Time Doctor is a cloud-based service combining time tracking with employee monitoring features, sold by subscription. Clockgauge also tracks time with consented screenshots and activity levels but runs on your own computer and is bought once. They differ in where data lives, pricing and how monitoring is presented to staff.
Differences at a glance
| Time Doctor | Clockgauge | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is delivered | Cloud service with a desktop app for staff | Host app on your computer plus an employee desktop app |
| Pricing model | Subscription per user (check current plans) | Free for 1 host + 1 employee; $199 once for up to 20 people |
| Where data lives | Vendor's servers | Your Host computer |
| Monitoring | Time tracking with monitoring options (check current features) | Random screenshots, activity levels, mouse-jiggler detection, call time, all with a consent screen |
| Manager access | Web dashboard | Dashboard on the Host |
What they share
Both are designed for teams that want to see how time is spent and, where appropriate, to keep a record of work. Both include reports by person and project.
Both raise the same questions about fairness and the law: tell staff, limit access and follow local rules. See is employee monitoring legal.
How they differ
- Hosting. One runs on the vendor's servers; the other on yours.
- Cost shape. Per-user subscription versus one-time licence with optional yearly updates.
- Transparency design. Clockgauge tells the employee each time a screenshot is taken and shows a consent screen listing what is never recorded.
- Scale. A cloud service scales across large distributed teams easily. Clockgauge targets small teams, up to 100 people.
Questions to ask yourself
- How many people will be tracked, and will that change?
- Who should be able to see screenshots, and for how long?
- Do I want to host the data?
- What is the three-year cost?
Use the policy template whichever tool you choose.
Introducing any monitoring tool fairly
Whichever product you choose, the same practices apply: tell staff before you start, say what is recorded and why, limit who can see it, delete on a schedule and listen to concerns. Tools that monitor can damage trust if used secretly or vaguely.
Read how to monitor remote employees ethically and the policy template before you install anything.
Information about Time Doctor is general and as of writing; check its own website for current features and pricing. Time Doctor is a trademark of its owner. Clockgauge is not affiliated with Time Doctor.
Try Clockgauge
Clockgauge is an employee and freelancer time tracker that runs on your own computer: timers, consented random screenshots, activity levels, clients, projects and tasks, budgets, payroll balances and reports, paid once instead of per user per month..