A desktop time-tracker built to compete with Hubstaff
A cross-platform desktop time-tracking and activity-monitoring app with native system integrations, a GraphQL backend, and a feature set built to compete with Hubstaff and TimeDoctor.
The brief
The brief was simple and ambitious: a time-tracking and activity-monitoring desktop app that could compete with the category leaders. The reality of competing with Hubstaff and TimeDoctor on day one means getting the unsexy parts right — system-level monitoring, low resource use, cross-platform parity.
What we built
- Electron + React + TypeScript application targeting macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- Native modules for the system-level work — application tracking, screenshot capture, idle detection, keystroke and mouse activity (privacy-preserving counts, not content).
- NestJS + GraphQL backend for projects, tasks, time entries, screenshots, and reporting. Schema-first, codegen-driven for type-safety end to end.
- Real-time sync with offline-first caching — the app keeps tracking when the network goes away and reconciles when it returns.
- Privacy-first defaults — activity monitoring respects user-configured boundaries; the app shows the user exactly what’s been captured.
Outcome
InvoDesk launched with category-competitive features inside a quarter of starting. The R&D set up the team to keep iterating without the foundation getting in the way.
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