Many employers monitor employees’ productivity, security and compliance purposes. As workforces transition to remote teams (a process accelerated by COVID-19), employee activity and productivity become even more important to track.
Employee productivity monitoring tools have the benefit of giving real-time insights into employee performance:
- How much productive time versus unproductive time was carried out during company hours?
- Are managers getting the best from their team members?
- Are productivity levels being optimized to their maximum potential?
- Are insider risks being prevented?
Two popular tools for this type of real-time monitoring are ActivTrak and Insightful. We’ll explore the benefits and drawbacks of both in-depth and suggest an alternative in Teramind.
ActivTrak Overview
ActivTrak tracks and analyzes employee computer activity. It provides information on how employees use their time, which programs they use, and their overall productivity levels. It does this by collecting user data and workplace analytics to build an overall picture of the employee’s trends, behaviors, and patterns.
Key Features
- Workforce analytics are collected on each individual employee, analyzing their time spent on each task, how often a particular application is used, how many emails were sent out, and how often a specific website is viewed.
- Workforce productivity is an essential factor for weeding out company deadwood and highlighting the top performers. ActivTrak analyzes productivity trends and produces reports to identify an employee’s productivity potential. This can help HR decide who needs extra training to do their job more effectively.
- Impact Analysis analyzes data from before and after a company change to see how those events affected employee productivity and morale. These events can include factors such as a move to a new location or a round of job cuts.
Main Use Cases
Productivity management and measurement
ActivTrak offers project and activity tracking for each task and project. It monitors website visits and app usage and how much of an employee’s day is spent in unproductive time and actions.
Workforce planning
By collating workplace analytics on a deeper level, ActivTrak can identify areas in the company that can be optimized better. It can identify potential cost savings, as well as skills gaps that should be addressed.
Coaching and performance management
Skilled team leaders can recognize, nurture, and promote talent and identify employees who need additional training. ActivTrak can assist by providing data on overall productivity levels. This can help reduce the risk of burnout and reduce the costs of continual hiring processes.
Read more: Top 11 ActivTrak Alternatives & Competitors
Insightful Overview
Insightful is a productivity management software that focuses more on overall employee productivity and behavioral trends and less on monitoring individual employees. This may be better for employees who are not comfortable being directly monitored by management.
Insightful provides deep insights on optimizing each workflow and identifying areas where it can be improved.
Key Features
- Time tracking determines employee work patterns. Time spent on different projects will show how efficiently employees worked on them. This employee management feature also includes keeping track of vacation, sick leave, and other time-off requests.
- Productivity analytics help identify areas for improvement so employee performance can be better optimized. Insightful notes time distributed across various projects and activities, how company resources are allocated, and which parts of the day are either idle or active time.
- Efficient project and task management works when there is optimal employee engagement, and a clear plan to carry out an assigned task. Insightful helps by creating and managing those tasks, clarifying goals and timelines, issuing specific assignments, tracking collaboration time, and giving detailed insights on the process.
Main Use Cases
Remote and hybrid workforce management
The COVID-19 pandemic permanently changed the way employees work. There is now a mixture of remote and hybrid workforces. From 2020 to 2023, the percentage of people working remotely went from 20% to 28%, but those working in technology went up to 67%.
This requires breaking down time spent on individual work habits and gaining a deeper level of visibility into employee activities. However, employees may resent their bosses’ lack of trust in them to do their jobs without supervision, so caution is required to strike the right balance.
Productivity management and measurement
Some employers feel they cannot trust their employees to work efficiently at home. Therefore, Insightful’s feature of measuring keyboard, mouse, and screen activity will show who’s working and who’s not. Specific productivity metrics can be tracked, and automated reports can enable business leaders to make better staffing and project management decisions.
Read more: The Top 7 Insightful Alternatives
ActivTrak vs. Insightful Feature Comparison
| Feature | ActivTrak | Insightful |
| User Activity Monitoring | Tracks app and website usage. Monitors active vs idle time. Provides detailed productivity reports. Offers screenshots. | Tracks time spent on projects and tasks. Monitors app usage. Provides basic activity logs and offers optional screenshots. |
| Productivity Analytics | Pre-built productivity dashboards. Team productivity comparisons. Workload management insights. Benchmarks and goals tracking. Impact analysis for organizational changes. | Basic productivity metrics. Project-based analytics. Time allocation insights. Team performance comparisons with customizable reports. |
| Time Tracking | Built-in time clock. Automatic time capture. Tracks time by project/task. Integrates with productivity data. | Automated time tracking. Project and task-based time logging. Offers manual time entry and includes idle time detection. |
| Customization and Flexibility | Limited custom report options. Some classification of productive/unproductive apps. Basic alert settings. | Offers custom fields for projects and allows task categorization. May have more flexible reporting options. |
| Data Loss Prevention (DLP) | No built-in DLP features. Basic website blocking capabilities. Limited security-focused features. | Basic DLP features |
| Remote Work Support | Compares productivity of remote vs. in-office employees. Provides insights on work patterns. Offers location-based analytics. | Designed with focus on remote/hybrid teams. Offers distributed team management features. |
| Insider Threat Detection | No specific insider threat features. Basic anomaly detection in user behavior. | Offers some basic unusual activity alerts. |
| Ease of Use | Intuitive interface. Minimal setup required. Virtual coach for productivity insights. | User-friendly interface with quick start guides. Include in-app tutorials or tooltips. |
| Integrations | Integrates with popular project management tools. Offers API for custom integrations. | Integrates with common productivity apps. Offers API for custom connections. |
User Activity Monitoring
User activity monitoring (UAM) monitors computer activity for specific behaviors and trends. But ActivTrak and Insightful both offer a slightly different approach to employee monitoring.
ActivTrak provides real-time reporting on employee activity. Websites and apps are tracked, and work performance helps identify possible areas for employee training. Keystroke and mouse activity is measured, as is screen monitoring to show time on projects and possible suspicious actions.
Insightful prefers to take a more holistic, broader business context to gain a deeper insight into how to improve and optimize productivity. This provides much-needed context and data-driven insights, with the option to anonymize user data to safeguard employee privacy.
Productivity Analytics
Real-time analytics can provide valuable insights into improving productivity workflows like task scheduling and time management.
ActivTrak’s productivity reporting provides behavioral data insights on each employee. This can identify potential improvements, such as better productivity tools, coaching tools, and collaboration tools.
Insightful offers an interesting feature where different employee activities are given a productivity score. An employee’s digital activity is categorized as either productive or counter-productive. The higher the score, the higher performing that employee is.
Time Tracking
Both ActivTrak and Insightful offer their own automatic time-tracking solutions for an office-based, remote, or hybrid team.
ActivTrak has a time reporting feature that logs the exact time of an employee’s first and last tasks, proving how long they worked that day. It also tracks keyboard, mouse, and screen activity and generates real-time reporting showing a detailed breakdown of employee activity.
Insightful’s time tracking capabilities includes automatically capturing employee activity data, removing the need to enter it manually. It also monitors monitors employee email tracks client billing hours. Approval workflows can streamline time-off requests within Insightful.
Why Teramind is a Better Alternative to ActivTrak and Insightful
If you’re unsure about ActivTrak and Insightful, here’s why you should consider Teramind instead.
- More comprehensive monitoring capabilities: Teramind offers 17 monitoring channels for enhanced visibility into all network activities, endpoints, and user actions for a thorough security overview.
- Advanced user behavior analytics: Teramind’s AI-powered OMNI feature detects anomalies and potential threats based on user behavior patterns and trends.
- Robust data loss prevention features: Strong mechanisms to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, leaks, or breaches, with real-time alerts and controls.
- Customizable alerting and reporting options: Alerts and reports can be configured in flexible ways to suit specific organizational needs and compliance requirements.
- Compliance-focused features for regulated industries: Teramind is designed to meet industry regulations and standards, ensuring data protection and regulatory adherence.
| Tool | Summary | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| ActivTrak | A productivity monitoring tool that focuses on employee activity tracking and basic analytics. It provides insights into work patterns and team collaboration. | Small to medium-sized businesses looking for straightforward productivity monitoring and basic reporting. |
| Insightful | A time tracking and project management solution with employee monitoring features. It emphasizes accurate time capture and project-based analytics. | Organizations prioritizing precise time tracking, project management, and workforce analytics. |
| Teramind | A comprehensive employee monitoring, productivity, and insider threat detection platform with advanced analytics, data loss prevention, and compliance features. | Businesses of all sizes requiring robust monitoring, security, and compliance capabilities, especially in regulated industries or high-security environments. |
Pros and Cons
Let’s look at the pros and cons of both software platforms.
ActivTrak
Pros
- ActivTrak offers pre-built productivity reports on various workplace metrics such as application usage, website visits, idle time, uninterrupted work periods, and team productivity. Report data can be filtered to show only specific information.
- ActivTrak is considered easy to use, with an intuitive personal insights dashboard and an easy installation process.
- Pricing for ActivTrak is based on per user per month, with three affordable monthly pricing tiers. There is also a free plan, which is limited to three users and has limited functionality.
Cons
- ActivTrak doesn’t allow the company to include offline productivity factors such as meetings, phone calls, or paperwork.
- There is limited data customization. Therefore, faced with a lot of options, users may find it difficult to find what they’re looking for. There is also limited customization for report and data exports.
Insightful
Pros
- Insightful has a laser focus on providing tracking and monitoring for remote and hybrid teams, providing collaboration tools and easier communication.
- Project and task management features are better streamlined with Insightful’s time tracking, resource tracking tools, and task analysis.
Cons
- Unlike ActivTrak, Insightful takes a broader holistic view and doesn’t get granular with details like screen activity or how often the mouse moves. There is also no custom screenshots function.
- There is also a lack of advanced security features, such as limited threat detection, limited data loss prevention, and no cyberattack detection.
| Tool | Summary | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| ActivTrak | A productivity monitoring tool that focuses on employee activity tracking and basic analytics. It provides insights into work patterns and team collaboration. | Small to medium-sized businesses looking for straightforward productivity monitoring and basic reporting. |
| Insightful | A time tracking and project management solution with employee monitoring features. It emphasizes accurate time capture and project-based analytics. | Organizations prioritizing precise time tracking, project management, and workforce analytics. |
| Teramind | A comprehensive employee monitoring and insider threat detection platform with advanced analytics, data loss prevention, and compliance features. | Businesses of all sizes requiring robust monitoring, security, and compliance capabilities, especially in regulated industries or high-security environments. |
When To Use
When to Choose ActivTrak
So when should you choose ActivTrak over Insightful? It comes down to two simple considerations.
- When you need to monitor specific day-to-day work tasks and get a breakdown of work productivity.
- When you need detailed workforce analytics to optimize workplace productivity and employee performance.
When to Choose Insightful
So when does Insightful become a much better option than ActivTrak? If you are looking to focus on the following two areas, then Insightful is the way to go.
- If you need an emphasis on employee privacy. If employee morale is likely to be impacted by management monitoring, data anonymization may take the sting out of it.
- Insightful offers custom integrations and third-party integrations if you need project and task management integration, so you can be assured that all data is synchronized.
Pricing Comparison
ActivTrak’s Pricing
AktivTrak’s pricing plan is split into three affordable monthly pricing tiers. However, it should be remembered that only annual billing is possible. There is no opportunity to pay every month. So a company’s annual payment for ActivTrak can be quite heavy if there are a lot of employees.
- Essentials plan – $10 per user billed annually.
- Essentials Plus plan – $15 per user billed annually.
- Professional plan – $19 per user billed annually.
There is also a free trial available.
Insightful’s Pricing
Insightful offers slightly more flexible payment options and slightly better pricing. You can either pay monthly, or annual billing will reduce the pricing for each user. However, it splits the plans up depending on the features you need.
- Productivity Management – $6.40 per month (when billed annually) and $8 per month (when billed monthly). This package is for companies looking to increase their productivity and accountability.
- Time Tracking – $8 per month (when billed annually) and $10 per month (when billed monthly). This package is focused on employee time usage and monitoring client billing hours.
- Process Improvement – $12 per month (when billed annually) and $15 per month (when billed monthly). This pricing plan is for companies to analyze workflows for better productivity.
Teramind: A Better Alternative to ActivTrak & Insightful
| Feature | ActivTrak | Insightful | Teramind |
| Activity Tracking | Monitors application and website usage | Tracks time spent on applications and websites | Comprehensive activity monitoring including keystrokes, file transfers, and network usage |
| Screenshots | Periodic screenshots with blurring options | Configurable screenshot capture | Continuous or on-demand screenshots with video-like playback |
| Productivity Analytics | Offers productivity reports and team comparisons | Provides productivity measurements and trend analysis | Advanced user behavior analytics with AI-powered insights |
| Time Tracking | Basic time tracking based on activity | Detailed time tracking with manual entry options | Accurate automatic time tracking with manual adjustment capabilities |
| Project Management | Limited project tracking capabilities | Robust project time tracking and budget management | Project tracking with resource allocation and productivity analysis |
| Remote Worker Monitoring | Supports remote employee monitoring | Offers specific features for remote workforce management | Comprehensive remote worker monitoring with geolocation and network tracking |
| Alerts and Notifications | Basic alert system for specific activities | Customizable alerts for various events | Real-time alerts with customizable rules and risk scoring |
| Reporting | Standard productivity and activity reports | Comprehensive reporting with customization options | Extensive reporting options with customizable dashboards and data visualization |
| Integration Capabilities | Limited integrations with popular tools | Integrates with various project management and payroll systems | Wide range of integrations including SIEM, HRMS, and custom API options |
| Data Loss Prevention | Not available | Not available | Advanced DLP features with content analysis and policy enforcement |
| User Behavior Analytics | Basic analytics | Limited behavior analysis | AI-powered user behavior analytics for insider threat detection |
| Compliance Management | Limited compliance features | Basic compliance reporting | Comprehensive compliance management for GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and more |
How Teramind Stands Apart
Comprehensive Monitoring Capabilities
Teramind offers a more extensive range of monitoring features, including keylogging, file transfers, and network usage tracking. This provides a complete picture of employee activities and potential security risks.
Advanced User Behavior Analytics
Teramind utilizes AI-powered analytics to detect anomalies in user behavior, helping organizations identify insider threats and potential security breaches more effectively than ActivTrak or Insightful.
Robust Data Loss Prevention
Unlike ActivTrak and Insightful, Teramind includes advanced DLP features that can prevent sensitive data exfiltration through content analysis and policy enforcement, crucial for organizations handling confidential information.
Compliance-Focused Features
Teramind stands out with its comprehensive compliance management capabilities, supporting various regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. This makes it an ideal choice for organizations in regulated industries or those requiring strict data protection measures.
Pricing
Teramind’s pricing is based on the number of “seats” or users per month.
- Starter: $11.25 per user per month (billed annually)
- UAM: $22.50 per user per month (billed annually)
- DLP: $26.25 per user per month (billed annually)
Conclusion
Both ActivTrak and Insightful offer features that many companies will find helpful in optimizing their workflows, analyzing productivity bottlenecks, and determining which employees need better training and guidance.
But all of that pales in comparison to Teramind, which offers unique features that ActivTrak and Insightful don’t. Which will you choose today to put your company into turbo drive?
