Harvest vs Kimai

Harvest

• Agencies and consultancies that bill clients for tracked hours
• Solo freelancers with up to 2 active projects, on the free plan
• Teams that sync invoices and payments to QuickBooks Online or Xero

Kimai

• Teams that want to host their own time tracking data
• Freelancers and agencies invoicing clients from timesheets
• Organizations that need EU hosting and open-source code

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.

Kimai

• Cloud prices are in euros and exclude taxes; the pricing page lists no free cloud plan, only a 30-day trial.
• On Cloud Professional, kiosk mode, SAML single sign-on, a custom domain and IP access restriction are shown only with annual billing.
• Kimai runs in the browser; the mobile and desktop apps on its integrations page are made by third parties, and some are paid.
• Self-hosting needs SSH access to a server, and plugins such as expenses (99 €) are bought separately.

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.

Kimai

Project time tracking

Time is recorded against customers, projects and activities, with budgets and order numbers on projects. Every installation supports unlimited users with roles.

Invoicing

Invoices are created from timesheets with configurable templates and invoice numbers, grouping options for entries, and output formats such as PDF and DOCX.

Reports and exports

Recorded time is analyzed by user, customer, project, activity, tag and period. Timesheets export as XLSX, PDF, CSV or HTML, and exported records can be locked.

Teams and permissions

Teams group users into units such as departments. Assigning customers and projects to a team limits who can see and record time on them.

Login and security

Supports LDAP and SAML login through providers such as Google Workspace, Azure AD or Authentik, plus optional two-factor authentication with TOTP tokens.

JSON API and plugins

A JSON API reads and writes data for external apps. Plugins add functions such as expenses, task planning and a kiosk mode with barcode or RFID scanning.

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.

Kimai

• Self-hostedFree

  The open-source edition on your own server, installed with Docker or over SSH. Community support; some features are paid plugins.

• Cloud Standard€2.99

  per user / month, billed annually (€3.99 billed monthly)

  Hosted time tracking with billable hours, invoicing, data export, audit logs, the JSON API, 5 invoice templates and weekly backups.

• Cloud Professional€3.99

  per user / month, billed annually (€4.99 billed monthly)

  Adds working hour accounts, vacation and sick leave, expenses, custom fields, task management, a customer portal and daily backups.

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.

Kimai

• Annual discount

  20 to 25% off Kimai Cloud with annual billing

  Kimai's discount page says paid cloud plans cost 20 to 25% less when paid annually: Standard is €2.99 against €3.99 a month, and Professional €3.99 against €4.99.

• Nonprofit

  Discounted annual cloud plan for nonprofits

  Nonprofits, schools and clubs that register with an official email address and message support get a reduced annual cloud plan after a manual review.