BigTime vs Harvest (2026): which should you pick?

Pick BigTime if

• Fits if you run a services firm that tracks time, expenses and invoices together
• Makes sense if you already use QuickBooks or Salesforce

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you are a freelancer: $20 a user is nearly three times the category middle
• Skip it if you want to try first, as no free plan or trial is listed
• Watch out: only Essentials has a price, and the others come after a demo
• Watch out: Quotes, Resource Management and the Data Hub are extra modules

Pick Harvest if

• Fits if you run an agency or consultancy and bill clients for tracked hours
• Works for solo freelancers with one or two active projects, who can stay on the free plan

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're staying free with more than 2 projects or a second person
• Pricey if you need timesheet approvals, profitability reports or SAML SSO, which sit on Enterprise at $14 a seat
• Skip it if you want scheduling included, since Harvest Forecast is billed separately at $5 a person
• Watch out: $9 a seat is a starting price, and extra invoices, projects, clients and tasks are billed on use
• Not for you if you want automatic tracking or a Linux app, as neither is listed

BigTime

• Only Essentials has a published price; Advanced, Premier and Enterprise are quoted after a demo request.
• The pricing page does not say whether $20 assumes annual or monthly billing, and shows no free plan or trial.
• Quotes, Resource Management and the Data Hub are extra modules, and some AI agents are marked coming soon.

Harvest

• The free plan is limited to 1 seat and 2 projects.
• Paid prices are shown as starting prices: the pricing page says additional invoices, projects, clients and tasks are billed based on use.
• Timesheet approvals, profitability reporting and SAML-based SSO need the Enterprise plan.
• No Linux desktop app is listed, and scheduling needs the separately billed Harvest Forecast.

BigTime

Time and expense management

Staff log time and expenses on the web or in a mobile app, with approvals and rate management for billable work.

Billing and invoicing

Invoices come from tracked time and expenses, with automatic reconciliation; higher plans add custom invoice templates and multi-currency invoicing.

Project portfolio management

Track projects across the firm; Premier adds project budgeting and custom cost and rate management.

Resource Management module

A separate module for demand and capacity planning, a staff availability heat map, skills records, time-off requests and utilization reports.

Quotes module

A separate module that builds quotes and statements of work and converts approved quotes into live projects.

Harvest

Timers and timesheets

One-click timers, daily and weekly timesheets and calendar imports in the browser, desktop and mobile apps, with automated reminders to submit time.

Invoicing and online payments

Invoices are generated from the tracked time and expenses already in the account, and clients can pay them through the PayPal and Stripe integrations.

Expense tracking

Receipts and reimbursable costs are logged alongside time, so they can be added to the same client invoice.

Budgets and reports

Project budgets update as time is logged. Team capacity and utilization reports start on Teams, and profitability reporting is limited to Enterprise.

Approvals and audit trail

Enterprise adds timesheet approval before hours are billed, an activity log of every time entry and edit, and the option to require notes on entries.

Harvest Forecast

A companion scheduling and capacity planning tool that connects to Harvest. It is billed separately at $5 per person a month on annual billing.

BigTime

• Essentials$20

  per user / month, billing basis not stated

  Time and expense, project portfolio management, billing and invoicing, automatic reconciliation, QuickBooks integration, AI Assistant.

• AdvancedCustom

  Essentials plus multi-currency expenses, custom reporting center, project templates and custom invoice templates. Request a demo for pricing.

• PremierCustom

  Advanced plus multi-currency invoicing, custom cost and rate management, project budgeting and multi-level approvals. Request a demo.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For organizations with established systems: Enterprise PSA, Services CPQ and resource management. Speak with an expert.

Harvest

• Free$0

  1 seat and 2 projects, with time tracking, invoicing, expense tracking, project estimates and basic reports.

• Teams$9

  per seat / month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly)

  Unlimited seats, billable and cost rates, team capacity reporting, CSV import, and accounting and payment integrations. Listed as a starting price.

• Enterprise$14

  per seat / month, billed annually ($17.50 billed monthly)

  Adds unlimited custom reports, profitability reporting, timesheet approvals, an activity log, SAML-based SSO and required notes.

• Enterprise PlusCustom

  Adds custom integrations, product customization, a dedicated customer success manager, assisted data migration and white labelling.

BigTime

No public discounts listed.

Harvest

• Annual discount

  20% off when paying for the year up front

  Harvest's pricing FAQ states a 20% discount for yearly payment. Enterprise is listed at $14 per seat a month annually against $17.50 monthly, and Teams at $9 against $11.