs should you check?
Seat minimums
Hubstaff requires two seats on its self-serve plans, Teramind five, and Insightful's upper plan 50.
Add-ons
Hubstaff's optional add-ons cost $1.67 to $3.33 per seat per month each. Time Doctor sells video recording as an add-on to lower plans. Insightful sells on-demand screenshots, higher screenshot frequency and screen recording as add-ons of $3 to $4 per seat, and ActivTrak sells screenshots as an add-on.
Usage caps
Hubstaff limits screenshots each month on its Starter and Grow plans.
Data history
ActivTrak keeps six months of history on its lower paid tiers. BirdsEye keeps three months on Starter and twelve on Team.
Billing terms
ActivTrak bills annually only, and so does Insightful's upper plan.
Features on the wrong tier
The one thing you need may live two plans up.
Your own time
Setup, policy writing and weekly review are real costs.
How does the cost compare with what it saves?
Put the price next to wages. At $8 per user per month, the software costs the same as 16 minutes of work from an employee paid $30 an hour.
So the break-even question is simple: does the tool recover more than about a quarter of an hour per person per month? That could be billable time that used to go unrecorded, payroll hours that used to be guessed, or a manager's time spent chasing timesheets. For most teams that bill or pay by the hour, the answer is yes. For a team that does neither, look hard at whether you need the tool at all.
Should you pay per user or look for a flat price?
Nearly every vendor charges per user per month. That is fair for most teams, because cost follows headcount. Check how the vendor defines a user: whether managers and administrators who are not tracked count, and whether deactivated accounts are billed.
How do you budget for employee monitoring software?
List what you must record
Stop at the minimum that serves your purpose.
Find the lowest plan that includes all of it
Do this for each vendor.
Multiply by real headcount
Apply any seat minimum.
Add the add-ons
Count the ones you would need on day one.
Compare annual with monthly
Take annual only after a successful trial.
Add internal time
Allow an hour or two a week for an administrator.
Is free employee monitoring software enough?
For a team of two or three, a free plan such as ActivTrak's can work. Beyond that, free plans run out of users, history or features quickly. A paid plan at $5 to $10 per user is a small cost next to one hour of wages per person per month.
What does BirdsEye cost?
| Plan | Annual billing | Monthly billing | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $5 | $6 | Automatic tracking, screenshots with blur, productivity rules, attendance, live dashboard |
| Team | $8 | $10 | Adds projects and budgets, Jira worklogs, team managers, analytics, the Android app |
| Business | $12 | $15 | Adds webcam checks, on-demand capture, the audit log, custom retention |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | For 200 people or more |
There is no seat minimum and no add-on for screenshots. Every plan starts with a 14-day trial and needs no credit card. Full details are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does employee monitoring software cost per user?
Most time tracking and monitoring tools cost $5 to $20 per user per month. Security-focused tools cost $14 to $35.
Is there free employee monitoring software?
Yes, with limits. ActivTrak offers a free plan for up to three people. Most vendors offer a free trial instead, usually 14 days.
Why is security monitoring software more expensive?
It does more: keystroke logging, content inspection, risk scoring and data loss prevention. Those features need more processing and storage, and they are sold to security budgets.
Is annual billing worth it?
After a successful trial, usually yes. Discounts range from about 7% to 30%. Stay monthly until you are sure of the tool.