Harvest vs Hubstaff
Harvest is time tracking and invoicing tool designed for professional services teams, while Hubstaff is time tracking with screenshots, GPS tracking, and employee monitoring for remote teams. Hubstaff comes in cheaper, but price alone does not tell the full story. Harvest is built for agencies and consultancies that need time tracking + invoicing in one tool, whereas Hubstaff targets remote teams and agencies that need accountability and proof of work.
At a glance
| Harvest | Hubstaff | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Agencies and consultancies that need time tracking + invoicing in one tool | Remote teams and agencies that need accountability and proof of work |
| Starting price | $10.80/user/mo | $4.99/user/mo |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Free tier available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Expense tracking | ✓ | — |
| GPS tracking | — | ✓ |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Payroll | — | ✓ |
| Project budgets | ✓ | — |
| Screenshots | — | ✓ |
| Time tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
Harvest
Strengths
- Built-in invoicing saves you from needing a separate tool
- Mature, battle-tested product used by agencies for 18+ years
- Excellent project budgeting and cost forecasting
- Clean QuickBooks and Xero integrations
Weaknesses
- Expensive compared to Clockify and Toggl
- Free plan is very limited (1 user, 2 projects)
- Interface feels dated compared to newer competitors
- Limited customization for reports
Hubstaff
Strengths
- Activity monitoring provides accountability for remote teams
- Built-in payroll and invoicing saves additional tool costs
- GPS tracking for field teams and mobile workers
- Affordable starting price at $4.99/user
Weaknesses
- Screenshot monitoring can feel invasive to employees
- Activity tracking can create a surveillance culture
- Desktop app required for full monitoring features
- Can be seen as a trust issue by team members
The bottom line
Pricing: Both tools offer free tiers, so you can test each before committing. Harvest's free plan: Free for 1 user, 2 projects. Hubstaff's free plan: Free for 1 user. When you outgrow the free tier, Hubstaff is the cheaper option at $4.99/user/mo vs. $10.80/user/mo for Harvest — roughly 116% less.
Feature gaps: Harvest offers Expense tracking and Project budgets that Hubstaff lacks. Hubstaff brings GPS tracking, Payroll and Screenshots that Harvest does not have. Both share Invoicing and Time tracking.
Where each tool shines: Harvest's biggest strengths are: built-in invoicing saves you from needing a separate tool. mature, battle-tested product used by agencies for 18+ years. Hubstaff's biggest strengths are: activity monitoring provides accountability for remote teams. built-in payroll and invoicing saves additional tool costs.
Watch out for: With Harvest, users commonly note that expensive compared to clockify and toggl. With Hubstaff, the main complaint is that screenshot monitoring can feel invasive to employees.
Choose Harvest if...
- Your profile matches its sweet spot: agencies and consultancies that need time tracking + invoicing in one tool
- You specifically need Expense tracking and Project budgets
- You care about mature, battle-tested product used by agencies for 18+ years
- The free tier works for you: free for 1 user, 2 projects
Choose Hubstaff if...
- You need a tool built for remote teams and agencies that need accountability and proof of work
- You want to save on per-user costs — Hubstaff is $5.81/user/mo cheaper
- You specifically need GPS tracking and Payroll
- You care about built-in payroll and invoicing saves additional tool costs
- The free tier works for you: free for 1 user
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