Remote teams
Remote computer monitoring software for home offices
Members work from their own desk at home, and Staffic records only their tracked hours on the work computer, never the evening after the timer stops.
- All features
- Computer Monitoring
MonitoringFree, Standard and Elite
Computer Monitoring
Computer monitoring software for work computers
Staffic is computer monitoring software for the computers your team works on. Its desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux records screenshots, the apps and websites in use, and keyboard and mouse activity, only while a member's timer runs. You see what each work computer was used for, session by session, and nothing is recorded after the timer stops.
- Free for up to 3 members
- No credit card
- What it records
- Screenshots, apps, URLs and keyboard and mouse activity
- When
- Only while the member's timer runs
- Not stored
- The keys typed: activity is a percentage
- Platforms
- Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 or later, Debian-based Linux
- Plans
- Apps, URLs and activity on Free; screenshots from Standard
In short
What is Staffic Computer Monitoring?
Staffic Computer Monitoring is the part of the Staffic desktop app that records what happens on a work computer during tracked time. It takes screenshots of every connected screen on Standard and Elite, lists the apps and browser URLs in use, and measures keyboard and mouse input to mark idle time. It records nothing outside tracked time, and it keeps activity as a percentage instead of keystrokes.
How it works
How computer monitoring works on a work computer
Four steps from installing the app to reading the day in the browser.
- 01Install on the work computerThe member installs the desktop app and signs in. On a Mac, they allow the permissions macOS asks for.
- 02Start the timer on a taskMonitoring begins only when the member starts tracking a project and task.
- 03The app records the sessionScreenshots, apps, URLs and keyboard and mouse activity are saved with the session, and idle stretches are marked.
- 04Records reach the web appAdmins and allowed roles review them under Remote Track; each member sees their own.
Computer monitoring software
PC monitoring software that records work time only
Each record below comes from the desktop app on the member's work computer.
Staffic installs as a desktop app on each work computer. While the member's timer runs on a project and task, it records the four things you switch on: screenshots, apps, browser URLs and keyboard and mouse activity. Each record reaches the web app filed under its session.
- Windows, macOS and Linux
- Records only during tracked time
- Every record shows its project and task
With two monitors, Staffic saves a separate screenshot of each one, 2 times in every 10 minutes by default or 1, 2 or 3 times on Elite. The icons on each card show how many screenshots were taken in that block and how many screens the computer had.
- Standard and Elite plans
- Random minutes inside each 10-minute block
- Kept for 365 days, then deleted
Staffic lists the apps a member used in each tracked session, such as Slack, Cursor or a browser, with the session's start time, end time and total. Application Tracking starts off in a new organization, and an admin turns it on under Settings, Activity.
- Every plan, including Free
- Filter by project and task
- Each session's time, not a time per app
URL Tracking lists the websites visited in each tracked session, such as figma.com or github.com, next to that session's project and task. It's on in a new organization, and one switch turns it off for everyone.
- Every plan, including Free
- On by default in a new organization
- Websites listed per tracked session
The desktop app notes whether the keyboard or mouse is in use and turns that into an activity level for each session. A stretch of 50 seconds or more without input counts as idle, and tracking stops after 5 minutes without input or when the computer sleeps or locks.
- Every plan, including Free
- A percentage, not the keys pressed
- Meeting Idle Time Track on Standard and Elite
Nothing is recorded before the timer starts or after it stops, and Staffic keeps an activity percentage instead of keystrokes. A member whose Control Tracking is off has no screenshots, apps, URLs or activity recorded, while their hours are still tracked.
- Nothing outside tracked time
- One switch per kind of record
- Control Tracking per member on Standard and Elite
Showing One desktop app, four kinds of record.
Control and privacy
What the computer records, and what it doesn't?
Every kind of record has its own switch, and none of them runs outside tracked time.
- Recording starts with the timer, with a Tracking Started notice on screen, and ends when the timer stops
- Tracking stops after 5 minutes without input, or when the computer sleeps or locks
- Activity is stored as a percentage per session; the keys pressed are not
- Screenshots, apps, URLs and keyboard and mouse tracking each have their own switch under Settings, Activity
- Control Tracking switches one member's monitoring off while their hours are still tracked (Standard and Elite)
- Members delete their own screenshots only if an admin allows it, and the block's tracked time goes with them
Set it up
How to set up computer monitoring in Staffic
Five steps for each work computer. Screenshots need Standard; apps, URLs and activity work on Free.
- 01
Pick what each computer records
Switch Screenshot Tracking, Application Tracking, URL Tracking and Keystroke And Mouse Track on or off.
Settings › Activity - 02
Leave out anyone who shouldn't be monitored
Under Tracking Individual Member, turn Control Tracking off for that member. Their hours are still tracked. Standard and Elite.
Settings › Activity - 03
Install the desktop app
Use Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 or later, or a Debian-based Linux. Each member signs in with their Staffic account.
Download Staffic - 04
Allow the Mac permissions
On a Mac, allow Screen Recording for screenshots, Accessibility or Input Monitoring for keyboard and mouse activity, and Automation for browser URLs.
Staffic for Mac - 05
Check the first tracked day
Pick a member and a date to see the day's screenshots by hour, then open Apps and URLs for the same sessions.
Remote Track › Screenshots
Compare
Four records from one desktop app
Each record has its own switch, so a work computer records only what you turn on.
Swipe the table to compare
| Compare | Screenshots | Apps | URLs | Keyboard and mouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it records | An image of every connected screen | Apps used in each session | Websites visited in each session | Whether there was input, as an activity level |
| Setting | Screenshot Tracking | Application Tracking | URL Tracking | Keystroke And Mouse Track |
| New organization | Off | Off | On | On |
| Plans | Standard and Elite | Every plan | Every plan | Every plan |
| Where you read it | Remote Track > Screenshots | Remote Track > Apps | Remote Track > URLs | Screenshot cards and the reports |
| Link | Screenshots | Apps | URLs | Keyboard and mouse |
Settings, defaults and plans as the Staffic app shows them under Settings, Activity.
Specs and terms
Computer Monitoring at a glance
The facts behind the feature, and what each number on the Computer Monitoring page means.
Specifications
- Windows
- Windows 10 or later, .exe installer
- macOS
- macOS 12 Monterey or later, Apple Silicon and Intel (.dmg)
- Linux
- Debian-based, .deb for x64 and ARM64
- Mac permissions
- Screen Recording, Accessibility or Input Monitoring, and Automation
- Screenshots
- Every connected screen; 2 per 10 minutes, or 1, 2 or 3 on Elite
- Apps and URLs
- Listed per tracked session, with its start and end time
- Idle
- 50 seconds or more without keyboard or mouse input
- Auto stop
- After 5 minutes without input, or on sleep or lock
- Screenshot history
- 365 days, then deleted automatically
- Screenshot TrackingON
- The organization switch for screenshots under Settings, Activity. It's off in a new organization.
- Application TrackingON
- The switch that lists the apps used in each session. It's off in a new organization.
- URL TrackingON
- The switch that lists the websites visited in each session. It's on in a new organization.
- Keystroke And Mouse TrackON
- The switch for activity levels. It counts whether there was input; it doesn't store the keys.
- Tracking Individual MemberControl Tracking: ON
- The member list under Settings, Activity, with a Control Tracking switch next to each name.
- Most Used AppsSlack, 109 Times
- The dashboard card with the apps that came up most often in this week's tracked sessions.
Who it’s for
Where teams use computer monitoring?
The same four records answer different questions for different teams.
Software teams
The tools behind a task
See which apps and sites a developer used for a task, such as an editor, GitHub or Figma, without asking for a screen share.
Companies with contractors
Records on the contractor's own computer
Contractors install the desktop app on their own computer, and Staffic records only while they track your projects. Switch Control Tracking off for anyone whose contract doesn't allow monitoring.
Customer stories
What our users say
Stop juggling tools. Staffic gives your team time tracking, projects, payroll and performance analytics in one platform.
Try Staffic for free“Staffic.io brings transparency without micromanagement. Our team feels trusted, and productivity has never been higher.”
Pricing
How much does Staffic Computer Monitoring cost?
Computer Monitoring is included on every plan, Free included. You pay per active user only when your team grows past 3 members.
Compare every planFree$0forever, for up to 3 membersEvery core feature, Computer Monitoring included
Standard$5.50$1per user / month, billed yearlyOffer price until Sep 12, 2027Everything in Free without the 3 member limit, plus Screenshots, Monthly Timesheets and 7 more
Elite$5.80per user / month, billed yearlyAdds Live Feed, Screen Recordings, Timesheet Approval and 5 more
Prices in USD per active user. Billed monthly, Standard is $7.50 and Elite is $9.80 per user.
What is computer monitoring?
Computer monitoring is recording how a computer is used: screenshots, the apps and websites opened, and keyboard and mouse activity. Good employee computer monitoring software keeps that record to work time. Staffic's desktop app records it only while a member tracks time on a project and task.
How does computer monitoring software work?
It runs as a desktop app on the work computer and saves records at set points during work. Staffic's app takes a screenshot of each screen at random minutes in every 10-minute block, logs the apps and browser URLs in use, and marks 50 seconds without keyboard or mouse input as idle. Everything uploads to the web app under that session's project and task.
How do you monitor employee computer activity?
Install monitoring software on the work computer, choose which records to keep and tell the employee before you start. In Staffic, you switch screenshots, apps, URLs and keyboard and mouse tracking on under Settings, Activity, and each member installs the desktop app. It's software to monitor computer activity during tracked time only, so nothing is recorded outside work time.
How do you monitor an employee's computer?
Install a desktop tracker on the work computer and read its records in a web app. Once Staffic is installed and the member starts the timer, their screenshots, apps and URLs appear in the web app by member and date, wherever you are. As employee pc monitoring software, it works the same on Windows, macOS and Linux.
How do you monitor computer activity?
Look at the apps, websites and input over a whole session, not one moment. Staffic lists the apps and URLs for each tracked session and gives it an activity level: the share of its time with keyboard or mouse input. On Standard and Elite, the Apps and URLs usage report adds them up per member and day.
How do you monitor employee computer usage?
Check which apps and websites took the tracked time. Staffic's dashboard shows this week's most used apps and websites, and Remote Track lists them per session for any member. Turn on Application Tracking first, since it starts off in a new organization.
Is employee computer monitoring legal?
It can be, and the details depend on where your team works. Tell employees what the computer records before you install anything, keep it to work devices and work hours, and check the notice rules in your state or country. Staffic helps with the work hours part, since it records nothing while the timer is off. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does it cost to use Computer Monitoring?
Every plan includes Computer Monitoring. Free covers up to 3 members. Standard is $5.50 per user per month billed yearly ($1.00 during the current offer, until September 12, 2027) or $7.50 billed monthly, and Elite is $5.80 per user per month billed yearly or $9.80 billed monthly.
Explore more
Explore more features
Monitoring
Employee Monitoring
Staffic is employee monitoring software that records screenshots, apps, URLs and activity only while the timer runs, with Live Feed and recordings on Elite.
Screenshots
Screen monitoring that captures screenshots only while the timer runs, each filed with its time range, project, task and activity level.
Apps
See which desktop apps each member used in every tracked session, with its project, task and time. Included on every plan, including Free.
URLs
See the websites each member visited during tracked time, session by session, with the project, task and time. On every plan, and on by default.
Platforms
Windows
Staffic's Windows time tracking software: a desktop app for Windows 10 or later that records time, activity, apps and URLs while the timer runs.
Platforms
Linux
Staffic's Linux time tracker: a .deb desktop app for Ubuntu, Debian and other Debian-based systems on x64 and ARM64, free for up to 3 members.
Free for up to 3 members
See the work, not just the hours.
Create your workspace, invite your team, and the first timesheet builds itself.
- No credit card
- 7-day trial on paid plans
- Windows, macOS, Linux
