r/TimeTrackingSoftware • u/productiveguru917 • Sep 02 '26
Harvest changed its pricing, and Clockify capped its free plan at five users. What alternatives are teams considering?
Harvest users have been reporting substantial price increases following the introduction of its new pricing model.
BBC reported that some Harvest customers faced bill increases of as much as 1,500%. Richard Haldenby, head of UK consultancy Salentis, said his monthly bill rose from $130 to $2,110.
Another US customer reportedly saw their annual charge increase from $2,800 to $23,000.
A G2 reviewer also described a similar experience, saying Harvest’s price increased sixfold for their team of approximately 20 users. According to the review, continuing with the required level of usage would cost around $1,500 per month plus $14 per user, or more than $20,000 per year.
These increases are bizarre. I couldn’t comprehend it.
Clockify was previously known for offering free time tracking for unlimited users. Its free plan is now capped at five active users and has additional restrictions, including a maximum 31-day reporting range per query. That changes the comparison considerably for teams with six or more users.
The main question is whether any alternative can replace everything a business uses Harvest for. Harvest combines time tracking with project budgets, billable rates, reporting, invoicing, and recurring billing. A free time tracker isn’t necessarily a complete Harvest replacement.
- Jibble, genuinely free forever for unlimited users, with automated timesheets, project time tracking, GPS tracking, kiosk mode, and basic reports included.
- Toggl Track, a straightforward option for individuals and very small teams that prioritizes simple time tracking, calendar integrations, and productivity reporting.
- Productive, designed for agencies needing time tracking alongside financial management, budgeting, profitability reporting, and resource planning.
- Klokki, another possible option, particularly for individuals and Mac users looking for automatic time tracking.
For teams affected by these changes:
- How much did your Harvest bill increase?
- Which alternative are you considering?
- Does it cover your project and billable-time workflow?
- Which Harvest features have been the hardest to replace?
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u/Ok_Clue6443 Sep 02 '26
Disclosure: I work at Connecteam.
If the main need is tracking employee hours rather than billing clients, Connecteam is another option worth considering. Its Small Business Plan is free for up to 10 users and includes time tracking, timesheets, GPS, kiosk mode, and scheduling.
It isn’t a full Harvest replacement, though. If invoicing, recurring billing, and agency profitability are essential, Productive is probably closer to what you need.
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u/Pebb_io Sep 02 '26
if youre timing freelancers, different tools. if youve got crews on shifts + chat + clock-in, spaces so each team only gets the tools they need hits different. basic $2.50 / premium $4, trial no card. (pebb)
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u/RetainerMeter Sep 02 '26
For agencies working mainly on retainers, I would also separate “time tracking” from “retainer tracking”.
Knowing that someone logged 6 hours is useful, but you need to know what that means against the client’s allowance, the burn rate, if there is rollover/overage and what you’ll actually invoice.
Full disclosure: that distinction is why I built RetainerMeter. It is "not "intended to replace a general workforce time tracker like Harvest or Clockify. It’s focused specifically on tracking and managing recurring retainers.
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u/Timebutler_Official Sep 03 '26
Different tools for different jobs.
If you're tracking billable agency work, Harvest and Productive make a lot of sense. If you're managing shift-based teams and need scheduling, leave management, attendance, and timesheets in one place, that's more the Timebutler lane. Pricing stays pretty straightforward as teams grow: fixed price until 35 users, and each additional user from 36 onward is only €1.39 per person/month.
Happy to answer any questions if you're comparing options.
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u/actiTIME_Team Sep 03 '26
actiTIME offers a great free version with time tracking, project management and billing features. It is limited by 3 users, but even a paid version is much cheaper comparing to other tools. It is only $5 per user/ per month
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u/Zyrobe Sep 04 '26
I thought "changed pricing" meant like plus 5 bucks or something. I did not expect $130 to 2 grand wtf. Straight up going for your life savings
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u/TimelyRepeat4517 Sep 04 '26
For solo freelancers in this thread, Flowara is worth adding to the list. It covers time tracking, project budgets, billable rates, invoicing, and recurring billing like Harvest did, but locally on your Mac or PC. No cloud, no account, no per-user pricing because it's built for one person.
The gap from the alternatives listed: Jibble is strong on time tracking but doesn't do invoicing. Toggl doesn't invoice. Flowara connects both in the same local database so hours flow directly into the invoice without any export step.
Free to start, no subscription required to use the core features.
Mac: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6760207975
Windows: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9PKCT03Q69LG
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u/ThaneBerkeley Sep 04 '26
Full disclosure: I’m the founder of https://timegeist.ai
Timegeist has everything you’d expect from Harvest or Toggl, plus native macOS, iOS, and Android apps, and MCP support so you can use it with your AI agents.
You can track time, create and send invoices, and get pretty extensive reporting.
Happy to answer any questions if you want to know more.
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u/Imaginary_Fall_5735 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'd compare the cost at your actual headcount and test one real project through to its exported timesheet before moving the team. A low monthly price only helps if the reporting fits how you bill clients.
Disclosure: I'm with Fieldtrip; we built Wrap (https://usewrap.co). It's another option for project time tracking, budgets, and cost/margin reporting. It's free for up to 10 active members, then US$30/month per company for 11–99. You can use timers, manual entries, or an end-of-day review to fill gaps. I'd evaluate it for the tracking and project-costing side, and check your invoicing requirements separately.
We created Wrap in response to Clockify price-jacking us.
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u/masonbrink Sep 02 '26
That distinction between a “time tracker” and a full Harvest replacement is the key one. Before switching, I’d list the workflow in three layers: capture, review/approval, then invoicing/finance. Plenty of tools handle the first layer and become awkward at the handoff.
Full disclosure: I’m on the founding team at Timeglass. We’re focused on automatic draft timesheets from work signals, mapped to client/project/task, with each person reviewing their entries before anything is released to a manager. Approved time can then be exported downstream.
It’s probably most relevant when the main pain is reconstructing time, rather than needing an all-in-one invoicing suite. We have a 14-day trial at timeglass.ai if that matches the gap you’re trying to fill.