Harvest vs Timely
Harvest is time tracking and invoicing tool designed for professional services teams, while Timely is AI-powered automatic time tracking that logs your work without manual input. Timely 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 Timely targets teams that hate manual time tracking and want ai to handle it.
At a glance
| Harvest | Timely | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Agencies and consultancies that need time tracking + invoicing in one tool | Teams that hate manual time tracking and want AI to handle it |
| Starting price | $10.80/user/mo | $9/user/mo |
| Free tier | ✓ | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Free tier available | ✓ | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| AI time tracking | — | ✓ |
| Automatic capture | — | ✓ |
| Expense tracking | ✓ | — |
| Invoicing | ✓ | — |
| Project budgets | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team management | — | ✓ |
| 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
Timely
Strengths
- AI-powered automatic time capture — no manual timers needed
- Private timeline means only you see the raw data before sharing
- Great at capturing meetings and context switching
- Clean, modern interface
Weaknesses
- AI isn't perfect — you still need to review and adjust entries
- More expensive than simpler alternatives like Clockify
- Requires a desktop app for full functionality
- No free tier — only a 14-day trial
The bottom line
Pricing: Harvest starts at $10.80/user/mo. Timely starts at $9/user/mo. Timely is the more affordable option.
Feature gaps: Harvest offers Expense tracking, Invoicing and Time tracking that Timely lacks. Timely brings AI time tracking, Automatic capture and Team management that Harvest does not have. Both share Project budgets.
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. Timely's biggest strengths are: ai-powered automatic time capture — no manual timers needed. private timeline means only you see the raw data before sharing.
Watch out for: With Harvest, users commonly note that expensive compared to clockify and toggl. With Timely, the main complaint is that ai isn't perfect — you still need to review and adjust entries.
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 Invoicing
- 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 Timely if...
- Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that hate manual time tracking and want ai to handle it
- You want to save on per-user costs — Timely is $1.80/user/mo cheaper
- You specifically need AI time tracking and Automatic capture
- You care about private timeline means only you see the raw data before sharing
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