DeskTime vs Google Sheets: Complete Comparison (2026)

Why choose DeskTime

• Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 4/10)
• Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 6/10)
• Better fit for mid-market (7/10 vs 5/10)
• Includes Time tracking, which Google Sheets lacks

G

Why choose Google Sheets

• Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 5/10)
• Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 8/10)
• Better fit for freelancers (8/10 vs 4/10)

DeskTime

Pros

• Tracking runs automatically in the background, so staff do not have to start or stop timers, which reviewers on G2 cite most often.
• ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certification, plus EU-based operation, helps buyers who must comply with GDPR.
• Project time tracking calculates costs from hourly rates, which helps agencies bill clients.
• Premium combines shift scheduling and an absence calendar with time tracking, so these do not need a separate tool.
• Per-user pricing starts at about 6.42 USD a month on annual billing, which is low for this category.

Cons

• Reviewers describe the URL tracking and screenshots as intrusive, and these features may need a legal basis in some jurisdictions.
• Capterra and G2 users report instability, such as tracking stopping or activity being marked as neutral.
• It has no Kanban boards, Gantt charts or task management of its own, so it depends on tools like Jira, Asana or Trello.
• Reviewers say time spent in meetings and offline work are tracked poorly.
• Screenshots and the API are only on Premium.

G

Google Sheets

Pros

• Real-time co-editing, comments and version history make it easy for a team to share one tracker.
• Prebuilt project management and event-planning templates mean teams do not have to build a tracker from scratch.
• There is no extra cost for organisations that already pay for Google Workspace seats.
• Connected Sheets can analyse BigQuery or Looker data with billions of rows directly in a spreadsheet.
• On higher Workspace tiers, Gemini can create trackers and write formulas from plain-language prompts.

Cons

• It has no native Gantt charts, task dependencies or time tracking for real project scheduling.
• Missed deadlines do not trigger automatic alerts, so team members have to be notified by hand.
• Large or complex shared sheets slow down and are easy to break when several people edit at once.
• Timeline view is limited to certain paid Workspace editions.
• Dashboards and reporting have to be built by hand or added with add-ons.