A Time Doctor alternative that never watches anyone
Time Doctor has no free plan, puts screenshots on its cheapest tier, and adds video recording and mouse movement checks higher up. Sandtime.io has none of that at any price, and is free for unlimited users.
Time Doctor is a workforce analytics and time tracking platform aimed at distributed, outsourced and BPO teams. Screenshots are included from its entry plan, higher plans add web and app usage reporting, and video screen recording comes with Premium or as a paid add-on. There is no permanent free plan. Visit Time Doctor website
Best for teams that bill against time and need trust
Sandtime.io fits agencies, freelancers, consultants, and other service teams that need client-ready reports, project visibility, and cleaner invoicing without the seat tax or surveillance that often comes with legacy trackers.
Sandtime.io vs Time Doctor
| Feature | Sandtime.io | Time Doctor |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free for unlimited users, permanently | No free plan; a 14-day trial, then per-seat billing from the entry tier |
| Screenshots | None, and none planned | Included from the entry plan |
| Escalated monitoring | None | Video screen recording on Premium, or a paid add-on lower down |
| Interrupting the worker | Only a weekly email reminder to fill in the timesheet | Alerts and prompts when someone is judged off task |
| Automatic tracking | Self-reported hours only | Web and app usage reporting on higher plans |
| Timesheet approvals | Included free | Standard plan and above, not the entry tier |
| Multi-currency reporting | Included free, with historical rates | Per-employee currency, for payroll rather than reports |
| Payroll | Invoice-ready reports and exports | Payroll and client login access on higher plans |
| Company base | Poland, hosted in the European Union | United States |
| Best fit | Teams whose own record of hours is the proof | Outsourced and BPO teams where clients demand proof of activity |
Why teams switch from Time Doctor to Sandtime.io
There is no free plan to fall back on
Time Doctor has no free tier at all. After the trial, every person costs money from the entry plan upward. Sandtime.io is free for unlimited users and stays that way.
The ladder only goes one way
Screenshots start on the cheapest Time Doctor plan, and video screen recording arrives on Premium or as a paid add-on below it. Sandtime.io has no monitoring at any price, because none of it exists in the product.
No prompts while people work
Sandtime.io never interrupts someone mid-task to ask whether they are working. The only prompt it sends is a weekly email reminder to fill in the timesheet before the week locks.
Trustworthy records, different method
Reminders, one-click approvals from email, and automatic locking of past periods produce a record finance can rely on, without measuring anyone while they work.
Read the plan ladder before the price
Time Doctor's tiers are not just more features for more money. Each step up adds a more invasive measure, ending in video recording and checks for faked mouse movement. That is a product built on the assumption that the record cannot be trusted unless the person is watched. It is worth deciding whether that assumption is true of your team before paying to enforce it.
Choose Sandtime.io when
Your people report their own hours and you need those hours complete, approved, locked and exportable. The record is the deliverable, not evidence of effort.
Keep Time Doctor when
A client contract requires proof of activity, or you manage outsourced teams where that proof is the commercial arrangement. Sandtime.io cannot produce it and does not pretend otherwise.
The cost nobody prices
Monitoring is not only a line item. It shapes what people do with their day, and teams that feel measured optimize for the measurement. Self-reported hours put the responsibility back where the knowledge is.
Pricing and plan details checked August 19, 2026
Time Doctor's support documentation lists the current plans and which tier unlocks screenshots, usage reporting, video recording and payroll. Plans and prices move, so check it before deciding.
Check Time Doctor's current plans Compare with Hubstaff too See Sandtime.io pricing
Test the workflow before switching
The useful test is whether complete, approved hours reach billing on time. These are real Sandtime.io screens, not mockups of a competitor's product. The screenshots use the English interface; Polish and French interfaces are also available.
Record the work
Use one client project for a complete billing cycle. Track or enter hours yourself; Sandtime.io does not reconstruct work from app or website activity.
Close the week
Submit, approve, and lock the weekly timesheet. Friday email reminders require auto-locking and each user's notification opt-in; they are off by default.
Check the billing handoff
Compare the exported hours and amounts with your existing billing records before switching. Sandtime.io supplies reports and exports, not an invoicing engine.
Keep payroll, attendance, automatic capture, legal billing, and resource planning in the evaluation if your team depends on them. A simpler timesheet tool is not a replacement for those workflows.
See the worked timesheet-to-billing example
Screenshot source: the public Sandtime.io brand kit · Read the approval guide · Read the reminder conditions
Time Doctor alternative FAQs
Short answers about pricing, migration, and product fit.
Does Time Doctor have a free plan?
No. Time Doctor's free access is a 14-day trial. After that every seat is billed from the entry plan upward, so a team of ten has a real annual cost where Sandtime.io has none.
Does Sandtime.io take screenshots or record screens?
No, at any price. Sandtime.io has no screenshot capture, no video recording, no activity scoring, no mouse or keyboard checks and no app or website monitoring. These are absent from the product rather than switched off.
Our clients require activity proof. Can Sandtime.io do that?
Then keep Time Doctor. Some outsourcing and BPO contracts require proof of activity, and clients who demand it will not accept self-reported hours. Sandtime.io cannot satisfy that requirement and does not claim to.
Does Sandtime.io send alerts while people are working?
Only one, and it is aimed at the person who owes the timesheet rather than the person doing the work. Sandtime.io sends a fill-timesheet reminder by email on Friday, before the week locks. It never prompts anyone to ask whether they are still working.
Can Sandtime.io import Time Doctor data?
Not automatically. Keep Time Doctor as the historical archive, recreate active clients, projects, people and rates in Sandtime.io, then reconcile one full reporting cycle before cutting over.
Does Sandtime.io replace Time Doctor payroll and client access?
No. Sandtime.io produces invoice-ready reports and Excel or CSV exports, but it has no payroll engine, no invoicing engine and no client login portal. Replace those separately or keep Time Doctor for them.
Comparing something else?
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Try one project before switching your team
Create a free workspace, record a billing cycle, and check the exported hours against your current records. Keep your existing tool until the workflow fits.