Harvest vs Clockify: Costs and Features Compared

Why I decided to write this comparison

People keep asking the same question: Harvest or Clockify? Both tools come up regularly in conversations with freelancers and small teams. I tested both myself while building Jomawo. The real differences show up in pricing and in what you actually use every day.

Pricing side by side

Harvest starts at around 12 dollars per user per month with no real free plan for ongoing use. Clockify offers a free plan with unlimited users. Paid plans begin at 3.99 dollars per user. For many freelancers and small agencies the budget question decides quickly.

What the free Clockify plan actually delivers

You can create projects, track time and export basic reports. For simple needs that works fine. Once you want to turn tracked hours into invoices or need more detailed breakdowns, the limits appear fast. That is exactly when many users start looking for a proper free time tracking option.

Features: what both tools do well and where they fall short

Harvest shines with invoicing and integrations. You can connect projects directly to QuickBooks or Stripe. Clockify is more flexible for pure time tracking across browser, mobile and even offline mode. However, rules for billable versus non-billable hours are often missing.

Reports and analytics

Harvest produces clean reports that you can show clients directly. Clockify gives many export options, but formatting the data often requires extra work. In practice that means spending time on spreadsheets instead of actual work.

Team management and growth

With Clockify you can add as many users as you want without paying immediately. Harvest becomes expensive quickly once the team grows. I remember a founder who switched after six months because the bill jumped by 80 euros just for two additional users.

Integrations and API access

Both tools provide APIs. Harvest leads with common accounting tools. Clockify catches up with Slack and Google Workspace. If you prefer a simple solution without dozens of connections, you often save time by skipping complex integrations altogether.

What users really ask for

Most people testing Harvest or Clockify want one thing: track time without constantly thinking about limits or per-user fees. That is why we built Jomawo as a permanently free tool from day one. No hidden costs, no user caps. You can add features later if needed, but you never have to.

Another point often missing from comparisons is daily usability. Many tools look good on paper but feel clunky in real workflows. That is why it helps to test for a full week instead of just reading feature lists.

Harvest, Clockify or something else?

If your main goal is invoicing and you are willing to pay for it, Harvest can make sense. If you want to start tracking for free and possibly expand later, Clockify is often the more practical starting point. Many of our users tried both and ended up with a solution that has neither limits nor per-head costs.

In the end what matters is what fits your actual workflow. Most teams do not need fifty integrations. They need an app that runs reliably and does not surprise them with the next invoice.

Learn more about our approach on the feature overview. You can also read our detailed take on Clockify alternatives.