Focusmate
Hubstaff
| Feature | Focusmate | Hubstaff |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $6.99/mo | From $4.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-workers, freelancers, students, adhd-professionals | remote-team-managers, field-service-companies, agencies, construction-teams |
| Founded | 2016 | 2012 |
| Video Coworking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Session Booking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Accountability Partner | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Session History | ✓ | ✗ |
| Community | ✓ | ✗ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Gps Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Screenshots | ✗ | ✓ |
| Activity Levels | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payroll | ✗ | ✓ |
| Geofencing | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Focusmate Pros
- Powerful accountability through social presence
- Free plan includes 3 sessions/week
- Global community available 24/7
- Proven to reduce procrastination
✗ Focusmate Cons
- Requires camera on (can feel awkward)
- Limited to 25/50/75 min sessions
- Depends on partner availability
✓ Hubstaff Pros
- GPS and location tracking for field teams
- Automated payroll from tracked hours
- Activity level monitoring
- Geofencing for job sites
✗ Hubstaff Cons
- Can feel invasive to employees
- Screenshot feature raises privacy concerns
- No free plan available
The Verdict
Focusmate is built for remote workers and freelancers, with a focus on video-coworking and session-booking. Hubstaff targets remote team managers and field service companies and leads with time-tracking and gps-tracking.
Pricing is close: Hubstaff starts at $4.99/mo versus $6.99/mo for Focusmate — not a deciding factor on its own.
Focusmate has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Hubstaff requires a paid subscription from day one.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.