A Harvest alternative for freelancers and agencies
Last checked: 2026-10-20
This page is written by Portime, so we're not neutral. We've tried to be fair and link our sources. Prices and features change, so check each vendor's own page before you decide. Harvest is a trademark of its owner, named here only to identify the product.
The short version
- Pick Harvest if you want to go from tracked hours to a sent, paid invoice in one tool. It has expenses, payments, accounting sync, and years of reviews behind it.
- Pick Portime if you track time across clients and sub-clients and send activity reports rather than invoices from the tracker. It also fits if you want a flat price for a team of up to 5, or want to log time from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Grok through MCP.
Comparison table
| Portime | Harvest | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid pricing | Starter $15/month (1 seat). Pro $29/month (up to 5 seats included). Monthly billing in USD. | Teams from $9/seat/month billed annually ($11 monthly). Enterprise from $14/seat/month annually ($17.50 monthly). Usage-based fees once you pass the invoices, projects, clients and tasks included in the base rate. Enterprise Plus: custom. |
| Free plan | No | Yes: 1 seat, 2 projects, time tracking, invoicing, expenses |
| Trial | 7 days on Starter. Card required. | 30-day trial, no credit card required |
| Structure | Client → sub-client → project → task | Client → project → task (no sub-client level shown on the pages we checked) |
| Timer | Timer and manual entry. Several timers at once, with pause and resume. | One-click timers, daily/weekly timesheets, calendar imports |
| Reports / PDF | Monthly reports in Markdown and PDF. Pro adds filters, charts and custom PDF reports. | Time and project reports. Custom and profitability reports on Enterprise. CSV custom exports. |
| Invoicing | No invoices. Reports support your invoicing. | Yes, including on the free plan. Online payments and accounting sync (Stripe, QuickBooks Online, Xero) on Teams. |
| Team seats | Starter: 1. Pro: up to 5. More seats not available yet. | Free: 1 seat. Teams: unlimited seats, paid per seat. |
| Integrations | MCP server. Google and Microsoft sign-in. | "50+ core integrations" (Asana, Slack, Stripe, QuickBooks, Xero and more), Zapier |
| AI assistant / MCP | In-app assistant (100 requests/month on Starter, 500 on Pro). HTTP MCP on paid plans with a personal access token. Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Grok and other MCP clients. | Official Harvest MCP (Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT) and an in-app assistant, Harvest AI |
| Mobile / desktop apps | Web app. Portime Recap for macOS (menu bar). No native mobile apps; the web app works in a mobile browser. | Web, desktop and mobile apps (Mac and iOS apps listed on the free plan) |
| French | Interface and site in English and French | Interface in English only. Invoice labels can be translated. |
Where Harvest is better
- It does invoicing end to end. Invoices, online payments, expenses and accounting sync are included, and invoicing is even on the free plan. Portime doesn't send invoices.
- It has a free plan for one person. That's 1 seat and 2 projects.
- The trial is easier. It's a 30-day trial with no card. Portime's is 7 days and needs a card.
- It has apps and integrations. There are desktop and mobile apps, 50+ core integrations, and a Zapier connector.
- It handles larger teams. Seats are unlimited on Teams, with approvals, and SSO and profitability reports on Enterprise.
- It's proven. Harvest's pricing page cites 1,500+ reviews on G2 and 4,200+ on Capterra. Portime is new (launched 2026).
Where Portime fits
- You don't invoice from your tracker. Plenty of freelancers invoice from their accounting tool and just need a clean activity report. Portime gives you that in Markdown or PDF, grouped by client and project.
- You need a sub-client level. This suits work for an agency on behalf of its end clients.
- You want a flat price. Pro is $29/month for up to 5 seats, with no usage-based fees listed. Five seats on Harvest Teams billed monthly is 5 × $11 = $55/month before any usage fees. Harvest includes invoicing, so compare features, not just price.
- You want French. Portime's interface is in English and French.
- Your meetings turn into tasks. Recap on macOS listens to a meeting, and you confirm tasks before anything is created.
- You want a built-in assistant and MCP. Both Portime and Harvest have one.
FAQ
Can Portime replace Harvest for invoicing? No. Portime produces reports you use for invoicing. If you want invoices and payments in the tracker, Harvest does that.
Is Portime cheaper than Harvest? For one person, Harvest's free plan (1 seat, 2 projects) costs less. For a team of up to 5, Portime Pro is a flat $29/month. Harvest Teams is $9–$11 per seat plus usage fees beyond what's included.
Does Harvest work in French? Harvest's interface is English only. You can translate invoice labels. Portime's interface is available in French.
Do both connect to Claude? Yes. Harvest has an official MCP server. Portime's MCP needs a paid plan and a personal access token.
Try Portime
Start the 7-day Starter trial on getportime.com. A card is required, and you can cancel during the trial without being charged.