Work · SaaS · 2022
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 job
4+ on the team,
multi-quarter.
- Client
- InvoZone
- Sector
- SaaS
- Year
- 2022
- Role
- R&D Lead
Brief and outcome
What was needed.
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 came of it.
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.
What was built
5 parts,
shipped.
A selection of projects shipped through Syntorium and our CTO's prior engagements.
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
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.
More work
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Sunday to Thursday, 09:00–18:00, GMT+4. Remote engineers cover the EU and the US asynchronously. We work in English, Arabic and Urdu.