Insightful vs ActivTrak – Which Tool Does Time Tracking Better?

01: Quick Take: Insightful vs ActivTrak for Time Tracking

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The key difference between Insightful and ActiveTrak is how each tool approaches time tracking.

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Insightful tracks time where it matters most. It automatically records task hours, accounts for shifts and PTO, and links time back to projects, ensuring that payroll and client billing remain accurate. For remote, hybrid, and project-focused teams, it offers the clarity needed to see how hours translate into real outcomes.

• Strength: Context-rich, project-based tracking
• Built For: Remote, hybrid, and project-led teams
• Best fit: Teams needing precise hours for planning and invoicing

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ActivTrak, by contrast, focuses on recording activity and idle time. Its dashboards track device usage and app activity, providing a quick snapshot of presence. But without task, project, or shift-level reporting, it falls short for organizations that rely on accurate billing or deep time analysis.

• Strength: Simple, automated activity logging
• Built For: IT-led, office-based teams
• Best fit: Companies monitoring presence and high-level usage trends

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02:  Insightful vs ActivTrak Features Breakdow

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For time tracking to be effective, it needs to show how hours connect to projects—not just whether a device is active.

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Insightful features include automatic task tracking, shift and PTO awareness, and project-based reports for accurate planning, billing, and payroll. They give teams clarity across distributed setups and make hours meaningful in context.

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ActivTrak features focus on activity logs, idle versus active time, and app usage. While useful for tracking presence, they lack task and project-level reporting, leaving leaders without the depth needed to connect activity to outcomes.

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In short: Insightful features provide clarity. ActivTrak features provide presence

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[fs-toc-omit]Time Tracking & Flexibility

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Inaccurate or rigid time tracking disrupts planning and billing. It must adapt to real schedules, roles, and workflows to stay effective.

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Insightful logs hours where actual work happens—not just device use.

• Track time by project, task, or client for billing and analysis
• Auto-adjusts for shifts, PTO, and non-linear schedules
• Allows manual or offline entries to prevent data gaps
• Works consistently across roles, teams, and devices

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ActivTrak measures activity but cannot map effort to deliverables.

• No task or project-level time logging
• Ignores shifts and flexible schedules
• Limited manual entry and offline tracking
• No ability to connect logged hours to results

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Bottom line: Insightful provides accurate project hours. ActivTrak only logs activity.

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[fs-toc-omit]Reporting & Accuracy

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Accurate reporting is critical for payroll, compliance, and client billing. Without reliable data, teams waste time fixing errors manually.

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Insightful delivers trustworthy reporting with built-in compliance.

• Export-ready reports for payroll and client invoicing
• Built-in timesheet approvals and editable entries
• Full audit logs to track changes and ensure compliance
• Accurate hourly data for internal and external reporting

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ActivTrak reporting is limited to activity metrics.

• Device usage reports without project context
• No structured timesheets or approval workflows
• Missing detailed audit trails for compliance
• Time data cannot be directly used for payroll exports

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Bottom line: Insightful produces audit-ready reports. ActivTrak offers basic activity summaries.

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[fs-toc-omit]Analytics & Automation

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Time tracking only drives better outcomes when analytics and automation account for real-world context.

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Insightful turns tracked hours into actionable insights.

• Productivity scores adjust for shifts, breaks, and meetings
• Workload maps help identify under- or over-utilized teams
• Daily and weekly engagement trends support planning
• Automated alerts flag potential delays or overwork

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ActivTrak analytics are surface-level and static.

• Scores based on device activity only
• Breaks and meetings reduce productivity scores unfairly
• Deep focus time often flagged as inactivity
• No connection between hours logged and project results

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Bottom line: Insightful interprets time with context. ActivTrak leaves raw usage data.

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[fs-toc-omit]Integrations & Scalability

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Time tracking that doesn’t sync with payroll, HR, and project tools adds manual work and errors. Scaling requires seamless integrations across systems.

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Insightful integrations sync time data across tools and teams.

• 50+ native connections including payroll, HRIS, Jira, and Teams
• REST API, webhooks, and automation workflows for scaling
• Role-based mapping to support complex team structures
• Direct exports of hours for billing and cost reporting

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ActivTrak integrations are device-level only and lack depth.

• Limited native connections with user-level sync
• Zapier-only automation; no robust time API
• No project mapping for accurate reporting
• Advanced integration features locked to top tiers

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Bottom line: Insightful connects time tracking across your stack. ActivTrak keeps it siloed.

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[fs-toc-omit]Additional Features

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The right features make all the difference for reliable reports, accurate payroll, and better visibility into team workflows.

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Insightful features:

• Automatic project-level time tracking
• Built-in shift and PTO awareness
• Manual and offline time entry options
• Employee self-view dashboards

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ActivTrak features:

• No project or task-level time tracking
• No shift or PTO awareness
• Limited offline/manual time entry
• No workload or capacity insights

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Bottom line: Insightful gives teams precise, context-rich time data that supports payroll, billing, and planning. ActivTrak stops at surface-level activity logs, leaving leaders without the depth they need.

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03: Who Each Tool Works Best For—And When It Falls Short

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Different teams have different time tracking goals and needs. Insightful fits best in flexible, project-driven, and distributed setups, while ActivTrak leans toward traditional offices with fixed schedules and centralized oversight.

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[fs-toc-omit]Insightful vs ActivTrak Time Tracking: Team Fit

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Here’s a quick look at how Insightful supports a range of workflows—and where ActivTrak may not keep up.

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Bottom line: Insightful adapts to diverse team types with flexible tracking and fair billing. ActivTrak remains tied to office setups, limiting its usefulness for modern, distributed teams.

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[fs-toc-omit]Insightful vs. ActivTrak Time Tracking: Use Case

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Time tracking needs vary by role and workflow. This side-by-side shows how Insightful and ActivTrak handle the most common use cases.

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Bottom line: Insightful covers real-world use cases from billing to compliance with depth and flexibility. ActivTrak falls short when tracking needs go beyond simple activity logs.

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[fs-toc-omit]How Strategic Business Alliance Improved Billing Accuracy With Insightful

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The challenge: Strategic Business Alliance (SBA), a BPO operating across Australia and India, relied on manual timesheets that created inconsistent billing and client disputes. Without reliable visibility into project hours, the company faced invoicing errors and lacked the data needed to optimize productivity.

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The solution with Insightful: By implementing Insightful’s workforce intelligence platform, SBA gained a streamlined, automated way to track time across projects and teams. With actionable data, they were able to:

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✔ Automate project-based time tracking and remove manual entries
✔ Gain real-time visibility into active, idle, and break times
✔ Integrate precise hour data into client billing systems
✔ Improve productivity reporting across distributed teams

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The results:

• Manual tracking inefficiencies were eliminated
• Billing accuracy and client trust improved
• Project visibility increased across remote teams
• Administrative overhead was reduced

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Bottom line: While a typical ActivTrak case study emphasizes device activity logs, SBA’s success shows how Insightful automates project-level time tracking to improve billing precision and resource management.

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Read how Insightful helps teams track billable hours and improve payroll planning.

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04: Ease of Use & Setup

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Adoption depends on two things: whether dashboards are intuitive for every role, and whether rollout creates friction for IT. Both Insightful and ActivTrak provide centralized views, but only one is built to scale smoothly across roles, devices, and locations without extra admin lift.

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[fs-toc-omit]Usability: Self‑Service Insights—or Manual Admin Dependencies?

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Usability drives adoption—especially when different roles need tailored dashboards. Insightful and ActivTrak both provide centralized views, but only one is built to serve every role, not just admins.

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‍Insightful focuses on accessible, user-friendly dashboards.

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Dashboards are clean, role-based, and filterable by team, task, or time—no admin dependency.

• Easy to navigate and simple to set up for different teams
• 9.2/10 average rating for ease of setup and usability
• Works smoothly across hybrid, async, and remote teams

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ActivTrak centers its UI around admin-level control.

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It’s quick to launch, but lacks flexibility and usefulness for non-admin users.

• Reviewers say it’s “easy to set up” but “difficult to drill down to the data you want”
• Navigation can feel overwhelming or opaque for managers or staff
• Best suited for static setups where IT manages dashboards

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Bottom line: When it comes to Insightful ease of use vs ActivTrak ease of use, Insightful delivers intuitive dashboards that empower every role. ActivTrak keeps deeper insights locked behind admin views.

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[fs-toc-omit]Setup: Fast Rollout for Accurate Time Tracking—or Manual IT Setup Headaches?

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Rolling out time tracking shouldn’t require weeks of IT tickets. The right tool should deploy quickly, work across devices, and sync teams automatically for precise time reporting.

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Insightful setup is simplified for any team.

• Bulk installer with auto-updates for rapid rollout
• Cross-platform support including BYOD devices
• HRIS sync automatically groups teams for tracking
• Installs on Windows, macOS, and Linux

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Insightful customer reviews: Recognized for quick setup and 4.7/5 support rating on G2.

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ActivTrak setup creates admin lift and compatibility gaps.

• Manual per-device installs, no bulk deployment
• No BYOD support, limited to company-managed hardware
• No HRIS sync; teams grouped manually
• Limited macOS features; no Linux support

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ActivTrak customer reviews: Users report “friction with initial setup and renewals” on G2.

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Bottom line: Insightful gets teams up and running fast with minimal IT involvement. ActivTrak slows deployment before tracking can even start, as shown in ActivTrak 2025 reviews.

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05: Intelligence & Control

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Time tracking tools shouldn’t just log activity—they should help teams act on the insights behind the numbers. Teams need automation that reduces manual tasks, visibility that builds trust, and AI that delivers real-time insight.

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Both Insightful and ActivTrak offer automation, visibility, and AI—but their execution leads to very different outcomes.

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[fs-toc-omit]Visibility: Shared Access to Tracked Hours—or Hidden in IT Dashboards?

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How employee time tracking tools handle visibility is just as important as the hours they capture. Insightful and ActivTrak take very different approaches to who can view and manage tracked time.

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‍Insightful makes visibility part of every role.

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Managers and employees alike can review time data with permissions that match their responsibilities.

• Access Controls – Define viewing rights by role and project
• Transparency – Personal dashboards show each employee their logged time
• Privacy Settings – Manual edits and offline entries scoped by team
• Compliance – Certified with GDPR, CCPA, and major audit frameworks

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ActivTrak keeps tracked data locked away.

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Only admins can see detailed time logs, leaving teams without self-access or clarity.

• Access Controls – Restricted dashboards for admins only
• Transparency – No employee-facing time reports or shared access
• Privacy Settings – Static screenshots with limited context
• Compliance – Meets minimum standards, but lacks role-based safeguards

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Bottom line: Insightful shares time tracking data with every role. ActivTrak hides it behind admin dashboards.

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[fs-toc-omit]Automation: Automation That Improves Time Tracking Accuracy—or Locked in Admin Settings?

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Automation should streamline time tracking, not just send alerts. Here’s how Insightful and ActivTrak compare when it comes to building workflows that actually improve accuracy and productivity.

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Insightful gives managers direct control over automation.

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Set up time entry rules, alerts, and workflow triggers without coding—automation is built for clarity, not just IT, and included in all paid plans.

• Automates time tracking for shifts, PTO, and productivity thresholds
• Uses templates and intuitive setup—no coding or complex logic required
• Included in every tier—no upgrade needed to access automation

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ActivTrak limits automation behind admin permissions.

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‍Flags activity and sends reports, but setup is rigid and often tracking automations require higher-tier plans and admin configuration.

• Triggers basic usage alerts, limited to thresholds
• Lacks visual workflow builder; setup hidden in admin tools
• Automation only available in Pro+ plans with minimal flexibility

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Bottom line: Insightful turns time tracking automation into a real-time productivity tool. ActivTrak leaves key capabilities buried in admin settings.

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[fs-toc-omit]AI: AI That Tracks Time in Real Time—or Reacts After the Fact?

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AI is now standard in time tracking tools, but how it’s implemented makes a big difference. Insightful and ActivTrak take very different approaches to turning tracked hours into actionable insights.

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Insightful uses AI to deliver live, context-aware time tracking.

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It adjusts time reporting for shifts, PTO, and real schedules while flagging risks like missed deadlines or overworked staff before they become issues.

• AI-powered scoring adapts to actual work patterns
• Smart alerts highlight delays, overwork, or low utilization
• AI included in all paid plans with no limits or extra fees

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ActivTrak uses AI for delayed coaching, not live tracking.

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Its Coach module offers advice based on past trends but operates outside main dashboards and reacts only after inefficiencies are detected.

• Coaching tips focus on multitasking and focus time
• AI separated from real-time tracking and reporting
• Available only on higher-tier plans with usage limits

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Bottom line: Insightful builds AI directly into time tracking for immediate, actionable insights. ActivTrak keeps AI in a separate coaching module, reducing real-time value.

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06: Insightful vs ActivTrak Pricing 2025

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Pricing isn’t only about the sticker price—it’s about how much flexibility teams get and whether key features are locked behind upgrades. Insightful offers accessible tiers with no minimums, while ActivTrak requires a higher starting cost and keeps advanced tools gated at premium levels.

• Insightful cost: Starts at $6.40/user/month with four flexible tiers, modular add-ons, no user minimums, and monthly billing.
• Insightful free trial: 7‑day full‑feature trial available with no credit card required and no feature limitations.
• ActivTrak cost: Starts at $10/user, with advanced time tracking features like task-level reporting and automation gated behind higher tiers and a 5-user minimum.
• ActivTrak free trial: 14‑day Professional plan trial with full feature access—including analytics and screen details—then downgrades to free plan.

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[fs-toc-omit]Insightful vs ActivTrak: Plan Tiers

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With Insightful pricing, teams get access to full-time tracking features without needing costly plan upgrades. ActivTrak pricing forces larger tier jumps to unlock similar capabilities, like advanced reporting and automation.

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[fs-toc-omit]Insightful vs ActivTrak: Add-Ons

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Compared to Insightful pricing, ActivTrak limits access to advanced capabilities by gating them behind premium plans, while Insightful provides optional, lower-cost add-ons for flexibility.

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[fs-toc-omit]Insightful vs ActivTrak: Limits & Billing

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Insightful 2025 offers flexible billing and integrations without user minimums, while ActivTrak enforces stricter limits and feature paywalls that reduce control for growing teams.

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07: Insightful vs ActivTrak: Which Time Tracking Tool Is Right for You?

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If you’re looking for a scalable, accurate, and context-aware time tracking platform, Insightful is the better choice for modern, flexible teams.

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With project-based time tracking, task-level reporting, and seamless HRIS integrations, Insightful supports remote, hybrid, and service-driven operations with precise hour attribution.

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Choose Insightful if you:

• Need time tracking tied to tasks, projects, and clients for clear billing
• Require PTO, shifts, and offline hours to be tracked accurately
• Manage hybrid or remote teams with role-based visibility
• Use HRIS or payroll tools and need smooth time data sync
• Want employee-friendly dashboards for reviewing tracked hours

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Choose ActivTrak only if:

• You need high-level activity dashboards without task or project breakdowns
• Your team works entirely on-site with fixed schedules
• You can accept manual data grouping and limited time tracking analytics

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Bottom Line: For organizations needing precise project-based hour tracking and team-wide visibility, Insightful delivers both—Insightful offers the visibility leaders need and the autonomy employees want.

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Want to explore other tool comparisons? See how Insightful compares to Hubstaff