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

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

Pick TimeLive if

• Fits if you are a very small team that wants a free timesheet and leave tracker
• Works for firms that want an on-premises option

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you have more than 3 projects or 3 users on the free plan, and the page itself disagrees on 2 or 3
• Skip it if you want one flat price, because the cost depends on modules ticked
• Not for you if you want Kanban and scheduling in Standard, as those are add-ons
• Watch out: on-premises licences need a support contract and a sales quote

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.

TimeLive

• The pricing page computes a total from the modules and users you tick, so the real monthly cost depends on that selection.
• The page's free-plan limits conflict: the table shows 3 users, while an FAQ on the same page says up to 2 users.
• Advanced calendar and advanced project management are upgrades, not part of Standard.
• On-premises licensing requires a support contract and is quoted by sales.

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.

TimeLive

Timesheets and timer

Staff log hours with a timer or weekly timesheet against clients, projects and tasks, with approval workflows for managers.

Attendance and geofencing

Clock in and out with shifts, attendance policies and geofence areas, including polygon boundaries.

Time off and expenses

Separate modules handle leave policies, requests and approvals, plus expense sheets with types and approval.

Billing and reports

Project, billing and user reports, an audit trail, custom dashboards and scheduled report delivery.

Advanced project management

An add-on module with Kanban boards, project scheduling and forecasting. It is not part of Standard.

Hosted or on-premises

Run it in the vendor's cloud or buy an on-premises license and keep the data on your own infrastructure.

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.

TimeLive

• Free$0

  3 users, 3 projects (1 project on the monthly tab), all four basic modules and the mobile app.

• Standard$3

  per user / month per module, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)

  Unlimited projects and a basic Google or Outlook calendar; total depends on the modules and users you pick.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For 200 or more users: all modules plus the advanced calendar and advanced project management; sold through sales.

• On-premisesCustom

  One-time license fee with a required support contract, hosted on your own servers; sold through sales.

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.

TimeLive

• Annual discount

  Lower per-user rate with annual billing

  The pricing page's annual tab uses a $3 per module rate against $4 per module on the monthly tab.