Softwr

Productivity · head to head

DeskTime vs Remesh

DeskTime logo

DeskTime

Productivity

Automatic computer activity tracking and productivity analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Remesh logo

Remesh

Research

Live AI-moderated conversations with hundreds of participants at once, analysed in real time

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only DeskTime has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DeskTime screenshots are excluded from the Pro plan and start at Premium; Remesh pricing is not published and third-party estimates put annual contracts in the tens of thousands of dollars, which puts it out of reach for teams that only run occasional qualitative studies and cannot commit to an annual platform fee.
  • They diverge on capability: DeskTime covers Automatic activity tracking, Remesh covers Live moderated sessions.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DeskTime and Remesh actually diverge.

Attributes where DeskTime and Remesh differ
AttributeDeskTimeRemesh
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, LinuxWeb, API
CategoryProductivityResearch
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in DeskTime

  • Automatic activity tracking
  • Application and website tracking
  • Daily reports
  • Weekly summaries
  • Privacy-first design
  • Detailed analytics
  • Goal setting
  • Mobile apps

Only in Remesh

  • Live moderated sessions
  • Collective dialogue
  • Flex asynchronous studies
  • Video research
  • Remy AI assistant
  • On-Demand Recruit
  • Real-time theme analysis
  • Practice sessions

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

DeskTime

  • Automatic time tracking of desktop app and website usagenot Remesh
  • Measuring team productivity and idle timenot Remesh
  • Scheduling shifts and tracking absencesnot Remesh

Remesh

  • A brand team that needs to test three positioning statements with 400 target customers and know by the end of the day which one lands and with whomnot DeskTime
  • An HR function running an employee listening session across several thousand staff where anonymity and volume both matternot DeskTime
  • A public affairs team needing rapid citizen consultation on a policy option with evidence of how widely each objection is heldnot DeskTime
  • An insights team that has to replace six focus groups with one session because fieldwork time has been cut and the decision cannot waitnot DeskTime

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

DeskTime

  • Screenshots are excluded from the Pro plan and start at Premium
  • Integrations and API access require the Premium plan
  • Shift scheduling requires the Premium plan
  • Enterprise is aimed at 200+ users and is priced by quote with no published rate
  • The advertised $6.42 and $9.17 per user rates require annual billing; monthly billing costs more
  • The trial lasts 14 days

Remesh

  • Pricing is not published and third-party estimates put annual contracts in the tens of thousands of dollars, which puts it out of reach for teams that only run occasional qualitative studies and cannot commit to an annual platform fee.
  • The public review picture is inconsistent in a way worth investigating: a small number of positive buyer reviews on G2 sit alongside a poor Trustpilot rating driven mostly by participant complaints, so ask directly how participants are recruited and compensated before running a study on your own customers.
  • Funding has slowed sharply, from a 25 million USD round in 2021 to a 4.25 million USD round in late 2022, so procurement teams at large organisations should expect to run a vendor viability review.
  • The collective dialogue mechanic rewards views that many participants recognise and vote for, which systematically under-weights genuinely novel minority insight, so it is a poor fit for exploratory discovery work where the outlier is the point.
  • The discussion guide builder, especially spreadsheet import, is reported as unreliable, and because sessions are live with recruited participants a tooling failure during setup is expensive rather than merely annoying.

Pricing, plan by plan

DeskTime

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Activity tracking
    • Basic reports
    • Weekly emails
  • Pro$9/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Advanced reports
    • Detailed analytics

Remesh

On request
  • Remesh$undefined/year
    • Live moderated sessions
    • Flex asynchronous studies
    • Video research

Which should you pick?

Choose DeskTime if

  • You need automatic activity tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, Linux.
  • You also want application and website tracking.
DeskTime review

Choose Remesh if

  • You need live moderated sessions.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want collective dialogue.
Remesh review

Questions people ask

Is DeskTime or Remesh better?
Neither clearly leads. DeskTime starts at Free and Remesh at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DeskTime or Remesh?
DeskTime has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for DeskTime and On request for Remesh.
Does DeskTime or Remesh run on more platforms?
DeskTime runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, Linux. Remesh runs on Web, API.
Can I use DeskTime for free?
Yes. DeskTime has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Remesh starts at On request.
What is DeskTime best used for?
DeskTime is most often used for automatic time tracking of desktop app and website usage, measuring team productivity and idle time, scheduling shifts and tracking absences. Of those, automatic time tracking of desktop app and website usage and measuring team productivity and idle time are not what Remesh is typically brought in for.
What can DeskTime do that Remesh cannot?
DeskTime covers Automatic activity tracking, Application and website tracking, Daily reports, Weekly summaries. Remesh covers Live moderated sessions, Collective dialogue, Flex asynchronous studies, Video research.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DeskTime: What are DeskTime's subscription tiers?

DeskTime offers Pro at $6.42/user/month (annual billing) for small teams and startups, Premium at $9.17/user/month (marked Most Popular) for hybrid and growing teams, and Enterprise with custom pricing for 200+ users.

Source
Remesh: How many people can join one session?

Sessions are designed for several hundred participants at once, which is the core reason to choose it over a conventional focus group.

DeskTime: What features differentiate the Premium tier from Pro?

Premium adds screenshots, integrations & API, and shift scheduling compared to Pro's document title tracking and calendar integrations.

Source
Remesh: Does it publish pricing?

No. Contracts are quoted annually, typically scoped by session volume, and third-party estimates place them in the tens of thousands of dollars per year.

DeskTime: How long is the DeskTime free trial?

DeskTime offers a 14-day free trial. No credit card is required to start.

Source
Remesh: Can it replace a survey?

Not entirely. It produces open-ended language with agreement percentages, which is stronger than a survey for understanding reasoning but weaker for precise population estimates.

DeskTime: What billing options does DeskTime offer?

DeskTime offers monthly or annual billing. Annual subscriptions include one complimentary month compared to monthly plan pricing. You can pay by credit card or PayPal.

Source
Remesh: Does Remesh recruit participants for me?

Yes, through On-Demand Recruit, typically delivering a panel within about 24 hours, or you can bring your own list.

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