Whether you’re a freelance professional, an employee working from home, or just trying to organize your daily workflow, a decent time tracking tool is an effective way to optimize every second of the work-day. Time tracking tools are also useful for generating invoices for hours worked. Harvest is popular time-sheet software that lets you do meticulous time-tracking and Clockify claims to be a better alternative. We compared Harvest with Clockify to find out how they differ and which is more suitable for you.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Both Harvest and Clockify are designed to track time spent on projects. They offer insightful data that can be used to calculate different parameters such as productivity, efficiency, compensation, etc. On the surface, the two time tracking software look similar which causes a lot of confusion. I’d try to explore every feature and explain what should use which time tracker at the end.
1. User Interface
Harvest has a feature-rich interface designed to give you control over every aspect of your work. Be it time-tracking, report generation, team and project management, or invoice creation, the software is categorized for each function.
Clockify, on the other hand, is extremely simple to get started with as the software has fewer functions. Yet, you can still track your time spent on every project from one place and switch between different projects easily.
Apart from different design schemes, both Harvest and Clockify offer intuitive ways to use the software and the interface is well polished. In terms of the user interface, it’s a tie.
Score
- Harvest: 1
- Clockify: 1
2. Device Availability
Harvest is available on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android devices and if your workflow never goes beyond these devices, you won’t have a problem.
However, Clockify offers apps for Linux as well including all the devices supported by Harvest. If that isn’t enough, you can get the Clockify browser extension for Chrome and Firefox and expand the reach of the software. Clockify beats Harvest in platforms supported.
Score
- Harvest: 1
- Clockify: 2
3. Tracking Time: Harvest vs Clockify
Talking about the primary feature, time-tracking on Harvest is pretty straightforward. You select an existing project and start working on it with the timer counting hours and minutes. You can also put in the time manually which works just as well, in case you forgot to run it when starting work. Harvest also has an option to send your timesheets for approval which makes it handy for management to track your time.
Clockify is similar to Harvest where you just enter the project name and start working on it. However, Clockify lets you create new projects on the fly which is not possible in Harvest. Also, Clockify lets you edit the parameters of the project at any given point. For example, you can change the client, add or remove tags, and make the task billable.
Both Harvest and Clockify check the boxes of time tracking, but Harvest has an additional approval tab which makes it a great option for remote teams.
Score
- Harvest: 2
- Clockify: 2
4. Dashboard and Reports
Harvest lacks a dedicated dashboard to get an overview of your work at a glance but makes up with additional features. You get an in-depth report generator for time spent on tasks and can filter those reports based on client, project, and team. Harvest also lets you generate that report in a custom time frame that can be anywhere in between a week to the beginning.
Clockify offers a dedicated dashboard that gives you a visual representation of the work you’ve accomplished in a time frame. You can filter the graph and generate reports based on time, billability, client, project, and teams.
Both Harvest and Clockify create in-depth reports and offer multiple ways to filter them based on different parameters. However, Harvest lacks a dedicated dashboard that comes in handy when you just want a quick peek at the productivity levels in a week.
Score
- Harvest: 2
- Clockify: 3
5. Invoicing
Harvest clearly has a lead over Clockify as it has a comprehensive invoicing system built in that allows you to link your work with the bills and you can create invoices with a click. You can set the tax values that would automatically calculate the tax applicable on every invoice. It also has the option to create recurring invoices, put someone on retainer, and send invoices directly from the app. You can even connect PayPal, and Stripe to accept online payments.
Clockify doesn’t have an invoicing system and you need to create one manually outside of Clockify.
Score
- Harvest: 3
- Clockify: 3
6. Integrations
Harvest has over 70 third-party app integrations that can elevate your time-tracking while you work. The integrations include apps such as Slack, Trello, Asana, Github, Gsuite, etc. and these apps offer tailored services in tracking your time and managing your projects from anywhere you are in the project pipeline.
Clockify also has integrations with different apps such as Notion, Click Up, Github, G-suite but Harvest leads the integrations race by offering 30+ extra integrations.
Score
- Harvest: 4
- Clockify: 3
7. Pricing
Harvest and Clockify have a free tier for beginners that offer limited functionality. The paid tier for Harvest starts at $12/mo/user that includes all the features. There is no tier above this, however, Clockify has four different paid tiers that start from $3/mo/user.
Final Verdict: Harvest vs Clockify
Harvest and Clockify both have impressive features that make the comparison difficult. To sum it up, Harvest is the best time-tracking tool for medium teams that want complete control over time-tracking, want in-depth reports, and streamline invoicing. As you unlock all the features in the paid tier, it is a little expensive for smaller teams.
Clockify, on the other hand, offers a simpler tool as a free offering which would serve well for single freelancers as it doesn’t limit your projects in the free version like Harvest does. Also, moving up the paid tier, you can decide the plan based on features you actually need from the software. This makes Clockify the best tool for small teams and individuals.
What do you think? Which is best for you between Harvest and Clockify? Let me know on Twitter.
Also Read: 8 Best Free and Paid Time Tracking Chrome Extensions
