Hubstaff is a time tracker some AI training platforms ask you to run on hourly work. It only tracks while the timer is on. It measures mouse and keyboard activity, not what you type, and takes screenshots only if your team turns them on. It doesn't record audio or use your camera.
Apply to Platforms That Use Hubstaff
What Hubstaff Tracks
| What it records | Hubstaff |
|---|---|
| Screenshots | Optional, 1 to 3 every 10 minutes |
| Activity % | Mouse and keyboard input, not what you type |
| Idle time | Yes, with a keep or discard prompt |
| Apps and URLs | Optional, off by default |
| Location | Mobile apps only, while tracking |
| Audio | No |
| Camera | No |
| Screen video | No, still screenshots only |
Hubstaff only tracks when you start and stop the timer. Close it and nothing is recorded.
How Activity Percentage Works
Hubstaff checks every second for any mouse or keyboard input. Active seconds divided by 600 gives your activity rate for each 10-minute block.
It records that a key was pressed, not which key. Hubstaff says there is no keylogging.
Reading a long prompt or checking a source means fewer clicks, so activity drops on reading-heavy tasks. If you're unsure what your project expects, ask your project lead.
How Idle Time Works
When you stop typing and moving the mouse, Hubstaff can show an idle prompt. It tells you how long you were inactive and asks whether to keep or discard that time.
Your organization sets when the prompt appears: 5, 10 or 20 minutes, a custom time, or never. Discarded time comes off your timesheet and the timer keeps running.
micro1‘s guide says to track time only while you're actively working. Stop the timer for breaks instead of letting it go idle.
Screenshots
Screenshots are optional. Your organization picks 1, 2 or 3 every 10 minutes, taken at random times, and none are taken during idle time.
Owners can choose to blur screenshots. If you delete one of your own time entries, its screenshots and activity are deleted with it, and so is the time.
Apps, URLs and Location
App and URL tracking is optional and off by default. When a team turns it on, Hubstaff logs which apps and sites you used, and for how long, while the timer runs.
Location is tracked only in the mobile apps, with your permission, while you're tracking time. The desktop app doesn't track location.
Does Hubstaff Record Audio, Video or Your Camera?
No. Hubstaff says it doesn't record keystrokes, video or audio, and it has no access to cameras or webcams. What it captures of your screen is still screenshots, not a recording.
How to Submit a Timesheet in Hubstaff
- Wait until the pay period ends, after 11:59 pm on its last day in your organization's time zone.
- Go to Timesheets, then Approvals.
- Click Actions, then Submit.
You only need this if your organization has timesheet approvals turned on.
Which AI Training Platforms Use Hubstaff
- micro1 tracks hourly work in the Hubstaff desktop app.
- Outlier: Hubstaff has a help page for Outlier contractors on tracking work hours.
- Alignerr: some projects use Hubstaff, and you can't keep working until the timer is detected running.
Mercor and SME Careers use a different tracker. Our guide to Insightful on Mercor covers it. To find hourly roles that fit you, try the AI Training Job Matcher.
Privacy Tips
- Use a separate browser profile or computer account for work, with only work apps in it.
- Close personal tabs, chats and email before you start the timer.
- Stop the timer for breaks and personal browsing.
- Keep your own note of task IDs with start and end times, in case hours go missing.
- Don't try to fake activity. It breaks platform rules, and Outlier's guidelines ban anything that artificially inflates pay.
Apply to Platforms That Use Hubstaff
Hubstaff FAQ
Does Hubstaff Take Screenshots?
Only if your organization turns them on. It can take 1, 2 or 3 screenshots every 10 minutes, at random times, and none while you are idle.
Does Hubstaff Record Audio?
No. Hubstaff says it does not record keystrokes, video or audio.
Can Hubstaff See Your Screen or Camera?
It sees your screen only through the still screenshots your organization turns on. It has no access to your camera or webcam and does not record video.
Does Hubstaff Track Location?
Only in the mobile apps, with your permission, while you are tracking time. The desktop app does not track location.
How Is Hubstaff Activity Percentage Worked Out?
Hubstaff marks each second active if there was any mouse or keyboard input. Active seconds divided by 600 gives the activity rate for each 10-minute block.
What Happens When Hubstaff Detects Idle Time?
A prompt shows how long you were inactive and asks whether to keep or discard that time. Your organization sets when the prompt appears.
Which AI Training Platforms Use Hubstaff?
micro1 tracks hourly work in the Hubstaff desktop app, Hubstaff has a help page for Outlier contractors, and some Alignerr projects use it. Mercor uses Insightful instead.
Sources: Hubstaff help center, FAQ and How Tracking Works page; micro1 expert library; Hubstaff Outlier FAQ; Outlier community guidelines; Alignerr FAQs; r/outlier_ai, r/micro1_ai and r/alignerr.
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