Harvest Review: Pros, Cons, Features and Pricing
Harvest is a time tracking software that helps teams monitor project hours and manage budgets efficiently. It's ideal for creative agencies, consultancies, and small businesses needing precise time management, like design teams and marketing departments. Harvest offers simple tracking, clear reporting, and easy invoicing for improved project oversight.
Harvest tackles issues like inaccurate time logging and budget tracking for teams in project management and finance. In this article, I'll cover Harvest's features, pros and cons, use cases, and pricing, so you can decide if this software aligns with your project management and budgeting needs and goals.
Harvest Evaluation Summary
- From $9/seat/month (billed annually)
- Free plan + free 30-day trial available
Why You Can Trust Us
Harvest Overview
In my opinion, Harvest is a strong choice for teams needing clear time tracking with straightforward features and solid integrations. It excels in ease of use, making it a great fit for small to medium-sized teams in creative and professional services. Compared to others, its integration capabilities and intuitive user interface stand out, though onboarding could be smoother. It's especially well-suited for teams needing efficient time management without overwhelming complexity. If your team values simple tracking and easy invoicing, Harvest is worth considering.
pros
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It's simple to generate invoices directly from tracked hours.
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Your team will appreciate the clear and detailed reporting features.
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You can track time easily with a user-friendly interface.
cons
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Onboarding might take longer than expected for some users.
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You could experience limited customization options for reports.
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Your team might find the mobile app lacking some features.
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Our Review Methodology
How We Test & Score Tools
We’ve spent years building, refining, and improving our software testing and scoring system. The rubric is designed to capture the nuances of software selection and what makes a tool effective, focusing on critical aspects of the decision-making process.
Below, you can see exactly how our testing and scoring works across seven criteria. It allows us to provide an unbiased evaluation of the software based on core functionality, standout features, ease of use, onboarding, customer support, integrations, customer reviews, and value for money.
Core Functionality (25% of final scoring)
The starting point of our evaluation is always the core functionality of the tool. Does it have the basic features and functions that a user would expect to see? Are any of those core features locked to higher-tiered pricing plans? At its core, we expect a tool to stand up against the baseline capabilities of its competitors.
Standout Features (25% of final scoring)
Next, we evaluate uncommon standout features that go above and beyond the core functionality typically found in tools of its kind. A high score reflects specialized or unique features that make the product faster, more efficient, or offer additional value to the user.
We also evaluate how easy it is to integrate with other tools typically found in the tech stack to expand the functionality and utility of the software. Tools offering plentiful native integrations, 3rd party connections, and API access to build custom integrations score best.
Ease of Use (10% of final scoring)
We consider how quick and easy it is to execute the tasks defined in the core functionality using the tool. High scoring software is well designed, intuitive to use, offers mobile apps, provides templates, and makes relatively complex tasks seem simple.
Onboarding (10% of final scoring)
We know how important rapid team adoption is for a new platform, so we evaluate how easy it is to learn and use a tool with minimal training. We evaluate how quickly a team member can get set up and start using the tool with no experience. High scoring solutions indicate little or no support is required.
Customer Support (10% of final scoring)
We review how quick and easy it is to get unstuck and find help by phone, live chat, or knowledge base. Tools and companies that provide real-time support score best, while chatbots score worst.
Customer Reviews (10% of final scoring)
Beyond our own testing and evaluation, we consider the net promoter score from current and past customers. We review their likelihood, given the option, to choose the tool again for the core functionality. A high scoring software reflects a high net promoter score from current or past customers.
Value for Money (10% of final scoring)
Lastly, in consideration of all the other criteria, we review the average price of entry level plans against the core features and consider the value of the other evaluation criteria. Software that delivers more, for less, will score higher.
Core Features
Time Tracking: Use Harvest’s built-in time tracker to log work hours with a simple start-and-stop timer, helping ensure accurate records for billing and reporting.
Reporting: Generate detailed reports that help your team analyze project hours and improve productivity.
Invoicing: Harvest’s invoicing features let you generate invoices directly from tracked hours, simplifying billing and reducing administrative work..
Expense Tracking: Log expenses alongside your time entries, giving you a complete view of project costs.
Project Budgeting: Set and monitor project budgets, helping your team stay on track and within financial limits.
Timesheet Approval: Streamline your workflow with timesheet approvals and notifications, ensuring accuracy and accountability in time entries.
Ease of Use
Harvest stands out for its user-friendly interface, making it easy for your team to track time without hassle. The intuitive design means you can start tracking hours with minimal training, saving you time. Features like the start and stop timer and visual reports are straightforward, letting you focus on your work rather than navigating the software. Compared to other tools, Harvest's simplicity and clarity in its functionalities ensure a smooth experience for users of all tech levels.
Integrations
Harvest integrates with Asana, Slack, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Trello, GitHub, PayPal, Stripe, Basecamp, and Google Calendar. Harvest also offers an API and connects with third-party integration tools.
Harvest Specs
- Analytics
- API
- Approval Workflows
- Attendance Tracking
- Batch Permissions & Access
- Billing/Invoicing
- Budgeting
- Calendar Management
- Dashboard
- Data Export
- Data Import
- Data Visualization
- Expense Tracking
- External Integrations
- Forecasting
- Multi-User
- Notifications
- Project Management
- Resource Management
- Scheduling
- Task Scheduling/Tracking
- Time Management
- Timesheets
- Vacation & Absence Calendar
