You’ve been hustling, balancing client work, and keeping track of all those billable hours. Now, the time has come to streamline your invoicing and time-tracking process. Enter the decision: FreshBooks or Harvest?
I’ve walked this path myself, and after experimenting with both platforms, I can confidently break it down for you. Here’s a detailed comparison of the two tools to help you choose the best fit for your business.
FreshBooks vs Harvest: Choosing the Right Tool for Your Business
1. Core Purpose: What Are They Built For?
FreshBooks and Harvest cater to slightly different needs, which will influence your decision depending on what your business focuses on.
FreshBooks: The Accounting & Invoicing Pro
FreshBooks is designed for small business owners and freelancers who need a comprehensive accounting solution. It excels in:
- Invoicing & Payments Customizable, automated invoices and payment reminders are central to FreshBooks.
- Expense Tracking Tracks and categorizes expenses effortlessly, making bookkeeping a breeze.
- Financial Reporting Detailed financial insights, like profit and loss statements, are available to understand your business health.
Harvest: The Time-Tracking Specialist
Harvest is primarily focused on time tracking, making it ideal for service-based businesses that need to bill clients based on hours worked. It shines in:
- Time Tracking Easy-to-use timers that track billable and non-billable hours across projects.
- Project Management Helps monitor project budgets, timelines, and team performance, making sure you stay on track.
- Invoicing While invoicing is available, it’s more basic compared to FreshBooks.
Verdict:
- FreshBooks is best for those who want an all-in-one accounting and invoicing tool.
- Harvest excels at precise time tracking and project management with basic invoicing capabilities.
2. User Interface: Simplicity vs. Features
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is known for its clean and intuitive interface. It’s designed to make invoicing, expense tracking, and reporting feel approachable, even for those without a finance background. The dashboard is well-organized and easy to navigate.
Harvest
Harvest’s interface is simple, with a strong focus on time-tracking. It’s straightforward to track your time and view your projects at a glance. However, its simplicity comes with fewer features than FreshBooks.
Verdict:
- FreshBooks is better for users who need a full-featured dashboard that’s still easy to navigate.
- Harvest is ideal for users who want a minimalist, time-tracking-focused interface.
3. Invoicing Capabilities
FreshBooks
Invoicing is where FreshBooks really shines. It allows you to:
- Customize Invoices Add logos, choose from templates, and fully customize the look of your invoices.
- Automate Billing Set up recurring invoices, payment reminders, and even late fees for overdue invoices.
- Multiple Payment Gateways FreshBooks supports credit cards, bank transfers, and even PayPal.
Harvest
Harvest’s invoicing is more straightforward. You can generate an invoice based on the hours logged in a project, which is convenient for service-based businesses. However, it doesn’t offer the same level of customization or automation as FreshBooks.
Verdict:
- FreshBooks offers a more robust and customizable invoicing system.
- Harvest is best for simple, time-based invoicing with fewer customization needs.
4. Time Tracking: Where Harvest Takes the Lead
FreshBooks
FreshBooks includes a time-tracking feature, but it’s not as in-depth or intuitive as Harvest. You can track time on projects, but it doesn’t come with detailed project management tools.
Harvest
Time tracking is Harvest’s bread and butter. It offers:
- Easy-to-Use Timers You can start and stop timers effortlessly, log hours, and break them down by project or task.
- Project Budget Tracking You can set project budgets, track time against those budgets, and even see how much you’ve spent versus how much is left.
- Team Time Tracking It’s great for agencies or teams. You can see where your team’s time is being spent and make adjustments to stay on track.
Verdict:
- Harvest is the clear winner for advanced time-tracking and project management.
- FreshBooks offers time tracking, but it’s more suited for solo entrepreneurs without complex project needs.
5. Project Management Features
FreshBooks
FreshBooks isn’t built for project management. While it offers time tracking and some task organization, it’s limited in terms of managing large teams or projects.
Harvest
Harvest integrates time tracking seamlessly into project management. You can monitor:
- Project progress in real time
- Billable versus non-billable hours
- Project budgets and timelines
It also integrates with Harvest Forecast, which helps with resource planning and assigning team members to projects.
Verdict:
- Harvest is your go-to for time-based project management.
- FreshBooks is better suited for smaller projects or businesses that don’t need complex management tools.
6. Reporting: Understanding Your Business
FreshBooks
FreshBooks offers extensive reports, such as:
- Profit and loss statements
- Sales tax summaries
- Expense reports
It’s designed to give you a deep understanding of your financial health, making it perfect for freelancers and business owners who need detailed insights.
Harvest
Harvest provides time-related reports. You can generate reports on:
- Time spent on projects
- Project progress vs. budget
- Team performance
While Harvest gives great project insights, it lacks in-depth financial reports.
Verdict:
- FreshBooks wins if you need comprehensive financial reports.
- Harvest excels at time-tracking and project-based reporting, but it’s not a full accounting tool.
7. Pricing: How Much Will It Cost You?
FreshBooks
FreshBooks pricing is tiered based on the number of clients:
- Lite: $17/month (up to 5 clients)
- Plus: $30/month (up to 50 clients)
- Premium: $55/month (unlimited clients)
- Select: Custom pricing for larger businesses
Harvest
Harvest offers simpler pricing:
- Free Plan: 1 user, 2 projects
- Pro Plan: $12/month per user (unlimited projects)
Harvest’s pricing is based on the number of users, while FreshBooks scales based on your client list.
Verdict:
- Harvest is more affordable if you’re focused on time tracking and project management.
- FreshBooks offers more features, but costs increase as your client base grows.
8. Integrations: Extending the Platforms
FreshBooks
FreshBooks integrates with a wide variety of apps, including:
- Payment processors (PayPal, Stripe)
- CRMs
- E-commerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce)
Harvest
Harvest integrates with popular tools, especially for project management:
- Trello, Asana, Basecamp
- Slack
- Xero for accounting needs
Verdict:
- FreshBooks has broader integrations for accounting and invoicing.
- Harvest offers deeper integrations with project management tools.
Final Verdict: Which Should You Choose?
- Choose FreshBooks if you need a complete accounting and invoicing platform. It’s ideal for freelancers, small businesses, and anyone who needs deep financial insights alongside client management.
- Choose Harvest if you’re focused on tracking time and managing projects. If your business revolves around billable hours and you need detailed project tracking, Harvest will keep you on track without overwhelming you with extra features you might not need.
In the end, it boils down to what’s most important to your business: time tracking and project management (Harvest), or invoicing and accounting (FreshBooks).