Harvest vs timeBuzzer
We give Harvest a 3.4 GPA and timeBuzzer a 3.2, out of 4.0. Harvest grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Harvest
Time tracking that turns logged hours into client invoices
timeBuzzer
Time tracking apps with an optional physical desk buzzer
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAHarvestVery good | 3.2GPAtimeBuzzerVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BTeams is $9 a seat a month billed annually, or $11 monthly, and that includes invoicing and expenses. About typical, if a touch high. But it's a starting price: the pricing page says additional invoices, projects, clients and tasks are billed based on use. | BPro is $8 a user a month billed annually, or $10 monthly, which is what time trackers typically cost. It's the only paid plan, so nothing sits on a dearer tier. The Buzzer is $59 a device plus shipping, if you want one. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree forever, with time tracking, invoicing, expense tracking and all the apps. But it's 1 seat and 2 projects, so a freelancer with three clients is already over. Paid plans get a 30-day trial with no credit card. | BThere's a free starter version your account drops to after the trial, with no roles and permissions. But the vendor doesn't list its other limits, so we can't say how far it goes. The Pro trial is 15 days with no credit card. |
| Features | AOne-click timers, daily and weekly timesheets, expenses with receipts, and invoices built from what you've already logged. Budgets update as time goes in. Approvals and profitability reports need Enterprise, and scheduling is a separate product, Harvest Forecast. | BReal-time timers, manual entries and notes on every device, online or off. You can rename and rearrange the customer, project and task layers to fit your work. PDF reports carry your logo, and data exports to XLSX or CSV. No invoicing of its own, though. That's handed to tools like sevdesk and bexio. |
| Ease of use | B4.5 from about 2,700 App Store ratings, just short of our A line. Timers are one click, and automated reminders nudge people to hand in their timesheets. | BWe have no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. With the Buzzer it's touch, turn and press. Without it, these are ordinary timer apps. The web console doesn't run timers. It's for managing and reporting. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and a browser extension. Asana, Jira, Slack, QuickBooks Online and Xero connect, and there's an API. No Linux desktop app is listed. | AMac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and a web console, plus an open API, Zapier, Make and direct links to sevdesk, Lexware Office, bexio and FastBill. The invoicing links suit German-speaking businesses best. |
| Best for | turning tracked hours into client invoices | a timer you can press on your desk |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Harvest and timeBuzzer. How we grade
Where they differ
- Harvest starts at $9 per seat / month, billed annually ($108 per seat). timeBuzzer starts at $8 per user / month, billed annually.
- Only Harvest lists a browser extension.
- Only timeBuzzer lists a Linux app.
- Harvest also covers invoicing.
At a glance
| Harvest | timeBuzzer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9 per seat / month, billed annually ($108 per seat) | $8 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | Free forever for 1 seat and 2 projects: time tracking, invoicing, expense tracking, basic reports with up to 4 custom reports, and the web, desktop and mobile apps. | Free starter version that an account drops to after the trial: it has no roles and permissions and hides data tied to paid features. The vendor does not list its other limits. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of the paid plans, no credit card required | 15-day free trial of Pro, no credit card required; 30 days when hardware is ordered |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Bending Spoons Operations S.p.A. | timeBuzzer GmbH |
| Price read from | getharvest.com | timebuzzer.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
timeBuzzer
- Freelancers and agencies that bill clients by the hour
- People who want a physical reminder on the desk to track time
- German-speaking businesses that invoice with sevdesk, Lexware Office or bexio
Worth knowing
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.
timeBuzzer
- The pricing page lists a single paid plan and does not describe the free starter version an account falls back to.
- Every active member needs a paid seat whatever their role, and the vendor does not refund software subscriptions.
- The Buzzer is sold separately at $59 per device plus shipping; the apps work without it.
- Timers run in the desktop and mobile apps; the web console is for managing, analyzing and reporting on time.
Key features
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.
timeBuzzer
- Desktop and mobile timers
- Apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android run a real-time timer, accept manual entries and notes, and keep working offline, syncing when a connection returns.
- Hardware Buzzer
- A 125-gram USB-C device with a touch sensor and multi-color LED. Touching it opens the desktop app, rotating scrolls through activities and pressing starts or stops the timer.
- Custom layers
- The structure time is tracked against is configurable, so customers, projects and tasks can be renamed or rearranged to fit an industry or workflow, with no limit on entries.
- Web console and analytics
- A browser dashboard shows where time went, lists every entry with search and filters, and lets entries be edited and marked as billed.
- Reports and exports
- Time entries turn into PDF reports that can carry your own logo, and raw data exports to XLSX or CSV for invoicing and further processing.
- Team roles and integrations
- Admin, manager and user roles control access, and users see only their own time. Invoicing tools such as sevdesk and bexio connect directly, and Zapier, Make and an open API cover the rest.
Plans
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.
timeBuzzer
timeBuzzer Pro$8
per user / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly), excl. VAT
Apps for all devices, unlimited projects, clients and tasks, insights, reports and exports, integrations and API, and roles and permissions.
Buzzer hardware$59
per device, one-time, plus shipping
Optional USB-C desk device that controls the desktop app, with a 30-day money-back guarantee on a first purchase.
Ways to pay less
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.
timeBuzzer
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
The help center lists Pro at $10 per seat a month with monthly billing or $8 with annual billing, which it describes as a 20% discount or 2 months free.
- Education
Discounts for students and schools on request
The pricing FAQ says discounts are offered on request to students and educational institutions. No amount is published.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit discount on request
The pricing FAQ says non-profit organizations can ask for a discount, as can larger teams. No amount is published.
