Harvest

Overview

Harvest is a time-tracking and invoicing product for professional teams that need to turn recorded work into client bills. Its strongest case is the connection between time entry, invoice creation and team oversight; the main compromise is that the free tier is too small for most teams.

One-click timers, timesheets and calendar imports give teams several ways to capture work, while project tracking and billable-time support help connect entries to billing. Tracked time and expenses can feed invoices with online payment options. That makes Harvest a considered choice for teams that want those steps in one product, rather than time tracking alone.

Harvest also spans Time Tracking Software, Time and Expense Software, Time Billing Software and Employee Time Tracking Software. The maker was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy; its copyright names Bending Spoons Operations S.p.A.

Key features

Time capture and billing

Timers, timesheets and calendar imports accommodate different work habits, and offline tracking is also supported. Project tracking and billable time make entries useful beyond a raw hours log. Turning tracked hours and expenses into invoices with online payments is the practical advantage: teams can carry recorded work into billing without relying on a tracking-only tool.

Team administration

Approvals, permissions, roles and rates provide controls for reviewing time and managing access. Capacity planning extends that administration to team workload. These tools are more relevant to organizations coordinating multiple people than to a freelancer who only needs a personal timer.

Integrations and support

Harvest’s homepage cites more than 40 integrations, while its pricing comparison cites more than 50 core integrations. Accounting connections include Stripe, QuickBooks Online, Xero and Deel. Paid team plans list scheduled phone support, and teams with 50 or more seats can request a personalized consultation. Data export is also supported, a useful provision for teams that need to take records elsewhere.

Pricing

The Free plan costs $0 forever and includes one seat and two projects. That makes it a narrow option for an individual freelancer testing a small workload, not a workable starting point for a team that needs multiple users or more projects.

Teams costs $11.00 per month on monthly billing, with unlimited seats, and comes with a 30-day free trial. Annual billing is $9.00 per month, billed at $108 per seat annually; paying yearly gives a 20% discount. This is the straightforward paid fit for teams that need time tracking, analysis and invoicing without the stated advanced reporting and administration tier.

Enterprise is $17.50 per month on monthly billing, with a 30-day free trial, or $14.00 per month billed at $168 per seat annually. It is aimed at teams with advanced reporting and administrative needs. Enterprise Plus has custom pricing and is for organizations needing a tailored setup, including custom integrations, product customization, a dedicated Customer Success Manager, custom onboarding and training, assisted data migration and white labelling.

The trial requires no credit card, but the account is deactivated after 30 days if it is not upgraded. Payment is by credit card monthly or yearly; yearly bank transfer or ACH is available for 10 or more seats. Those terms make a trial low-commitment, but teams should plan for the account to stop if they do not convert.

Platforms

Harvest runs on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows and the web. Mobile apps are available for both major mobile platforms, and desktop apps are available. Offline tracking is useful for work away from a connection, though the product’s platform range does not include Linux.

Who it's for

Harvest is best suited to professional teams that track project work, need approvals and want time and expenses to flow into invoicing. Its unlimited-seat Teams plan avoids a stated user cap on the paid entry tier, while the Free plan’s one seat and two projects make it relevant mainly to an individual with modest needs. Teams seeking advanced reporting and administrative controls should compare Enterprise; organizations that need customized integrations, training or migration support have a more tailored Enterprise Plus route.

Pros and cons

Pros: Time and expense records can become invoices with online payment options, keeping tracking and billing closely connected.

Pros: Approvals, permissions, roles, rates and capacity planning give teams more administrative control than a basic timer.

Pros: Annual Teams pricing is $9.00 per month, billed at $108 per seat annually, with unlimited seats.

Cons: The free offer stops at one seat and two projects, so it does not accommodate a growing team.

Cons: The more advanced reporting and administrative tier costs more than Teams, and Enterprise Plus uses custom pricing.

Cons: The account is deactivated when the 30-day trial ends without an upgrade, so the trial is not a continuing free workspace.

Alternatives

Choose Clockify if a free allowance of up to five users matters more than Harvest’s one-seat, two-project free plan; its listed platforms also include Linux. Invoice Ninja is a reasonable alternative when free invoicing for up to five clients and a choice of 11 invoice templates are the priority. Consider Avaza if its free plan’s unlimited project collaborators better suit a team, while noting that its listed free allowances assign only one user each to timesheets and expenses, administration and resource scheduling.

Paymo may suit a solo user who can work within its free plan’s one user, one client, two projects and 1 GB storage. Pick Teamwork.com if its free allowance of five projects, five users and 100 automations better matches the work. Scoro is another paid option, with a Time-billing plan at $17 a month per user for Track and Invoice apps. Deltek Maconomy is an alternative for professional services firms seeking an enterprise ERP, with pricing by demo request. Consider eBillity for its Time Tracker Billing plan, listed at $8 per user per month, with 20% savings on annual billing.

Verdict

Choose Harvest if your professional team wants project-based time tracking tied directly to expenses, invoicing and team administration. Its integrated workflow and unlimited-seat Teams plan are the clearest reasons to choose it; look elsewhere if you need a useful multi-user free tier or want to keep working after the trial without upgrading.