Google Sheets vs Hubstaff: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Google Sheets and Hubstaff to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Google Sheets
7.2/10
Google Sheets is a browser-based spreadsheet in Google Workspace that teams can edit together and often use to track simple projects and tasks.
Hubstaff
6.3/10
Hubstaff is a time tracking and workforce management platform with activity monitoring, timesheets, scheduling, payroll and agile task boards for remote and field teams.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | G Google Sheets | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.2/10 | 6.3/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | €7/user/mo Business Starter | $5/user/mo Starter |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | €211/mo Business Plus | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Gantt charts | ||
| Kanban boards | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| App integrations | ||
| Task lists | ||
| Timeline view | ||
| Workflow automation | ||
| Client collaboration | Not listed | |
| Collaboration tools | Not listed | |
| File sharing | Not listed | |
| Reporting | Not listed | |
| Scheduling | Not listed | |
| Spreadsheet interface | Not listed | |
| Task management | Not listed | |
Google Sheets vs Hubstaff cost by team size
| Team size | Google Sheets | Hubstaff |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | €21/moBusiness Plus | FreeFree |
| 5 users | €106/moBusiness Plus | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | €211/moBusiness Plus | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | €528/moBusiness Plus | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | €1,055/moBusiness Plus | Contact for pricing |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
GWhy choose Google Sheets
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Security score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (8/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose Hubstaff
- Has a free plan (Google Sheets does not)
- Higher Scalability score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for construction (5/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Includes Gantt charts, which Google Sheets lacks
Pros & Cons
GGoogle 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.
Hubstaff
Pros
- Annual per-seat prices from 4.99 USD are low compared with most monitoring and time tracking suites.
- Reviewers say starting the timer and setting up the app is simple, and that accurate tracking makes client billing easier.
- Payments through Wise, PayPal, Payoneer and Deel connect tracked hours directly to payroll.
- GPS tracking with geofencing serves field teams that work across job sites.
- Hubstaff Tasks adds kanban boards, sprints, epics and a Gantt-style roadmap that tie into tracked time.
Cons
- Screenshots and activity scoring are seen by many reviewers as invasive and can hurt team trust.
- Idle detection can mark people inactive during meetings, reading or calls.
- Recurring complaints cover surprise annual renewals, add-on charges and refund refusals.
- Support gets poor marks. Starter is reported to be email-only with a target response time of two days or more.
- Integrations are gated by plan: none on Starter and one on Grow.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Google Sheets scores higher on our Project Management criteria: 7.2/10 against 6.3/10 for Hubstaff. The largest gap is in Customization: 8/10 for Google Sheets and 5/10 for Hubstaff.
Hubstaff has a free plan; Google Sheets does not list one.
Google Sheets is the better fit for freelancers: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 4/10 for Hubstaff.
Hubstaff has Gantt charts, Kanban boards and Time tracking, which Google Sheets lacks.
