Harvest
Paylocity
| Feature | Harvest | Paylocity |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10.8/mo | Contact sales |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | agencies, consultants, freelancers, professional-services | mid-size-businesses, hr-teams, payroll-managers, growing-companies |
| Founded | 2006 | 1997 |
| Time Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Expense Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Project Budgets | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reports | ✓ | ✗ |
| Team Capacity | ✓ | ✗ |
| Integrations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Payroll | ✗ | ✓ |
| Benefits Administration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Talent Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Attendance | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hr Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Employee Experience | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Paylocity Pros
- Strong payroll processing
- Good employee self-service
- Modern community features
- Comprehensive benefits admin
✗ Paylocity Cons
- Implementation can be lengthy
- Pricing not transparent
- Customer support varies
The Verdict
Harvest is built for agencies and consultants, with a focus on time-tracking and invoicing. Paylocity targets mid size businesses and hr teams and leads with payroll and benefits-administration.
Paylocity uses custom enterprise pricing, while Harvest starts at $10.8/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Harvest has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Paylocity requires a paid subscription from day one.
Feature-wise, Harvest offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Paylocity takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
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.