Harvest vs TimeWatch
A detailed comparison of Harvest and TimeWatch covering features, pricing, integrations, strengths, and weaknesses to help you choose the right tool.
Quick Overview
Harvest
Time Tracking and Invoicing
Harvest is one of the longest-running dedicated time tracking tools, offering one-click time tracking across web, desktop, and mobile with tightly integrated invoicing, expense tracking, and budget management. It serves over 70,000 companies and is known for its clean, intuitive interface.
TimeWatch
Calendar-Based Time Tracking
TimeWatch is a calendar-first time tracking platform that reduces timesheet entry by converting Outlook, Teams, and Google Calendar appointments into timesheets automatically. With 30+ years in the market, it offers products spanning time tracking, billing, PSA, and resource scheduling with strong Microsoft ecosystem integration.
Feature Comparison
Harvest Features
One-click time tracking across web, desktop, and mobile apps
Invoicing with automated payment reminders
Online payments via Stripe and PayPal
Project budget management with alerts
Expense tracking with receipt photo capture
Visual reports on budgets, time, and team capacity
Timesheet approvals and profitability reporting on Premium
Calendar integration pulling events into timesheets
TimeWatch Features
Calendar-to-timesheet conversion from Outlook, Teams, and Google Calendar
AI-powered automatic time tracking from calendar activity
OutlookTime turning Outlook into a full timesheet system
Outlook Optics for team activity views and capacity planning
Configurable charge rate management and multi-currency support
PSA suite combining scheduling, time recording, expenses, and billing
Resource scheduling for teams, projects, and equipment
Flexible deployment: public cloud, private cloud, or on-premises
Pricing Breakdown
Harvest
Free (solo), $10.80/seat/month
Free plan for solo users. Pro: $10.80/seat/month (annual). Premium: ~$14/seat/month. 30-day free trial. Volume discounts for 50+ seats.
TimeWatch
$10/user/month
Essentials: $10/user/month. Pro: $15/user/month. Corporate and Enterprise: custom quotes. No free version. Free trial available.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Harvest
Strengths
Extremely intuitive and easy to adopt with 4.6/5 ease-of-use rating
Clean lightweight interface that avoids overwhelming users
Strong invoicing workflow tightly integrated with time tracking
50+ native integrations available
Reliable budget tracking and capacity management
18 years in market indicating stability and maturity
Weaknesses
No automatic time tracking, relies entirely on manual start/stop
No idle detection, break tracking, or GPS tracking
Limited project management capabilities
Reporting can feel basic for advanced analytics needs
Mobile app has fewer features than desktop and web
Per-seat pricing becomes expensive at scale
Key features paywalled behind Premium tier
Long-term pricing stability concerns after recent increases
TimeWatch
Strengths
Deep native integration with Outlook, Teams, and Google Calendar
Highly configurable while maintaining upgrade compatibility
Saves employees 1-3 hours per week on timesheet entry
Strong security: ISO 9001, ISO 27001, SOC2 certified
30+ years of market presence and maturity
No training required due to intuitive design
Weaknesses
Reported bugginess by some users
Very small market share of 0.01-0.02% in tracking categories
Limited number of independent third-party reviews
Some users raised security and access control concerns
Calendar-dependent approach may not capture non-calendar work
Integrations
Harvest (14 integrations)
TimeWatch (8 integrations)
Target Market
Harvest
Freelancers, small to medium businesses, agencies, design studios, consultancies, and professional services firms
TimeWatch
Professional services firms (law, consulting, accounting, engineering). Organizations using Microsoft Outlook, Teams, or Google Calendar.
The Verdict
Both Harvest and TimeWatch are solid time tracking tools, but they serve different needs.
Harvest (Time Tracking and Invoicing) is best suited for freelancers, small to medium businesses, agencies, design studios, consultancies, and professional services firms. It starts at Free (solo), $10.80/seat/month and offers 8 key features.
TimeWatch (Calendar-Based Time Tracking) is best suited for professional services firms (law, consulting, accounting, engineering). organizations using microsoft outlook, teams, or google calendar.. It starts at $10/user/month and offers 8 key features.
If neither tool quite fits your needs, consider comparing Harvest with TimeSentry or comparing TimeWatch with TimeSentry. TimeSentry offers AI-powered time capture from 20+ integrations, built-in invoicing, multi-company workflows, and dedicated onboarding support.
The TimeSentry Guarantee
Free 7-day trial with full access to every feature. No credit card required.
White-glove onboarding so your team is set up correctly from day one.
AI that learns your patterns and gets more accurate the longer you use it.
Cancel anytime with no contracts, no lock-in, and no hidden fees.
Dedicated support from real humans who respond within hours, not days.
Need something better than both?
TimeSentry combines the best of AI-powered time tracking with built-in invoicing, multi-company workflows, and 20+ integrations. Try it free and see for yourself.