AstrolinksPeople look for a Hubstaff alternative for different reasons. Some find screenshots and activity rates more than they need. Some are VAs whose agency uses it and who want a lighter way to update their own clients. Some just want end-of-day reports, not a full workforce platform. Here is an honest comparison of the two approaches, including when Hubstaff is the better choice.
What Hubstaff is, in its own words
Hubstaff describes itself as a time tracking platform that combines employee time tracking, productivity monitoring, workforce analytics and payments, for hybrid and remote teams.
From its public site, as of October 2026:
- Time tracking on desktop, web and mobile, with a start-and-stop timer
- GPS tracking for field teams across job sites
- Productivity monitoring that managers configure: activity rates, app and URL usage, and optional screenshots
- Idle time detection and flags for unusual activity
- Timesheets and reports, with many report types
- Project budgets with alerts
- Invoicing and payroll, paying through providers such as Deel, Wise, PayPal and Payoneer
- Integrations, an API and AI access to its data
- A 14-day free trial with no credit card
Its site lists agencies, BPOs, virtual assistants, field teams, staffing companies and enterprises among the people it serves.
What Astrolinks is
Astrolinks is a desktop app for Mac for remote workers, VAs and freelancers with several clients. While it runs, it notes which app and window are in front every 5 seconds, and the web address in supported browsers. The log stays on the worker's computer.
At the end of a shift it drafts an end-of-day report for each client. The worker checks it and sends it by Slack, email draft, copy, or to a company's Team inbox. Hours and one-click invoices are built in. A company on the Team plan sees only the reports a worker sends.
Two different centers of gravity
Hubstaff puts the company's view at the center. Time, activity, budgets and payroll flow to the people who run the team.
Astrolinks puts the worker's day at the center. It helps them remember what they did and tell each client clearly. A company gets the written result, not the raw activity.
Side by side
| Hubstaff | Astrolinks | |
|---|---|---|
| Built mainly for | Teams and the managers who run them | The worker, VA or freelancer |
| How time is captured | Timer on desktop, web and mobile, plus GPS | Notes the front app and window automatically while running |
| Where activity data goes | To the company's account | Stays on the worker's computer |
| Screenshots | Optional, configured by managers | Never |
| Activity rates | Configurable by managers | None |
| End-of-day client reports | Not the main focus | One draft per client, in their sections and time zone, and their language with Pro |
| Tasks and goals | Tasks and project budgets | Your own tasks that count their time, goals, and tasks from a manager |
| Free plan and trial | 14-day trial | A Free plan, and a 7-day Pro trial with no card |
| Invoices | Built in, from approved hours | One-click PDF or CSV per client, saved locally |
| Payroll and payments | Built in through payment providers | Not included |
| Platforms today | Desktop, web and mobile | macOS |
Who should pick Hubstaff
Choose Hubstaff if:
- you run a field team and need GPS or job site tracking
- you pay contractors from tracked hours and want payments in the same tool
- you need project budgets with alerts across a team
- your contracts require manager-controlled activity records or screenshots
- your people need mobile or web tracking, or Linux, which Astrolinks doesn't support
Hubstaff is designed for running a workforce. Astrolinks doesn't try to do those things.
Who should pick Astrolinks
Choose Astrolinks if:
- you want your activity log to stay on your own computer
- your hardest daily task is writing each client a clear update
- your clients each want a different report, time zone or language
- you bill hourly and want invoices without another online account
- you run a team that prefers written reports to activity data
The report is the product
This is the part Astrolinks spends the most effort on. Press Summarize my day and each client gets their own tab. Their report uses the sections you set, in their order. Times can be shown in their time zone. The report can be in their language. If a client liked one report, Write like this one keeps its shape for next time.
You can edit it directly, or, with AI turned on, tell the chat what to change. Then send it the way that client prefers. Read more on the end-of-day reports page.
Privacy, plainly
Astrolinks never records keystrokes, screenshots or the clipboard. The log stays on the computer, and nothing leaves without a click. AI only gets a summary, after the person says yes once, with emails and phone numbers hidden. A client marked Private never goes to AI.
For a company on the Team plan, the Team inbox holds only what workers send: the report's text, the client's name, the blockers, and hours only if the worker switches them on.
If your agency uses Hubstaff today
Some VAs use both: the agency's tool for the agency, and Astrolinks for their own client updates. That's fine. They do different jobs. If your agency is weighing a switch, the Astrolinks for agencies page explains how the Team inbox works.
A note on this comparison
Hubstaff is a trademark of its owner. This comparison reflects each product's public information as of October 2026. Products change, so check Hubstaff's own site for current features and plans.