DeskTime
Harvest
| Feature | DeskTime | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $7/mo | Free / from $10.8/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | managers, remote-teams, freelancers, agencies | agencies, consultants, freelancers, professional-services |
| Founded | 2011 | 2006 |
| Automatic Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Productivity Calculation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screenshots | ✓ | ✗ |
| Url Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Project Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Absence Calendar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Invoicing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Expense Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Project Budgets | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reports | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team Capacity | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ DeskTime Pros
- Automatic productivity tracking
- Good free plan for individuals
- Screenshot monitoring option
- Detailed reports
✗ DeskTime Cons
- Can feel invasive to employees
- Limited project management features
- Desktop app required
✓ Harvest Pros
- Integrated invoicing from tracked time
- Project budget tracking with alerts
- Excellent reporting for team utilization
- Simple one-click timer interface
✗ Harvest Cons
- Limited project management features
- Only one project on free plan
- No built-in scheduling or resource planning
The Verdict
DeskTime is built for managers and remote teams, with a focus on automatic-tracking and productivity-calculation. Harvest targets agencies and consultants and leads with time-tracking and invoicing.
Pricing is close: DeskTime starts at $7/mo versus $10.8/mo for Harvest — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Harvest offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while DeskTime takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for freelancers, agencies — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.