Harvest
Harvest is the only mainstream time tracker that bundles billable-rate tracking, project profitability reporting, and built-in invoicing with online payments — so agencies go from logged hours to a paid invoice without leaving the tool. Strong for the right team.
The take
What is Harvest?
Harvest is a time-tracking and invoicing platform that has served over 70,000 businesses since its 2006 founding, according to the company. It tracks billable hours against projects, then turns those hours into client invoices with online payment built in. That combination — time, budgets, and billing in one tool — is why agencies and consultancies favor it over simpler trackers.
Harvest is the situational pick in the 80/20 of time-tracking tools we cover. Where Toggl optimizes for fast, free time logging, Harvest optimizes for the full billing workflow: log hours, watch the budget, send the invoice, get paid. It is a billing tool that happens to track time, not a tracker that happens to bill.
How does Harvest work?
Harvest works by organizing time entries under projects and tasks tied to billable rates, tracking those entries against budgets, and converting them into invoices. You log hours with a timer or manual entry, Harvest accumulates billable amounts, and invoicing pulls it all into a client-ready document with a payment link.
Time tracking and budgets
You start a timer or add a manual entry, tagging it to a project and task that carry a billable rate. Each project can hold a budget in hours or fees, and Harvest alerts you as tracked time nears the limit. This budget visibility is the feature that protects margins — it warns an agency before a fixed-fee project quietly goes over the hours it sold.
Invoicing and payments
Harvest converts approved billable hours and logged expenses into invoices automatically. Invoices accept online payment through Stripe and PayPal, so clients pay directly from the document. This closes the loop that Toggl and Clockify leave open — both require exporting time data into a separate billing tool to actually invoice a client.
Reporting and integrations
Profitability reports compare billable revenue against labor cost, showing which projects and clients actually make money. Harvest connects to Asana and Trello for starting timers from task cards, and to QuickBooks and Xero for syncing invoices into accounting. The optional Forecast add-on layers in resource scheduling and capacity planning.
How does Harvest compare to Toggl, Clockify, and RescueTime?
Harvest wins on invoicing and profitability reporting. Toggl wins on free-tier generosity and simplicity. Clockify wins on price for teams. RescueTime is a different category — automatic self-awareness, not billing. The table shows the trade-offs.
| Attribute | Harvest | Toggl | Clockify | RescueTime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Agency billing | Freelance logging | Free team tracking | Self-awareness |
| Tracking model | Manual timer | Manual timer | Manual timer | Automatic |
| Built-in invoicing | Yes (best in class) | No | No | No |
| Online payments | Stripe, PayPal | No | No | No |
| Project profitability | Yes | Basic | Basic | N/A |
| Free tier | 1 user, 2 projects | 5 users, unlimited | Unlimited users | Lite (limited) |
| Starting price | $9/seat/month (annual) | $9/user/month | $4.99/user/month | $12/month |
| 80/20 verdict | Pick for invoicing | Pick for freelancers | Pick when budget is zero | Pick for attention data |
“Harvest earns its premium when you bill clients — the budget alerts and profitability reports turn time data into margin management, which Toggl and Clockify leave you to do in a spreadsheet,” said Maya Chen, Productivity Editor at tools8020.
Who uses Harvest in 2026?
Digital agencies and consultancies use Harvest to track billable hours, watch project budgets, and invoice clients from one tool. Design studios and dev shops use the profitability reports to spot which clients erode margins. Solo consultants on the free tier use it to test the full track-to-invoice flow before scaling to a paid plan.
The common profile is a service business that sells time and needs to bill it accurately. A 10-person agency uses Harvest’s budget alerts to catch overruns before they happen, then syncs paid invoices into QuickBooks. Teams that only need quick time logging without billing find Toggl faster and cheaper.
What are common mistakes with Harvest?
Most Harvest issues come from underusing its billing features or treating it like a simple timer.
- Ignoring project budgets: Skipping the budget field removes Harvest’s biggest advantage — the overrun alert that protects your margin.
- Not setting billable rates: Without per-project or per-person rates, invoices and profitability reports are wrong. Set rates during project setup.
- Manual re-entry into accounting: Re-keying invoices into QuickBooks or Xero wastes time the native integration already automates.
- Picking Harvest for solo logging: A freelancer who never invoices through Harvest is paying for billing features they don’t use — Toggl’s free tier is cheaper.
- Expecting passive tracking: Harvest only logs what you start. For automatic attention data, pair it with RescueTime.
How much does Harvest cost?
Harvest’s free tier covers one seat with up to two projects, including time tracking and invoicing — enough for a solo freelancer to test the full flow. The Teams plan starts at $9 per seat per month billed annually ($11 month-to-month) and adds unlimited seats, team reporting, and accounting and payment integrations. Enterprise adds profitability reporting, timesheet approvals, and SSO. Harvest costs more than Toggl or Clockify, and the value depends on whether you use invoicing.
| Plan | Price (billed annually) | Seats | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 forever | 1 | 2 projects, time tracking, invoicing |
| Teams | $9/seat/month | Unlimited | Team reporting, accounting & payment integrations |
| Enterprise | $14/seat/month | Unlimited | Profitability reporting, timesheet approvals, SAML SSO |
Pricing verified at getharvest.com/pricing as of 2026-05-26 (all prices in USD). Annual billing saves 20% versus the month-to-month rates ($11 Teams, $17.50 Enterprise) — confirm current rates before committing.
How we evaluated Harvest
Maya Chen tested Harvest across agency billing workflows — time entry, project budgets, invoicing, and payment collection — against real client work in May 2026. We compared its profitability reporting and invoicing against Toggl, Clockify, and RescueTime.
See our evaluation methodology for the full scoring criteria. Harvest connects to Asana and Zapier for workflow automation, and to QuickBooks for accounting sync. For a broader look at lean tooling, see our solo founder stack guide.
Strengths & trade-offs
What earns the score
- Invoicing and payments built in — track time and bill from one tool
- Project profitability reporting is the best in the category
- Budget alerts prevent overruns before they eat the margin
- Clean integrations with Asana, Trello, GitHub, and accounting tools
- Free tier covers one person with two active projects
Where it falls short
- More expensive than Toggl and Clockify — Teams starts at $9/seat/month billed annually
- Free tier is limited to a single user
- No automatic or passive tracking — every entry is manual
- Forecast resource planning is a separate paid add-on
- Reporting can feel heavy for solo freelancers who just need hours
How it compares
| Tool | Score | Tier | From |
|---|---|---|---|
 Toggl Track | 93 | Essential | $9/user |
| 88 | Essential | $3.99/user | |
| 74 | Strong | $7/user | |
| 71 | Strong | $9/user |
Frequently asked questions
Is Harvest free?
Harvest has a free tier for one seat with up to two projects, which includes time tracking and invoicing. It is enough for a solo freelancer to test the full billing flow. The Teams plan starts at $9/seat/month billed annually ($11 month-to-month) and unlocks unlimited seats, team reporting, and accounting integrations. Most teams need Teams.
How does Harvest compare to Toggl?
Toggl is simpler and has a more generous free tier — five users at no cost. Harvest costs more but includes invoicing, online payments, and project profitability reporting that Toggl lacks. Choose Toggl when you only need clean time data; choose Harvest when you bill clients directly and want to track project margins in the same tool.
Does Harvest do invoicing?
Yes. Harvest converts tracked billable hours and logged expenses into client invoices automatically. Invoices support online payment through Stripe and PayPal, so clients can pay directly. This built-in billing is Harvest's main advantage over Toggl and Clockify, which require exporting time data into a separate invoicing tool like QuickBooks or FreshBooks.
Can Harvest track project budgets?
Yes. Each Harvest project can have a budget in hours or fees, and the tool sends alerts as tracked time approaches the limit. Budget tracking is what protects agency margins — it warns you before a fixed-fee project goes over the hours you sold. Profitability reports then compare actual billable revenue against the labor cost.
Does Harvest integrate with accounting software?
Yes. Harvest integrates with QuickBooks and Xero to sync invoices and payments into your accounting system, plus project tools like Asana, Trello, and GitHub for starting timers from task cards. Zapier connects it to thousands of other apps. These integrations let Harvest sit in the middle of a billing workflow without manual re-entry.
When should you use Harvest over RescueTime?
Use Harvest when the goal is billing clients and tracking project profitability — it has projects, billable rates, and invoicing. Use RescueTime when the goal is personal focus and attention measurement, since it tracks automatically and scores productivity but cannot bill. They solve opposite problems, and some teams run both for billing and self-awareness.
Other time tracking tools.