Hubstaff vs MakeShift Comparison: Reviews, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2026

Detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right solution for your team

Updated Apr 2026 8 min read

Hubstaff

0.0 (0 reviews)

Hubstaff provides an all-in-one workforce management platform featuring time tracking, proof of work, and payroll automation to help remote and field teams improve productivity and streamline daily operations.

Starting at $7/mo
Free Trial 14 days
VS

MakeShift

0.0 (0 reviews)

MakeShift is a cloud-based employee scheduling software that helps you create rotas faster, track time accurately, and communicate with your team through a simple mobile-first interface.

Starting at $2.75/mo
Free Trial 14 days

Quick Comparison

Feature Hubstaff MakeShift
Website hubstaff.com makeshift.ca
Pricing Model Subscription Subscription
Starting Price $7/month $2.75/month
FREE Trial ✓ 14 days free trial ✓ 14 days free trial
Free Plan ✘ No free plan ✘ No free plan
Product Demo ✓ Request demo here ✓ Request demo here
Deployment cloud mobile desktop saas mobile
Integrations Slack Asana Trello Jira GitHub QuickBooks PayPal FreshBooks Salesforce Basecamp ADP QuickBooks Sage BambooHR Ceridian Dayforce TSheets Xero Microsoft Teams
Target Users small-business mid-market enterprise small-business mid-market enterprise
Target Industries healthcare hospitality retail
Customer Count 0 0
Founded Year 2012 2013
Headquarters Indianapolis, USA Calgary, Canada

Overview

H

Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a comprehensive workforce management platform designed to give you clear visibility into how your team works. Whether you manage a remote agency or a fleet of field service workers, you can track hours accurately across desktop, web, and mobile apps. The software goes beyond simple timers by offering optional proof-of-work features like activity levels and screenshots, ensuring you only pay for actual work completed.

You can streamline your entire back-office workflow by connecting tracked time directly to automated invoicing and payroll. The platform also includes GPS tracking for mobile teams and project management tools to keep tasks on schedule. By automating these administrative burdens, you reduce manual data entry errors and free up more time to focus on growing your business and supporting your team.

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MakeShift

MakeShift is a people-first scheduling platform designed to eliminate the headaches of manual shift management. You can build complex schedules in minutes using a drag-and-drop interface that accounts for employee availability, qualifications, and labor costs. By moving your rotas to the cloud, you ensure your team always has the most up-to-date information right on their phones.

The platform bridges the gap between management and staff by allowing you to approve time-off requests, manage shift swaps, and track attendance in real-time. It specifically targets industries with fluctuating shifts like healthcare, retail, and hospitality. You can reduce HERO (unnecessary overtime) and ensure your business stays compliant with labor laws while keeping your employees engaged and informed.

Overview

H

Hubstaff Features

  • Automated Time Tracking Start and stop timers with one click across desktop, web, and mobile apps for pinpoint billing accuracy.
  • Productivity Monitoring View activity levels based on mouse and keyboard usage to identify top performers and potential bottlenecks.
  • GPS and Geofencing Track your field team's location in real-time and automatically start timers when they arrive at job sites.
  • Automated Payroll Connect your preferred payment provider to automatically pay your team based on their tracked hours and rates.
  • Detailed Reporting Generate custom reports on budgets, time off, and project costs to keep your business profitable and transparent.
  • Project Management Organize tasks into Kanban boards or Sprints and track time directly against specific project milestones.
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MakeShift Features

  • Drag-and-Drop Scheduling. Create and adjust weekly schedules in seconds by dragging shifts across your screen to the right team members.
  • Mobile App for Staff. Give your team the power to view schedules, request time off, and swap shifts directly from their smartphones.
  • Photo Radar Time Clock. Prevent buddy punching by having your employees clock in via a tablet that captures a photo for verification.
  • Availability Management. Let your employees set their own preferred working hours so you only schedule people who are actually available.
  • Shift Exchange. Enable your staff to trade shifts with qualified colleagues, which you can then approve or deny with one click.
  • Real-Time Notifications. Send instant alerts to your team's phones whenever a schedule is published or a shift change occurs.
  • Labor Cost Tracking. Monitor your labor spend as you build schedules to ensure you stay within budget and avoid costly overtime.
  • Automated Reminders. Reduce no-shows by automatically sending your employees reminders before their scheduled shifts begin.

Pricing Comparison

H

Hubstaff Pricing

Starter
$7
  • Time tracking
  • Activity levels
  • Limited screenshots
  • Payments & Payroll
  • 1 Integration
  • 24/7 Support
M

MakeShift Pricing

Essentials
$2.75
  • Drag-and-drop scheduling
  • Employee mobile app
  • Availability management
  • Shift exchange & swaps
  • Time off requests
  • In-app messaging

Pros & Cons

M

Hubstaff

Pros

  • Extremely accurate time tracking across multiple devices
  • Simplifies payroll by automating payments and invoicing
  • Detailed activity reports provide great visibility into workflows
  • GPS tracking is highly effective for field-based teams

Cons

  • Monitoring features can feel intrusive for some employees
  • Mobile app occasionally experiences sync delays
  • Learning curve for setting up complex project structures
A

MakeShift

Pros

  • Extremely intuitive interface for both managers and employees
  • Significantly reduces the time spent on weekly schedule creation
  • Mobile app is highly reliable for remote shift management
  • Excellent customer support team that responds quickly to issues

Cons

  • Limited customization options for very complex labor rules
  • Reporting tools could be more robust for enterprise needs
  • Occasional sync delays between the web and mobile apps
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