You’re ready to invest in new time management software for your team. But even after hours of online research, figuring out which solution will work best isn’t always easy.
People will often narrow their choices down to two leading products: Hubstaff and QuickBooks Time (formerly Tsheets). But which one is right for you?
This article will explain the key differences between Hubstaff’s and QuickBooks Time’s features, what they’re best suited for, and how each of them works. This way, you’ll have all the information you need to figure out which time tracking tool will bring out the best in your team.
Which one is better?
Although Hubstaff and QuickBooks Time have some similar time tracking features, there are some key differences.
With QuickBooks Time, you’ll get time tracking features such as a time clock, detailed time entries, scheduling, reports, time off, geofencing, and timesheet approvals. Hubstaff offers all of those features, along with a set of tools specifically for field and remote team productivity. This allows you to optimize job routes, create detailed Work orders and assign jobs, and measure team productivity. QuickBooks Time lacks some of these built-in productivity features. So if you’re looking for a way to understand and improve employee productivity, Hubstaff might be better for you. That said, there’s a benefit to using QuickBooks Time if you’re already using QuickBooks software for your bookkeeping and accounting. There’s also a noticeable difference in monthly fees. QuickBooks Time has a higher price tag that includes monthly base fees plus per-using pricing on top of that, which you can compare more closely in the Pricing section.
But that’s just the high-level view. Keep reading to compare these features side-by-side and see what’s best for you.
Time tracking features
Hubstaff
Hubstaff and QuickBooks Time are somewhat similar when it comes to time tracking.
With Hubstaff, you can track time on any Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android device. In addition to the web app, the software also comes as a desktop app and as a mobile app.
For tracking work hours, all you have to do is press Start to begin tracking and Stop when you’re done. Plus, any time that you worked offline can be added manually. Team members can track work breaks and time off as well. This way, as a manager, you’re always up to date about who’s available to take on new tasks.
If team members ever forget to track time or go idle for more than 10 minutes, you can set automatic reminders to give them a nudge. The duration of idle time can be modified on a per-user basis, whereas QuickBooks Time only allows you to set timeouts company-wide.
As long as they’re tracking time or adding manual entries, Hubstaff will automatically generate timesheets for all employees. Both options offer timesheet approvals to save managers time.
Another time-saving feature is time tracking reminders that each person can set around the time they start and end their workday. This ensures more accurate time cards and simplifies onboarding as each person can get a reminder instead of having to remember on their own.
To do this in QuickBooks Time, you’ll need an administrator to set up notifications for you or allow you to edit notifications, and they might only be tied to scheduled shifts. Hubstaff offers a bit more flexibility and personalization in this way.
In order to provide the exact time tracking and productivity tools you need, Hubstaff offers three main products: Hubstaff Time, Hubstaff Desk, and Hubstaff Field. The time tracking feature is available with all of them, but each product works a bit differently. Hubstaff Desk gives you more insights into team productivity. And Hubstaff Field allows you to set geofenced Job sites so that team members start tracking time automatically when they reach a set location.
QuickBooks Time
With QuickBooks Time, you can use the web app to track time, review time reports, and manage employee timesheets. With their mobile app, which is available for both Android and iOS devices, employees can track, submit, and approve time from their smartphones.
One time tracking feature that’s different from Hubstaff is the QuickBooks Time Kiosk. It’s available for any computer or tablet and functions similarly to a traditional punch clock.
Employees can simply click the Clock In button to start tracking time, and the timer will start running. Similarly, the Clock Out button will stop the timer, saving all the time spent working in automatically generated timesheets that you can approve from the app. Employees can add signatures to their timesheets, adding an extra layer of certainty to ensure each timesheet is correct.
Employees can also send time-off requests in QuickBooks Time, which you can approve or deny. Plus, you can set up codes for the types of time-off requests you usually get, such as holiday, sick, and personal time. This helps you enter time off in bulk so that, for example, when a holiday is approaching, you can schedule time off for the entire team.
Hubstaff offers these team management features as well, allowing you to add time off policies to your company or individuals, and track work breaks or PTO all from the dashboard.
Hubstaff vs. QuickBooks Time time tracking overview
| Feature | Hubstaff | QuickBooks Time |
|---|---|---|
Automatic time tracking | Yes | Yes |
Timesheets | Yes | Yes |
Time off tracking | Yes | Yes |
Work breaks | Yes | Yes |
Time tracking reminders | Yes | Yes, once permitted |
Idle time reminders | Yes | Yes |
Windows app | Yes | Yes |
Mac app | Yes | Yes |
Android app | Yes | Yes |
iOS app | Yes | Yes |
Linux app | Yes | No |
Kiosk app | No | Yes |
Chrome extension | Yes | No |
Manual time entries | Yes | Yes |
Unlimited To dos | Yes | Yes |
GPS location tracking
Hubstaff
Both Hubstaff and QuickBooks Time offer GPS tracking. The difference comes in the level of automation available.
With the GPS tracking feature in Hubstaff, you get to see where team members are throughout the workday on a live map, along with details of the job they’re working on. Plus, once the workday begins, you can see what streets employees take to reach the Job site and where they stop along the way. This allows you to optimize routes, estimate arrival times for future jobs, and improve customer satisfaction.
Hubstaff’s geofencing feature automatically clocks employees in and out when they enter or exit the Job site you set up. You can customize this setting to instead send a reminder to start tracking time, which is closer to what QuickBooks Time offers. This allows for greater payroll accuracy. It also means that you never have to worry about chasing anyone to submit their timesheets.
QuickBooks Time
The mobile app comes with geofencing and GPS features, similar to Hubstaff. However, one of the key differences is that with QuickBooks Time, employees will be reminded to clock in once they reach the Job site as opposed to starting the time clock automatically for them. QuickBooks Time also allows for mileage tracking so that you know exactly how far your team members travel and can reimburse their expenses.
QuickBooks Time only tracks the location of employees while they are clocked in, whereas Hubstaff can track work vehicles when fleet tracking is enabled. The software also provides a map view where you can see who is closest to the next Job site, similar to Hubstaff. Once you’re in map view mode, you can deploy any employee to the respective job location.
Hubstaff vs. QuickBooks Time GPS location tracking overview
| Hubstaff | Feature | QuickBooks Time |
|---|---|---|
Automatic time tracking based on location | Yes | No |
Geofenced time tracking | Yes | Yes |
Job routes | Yes | No |
Location-based reminders to track time | Yes | Yes |
Live map view | Yes | Yes |
Real-time job progress update | Yes | Yes |
Work orders | Yes | Yes |
Mileage tracking | No | Yes |
Project management
Hubstaff
With Hubstaff or QuickBooks Time, team members can track time toward specific tasks or projects. Managers can assign the right team members so that all relevant projects show up in whatever timer app they are using. From the Hubstaff dashboard, you can see hours spent on various projects and tasks. The dashboard itself is customizable and visual, which means you can set it up with the data that’s most relevant to you.
By integrating Hubstaff Tasks, you can unlock a range of project management features that use the Agile Methodology. Increase team productivity by breaking big projects into Epics, monitor progress through Sprints, and use Kanban boards to automate repetitive tasks. You can also toggle between the Kanban and Timeline view to see what every team member is working on to prevent bottlenecks.
QuickBooks Time
As mentioned, both tools allow you to create and track time to projects and tasks.
QuickBooks Time also gives you access to data from previous years’ projects so that you can better estimate how long new projects will take. The app also has an activity feed, where team members can add notes. This way, everyone is always in the know about project updates.
Hubstaff vs. QuickBooks Time project management overview
| Feature | Hubstaff | QuickBooks Time |
|---|---|---|
Tracking time to projects and tasks | Yes | Yes |
Recent activity | Yes | Yes |
Assign tasks to employees | Yes | Yes |
Automate repetitive tasks | Yes | No |
Agile Methodology | Yes, with Hubstaff Tasks | No |
Activity feed | Yes | Yes |
Productivity features
Hubstaff
Hubstaff is a popular choice for remote or distributed teams, thanks to its productivity and employee monitoring features. You can view apps and URLs visited while tracking time, see activity rates based on mouse and keyboard usage, and enable screenshots that capture work in progress. Each feature can be customized on a per-user level or turned off completely.
You can also enable automatic achievement badges that recognize employee efforts. These are sent automatically based on productivity and hours.
All of these features are available in detailed reports, which we’ll discuss in more detail next, or through your dashboard.
QuickBooks Time
Unlike Hubstaff, QuickBooks Time doesn’t offer productivity features or any activity monitoring along with its time tracking.
Hubstaff vs. QuickBooks Time productivity overview
| QuickBooks Time | Feature | Hubstaff |
|---|---|---|
Apps and URLs | Yes | No |
Optional screenshots | Yes | No |
Activity rates | Yes | No |
Achievement badges | Yes | No |
Reporting and job costing
Hubstaff
An important part of time tracking is being able to glean insights from work hours and better estimate projects in the future. Both Hubstaff and QuickBooks Time offer some forms of reporting to help with this, but they vary.
In Hubstaff, all tracked hours will be visible in time reports or on your dashboard, which allows you to see exactly how much time is spent on each activity.
With the project budgeting feature, you can set budget limits and get notified when your team approaches limits so that you’re not spending more than you were planning to. You can determine at what point those notifications are sent, from 50% of the budget used to 90%, depending on your needs.
The reporting feature will give you insights that help you create better budget estimates for future projects while helping you manage costs more effectively.
QuickBooks Time
QuickBooks Time also offers a fair amount of reporting. Unlike Hubstaff, QuickBooks Time tracks and alerts you to overtime hours.
Both options give you reports for time, payroll, timesheet approvals, projects, team members, and more. And, you can export reports into PDF, CSV or Excel files.
QuickBooks also offers reporting on “exceptions” for details that might not be in another report, such as when someone works less than a certain number of hours in a day.
Hubstaff vs. QuickBooks Time report and job costing overview
| Feature | Hubstaff | QuickBooks Time |
|---|---|---|
Budget estimates | Yes | Yes |
Reporting | Yes | Yes |
Exports | Yes | Yes |
Scheduling
Hubstaff
Both Hubstaff and QuickBooks Time offer robust scheduling features that allow you to create shifts by the employee or the job. With Hubstaff, you can create a Work order and then schedule a job so that all relevant client details are in one place for your team.
The calendar view feature allows you to see all upcoming shifts, which team members are available, and when. This way, you can easily assign the right person to a part-time or full-time shift with the drag-and-drop feature. You can even set repeat shifts for maximum efficiency.
Set work hour limits when scheduling employees to reduce overtime. And if any team member misses their shift or gets to the Job site later than scheduled, you’ll always be notified.
Plus, if you are usually using Google Calendar to schedule your team, you can now connect it to Hubstaff through Zapier. You’ll always be able to see your scheduled shifts and all project details across the devices using Hubstaff or Google Calendar.
QuickBooks Time
QuickBooks works in a similar way when it comes to scheduling employees. You can create, edit, and assign shifts from the mobile or web apps using the drag-and-drop feature. You can also set recurring schedules and send employees automatic notifications for shift changes. Plus, your calendar will sync across all devices using QuickBooks Time.
However, you won’t need a Zapier integration to connect your shifts with common Calendar platforms such as Google Calendar, iCal, and others.
Hubstaff vs. QuickBooks Time scheduling overview
| Feature | Hubstaff | QuickBooks Time |
|---|---|---|
Calendar view | Yes | Yes |
Drag and drop | Yes | Yes |
Recurring shifts | Yes | Yes |
Third-party app integration, i.e., Google Calendar | Yes, with Zappier | Yes |
Synching schedules across devices | Yes | Yes |
No-show notifications | Yes | Yes |
Payroll
Hubstaff
Whether you are managing contractors or employees, you can set pay rates for every person on your team. This way, when team members are tracking time, Hubstaff will create timesheets automatically and show you how much money you need to pay each team member.
The pay period can be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or twice per month. Managers can make automatic payments directly through the app because Hubstaff integrates with Paypal, Gusto, Payoneer, Wise, or Bitwage. This way, you can completely automate the payroll process and reduce admin work. Hubstaff allows you to make manual payments as well.
QuickBooks Time
Unlike Hubstaff, QuickBooks Time does not allow you to make automatic payments to contractors. However, you can automate your payroll for all regular employees, some employees, or just one employee. To enable auto payroll, all employees must first be on a single pay schedule. Plus, you need to pre-set their hourly rate or state their full salaries in advance.
Additionally, QuickBooks offers a tax filing option that Hubstaff does not have. The software will calculate, file, and pay your taxes for you. And if you ever receive a payroll tax penalty, they’ll cover up to $25,000.
Hubstaff vs. QuickBooks Time payroll overview
| Feature | Hubstaff | QuickBooks Time |
|---|---|---|
Auto payroll for employees | Yes, with integration | Yes |
Auto payroll for contractors | Yes | No |
Manual payments | Yes | Yes |
Tax filling | No | Yes |
Pricing
Hubstaff
As mentioned above, this is where you’ll start to see the major differences between Hubstaff and QuickBooks: monthly fees.
When it comes to Hubstaff pricing, both Hubstaff Time and Hubstaff Desk offer four pricing plans: Free, Starter ($7 per user), Pro ($10 per user), and Enterprise (custom pricing). Hubstaff Field, however, offers three plans with no free option.
You can get started with the Field plan at $10 per user per month or use Hubstaff Desk & Field together at $10 per user per month.* Plus, you can try any Hubstaff plan for free with the 14-day trial.
*This is the current offer for new customers.
QuickBooks Time
QuickBooks Time doesn’t offer a free plan. Instead, you can try all paid plans free for 30 days.
The Premium plan starts at $20/month (including one admin) plus $8 per user per month. For more features, you can upgrade to the Elite plan for $40/month (including one admin) and $10 per user per month.
Hubstaff vs. QuickBooks Time pricing overview
| Feature | Hubstaff | QuickBooks Time |
|---|---|---|
Free plan available? | Yes | No |
Trial duration | 14 days | 30 days |
Base free? | No | Yes |
Hubstaff vs. QuickBooks Time: Which one is right for you?
Both Hubstaff and QuickBooks Time are fantastic time tracking tools. They both offer a wide range of features to track time, pay team members, create tasks, and assign them. However, the major differences come down to pricing, productivity features, and field team tracking.
So which one should you use?
Hubstaff works best for remote teams, field teams, and freelancers across an array of industries: landscaping, accounting, e-commerce, agency, healthcare, design, software developing, and more.
QuickBooks Time, on the other hand, might be a good fit for small or large construction companies and landscaping businesses along with a number of small businesses that are familiar with QuickBooks.
| Feature | Hubstaff | QuickBooks Time |
|---|---|---|
Time tracking | Automatic and manual | Yes |
Timesheets | Yes | Yes |
Apps | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Kiosk |
Detailed reports | Yes | Yes |
Invoicing | Yes | Yes |
Productivity measurement | Yes | No |
Location tracking | Yes | Yes |
Project budgets | Yes | Yes |
Shift scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Attendance tracking | Yes | Yes |
Payroll management | Yes | Yes |
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