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Monitask is employee time tracking software that pairs a desktop app with a web dashboard for managers. If your company has asked you to use it, the useful questions are practical ones. What gets recorded? What do the activity levels mean? What can you see yourself? This guide sticks to what Monitask publishes on its own site and help pages, and says so where an answer depends on the plan or on admin settings.
The short version
Depending on settings, Monitask records tracked time, screenshots, an activity percentage, apps and websites used, and idle periods. Monitask says it counts keystrokes and mouse activity but does not record the keys pressed or read email and chat content.
Which of those your manager sees depends on the plan and on choices made by admins, so treat the lists below as a menu rather than a guarantee.
When is Monitask tracking me?
Monitask says tracking runs only while an employee is clocked in and stops at clock-out. Its FAQ says employees start and stop tracking themselves and that screenshots cannot start without the user's action.
There is a catch worth knowing. The Monitask homepage also says administrators can switch to a silent version where policy and local law allow, and its comparison pages describe a stealth option while recommending that staff be told. The two descriptions sit side by side, so ask your employer which mode you are in.
How do Monitask screenshots work?
Admins control the frequency. Monitask's company settings page allows from 0 to 30 screenshots per hour per employee, taken at random times, and 0 turns them off. Monitask's pricing page lists automatic screenshots from the Pro plan and treats extra frequency as an add-on.
Monitask offers blur, which it calls Smartblur, and says admins can blur or disable screenshots for sensitive work. On visibility, its homepage says employees can see every screenshot their manager can, and its FAQ says employees can see the last screenshot taken. A manager-side setting called Allow Remove Time lets members delete screenshots and activity along with the time on their sheet. Admins decide whether that is switched on.
Retention depends on plan. The pricing page lists one month of storage on Pro and two months on Business.
What does the Monitask activity level mean?
This is the number that causes most of the worry, and Monitask documents it plainly. Its help article says the system checks every 10 seconds whether the keyboard or mouse was used, then reports the percentage of 10-second slices with activity in each 10-minute period. A 30% level means input in about 3 of those 10 minutes.
That is a count of input, not output. The same help article says data entry tends to produce high levels while software developers may show lower ones because they spend time thinking or watching tutorials. It recommends reading a person's timeline and screenshots instead of relying on the percentage alone. Monitask's FAQ suggests more than 50% is a good level, which is useful to know but is a guideline, not a rule.
One small inconsistency: some Monitask pages describe the measure as keystrokes, clicks and scrolling, and another says keystrokes and mouse movements. The activity article does not say whether pointer movement alone counts, so this guide does not either.
How does Monitask handle idle time?
Monitask says time with no mouse or keyboard input is not counted as work. In company settings, the default is that employees are prompted after 10 minutes of inactivity and can keep or remove the idle time. Admins can instead choose to delete idle time automatically after 5 or 10 minutes, with no prompt. The company settings page also controls whether employees can remove time from their own timeline.
Does Monitask track websites and apps?
Yes, if admins enable it. Internet tracking can be turned on or off for the whole organisation or per employee. Monitask's pricing page ties the detail to the plan: websites and apps visited on Business, full URLs and page titles on Business Premium. Its homepage says tracking is available only through the desktop application.
Can Monitask detect automated input?
Monitask's site says it detects mouse jigglers, and its blog describes the product as tamper-proof. What the documentation does not say is how that detection works, what it flags, or how accurate it is. Those are marketing statements, not published methods. If a flag ever appears on your account, ask the person who sees it what triggered it, because the help pages will not tell you. And, as with any activity tool, an unusual pattern is a question to discuss, not proof of anything.
What Monitask does not capture
- The content of what you type. Monitask says it does not record the actual keys pressed and does not read the content of emails and chats.
- Time when you are clocked out. Its site says monitoring stops as soon as you clock out.
- Anything on a device without the app. Tracking depends on the desktop application.
Monitask's pages do not mention webcam capture, so it is not covered here.
What it sees versus what it understands
Monitask sees input, screens and applications. It does not see work. An hour on a client call, a long document review or careful thinking can all produce a quiet stretch. Monitask's own help article admits the activity level varies by role. That distance between what registered and what happened is where most disagreements about monitoring data begin.
If your real work keeps landing in the invisible column, that's the problem LazyWork was built for.
How can I check my own Monitask data?
Monitask says the activity and reports a manager sees are available to employees too. Look at your own timeline, screenshots and activity percentages once, so you know what is being recorded. Then ask your admin which plan you are on, whether internet tracking is enabled and whether blur is applied.
What is reasonable to raise with a manager?
- Ask which activity range counts as normal for your role, and mention that Monitask's help article says developers often score lower.
- Offer the timeline and application report as context for a low percentage.
- Ask whether the silent option is in use and what the company's monitoring policy says.
Frequently asked questions
Is Monitask a keylogger?
Monitask says no. It records how much input there was, not which keys were pressed.
Does Monitask record my camera or microphone?
Its published pages do not describe webcam or audio capture, so there is nothing documented to report.
Is there a free version of Monitask?
Monitask's homepage mentions a 10-day free trial and does not describe a permanent free tier. Check the pricing page, since it shows plan prices that differ from its FAQ.
Can I delete my own screenshots?
Only if your admin turned on the setting that lets members remove time, which removes the screenshots and activity attached to it.
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