Hubstaff and Harvest are two of the best time tracking apps you can find — but choosing between them can be difficult. Both are great tools that even share some features, but they also have many differences you should know about before deciding. Depending on your industry, the size of your company, and the type of business you run, one might be better suited for you than the other.
Today, we will compare the two apps to help you decide the best fit for your business. Below is an overview of their features to get you started.
Comparing Hubstaff and Harvest
| Feature | Hubstaff | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
Time tracking | Automatic and manual | Automatic and manual |
Timesheets | Yes | Yes |
Apps | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Chrome |
Detailed reports | Yes | Yes |
Invoicing | Yes | Yes |
Productivity measurement | Yes | No |
Location tracking | Yes | No |
Project budgets | Yes | Yes |
Shift scheduling | Yes | No |
Attendance tracking | Yes | No |
Payroll management | Yes | No |
Time tracking features
Hubstaff
Hubstaff lets users accurately track time with one click. From there, you can convert time tracking data into automatic timesheets in just a few clicks. That means you won’t have to waste time filling out time cards.
You can switch between projects, create new tasks, and add work notes in the intuitive app. The best part? Hubstaff runs in the background while you work.
You can even set reminders for your team to start tracking at a specific time. You can also utilize idle time features to ensure teams are actively working. You can customize timeout settings by 5-minute increments and nudge users if they go idle.
Hubstaff works really well in helping us track time on projects and helping us to allocate resources accordingly.
Harvest
Harvest allows you to track time through its calendar-style timer app, but you will have to fill out timesheets manually. You’ll see how many hours you’ve tracked every day of the week at a glance, which is extremely helpful in pacing and planning your workweek.
You can configure Harvest to send time tracking reminders to your team so no one forgets to track time. Like Hubstaff, it also lets you track time to specific tasks, add notes to time entries, and track time off and work breaks.
Budgeting
Hubstaff
Hubstaff lets you set project budgets based on hours, bill rates, and pay rates. You can set up notifications that will alert you when you’re at risk of going over budget. This way, you can make real-time adjustments and ensure projects stay on budget.
Hubstaff is easy to use and provides the comprehensive reporting needed for tracking employee contributions and accurate job costing.
Harvest
With Harvest, you can set project budgets based on total project hours, hours per task, and hours per person. Like Hubstaff, Harvest can also notify you when a specified percentage of the budget is reached. This way, you can make adjustments before it's too late.
Reporting
Hubstaff
Hubstaff offers detailed and highly customizable time reports that you can filter by date, team member, project, or client. Use Hubstaff’s reports to understand how much time specific tasks take, what tools your team is using, and how you’re allocating your budget.
We bill by the minute and run reports for payroll and client billing through Hubstaff. It meets our needs incredibly well for this and we haven't found a time yet where it hasn't worked.
You’ll have access to the following reports and more:
Time and activity
Timesheet approvals
Expenses
Work breaks
Payments
Project and client budgets
Invoices
Hubstaff lets you download reports in multiple formats. You can also schedule reports to be delivered to clients or stakeholders.
Harvest
Harvest can generate reports to calculate project progress, hours spent per week, and your remaining project budget. You can also review both individual and team workload and capacity and pull reports for:
Time
Expenses
Invoices
Payments
This gives you insight into the hours spent on each project and allows you to understand total costs, profitability, and the time specific tasks take to complete.
We bill by the minute and run reports for payroll and client billing through Hubstaff. It meets our needs incredibly well for this and we haven't found a time yet where it hasn't worked.
| Feature | Hubstaff | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
Customizable reports | Yes | Yes |
App & website reports | Yes | No |
Project budget reports | Yes | Yes |
Attendance reports | Yes | No |
Location reports | Yes | No |
Time off reports | Yes | No |
Payroll reports | Yes | No |
Payroll
Hubstaff
Use the timesheets created from Hubstaff’s time tracking to pay team members automatically. Define fixed or hourly rates and start working — Hubstaff will take care of the rest.
You can set weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly pay periods and review timesheets. Hubstaff also lets you pay team members directly through the app or export payroll data if you want to process it manually.
Working with contractors or freelancers? An array of payroll integrations with tools like PayPal, Wise, and Quickbooks allow you to pay them all on their preferred payroll app right from Hubstaff.
I use Hubstaff daily to track my clients, tasks, and invoices. They're always there to help and very easy to work with. 100% recommended for any virtual workers.
Harvest
While Harvest lets you see the time employees spend on projects and how much they’ve earned, it does not have payroll capabilities.
Like Hubstaff, you can pair Harvest with a number of payroll integrations like Stripe, PayPal, and Quickbooks. However, these integrations won’t allow you to make payments directly from the app and only work for sharing invoices across platforms.
Harvest is a super-simple app which manages all our client payments and invoices, and integrates with Stripe for a seamless payment process.
| Feature | Hubstaff | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
Automated payroll | Yes | No |
Custom pay rates | Fixed or hourly | No |
Custom pay periods | Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly | No |
Payroll integrations | Yes | Only for invoicing |
Invoicing
Hubstaff
Hubstaff pulls from time entries and timesheets to generate custom invoices. You can auto-generate line items by selecting the timeframe, team members, and projects. Hubstaff can create PDF, HTML, and email invoices that can be sent right from the app.
With Hubstaff, you can see when clients view an invoice and record full or partial payments. You’ll also be able to set tax rates, follow up with clients, and accept payments — all in the same app.
I use Hubstaff daily to track my clients, tasks, and invoices. They're always there to help and very easy to work with. 100% recommended for any virtual workers.
Harvest
Like Hubstaff, Harvest lets you easily turn timesheets and expenses into invoices. You can send invoices via email or export them in PDF and HTML formats. You can also accept payments from clients and customers and see an overview of open and paid invoices. Set up automated reminders to make sure clients don’t forget to pay you.
Harvest is a super-simple app which manages all our client payments and invoices, and integrates with Stripe for a seamless payment process.
| Feature | Hubstaff | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
Generate invoices from timesheets | Yes | Yes |
Email, PDF, and HTML invoices | Yes | Yes |
See when clients view an invoice | Yes | No |
Productivity tools
Hubstaff
Time tracking alone can’t ensure you’re correctly prioritizing your work. That’s why Hubstaff is equipped with multiple productivity features that show how employees work on their tasks:
Activity measures productivity as keyboard and mouse usage
App & URL usage helps you identify time-wasting activities.
Achievements identify hot streaks, hours worked, and to-dos completed
Want more in-depth productivity metrics? Hubstaff’s Insights add-on allows you to spot productivity trends, view industry benchmarks, and define productive and unproductive activities. Use this information to more accurately measure your team’s performance and eliminate distractions.
Want to know more?
Empower your team with highlights, benchmarks, meeting time, and more.
Learn more about InsightsHarvest
Harvest doesn’t have productivity tools. However, you can use the timesheets generated by the app to get a basic idea of how your team performed various tasks.
| Feature | Hubstaff | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
Productivity features | Yes | No |
Achievement badges | Yes | No |
Activity levels | Yes | No |
Optional screenshots | Yes | No |
App and URLs | Yes | No |
Scheduling
Hubstaff
With Hubstaff, you can plan and schedule shifts and track attendance. It also allows you to set weekly hour limits for individual team members.
Hubstaff’s scheduling feature makes it easy for team members to see their next shift, regardless of the device they use. And, it’s available for any Hubstaff product.
Harvest
Harvest's scheduling assistant tool makes it easy to set deadlines and create reminders. It's helpful for individuals, but it won't help you plan shifts for your entire team.
| Feature | Hubstaff | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
Shift scheduling | Yes | No |
Shift notifications | Yes | No |
Attendance tracking | Yes | No |
Weekly hour limits | Yes | No |
Work orders and jobs | Yes | No |
Basic reminders | Yes | Yes |
Integrations
Hubstaff
Hubstaff connects with 30+ apps that seamlessly fit into new and existing workflows. For instance, you can integrate it with a project management tool like Asana or Hubstaff Tasks to track time to big projects and small to-dos. Or, connect Hubstaff with PayPal or Wise to pay several team members simultaneously on a recurring basis right from the app.
Harvest
With support for over 70 integrations, Harvest strongly complements several of the most popular apps out there. Integrate it with Google Calendar to include events into your timesheets, Xero to keep a safe record of your invoices, or Jira to track time to several project issues.
Pricing
While the two apps offer premium plans that are close in price, their pricing models are widely different. Hubstaff has four pricing tiers with more complex features as you progress into higher tiers. Harvest is a little more straightforward with only two pricing plans.
Here’s a closer look:
Hubstaff
Free: For one user only; time tracking, timesheets, activity levels, limited reports, and limited payments
Starter ($7/user/month): Idle timeout, reports, one integration, and 24-hour support
Pro ($12/user/month): Includes all Hubstaff features; app and URL activity, unlimited teams, payroll, unlimited integrations, invoices, and more
Enterprise (custom pricing): Insights add-on, VIP support, HIPAA and SOC-2 Type II compliance, and more
Harvest
Free: Includes all features for one user and two projects
Pro ($12/user/month): Includes all Harvest features with unlimited users and project
Hubstaff and Harvest:
Which one is a better fit for you?
If you’re looking for time tracking and reporting features, both apps are excellent. However, when you consider their feature sets and pricing options, it becomes evident where each app shines.
Hubstaff is the better choice if you want to streamline time tracking, productivity, workforce management, invoicing, and payroll. Everything is automated — all you have to do is track your time. All of this comes at a more affordable price than its Harvest counterpart as well.
But if your priority is time tracking, budgeting, and a wider array of integrations, Harvest is a good choice. It will show you how your team uses their time, provide detailed reports, and connect with most of your favorite apps.
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