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Productivity · head to head

Rows vs Time Doctor

Rows logo

Rows

Productivity

Browser spreadsheet whose formulas call live data from analytics, CRM and payment services

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Time Doctor logo

Time Doctor

Productivity

Employee time tracking and productivity monitoring

From
$3/addon
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Rows has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Rows refresh frequency is the metered resource, so the free plan refreshes manually only and daily automation begins on the paid tier, which means the automatic reporting that justifies the tool is exactly what the free plan withholds.; Time Doctor specific plan prices not published on pricing page, must contact sales
  • They diverge on capability: Rows covers Integrations in formulas, Time Doctor covers Time tracking with timer.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Rows and Time Doctor actually diverge.

Attributes where Rows and Time Doctor differ
AttributeRowsTime Doctor
Starting priceFree$3/addon
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows
FoundedUnknown2011

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

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 Rows

  • Integrations in formulas
  • Scheduled refresh
  • Publishable sheets
  • Cell enrichment
  • AI tasks
  • Guests
  • API access
  • Version history

Only in Time Doctor

  • Time tracking with timer
  • Activity monitoring
  • Screenshots
  • GPS tracking
  • Webcam monitoring
  • Reports and invoicing
  • Mobile apps
  • Team management

What people use each for

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

Rows

  • A weekly marketing report that pulls analytics, advertising and CRM figures into one refreshing sheet instead of three manual exports.not Time Doctor
  • Agency client dashboards shared as a page, without handing over access to the underlying accounts.not Time Doctor
  • Enriching a list of companies or contacts from inside the sheet rather than through a separate tool and a re-import.not Time Doctor
  • A small team that needs live numbers in a familiar grid and has nobody available to build a proper reporting stack.not Time Doctor

Time Doctor

  • Employee time tracking and productivity monitoringnot Rows
  • Remote and hybrid team managementnot Rows
  • Workforce analytics for resource optimizationnot Rows
  • Payroll integration for enterprisesnot Rows

Where each one falls short

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

Rows

  • Refresh frequency is the metered resource, so the free plan refreshes manually only and daily automation begins on the paid tier, which means the automatic reporting that justifies the tool is exactly what the free plan withholds.
  • Exports carry values rather than connections, so a downloaded file from Rows is a dead snapshot and anything you built has to be reconstructed from scratch elsewhere, which makes recurring reports quietly expensive to move.
  • Guests are capped by tier at three on free and ten on the entry plan, so sharing a report with a client's team or a group of stakeholders pushes you up a tier for people who only ever look at a page.
  • It is not Excel or Google Sheets, so the function library, add-ins, pivot behaviour, scripting and offline files people rely on are not all present, and it works as a reporting surface rather than as an organisation's general spreadsheet.
  • The Pro tier adds a fixed monthly platform charge on top of the per-user price, so moving from daily to intra-day refresh, or from ten guests to a real audience, is a step change in cost rather than an increment.

Time Doctor

  • Specific plan prices not published on pricing page, must contact sales
  • Software Cost Insights add-on costs $3 per user per month
  • Historical data retention limited to 3 months on Basic tier
  • No pricing transparency for video recording and benchmarks add-ons

Pricing, plan by plan

Rows

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5 AI Tasks per month
    • Manual data imports
    • 10 integration accounts
  • Plus$8/month
    • 200 AI Tasks per month
    • Daily data table automation
    • 10 integration accounts
  • Pro$79/month
    • 1,000 AI Tasks per month
    • Per-minute data automation
    • 100 integration accounts
  • Enterprise$null/mo
    • Unlimited AI Tasks
    • Custom integrations and API endpoints
    • Unlimited guest members

Time Doctor

$3/addon
  • Basic$null/month
    • Automatic tracking
    • Projects and tasks management
    • Screenshots
  • Standard$null/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • Schedules
    • Attendance
  • Premium$null/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • AI benchmarks
    • Video recording
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • All features
    • Private cloud
    • Customizable dashboards

Which should you pick?

Choose Rows if

  • You need integrations in formulas.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want scheduled refresh.
Rows review

Choose Time Doctor if

  • You need time tracking with timer.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
  • You also want activity monitoring.
Time Doctor review

Questions people ask

Is Rows or Time Doctor better?
Neither clearly leads. Rows starts at Free and Time Doctor at $3/addon, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Rows or Time Doctor?
Rows has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Rows and $3/addon for Time Doctor.
Does Rows or Time Doctor run on more platforms?
Rows runs on Web. Time Doctor runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
Can I use Rows for free?
Yes. Rows has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Time Doctor starts at $3/addon.
What is Rows best used for?
Rows is most often used for a weekly marketing report that pulls analytics, advertising and crm figures into one refreshing sheet instead of three manual exports., agency client dashboards shared as a page, without handing over access to the underlying accounts., enriching a list of companies or contacts from inside the sheet rather than through a separate tool and a re-import., a small team that needs live numbers in a familiar grid and has nobody available to build a proper reporting stack.. Of those, a weekly marketing report that pulls analytics, advertising and crm figures into one refreshing sheet instead of three manual exports. and agency client dashboards shared as a page, without handing over access to the underlying accounts. are not what Time Doctor is typically brought in for.
What can Rows do that Time Doctor cannot?
Rows covers Integrations in formulas, Scheduled refresh, Publishable sheets, Cell enrichment. Time Doctor covers Time tracking with timer, Activity monitoring, Screenshots, GPS tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Rows: Can it replace Excel or Google Sheets?

Not for general spreadsheet work. It is for reports and sheets that pull live data, and most teams end up running it alongside a conventional spreadsheet rather than instead of one.

Time Doctor: Is there a free trial for Time Doctor?

Yes, Time Doctor offers two weeks of free access to all Premium plan features without requiring a credit card.

Source
Rows: What can I actually do on the free plan?

Real building: unlimited members, ten integration accounts, five AI tasks a month, 1 MB imports, three guests and seven days of version history. What you cannot do is schedule a refresh.

Time Doctor: What are Time Doctor's add-on costs?

Software Cost Insights costs $3 per user per month. HRIS and Payroll integrations each cost $200 per integration. Benchmarks AI, Meeting Insights, and Video Recording pricing is not listed.

Source
Rows: Does the data stay live after I export?

No. Exports contain values only, so the connections and the scheduling do not travel and the file stops updating the moment it leaves.

Time Doctor: How long does Time Doctor retain employee data?

Data retention varies by plan: Basic tier retains 3 months of historical data, while Premium and Enterprise tiers retain 2 years.

Source
Rows: Is pricing per user?

Yes on the paid tiers, with a fixed platform fee added at Pro. Guests are counted and capped separately from members.

Time Doctor: Does Time Doctor offer annual billing discounts?

Yes, customers who pay annually receive two months free, equivalent to a 16.6% discount on the subscription cost.

Source
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