SCREENish vs DeskTime: Which Time Tracker Fits Your Team in 2026?
The short version: DeskTime is a mature productivity-analytics platform that automatically tracks the apps, websites and document titles your team uses and scores them as productive or unproductive, but it reserves screenshots for its higher-priced Premium plan. SCREENish takes the opposite approach: one flat price of $5.00 per employee per month with everything included — screenshots, activity levels, Android GPS tracking and payroll reports. Pick DeskTime if you want automatic app-level productivity analytics and a wide integration ecosystem; pick SCREENish if you want screenshot-based proof of work at a predictable, all-inclusive price.
| Feature | SCREENish | DeskTime |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (per user/month) | Flat $5.00, everything included (EU VAT included) | Pro from $6.42 billed annually, $7 monthly; VAT not included |
| Free trial | Free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial |
| Screenshots | Included in every account; captured at random moments; stored for 45 days | Premium plan and up; random capture within 5–30 minute intervals; optional blur |
| Activity measurement | Keyboard and mouse activity levels only — no analysis of what you type or read | Automatic app, URL and document-title tracking with productive/unproductive categorization |
| Fake-activity detection | Activity Review: suspected mouse jigglers and auto-clickers are flagged for human review — never an automatic accusation | Not an advertised feature as of mid-2026 |
| Face recognition | Consent-first face recognition (beta) | Not advertised |
| GPS tracking | Android GPS tracking included at no extra cost | IP-based location (office vs. remote); mobile apps act as companion timers |
| Payroll and accounting | Payroll and accounting reports, hourly rates, XLS export — included | Project time and cost reporting; shift scheduling and absence calendar |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome extension, Android (no iOS app yet) | Windows, Mac, Linux, plus Android and iOS companion apps and a web dashboard |
| Integrations | Few third-party integrations | Jira, Asana, Trello, GitLab, Google Calendar, Outlook, Zapier, API access |
| Team communication | Team Huddle: peer-to-peer calls, chat and file sharing — never recorded | Not included |
| Client access | Read-only project sharing, no client account needed | Not an advertised feature |
When DeskTime is the better choice
DeskTime is a well-established product with real strengths, and for some teams it is simply the better fit.
- You want automatic productivity analytics. DeskTime's core strength is tracking which applications, websites and even document titles are in use, then classifying each as productive, unproductive or neutral for a given role. If you want a productivity score without ever looking at screenshots, DeskTime does this very well — and when you do enable screenshots, its optional blur setting is a thoughtful privacy touch.
- Your workflow lives in other tools. DeskTime connects to Jira, Asana, Trello, GitLab, Google Calendar, Outlook and Zapier, and offers API access. SCREENish honestly offers far fewer third-party integrations, so if deep integration is a hard requirement, DeskTime slots into an existing stack more easily.
- You need workforce-management extras. Shift scheduling, an absence calendar showing who is sick or on vacation, a private-time option that lets employees pause tracking, and configurable break reminders make DeskTime closer to a light workforce-management suite than a pure tracker.
- Your team is on iPhones. DeskTime ships an iOS companion app for checking stats and logging time on the go. SCREENish does not have an iOS app yet.
When SCREENish is the better choice
- You want screenshots without a premium tier. On DeskTime, screenshots require the Premium plan at $9.17–$10 per user per month. SCREENish includes screenshots and activity levels in every account at a flat $5.00 per employee per month, with EU VAT already included — see the full breakdown on our pricing page. Note that SCREENish stores screenshots for 45 days, so export anything you need to keep longer.
- You want fake activity handled fairly. SCREENish's Activity Review flags stretches of time that look like they were produced by a mouse jiggler or auto-clicker, then routes them to a human for review. Nobody gets accused by an algorithm. DeskTime does not advertise a comparable capability as of mid-2026.
- You have field teams on Android. SCREENish includes GPS tracking in its Android app at no extra cost, with location, time, notes and photos. DeskTime's location insight is IP-based, and its mobile apps are positioned as companions to the desktop app rather than field-tracking tools.
- You want built-in team communication. Team Huddle gives you peer-to-peer audio and video calls, encrypted chat and device-to-device file sharing — and calls are never recorded — without paying for a separate tool.
- You bill clients for tracked time. Read-only project sharing lets clients verify progress without needing a SCREENish account, and payroll and accounting reports with hourly rates and XLS export are included in the flat price. There is also consent-first face recognition (currently in beta) for teams that need identity verification at clock-in — employees must explicitly opt in.
To be fair about trade-offs: SCREENish is a smaller vendor than DeskTime, offers fewer integrations, and keeps screenshots for 45 days rather than indefinitely. If none of those are blockers, the price difference is hard to ignore.
Pricing compared
As of mid-2026, DeskTime's Pro plan costs $7 per user per month billed monthly, or $6.42 per user per month billed annually. Screenshots require the Premium plan at $10 monthly or $9.17 annually per user, and an Enterprise tier with custom pricing covers teams of 200 or more. Prices exclude VAT, and a 14-day free trial is available. Current details are on DeskTime's pricing page.
SCREENish charges a flat $5.00 per employee per month with every feature included and EU VAT already in the price. There are no tiers to outgrow and no contract, and the free trial requires no credit card. For a concrete example: a 10-person team that needs screenshots would pay roughly $100 per month on DeskTime Premium (monthly billing, before VAT) versus $50 per month on SCREENish. Full details are on our pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is SCREENish cheaper than DeskTime?
For teams that need screenshots, yes. As of mid-2026 DeskTime's screenshot capability starts on its Premium plan at $9.17–$10 per user per month, while SCREENish includes screenshots, GPS and payroll reports in one flat $5.00 per employee per month price with EU VAT included. DeskTime's screenshot-free Pro plan ($6.42–$7) is closer, but still costs more than SCREENish's all-inclusive rate.
Does DeskTime take screenshots?
Yes. On its Premium and Enterprise plans, DeskTime captures screenshots at random moments within configurable 5-to-30-minute intervals and can blur them for privacy. SCREENish includes random-interval screenshots in every account and retains them for 45 days.
Can DeskTime or SCREENish detect mouse jigglers?
SCREENish includes Activity Review, which flags tracked time that looks like it was generated by a mouse jiggler or auto-clicker and sends it to a human for review — it never issues automatic accusations. DeskTime measures productivity through app and URL tracking but does not advertise dedicated fake-activity detection as of mid-2026.
Which is better for teams working in the field?
SCREENish, if your field staff carry Android devices: GPS tracking with location, notes and photos is included at no extra cost. DeskTime's location feature is IP-based and its Android and iOS apps are companion timers for the desktop app. Neither product offers GPS on iOS — SCREENish has no iOS app yet.