| Why Trust This Comparison
This comparison is written by the TimeLive team. We have been straightforward about where Harvest is the stronger choice. All Harvest pricing and feature data has been verified directly from getharvest.com and confirmed against independent review sources as of July 2026. Harvest’s pricing structure changed following its acquisition by Bending Spoons in July 2025. The pricing we reference reflects the current structure as of the date of writing. |
| Quick Summary
TimeLive wins on pricing predictability (no usage-based fees), DCAA compliance, on-premise deployment, GPS geofencing with location-stamped attendance, standalone attendance, shift scheduling, time off management, and 15-language support. Billing and invoicing are free on every TimeLive plan. Harvest wins on interface polish, Forecast integration for resource planning, and a larger ecosystem of native integrations. If your team needs billing, compliance, or expense tracking without usage-based pricing surprises, TimeLive covers more ground. If you prioritize a clean, polished interface with strong visual reporting and are comfortable with Harvest’s current pricing model, Harvest is a mature product with a long track record. |
TimeLive and Harvest serve overlapping audiences: professional services teams, agencies, consultants, architects, and freelancers who bill clients by the hour. Both track time, generate invoices, and connect to accounting software. The differences are in pricing structure, compliance capabilities, deployment options, and which workflows each tool covers natively. This comparison covers every material difference based on verified data so you can make an informed decision.
At a Glance: TimeLive vs Harvest
| TimeLive | Harvest | |
| Best For | Consultants, architects, agencies, healthcare teams, government contractors needing billing and compliance | Freelancers, small agencies, and professional services teams prioritizing ease of use and visual reporting |
| Free Plan | 3 users, 1 project. Timesheet and billing included free. | 1 user, 2 projects. Time tracking, invoicing (Stripe account required to send), and expense tracking included. |
| Paid Plan Starting Price | $4/user/month per module (no usage fees) | $9/user/month (annual) + usage-based fees for projects, clients, tasks, invoices |
| Billing and Invoicing | Free on all plans | Included on all plans including free |
| Timesheet Approvals | Included in Timesheet module ($4/user/month) | Enterprise plan only ($14/user/month annual) |
| DCAA Compliance | ✓ | Not available |
| On-Premise Deployment | ✓ | Cloud only |
| Expense Tracking | Free on all plans
|
Included on all plans including free |
| Time Off Management | $4/user/month (Time Off module) | Not available natively |
| Standalone Attendance Module | ✓ | ✕ |
| Shift Scheduling | ✓ | Requires paid Forecast add-on |
| SSO | SAML 2.0 on Professional and Enterprise plans | SAML-based SSO on Enterprise plan only ($14/user/month) |
| QuickBooks Integration | Direct: Desktop and Online | QuickBooks Online only (Teams plan and above) |
| Languages Supported | 15 languages | English primary |
| iOS and Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing Predictability | Fixed per-module pricing, no usage fees | Usage-based fees on top of per-seat rate. Some users report 600% increases post-acquisition. |
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Core Time Tracking
TimeLive’s timer runs on desktop and mobile, supports billable and non-billable classification at the point of entry, and ties every entry to a project, client, and billing rate. Entries can be submitted individually or for a full period, and the timesheet approval workflow routes to the correct approver per project, team, or individual.
Harvest’s time tracking is widely regarded as one of the cleanest interfaces in the category. One-click timers, a weekly timesheet view, calendar imports, and a browser extension that adds timers to tools like Asana, Jira, and GitHub make Harvest easy to adopt. Timers also work offline and sync when a connection is restored. Harvest does not have autotracker, idle detection, or background activity tracking : it relies entirely on employees logging time themselves.
Both platforms support billable and non-billable time distinction, project-based tracking, and multiple billing rates per client or project.
| Verdict: Tie
Both cover core time tracking well. Harvest has a slightly more polished daily tracking experience. TimeLive has tighter billing and approval integration from the point of entry. |
Billing and Invoicing
TimeLive includes billing and invoicing at no extra cost on every plan including the free plan. Per-client billing rates are applied automatically when generating invoices from approved timesheets. White-label branding with the firm’s own logo is supported. Invoices connect directly to QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, and Xero without manual re-entry. See: billing and invoicing in TimeLive.
Harvest also includes invoicing on every plan including the free plan, with one important caveat: free accounts must connect a Stripe account before they can send invoices or update payment status. Once connected, Harvest’s invoicing is well-implemented with clean visual design, the ability to accept online payments via Stripe and PayPal directly from the invoice. Harvest connects to QuickBooks Online and Xero but not QuickBooks Desktop. Invoices are generated from tracked time with one click.
Both tools include invoicing on the free plan, though Harvest requires a connected Stripe account before free users can send invoices or record payments. The key differences are QuickBooks Desktop support (TimeLive has it, Harvest does not), and billing rate granularity: TimeLive supports per-role and per-phase billing rates which matters for architecture firms and consultants with complex billing structures.
| Verdict: Tie
Both include invoicing on the free plan. TimeLive has QuickBooks Desktop support and more granular billing rates. Harvest has cleaner invoice design and direct Stripe payment acceptance. |
Timesheet Approvals
TimeLive’s timesheet approval workflow is included in the Timesheet module at $4/user/month. Approvers can be configured per project, team, or individual. Approvers can act on individual time entries or the full timesheet at once. Rejected timesheets return to the employee with a documented comment. Multi-level approval is supported. Timesheets lock automatically on approval and every action is logged in the audit trail.
Harvest’s timesheet approvals are available only on the Enterprise plan at $14/user/month billed annually. On the Teams plan ($9/user/month) there are no timesheet approvals. For a 10-person team that needs approvals, this means paying $14/user/month minimum, or $140/month, before considering usage fees. There is no multi-level approval on any Harvest plan.
| Verdict: TimeLive wins
Timesheet approvals at $4/user/month with multi-level support versus Harvest’s Enterprise-only approvals at $14/user/month with no multi-level option. |
Expense Tracking
TimeLive’s expense tracking module covers expense sheets, receipt attachment, expense type categories, an expense approval workflow, and reimbursable expense tracking against projects. Expense data ties into thesame project structure as time entries and appears on client invoices. Expense tracking is included free on all TimeLive plans including the free plan expense tracking module covers expense sheets, receipt attachment, expense type categories, an expense approval workflow, and reimbursable expense tracking against projects. Expense data ties into the same project structure as time entries and appears on client invoices. Available at $4/user/month as a separate module.
Harvest includes expense tracking on every plan including the free plan. Employees can log receipts and costs against projects, and expenses appear on invoices alongside tracked time. Harvest’s expense tracking is basic compared to a dedicated expense module but covers the core use case for professional services billing without extra cost.
| Verdict: Tie
Both TimeLive and Harvest include expense tracking free on all plans. TimeLive offers a more comprehensive expense module with approval workflow, expense type categories, and reimbursable tracking. Harvest’s expense tracking is simpler but also free. This is a tie on cost, with TimeLive offering a fuller expense feature set. |
DCAA Compliance
TimeLive includes DCAA-compliant timekeeping built into the platform covering daily time entry enforcement, supervisor approval workflows, correction documentation with reason codes, and a complete audit trail for every entry and edit. This is a contractual requirement for US government contractors on cost-reimbursable contracts.
Harvest does not offer DCAA compliance. Harvest markets general compliance-adjacent features such as activity logs and timesheet approvals (Enterprise only) but these do not constitute a DCAA-compliant timekeeping framework as defined by the DCAA Contract Audit Manual. Government contractors cannot rely on Harvest to meet DCAA requirements.
| Verdict: TimeLive wins
Non-negotiable for government contractors. Harvest cannot meet DCAA requirements at any plan tier. |
Deployment: Cloud vs On-Premise
TimeLive offers both cloud and on-premise installation. Organizations with data residency requirements, security policies that prohibit third-party cloud storage, or network-restricted environments can install TimeLive on their own servers. See: TimeLive on-premises overview.
Harvest is cloud-only. There is no on-premise option at any plan tier.
| Verdict: TimeLive wins
TimeLive is one of the few time tracking tools at this price point with genuine on-premise deployment. Harvest is cloud-only. |
Attendance, Shifts, and Time Off
TimeLive offers a standalone attendance module that operates independently without the Timesheet module. This covers clock-in and clock-out, shift scheduling including rotating and multi-shift configurations, and attendance reporting. Time off management covers PTO requests, approval, accrual policies, and leave calendar. Both are available at $4/user/month each as separate modules. GPS-verified geofencing is also now available, allowing managers to restrict clock-in and clock-out to within a defined boundary around any job site or office, with GPS coordinates stamped on every attendance record
Harvest does not have a native attendance module, shift scheduling, or time off management. Harvest’s change strength is project-based time tracking and billing for professional services teams. For organizations that also need to manage employee attendance, shifts, or leave, Harvest requires separate tools to be added alongside it. Harvest does offer an optional paid add-on called Forecast for resource planning and scheduling, but this is a separate product at additional cost.
| Verdict: TimeLive wins
Harvest has no native attendance, shift scheduling, or time off management. TimeLive covers all three, which matters for healthcare teams, manufacturing operations, and any workforce with shift-based employees. |
Reporting
TimeLive’s reporting covers summary and detailed reports across daily, weekly, and monthly periods, exportable as PDF, Excel, and CSV. Administrators can build custom report types from scratch and group data by any combination of client, project, employee, department, or date range.
Harvest’s reporting is well-designed and one of its most praised features. Visual reports show project budgets, team capacity, and utilization at a glance. Profitability reporting is available on the Enterprise plan showing internal costs versus billable revenue. Custom reports are available on Enterprise up to unlimited, and on Teams up to 4 saved reports. Harvest’s visual reporting design is cleaner than most tools in the category.
| Verdict: Tie
Harvest’s visual reporting is cleaner and more intuitive. TimeLive’s custom report builder is more flexible. The right choice depends on whether you prioritize visual design or configurability. |
Harvest Pricing: The Usage Fee Issue
This section requires more detail than a typical feature comparison because the pricing change significantly affects the real cost for many teams.
Harvest was acquired by Bending Spoons in July 2025. Following the acquisition, Harvest restructured from a flat per-seat model to a per-seat base rate plus usage-based fees for active projects, clients, tasks, and invoices. The pricing page shows $9/seat/month (annual) for Teams and $14/seat/month (annual) for Enterprise. However the actual bill includes usage fees on top of these rates based on account activity.
| What G2 reviewers are reporting
A verified G2 review from an engineering consultancy with 20 seats reported their annual cost jumping to over $20,000 after the acquisition, a 600% increase from what they were paying previously. This is an extreme case, but the pattern of significant increases has been reported consistently across reviews since late 2025. |
Bending Spoons has followed a similar pricing pattern with other acquired products including Evernote and WeTransfer. Teams currently on legacy annual plans are protected until their contract renews. Once the contract renews, the new usage-based structure applies.
TimeLive uses a fixed per-module pricing model with no usage fees. The Timesheet module is $4/user/month regardless of how many projects, clients, tasks, or invoices are active on the account. There are no surprise charges at renewal. See TimeLive pricing for full details.
Pricing Comparison
TimeLive Pricing
| Module | Price | What It Covers |
| Billing and Invoicing | Free | Invoices from timesheets, per-client rates, white-label branding. All plans including free. |
| Timesheet | $4/user/month | Timer, manual entry, multi-level approval workflow, audit trail, DCAA compliance, billable and non-billable tracking. |
| Expense Tracking | Free | Expense sheets, receipt attachment, approval workflow, expense types, reimbursable tracking. |
| Time Off Management | $4/user/month | PTO requests, approval, accrual policies, leave calendar. |
| Attendance | $4/user/month | Standalone attendance, clock in and out, shift scheduling. Works independently from Timesheet module. |
| Advanced Project Management | $4/user/month | Project budgets, phase tracking, task management, profitability reporting. |
Harvest Pricing (Verified July 2026)
| Plan | Monthly / Annual Rate | Key Features |
| Free | $0 (1 seat, 2 projects) | Time tracking, invoicing (Stripe account required to send invoices), expense tracking, project estimates, reporting basics. Mac and iOS apps. No team features. |
| Teams | $11/seat/month or $9/seat/month (annual) + usage fees | Unlimited seats, team reporting, invoicing, accounting integrations (QuickBooks Online, Xero, Stripe). Usage fees apply for active projects, clients, tasks, and invoices above the free allowance. No timesheet approvals. |
| Enterprise | $17.50/seat/month or $14/seat/month (annual) + usage fees | Everything in Teams plus profitability reporting, timesheet approvals, activity log, SAML-based SSO, custom reports, require notes. Usage fees still apply. |
| Enterprise Plus | Custom pricing | Custom integrations, white labelling, dedicated customer success manager, custom onboarding. |
Cost at 25 Users: Timesheet, Billing, Expense, Approvals
| Requirement | TimeLive (25 users) | Harvest (25 users) |
| Time tracking and billing | $100/month (Timesheet module, billing free) | $225/month (Teams, annual rate) + usage fees |
| Expense tracking | Free (included on all plans) | Included in Teams plan above |
| Timesheet approvals | Included in Timesheet module | Requires Enterprise: $350/month + usage fees |
| Time off management | $100/month (Time Off module) | Not available natively |
| Total (time + billing + expense + approvals) | $100/month (Timesheet module only, billing and expense free, approvals included), DCAA included | $350/month base + usage fees (Enterprise required for approvals) |
| Key Pricing Observation
TimeLive’s pricing is fixed per module with no usage fees. A 25-user team pays exactly what the pricing page shows regardless of how many projects, clients, tasks, or invoices are active. Harvest’s Teams plan starts at $9/seat/month annual but adds usage fees on top for account activity. For teams with a large number of active projects and clients, the effective Harvest cost can significantly exceed the base rate. |
What Users Say
TimeLive on Capterra (4.5 out of 5)
| “We shopped around and found other companies wanting outrageous prices monthly for something similar. Then we found TimeLive. The price was decent and we wanted to host the software internally which they do offer. Support has done an outstanding job getting issues fixed and answering questions. Very quick too, which is a good surprise.”
Capterra Reviewer | IT Manager, 80+ user organization | Capterra |
Common TimeLive praise: pricing value, on-premise hosting availability, responsive support, and feature depth for the cost. Common areas of feedback: interface has a learning curve and takes time to navigate initially.
Harvest on G2 (4.3 out of 5) and Capterra (4.6 out of 5)
| “Harvest is great. It has LITERALLY changed the way we work. Makes our staffing and budgeting estimates VERY easy.”
Brock P. | Team Lead | G2 |
| “Recent Harvest Acquisition Overshadows an Otherwise Great Time Tracking Tool.”
Timothy D. | Director of Operations | G2, May 2026 |
Common Harvest praise: clean interface, intuitive time tracking, excellent invoicing workflow, strong visual reports. Common areas of feedback since the Bending Spoons acquisition: pricing increases at renewal, usage fee structure adding unexpected costs, and concerns about the product’s direction under new ownership.
Who Should Choose TimeLive?
- Teams that need timesheet approvals without paying Harvest’s Enterprise price of $14/user/month. TimeLive includes multi-level approvals in the Timesheet module at $4/user/month.
- Government contractors that must meet DCAA timekeeping requirements as a contractual obligation. Harvest cannot meet these requirements at any plan tier.
- Organizations that need predictable, fixed pricing without usage-based fees. TimeLive’s pricing is exactly what the pricing page shows, with no additional charges based on account activity.
- Teams that need on-premise deployment due to data residency or security requirements. Harvest is cloud-only.
- Healthcare, manufacturing, and mixed workforce teams that need a standalone attendance module
- Teams that need time off management built into the same platform as time tracking. Harvest requires a separate tool for this.
- International teams needing a platform in 15 languages including German, French, Chinese, Thai, and more.
- Teams tracking against QuickBooks Desktop. Harvest integrates with QuickBooks Online only, not QuickBooks Desktop.
Who Should Choose Harvest?
- Freelancers and small teams that need a polished, minimal tool for time tracking and invoicing with a low barrier to entry. Harvest’s free plan and clean interface make it one of the easiest tools to adopt.
- Teams that accept online payments directly from invoices via Stripe or PayPal. Harvest’s integrated payment collection is a strong feature that TimeLive does not currently match.
- Teams already using Harvest Forecast for resource planning who want native scheduling integrated with their time tracking. Forecast is a Harvest-specific product with deep integration.
- Teams comfortable with usage-based pricing and confident their account activity levels will keep costs predictable. Harvest’s base rates are reasonable if usage fees stay within the free allowance.
- Teams that prioritize interface aesthetics and ease of onboarding over compliance, attendance, and shift scheduling features.
Pros and Cons
| TimeLive Pros | TimeLive Cons |
|
Billing and invoicing permanently free Timesheet approvals at $4/user/month (vs Harvest’s $14) DCAA compliance built in On-premise deployment available Standalone attendance module and shift scheduling Time off management built in Fixed pricing with no usage fees QuickBooks Desktop and Online integration 15 languages supported Phone, email, and live chat support GPS geofencing with polygon boundary support and location-stamped attendance records |
Interface has a learning curve Fewer native integrations than Harvest Smaller free plan (3 users vs Harvest’s 1 user but 1 project vs Harvest’s 2) Expense tracking is an add-on ($4/user/month) |
| Harvest Pros | Harvest Cons |
| Clean, polished interface with low learning curve Expense tracking free on all plans Invoicing included on all plans with Stripe and PayPal payment acceptance Strong visual reporting 50+ core integrations including Asana, Slack, Stripe, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Jira, GitHub, and more Highly rated mobile apps (iOS and Android) Harvest Forecast add-on for resource planning |
Usage-based fees on top of per-seat rate since Bending Spoons acquisition G2 reviewers report up to 600% cost increases at renewal Timesheet approvals only on Enterprise ($14/user/month) No DCAA compliance Cloud only, no on-premise option No attendance module or shift scheduling No time off management QuickBooks Online only (no QuickBooks Desktop) No multi-level timesheet approvals |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TimeLive cheaper than Harvest?
For teams that need timesheet approvals, TimeLive is significantly cheaper. TimeLive includes multi-level approvals in the Timesheet module at $4/user/month. Harvest requires the Enterprise plan at $14/user/month for any approvals. At 25 users, that is $100/month versus $350/month base, before Harvest’s usage fees. For teams that only need basic time tracking and invoicing without approvals, the comparison is closer. See TimeLive pricing for full details.
Does Harvest support DCAA compliance?
Harvest does not offer DCAA compliance. Harvest’s activity log and timesheet approvals (Enterprise only) provide some audit capabilities but these do not meet the specific DCAA timekeeping requirements defined in the DCAA Contract Audit Manual. Government contractors on cost-reimbursable contracts must use a DCAA-compliant system. TimeLive’s DCAA compliance is built in at the Timesheet module level.
Can Harvest be installed on-premise?
No. Harvest is cloud-only. There is no on-premise option at any plan tier. TimeLive offers both cloud and on-premise deployment.
Does Harvest have attendance tracking or shift scheduling?
Harvest does not have a native attendance module or shift scheduling. Harvest is designed for project-based time tracking and billing for professional services teams. For attendance and shift management, Harvest requires a separate tool. TimeLive includes standalone attendance tracking and shift scheduling as separate modules at $4/user/month each.
Does TimeLive integrate with Harvest’s accounting connections?
TimeLive integrates directly with QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, and Xero. Harvest integrates with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Stripe, and Deel. If your team uses QuickBooks Desktop specifically, TimeLive is the only option since Harvest does not support Desktop. See: how to transfer TimeLive timesheets to QuickBooks.
What happened to Harvest’s pricing after the Bending Spoons acquisition?
Bending Spoons acquired Harvest in July 2025 and restructured pricing from a flat per-seat model to a per-seat base rate plus usage-based fees for active projects, clients, tasks, and invoices. Teams on legacy annual contracts keep their old rate until renewal. G2 reviewers have reported significant cost increases at renewal. Bending Spoons has followed a similar pricing pattern with other acquired products including Evernote and WeTransfer.
Try TimeLive Free
TimeLive is built for professional services teams that need to track time, bill clients, manage expenses, and meet compliance requirements without usage-based pricing surprises. The free plan includes billing and invoicing, expense tracking, and the full timesheet feature for 3 users and 1 project. Add time off management, attendance management, or advanced project management at $4/user/month as your team grows. See TimeLive pricing.
| Try TimeLive Free. Full features on a 14-day trial, no credit card required. Fixed pricing with no usage fees, ever. |
