Time Doctor Hidden Costs 2026

Time Doctor's Basic plan requires a minimum of 3 users, making the entry cost $18-21/month (3 × $6-7), not the advertised $5.90/user. Small teams or solo users can't access paid features without paying for unused seats, making it more expensive than Toggl or Clockify for small teams.

Screenshot frequency is severely limited on the Basic plan (every 30 minutes), making it nearly useless for serious productivity monitoring. Teams needing meaningful activity tracking must upgrade to Standard ($8.40/user/month annually) for 3-minute screenshot intervals, increasing costs by 42%.

Video screen recording and webcam snapshots - key features for remote team accountability - are only available on Standard plans and above. Teams expecting comprehensive monitoring on Basic plans will face forced upgrades to Standard ($8.40/user/month) or Premium ($16.70/user/month).

Annual billing provides massive discounts (16.6% discount = 2 months free). However, this requires full upfront payment. A 20-person team on Standard pays $2,016 upfront annually vs $220/month, creating significant cash flow pressure for smaller businesses.

Integrations with project management tools (Asana, Jira, Trello) are only included on Standard plans and above. Teams using workflow automation must pay for Standard minimum, adding 20-40% to expected Basic plan costs.

Client access and reporting features require Standard plans ($8.40/user/month annually). Agencies and consultancies that need clients to review time logs can't use cheaper Basic plans, making Time Doctor more expensive than advertised for client-facing businesses.

Premium plan's video screencasts and advanced features ($16.70/user/month annually) are essential for high-security environments or client proof-of-work requirements. Teams with demanding clients may be forced onto Premium plans, tripling costs from Basic.

Time Doctor charges per active user. If you have team members who don't track time daily but need occasional access, you still pay full per-user pricing. Unlike some competitors offering viewer-only roles, Time Doctor doesn't discount for limited-access users.