The Best Employee Monitoring Software of 2024

Employee monitoring software is an essential tool for businesses that want to verify that employees are using their time at work to accomplish the responsibilities and tasks assigned to them, not spending hours watching videos and trolling social media, or, worse, engaging in reckless or malicious behavior that jeopardizes the company. User activity monitoring can give you insight into how your employees spend their time each day, uncovering opportunities to improve productivity and cybersecurity.

Employee monitoring software is a digital solution that provides a way for businesses to monitor, record and manage employees’ online behavior while they are on company time. Whether you have a few employees or several hundred, the software can be useful, because there are so many distractions in the modern workplace for both onsite and remote employees, especially for those who use internet-connected devices to complete their daily tasks.

While employees can be trusted to do the right thing most of the time, there is always an opportunity for them to engage in unproductive behavior on company time. Worse yet, employees could be insider threats – exhibiting reckless or malicious behavior that jeopardizes your business.

Nearly every employer can benefit from employee monitoring software, whether to accurately track work hours, manage and improve productivity, or secure their organization from cyber threats. That being said, some industries tend to use employee monitoring more than others. For example, a DeskTrack study shows that freelancers take the cake in using monitoring software. Other businesses that often use it include IT companies, staffing agencies, financial organizations, consultants, law firms, accountants and architects. Most of these industries are highly regulated, and employee monitoring software can help them comply.

Employee monitoring software can benefit your company in multiple ways, primarily regarding productivity, security, accuracy, and compliance.

• Managing employee productivity: Monitoring your employees’ device usage can motivate them to use their time wisely. The best monitoring software allows you to designate specific apps and activities as productive or unproductive, giving you a clear look at what type of activities your employees engage in each day. You can also compare employees’ behavior analytics with their total output to see where they excel and where they might need guidance to improve their productivity.
• Improving employees’ well-being: While it may not sound like the most obvious result, employee monitoring software can actually help you manage employee wellness. For example, the time-tracking data can show you how many hours each employee works in a day. If you notice an employee is consistently working overtime, you can take preemptive measures against burnout. If an employee is consistently tardy or absent, this may mean they’re already reaching burnout. Consider discussing these insights with your team and redistributing workloads to optimize your team’s well-being.
• Ensuring pay accuracy: With tools to track employee activity (such as keystroke logging and webcam recording), you can make sure your team is actively working at their computers when they say they are. This helps you comply with labor laws and pay your employees accurately for the time they work. Many monitoring solutions also allow for project tracking, which improves accuracy in billing or paying out for specific projects.
• Maintaining company security: Employee monitoring software can help protect your business and your network. Features like website tracking, content filters and screen capture help you ensure your team is working on the proper websites and applications, instead of viewing malicious websites or performing risky activities. The software can monitor emails, USB insertions and print jobs for leaks of confidential data. You can also use network monitoring to track the functionality of all your network components and reduce downtime.
• Securing legal protection: You may be glad you tracked and archived employee activity if you need proof of a disgruntled former employee’s poor behavior. Instead of basing your claims on “he said, she said,” you can use this data as evidence in the unfortunate event of litigation.

Businesses can use different types of monitoring to optimize their operations. Three of the most common methods are software, email and network monitoring.

• Software monitoring: This is another term for employee monitoring software, which you install on employees’ computers to track their activities. Depending on the software you choose, it can track the websites an employee visits, the programs they use, and every keystroke they make on their computer. Most of these programs take random screenshots of user screens and allow you to see them in real time. Some even use the computer’s camera to take photos that verify the employee is at their desk.
• Email monitoring: This allows you to view the emails your employees send and receive with their company email accounts. It is often available as a feature of employee monitoring software but can also be purchased as a stand-alone application (sometimes called “email server monitoring”).
• Network monitoring: Instead of monitoring your employees, this is an IT process that checks your network to make sure all components (such as routers, servers and firewalls) are functioning properly, with the goal of eliminating network downtime.

There are two cost structures for employee monitoring software. Some vendors rely on a per-user licensing system charged at a monthly or annual rate. Others charge a one-time licensing fee that allows the buying company to use the software forever, though you’ll typically have to pay an annual subscription for tech support and software updates. The cost of employee monitoring software can vary widely, with the scope of the solution and the number of licenses you require affecting the price.

Some employee monitoring software can be deployed as an on-premises solution, which means the software is installed and operated on your company’s own servers. This type of monitoring implementation has a higher upfront cost and requires an IT team to maintain and update it, but it grants you greater control over your own data.

Another common deployment option is a cloud-based service (or SaaS), which doesn’t require maintenance and has a lower upfront cost. It does require a monthly or annual subscription – typically $5 to $25 per user per month.

Some companies offer free employee monitoring plans, but these often have very limited features and accessibility.

You should pay attention to three main factors when evaluating pricing.

• Minimums: Few companies allow you to buy a single license. You typically need to buy a minimum number of licenses, usually five to 10, though some require as few as two. This will rule out some software for very small businesses and companies that only want to monitor a few people.
• Fees: Most of these companies don’t charge additional fees, but in our research, we saw some setup fees (which can be several hundred dollars) and an optional IP renewal fee. As with any service you’re considering for your business, you should ask the sales rep what fees the company charges and whether it requires a contract (and how long the contract would last, if so). Read the contract or terms of service to verify that you’ve been informed of all costs you’ll be expected to pay.
• Add-on features: Some vendors offer extra services, such as geolocation tracking and mobile licenses, for an additional cost.

The right employee monitoring software can help you increase company security and employee productivity, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to find. If you aren’t sure where to start, we’ve got you covered. We spoke with business leaders to hear firsthand on what to consider when choosing employee monitoring software – in addition to general monitoring features, of course.

Assess platform security.

Employee monitoring software can capture a wealth of information, which is why one of the most important features to look out for is platform security. When we spoke with David Weisselberger, founding partner at Erase The Case, he confirmed this to be true for his business.

“Adherence to legal business norms and data encryption were the two most important variables [for us],” Weisselberger told us. “It was vital to make sure that our clients’ private information was safe and secure. These worries were allayed by Hubstaff’s SOC 2 accreditation and HIPAA compliance.”

When you speak with an employee monitoring provider about their software, inquire about what security measures will be taken to keep your employee, client and company data secure.

Choose software with employee buy-in.

No one likes the idea of being monitored, so it’s important that you have a transparent conversation with employees about what you will monitor and why. Employees are more likely to be receptive to the software if they understand how and why it’s being used. When Sebastian Hov, CEO of 18 Insurance, first considered monitoring software for his company, this was something he found to be valuable.

“Before implementing any monitoring software, have open discussions with your employees about the reasons for monitoring and how the data will be used,” said Hov. “This will build trust and reduce potential resistance.”

Jen Seran, director of business operations at Stallion Express, has also purchased employee monitoring software. Based on her experience, she suggests building on this employee buy-in by balancing functionality and employee comfort since monitoring should enhance productivity, not hinder trust.

“Choose a tool that your team can adapt to without feeling micromanaged,” said Seran. “The right software will ultimately help your business thrive while keeping your team engaged and empowered. After all, a motivated team is the backbone of any successful operation.”

Test the platform’s usability.

You can purchase the best software in the world, but it will be a waste of money if your team doesn’t know how to use it effectively. Look for software that matches your monitoring needs and your employees’ tech capabilities.

For Seran, usability was one of the most important factors, including intuitiveness and cross-platform functionality.

“Our workforce uses a variety of platforms; thus, Hubstaff’s intuitive UI and cross-platform functionality were crucial,” said Seran.

Misty Spittler, founder of Insurance Claim Academy, agreed that choosing a user-friendly platform is vital.

“Choose software with an interface you understand,” said Spittler. “Complicated tools create more work, not less. And test extensively during the free trial to ensure the data and reports are actually helpful before committing long-term.”

Make time for careful implementation.

The implementation process can make a big difference in how effective your software. For Hov, initial setup and configuration are two things he recommends spending extra time on.

“While Teramind offers a wide range of features, it took some time to fine-tune the settings to our specific needs,” said Hov. “In hindsight, I would allocate more resources to the implementation phase to ensure we were utilizing all the features effectively from the start. I would have also booked a call with the Teramind team for a smoother onboarding process.”

If you are debating between a couple of top vendors, ask about their implementation processes to see which solution may offer a better onboarding process. Having someone walk you through how to use all of the features can help ensure you chose the right software and get your money’s worth.

The best employee monitoring software for small businesses helps you manage and enforce your acceptable use policy without requiring a lot of your time to install and maintain it. You need a solution that alerts you when your employees attempt to leak vital business information, access inappropriate content, or simply waste time while they are on the clock.

Here are the main features to pay attention to in your search.

Content Filtering and Blocking Features

Consider the different types of monitoring features the software offers. For example, how much do you want to control your employees’ internet time? It is all right for them to surf the internet during breaks and lunches, or not at all? What websites do your employees need to access to do their jobs?

With some software, you can select times when the internet or certain sites are blocked or accessible. Most applications also let you create user groups, each with its own rules and permissions. Blocking disruptive sites and creating custom permissions for specific groups is one way you can use this type of business internet software to increase your employees’ efficiency and productivity.

Content filtering and blocking can be an easy way to protect your business. Source: ActivTrak

Time Tracking and Activity Monitoring

Many businesses use employee monitoring software to track employees’ working hours. The software may include login/logout features so employees can record the time they spend working. Activity tracking is a popular feature that shows how active or idle an employee’s keyboard and mouse are during their work hours.

Idle time isn’t always a negative thing, though. For example, if an employee spends a lot of time reading or in meetings, they might have low keyboard and mouse activity. The best software records whether the employee’s activity (or inactivity) is productive or unproductive. This gives you insight into where your employees excel and where they are distracted. This is a great feature for tracking and improving employee productivity.

Application, Website and Email Monitoring

Consider the specific areas of computer activity you want to track. The most comprehensive programs keep detailed logs of the websites your employees visit and the apps they use, along with their emails, online chats, created and downloaded files, print jobs, inserted devices, and even physical locations when they’re on company devices.

You may not want to keep such detailed tabs on your employees. If you choose software with a full suite of features, you can usually customize exactly what it records (and in how much detail) as well as the exceptions.

Screenshots and Keystroke Logging

Depending on your reason for using employee monitoring software, you may want it to record employees’ online searches and takes screenshots of their monitors. These can come in handy if you are sued by a disgruntled employee and need to back up your claims.

You may also want to consider software that records keystrokes; however, this feature could feel particularly invasive to employees, so not all monitoring software vendors offer it.

Some employee monitoring software can take periodic screenshots of user activity. Source: SentryPC

Reports and Notifications

Pay attention to the software’s reports and notification features. It should provide regular reports (at intervals you choose) with easy-to-read statistics and visual breakdowns of employee habits. For more detailed information, though, you’ll need extensive notification options, and the best software has both real-time monitoring and real-time alerts. For instance, you may choose to be alerted if an employee downloads a document online or tries to access a forbidden website. Since notifications alert you to specific occurrences and reports give you a staffwide overview, you’ll get the most out of your software when you use both options together.

Archive Storage

Make sure your office web monitoring software automatically archives the data it captures. You never know when you may need to review an employee’s internet history. [Related article: 10 Ways Employee Monitoring Software Can Benefit Your Remote and In-Office Teams]

Mobile Apps

In addition to dashboards you can access from any browser, the best employee monitoring software offers mobile apps that let you monitor your staff when you’re away from the office. Some have both Android and iPhone apps, and others are platform-specific, so if this feature is important to you, verify that the app is compatible with the operating system you use.

Ease of Use and Support

Good monitoring software should be intuitive to use, with a visually appealing interface that displays all the options without being cluttered and overwhelming. You and the other admins should feel confident using the software, getting a good grasp of the monitoring options after a few minutes of clicking around.

In case you do run into issues, though, you want to work with a company that’s easy to reach. You should be able to reach tech support by phone, email, live chat, or online ticket, though even some of the best companies only offer one or two of these support avenues. Live chat is typically the fastest way to connect with a representative. Most companies also have extensive self-help resources on their websites for your reference, such as how-to guides, video tutorials, and FAQs pages.

Some companies charge extra for ongoing upgrades and support after the first year. You can forgo this option, but you run the risk of operating outdated and possibly insecure software without help from the manufacturer.

What if I have remote employees?

If you have remote employees, you can generally monitor them using the same features as in-office employees. Features related to tracking productivity and security can be especially valuable. However, it’s important to note restrictions based on device ownership. For example, if your business owns the computers your remote employees use, yes, you can install employee monitoring software on them. You can even run monitoring on silent mode. But if your remote worker is using their personal computer for work, they’re not likely to consent to having tracking software installed on it. One solution might be to use a transparent monitoring app, like Hubstaff, that only tracks usage when the employee is clocked in to work.

Implementing employee monitoring software in your business involves several strategic steps to ensure a smooth transition while maintaining transparency and respect for your employees. Here are a few steps to get you started on the right track:

1. Define objectives and select software. The first step is to determine your monitoring goals and then choose software that meets these needs. Involve relevant stakeholders in this decision-making process.
2. Establish clear monitoring policies. Develop policies outlining how monitoring will be conducted and the data collected. Ensure these policies are in line with federal, state and local laws. Communicate these policies to employees, emphasizing transparency and benefits. In some instances, you may be required to receive written consent from each employee before monitoring them.
3. Train your staff. Your software is only effective if your team knows how to use it. Provide training for both employees and managers on using the software effectively.
4. Install and configure the software. Coordinate with your IT team to deploy the software across necessary devices, ensuring it’s configured to meet your monitoring objectives.

Once your software is implemented, it’s important to regularly review the collected data to assess effectiveness and make adjustments as needed.

If you’re still looking for the right employee monitoring software for your business, here are a few more top-rated vendors worth exploring.

Controlio

Controlio by EfficientLab is a good choice for users who prioritize video monitoring, as it tracks employees’ behavior with snapshots and live video recordings of their screens. You can view your employees’ screens in real time, or watch the video recordings to see current or past activities. This real-time session information is important for companies that need to maintain high security over their employees.

Insightful

Insightful, formerly Workpuls, is a great solution for companies that want to monitor employee activity while letting their staff maintain some privacy. The software monitors activities in real time, giving you an up-to-date view of your staff’s behavior. You can track your employees’ productivity, website and app usage, and time spent on each project or task. To respect your staff’s privacy and data security, you can disable activity tracking and screenshots for specific apps and websites, such as online banking. Insightful encrypts all data with AES-256, secures client data through HTTPS connections, and protects passwords with an advanced hashing algorithm.

InterGuard

InterGuard is comprehensive, cloud-based employee monitoring software. It monitors your workforce’s apps, emails, website history and searches, social media, files, chats, print jobs, and keystrokes. It’s especially useful for tracking your remote staff’s productivity. For companies that need to monitor employees from afar, InterGuard’s software tracks start and stop times, lunch breaks, geolocations, and idle vs. active time. We like the software’s six-view dashboard that features a chart view for executives, a user view for managers and HR staff, an alert log view for security tech, a data view, a reports and notification view, and a search view for when you’re conducting an investigation. Learn more in our detailed InterGuard review.

While monitoring employees’ computer and internet usage seems like an infringement of their privacy, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that it is legal for companies to monitor employees’ actions while they are on the clock or using company equipment, including laptops, pagers, USB drives, and mobile devices. However, there have never been any regulations on the type of programs companies can use to monitor employees. This means you can use programs that monitor keystrokes and capture passwords; however, there is some ethical controversy around whether these features should be used.

While the federal government doesn’t place restrictions on employee internet monitoring, some states require employers to notify their workers if they monitor online activity, including emails and keystrokes. You can disclose this within your use policy or employee handbook, address it in orientation for new employees, or simply send out email reminders.

Employee monitoring software (and how employers use it) could also be impacted by the passage of new data privacy laws in the U.S. Provisions in the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), for example, give individual employees the right to request that certain businesses disclose the personal information that has been collected about them. Businesses could also be required to notify individual employees when their personal information has been collected and how that information is being used. These provisions could extend to employee monitoring and require companies to revisit their policies.

If your business is subject to the CCPA or similar data privacy regulation, consider whether the employee data you want to collect serves a clear business purpose. Also determine how long you need to store that data and how you’ll ensure its protection from data breaches. Failure to secure it in accordance with data privacy laws could result in fines and lawsuits against your business.

To determine the best employee monitoring software on the market, our team of HR experts and software analysts evaluated an initial list of 29 platforms. We examined each to compare pricing plans and available features, as well as the usability of associated software and the responsiveness and quality of customer support.

After whittling our list down to 14, we chose six monitoring solutions as our top recommendations. Our experts and analysts studied each solution’s functionality and evaluated the products on nearly 100 factors.

These factors were broken down into categories and weighted differently in our overall conclusion. The weights were determined based on how much business owners prioritize these criteria when shopping for business software and services and making purchasing decisions.

• Pricing: (30%): Our experts and analysts compared and contrasted each vendor’s plans, judging which packages offered the best bang for your buck. They took into account monthly subscription fees, costs per user, on-premises vs. cloud-based pricing, contract requirements, free trials, available discounts, and the costs of optional add-on features.
• Features (25%): We looked for standard employee monitoring software functions like activity tracking, website and application monitoring, keystroke logging, content filtering, website blocking, and reporting and analytics. We also assessed the available integrations and awarded extra points for advanced features, like AI-powered tools and high-end security settings.
• Ease of Use (20%): We tried the software solutions firsthand, gauging each platform’s learning curve, user-friendliness and customization options. We also considered what selection of platforms could be monitored, such as Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome, iOS and Android.
• Customer Service: (15%): We evaluated the range of customer service options, including whether phone, email and web chat assistance was provided with all package tiers. We also examined each vendor’s online resources for businesses interested in self-guided help.
• Scalability (10%): You may have a small team now, but it’s important that you find software that can grow with your business. We considered what maximum capacity each software had when it came to monitoring users and devices. We also factored in the easability in which someone could upgrade or downgrade their plan.

Based on these criteria, we not only determined which employee monitoring software our readers could trust but also the ways in which each solution could best serve different business needs. Some platforms were better at certain tasks than others or more suited to a particular type of company. These takeaways informed the “Best for” use cases you see on this page.

To learn more about our methodology, see our full editorial process.

The workplace in 2024 will be more diverse and distributed than ever, and we expect employee monitoring software to play a significant role in accommodating the shift in employee and employer expectations. For example, employers want to know that their staff is productive wherever they work. Monitoring software can provide insights into which work locations are most effective for each employee. Instead of using employee hours as a metric for success, employee monitoring software can track how productive employees are at various locations. As such, we can expect features and tools related to productivity tracking, project and task tracking, and GPS tracking to take center stage in the coming year.

Employee health and wellness has also come to the forefront of many company agendas, and certain aspects of employee monitoring software can help facilitate that. Features that monitor employee productivity and behavior can help employers identify patterns that may lead to burnout. For example, monitoring software can show you when an employee is working extensive hours, which may indicate they need a lighter workload. It can also tell you when resources may need to be reallocated to particular individuals or teams to foster more effective and satisfied employees.

Another trend we can expect to see in 2024 is an increase in cybersecurity. Employers are at a higher risk of security breaches with employees working across a wider range of locations, devices and networks. As a result, we anticipate more security features being used, such as content blocking, user permission settings, content filtering, screenshot recording, network monitoring, and security alerts.

A trend that gained popularity in 2023, and we can expect to grow in 2024, is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). In 2024, AI is poised to revolutionize employee monitoring by automating certain functions like data analysis, cybersecurity and performance support. For example, we may see a rise in virtual coaching based on employee monitoring analytics like performance, efficiency and work patterns.