Overview

DeskTime is an automatic time tracking and employee productivity analysis platform founded in 2012 in Riga, Latvia, and belongs to the productivity category of time management solutions. Its core differentiator is fully automatic tracking: employees never start or stop a timer, and the system records how long each app and website is used, automatically classifying activities as productive, neutral or unproductive for an objective view of work patterns.

DeskTime reports over 1 million users globally, offering project timesheets, cost tracking, optional screenshots and an open API that suit remote and hybrid teams. For teams that need transparent work-hour data and productivity analysis, DeskTime is a mature option; see remote team management tool comparison for similar tools.

Key Strengths

  • Fully automatic tracking: No manual start or stop, with the system recording activity to eliminate omissions; see remote team toolchain for building a team tool stack.
  • Productivity classification: Automatically splits activity into productive, neutral and unproductive, with individual and team productivity trend reports.
  • Configurable privacy: Screenshots are optional and activity levels customizable, balancing monitoring with employee privacy.
  • Project and cost tracking: Tracks time and costs per project, generating project-level reports exportable to CSV/PDF.
  • Open integrations: Connects Slack, Trello, Asana, Jira and Basecamp plus an open API for existing toolchains.

Product Ecosystem

DeskTime Time Tracking

The core automatic tracking feature records app and website usage in the background with no manual operation.

DeskTime Productivity Analysis

A productivity engine auto-classifies activity levels and provides efficiency trends and improvement suggestions for individuals, teams and projects.

DeskTime Screenshots

An optional random screenshot feature to verify work, with configurable frequency and blurring.

Project and Cost Tracking

Records time per project and computes labor cost, generating exportable detailed reports with timesheets.

Integrations & API

Connects Slack, Trello, Asana, Jira and Basecamp, and exposes a RESTful API for HR and payroll systems.

Limitations

  • Privacy concerns: Automatic tracking plus optional screenshots can meet resistance, so clear policy and communication are required; see productivity tool collection to balance monitoring and trust.
  • Activity misclassification: Fixed rules cannot reliably recognize non-typing focus, so long reading or brainstorming sessions may be judged unproductive.
  • Limited Chinese support: Chinese interface and documentation are scarce, with no localized support or compliance guidance for mainland China.
  • Advanced features are paid: Screenshots, cost tracking and the API sit in paid plans, and the free plan is limited.

Use Cases

  • Remote and hybrid teams (recommended ★★★★): Automatic tracking suits distributed teams that are hard to supervise offline; see remote team management tool comparison.
  • Management needing time transparency (recommended ★★★★): Objective work-hour and productivity data support project planning and staffing decisions.
  • Outsourcing and project billing (recommended ★★★★): Per-project time and cost tracking suits hourly-billed outsourcing.
  • Privacy-sensitive teams (recommended ★★): Continuous monitoring may erode trust; such teams should evaluate carefully and disable strong monitoring features like screenshots.

Pricing

Plan Price Key Features
Free $0 Basic automatic tracking and simple reports for one user
Pro ~$7/user/mo Team tracking, URL/app tracking and project timesheets
Premium ~$10.5/user/mo Screenshots, cost tracking, API and advanced reports
Enterprise Custom Dedicated support, SSO and compliance

Note: These are public reference prices; confirm with DeskTime's latest official pricing and billing terms.

FAQ

  • How does DeskTime track time automatically? After installing the desktop app, the system records which apps and websites are used and for how long, with no manual start or stop; employees can review their own activity, as covered in remote team toolchain.

  • Can screenshots be disabled? Yes. Screenshots are optional and can be turned off per team or user in the admin panel, and activity levels are customizable to balance monitoring and privacy; see productivity tool collection to weigh monitoring boundaries.

  • What limits does the free plan have? The free plan targets basic individual use; team collaboration, URL/app tracking, screenshots and the API require Pro or Premium; plan a team setup with remote team toolchain.

  • Is DeskTime suitable for remote teams? Yes. Automatic tracking removes the need for offline supervision, and project timesheets and reports support distributed team management; see remote team management tool comparison.