The Top 10 Employee Monitoring Tools of 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an era of virtual collaboration, accelerated the adoption of automated workflows, and spawned new work practices altogether. Congruent to these changes, organizations began to invest in employee monitoring tools that could track workers’ productivity remotely, and rightly so.
In fact, a recent market analysis conducted by Market Research Future estimates the global market of employee monitoring software solutions to reach $6.84 billion by 2028 at a whopping compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.4%.
And while there is no doubt that employee monitoring software is immensely viable, the question remains: which (if any) employee monitoring solution will your organization choose along the way?
In all honesty, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question and no exhaustive list of workplace tools to choose from. Your organization’s specific objectives and business strategy will inform the final call on which employee monitoring tool to choose.
However, based on our deep understanding of the employee monitoring market, we have compiled a list of the ten most promising tools in this space across a myriad of parameters. This list is set to provide business decision-makers with a versatile compilation of tools to help them make sense of this highly competitive sector.
1. Spyrix (Highly Recommended)
Spyrix offers a cloud-based employee monitoring solution for continuous monitoring of workplace activities (keylogging, social networking, screen/ webcam control, etc.) across devices. The tool enables organizations to access data through a centralized dashboard and expedites customizable reporting functionality.
What stands out is the company’s focus on end-to-end employee monitoring — a fact elucidated by an array of features under capabilities such as time control, recording, data analytics, security, remote control, alerts, and stealth mode.
Rewarded by the likes of Capterra, ZDNet, Trustpilot, and Sitejabber, Spyrix enables “total workplace management” through an intuitive interface and seamlessly integrated features.
Pricing
- Free Version: Available for a time-bound free trial
- Paid Version: Starts from $199 for 5 PC
Compatibility
- Every Windows version from XP (including the latest Windows 11)
- OS X 10.11 and above
- Web-version accessible on desktop & mobile
2. Veriato
Veriato, previously known as Veriato 360, offers three product types for specific use cases: Veriato Vision for cloud-hosted employee monitoring, Veriato Cerebral for insider threat detection, Veriato Investigator for employee investigations.
These solutions are architected with granular assessment and data analysis in mind, with Veriato Vision enabling productivity and idle time visualizations, work-from-home reporting, geo-location tracking, and more.
Veriato Investigator, in particular, comes in handy to record screen captures to show evidence of suspicious behaviour — a powerful asset for employee monitoring.
Pricing
- Free Version: Available for a 7-day free trial
- Paid Version: Starts from $150/user/year
Compatibility
- Windows & macOS
3. Interguard
Named the best remote employee monitoring tool in 2020 by PC Mag, Interguard does a remarkable job of stemming the tide of time theft and distracted work behaviour.
The tool offers a holistic suite of features, including email monitoring, IM/cellphone/chat monitoring, website monitoring/blocking, and file tracking for administering remote workflows and promoting the values of accountability and integrity, alongside alleviating social isolation.
Interguard, much like Veriato, comes with an insider threat detection suite — a feature that highlights suspicious behaviour by keeping it relative to benchmarks, access policies, and file permissions.
Pricing
- Free Version: Available for a 7-day free trial
- Paid Version: Starts from $156/user/year for Windows & macOS, $60/user/year for Chromebook, $150/user/year for Android & iOS
Compatibility
- Windows, macOS, Chromebook, iOS, Android
4. Teramind
Teramind takes it a notch up from conventional employee monitoring solutions by offering both on-premise and cloud-based platforms for all aspects of workplace behavior management, including user activity monitoring, data loss prevention, and user behavior analytics.
In fact, the tool couples the above capabilities with compliance and audit facilities, insider threat prevention, and profound reporting. From administering on-screen content to helping conform with regulations in highly constrained industries, Teramind is a formidable asset for HR departments around the globe.
It’s available in three versions: Teramind Starter, Teramind UAM, and Teramind DLP.
Pricing
- Free Version: Available for a time-bound free trial
- Paid Version: Starts from $10/user/ month
Compatibility
- Windows, Mac, Virtual PCs
5. Workpuls
Touted for its seamless activity tracking, time tracking, and time mapping capabilities, Workpuls enables self-monitoring of employees’ performance and eradicates time theft at scale.
A highly popular tool, Workpuls features a robust IT management console and enables remote control of all software features through a cloud-based (AWS powered) and an on-premise environment.
What stands out is the highly engaging UI that allows users to label productivity, extract insights and patterns from the legacy reports, and set customized alerting parameters.
Pricing
- Free Version: Available for a time-bound free trial
- Paid Version: Starts from $6.40/user
Compatibility
- Windows, macOS, and Linux
6. ActivTrak
ActivTrak is one of the most popular workforce analytics and workplace management tools in the market. From MNCs to SMBs, more than 9000 organizations across the globe use ActivTrak to monitor employee productivity, learn from their workforce, and improve performance.
In particular, the tool facilitates organizations to leverage quantified workforce analytics and gauge adherence to security standards to improve employee engagement and individual performance.
Based on unified, aggregated data for greater transparency, cross-platform integrations, the tool empowers employees to easily track their progress against benchmark goals, set personalized goals and visualizations, and auto-generate reports for management review.
Pricing
- Free Version: Available for a 14-day free trial
- Paid Version: Starts from $15/user/month
Compatibility
- Windows 8.1, 10, 11
- macOS 10.14, 10.15, 11.X, 12.1, 12.X
7. CurrentWare
CurrentWare claims to have saved $60 billion for its customers, who use the tool to optimize engagement, collaboration, and productivity. With more than 17 years of experience in Workplace Management, the tool boasts extensive capabilities for enterprise-wide employee performance management.
The CurrentWare Suite features BrowseReporter (core employee monitoring), BrowseControl (web filtering), AccessPatrol (device control), and enPowerManager (remote PC management).
Pricing
- Free Version: Available for a 14-day free trial
- Paid Version: Starts from $2.99/user/month (most economical package on this list)
Compatibility
- Windows 8.1, 10, 11
8. SentryPC
“Monitor, Control, Feature” — that’s what the landing page headline at SentryPC reads. The tool offers superb control over various aspects of workplace productivity, including email, document access, web browsing, and more — with the added benefit of security restrictions on networks and applications.
The dashboard exposes productivity insights, offers a comprehensive audit trail, and enables the user to set up alerts and track employee workflow — metrics that are further actionable with the help of activity reports that can be customized for management review.
Besides, the tool allows for cloaked installation and stealth operation — ensuring that the monitored screens remain as non-obtrusive as possible to employees.
Pricing
- Free Version: Available for a time-bound free trial
- Paid Version: Starts from $59.95/user/year
Compatibility
- Windows 200x, NT, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11
- Mac OS X 10.6+ and all macOS
9. Clockify
Clockify is literally the fan-favorite at the moment. The tool advocates for the notion of employee monitoring by providing a feature-rich UI for time tracking.
Trusted by the likes of Google, Amazon, SAP, Uber, Microsoft, SONY, Disney, amongst others, Clockify features an intuitive interface that allows users to keep track of their time splits, set productivity goals, and maintain an activity report through effective graphical visualizations.
A host of integrations with project management tools like Jira, Asana, Trello ClickUp, Monday, and Basecamp further enhance the tool’s utility.
Pricing
- Free Version: Yes
- Paid Version: Starts from $3.99/user/month
Compatibility
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge).
10. Kickidler
As the name suggests, Kickidler is all about workplace productivity. The tool empowers users to engage with the tool remotely, monitor employee activity on the go, and maintain a comprehensive audit report of all their activities.
Kickidler has a unique feature called “Violation Monitoring” that enables the user to set rules for various actions (e.g., time spent on social media sites) and receive instant alerts if the employee does not adhere to them.
Moreover, it suffices the needs for Edtech institutions with a feature called “classroom monitoring” that facilitates live reporting on the students’ or learners’ activities.
Pricing
- Free Version: Available for a 14-day free trial
- Paid Version: Starts from $5.5/user/month
Compatibility
- Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10
- Mac OS 10.11–11.0
- Linux
Other honorable mentions: StuffCounter, iMonitorSOFT, Work Examiner, Controlio, and SpyTech.
In a Nutshell
So, there you have it! This list covers the best tools for tracking employee productivity in a secure and standardized environment.
It’s noteworthy that, unlike sole clock-in/out tools and time tracking software, employee monitoring software tools offer more comprehensive features for user management, collaboration, and security. They are explicitly designed with the objective of improving user productivity in organizations.
Though the tools mentioned in this article might not fit the vertical-specific requirements in some of the cases (a rarity), there’s no denying that these present the best options for businesses who wish to opt for employee monitoring software.
As the pace of technology evolves, businesses need to remain nimble and adopt best practices in order to gain better user insights. Yes, they’ll need to invest in training their workforce — but that’s a worthy investment.
As more organizations adopt online employee monitoring tools, we’ll continue to update this list.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and share this article with your colleagues to help them implement a productivity-focused workforce strategy.
