Considering Clockify vs Harvest for your organization? We are going to make your decision much easier!
Time tracking has always been an important business practice.
However, old methods like paper timesheets, timecards, and Excel spreadsheets just aren’t enough anymore.
Different electronic solutions are becoming the standard in all industries. It’s time for an upgrade if you are looking to make data-driven informed decisions on the future steps of your business.
If you were looking for a dedicated time tracking program, chances are you’ve heard about Clockify and Harvest. Namely, these are some of the most famous solutions on the market.
The sheer number of available solutions means a wide variety of time tracking techniques and policies. It may be very enticing to purchase the most famous one. However, it may not be the best solution for your organization’s needs.
So, let us look at the differences and similarities between these two platforms. Compare them and see whether they fit your company.
What Is Clockify?
Clockify is a project management and time tracking tool.
It focuses on analyzing and increasing personal productivity. In other words, it is a great solution for freelancers and small businesses.
The platform relies on timesheets for employee tracking.
The timesheets are comprehensive enough for the program to create both productivity and time-use reports. Finally, you can download these reports for further inspection.
The platform differentiates between billable and non-billable hours. In other words, you can calculate payroll and invoices with its data.
The app is not as feature-rich as its counterpart. However, this means your team will be able to get used to it quickly and use it with more ease.
Harvest – an Introduction
Harvest is a time tracking solution that can be used by enterprises, SMBs, and freelancers alike. It measures time and resources spent while working.
The platform allows for real-time project and task tracking.
That is to say, the managers can see the progress and health of every project.
Harvest also delivers visual reports on said projects. This helps keep track of deadlines and bottlenecks if they occur.
The application is very feature-rich. In other words, it goes deep into the details of each project. Be aware of the complexity of the software, though, as it can be confusing for less tech-savvy users.
Side-by-side Comparison
Now that you know the basics of both platforms, we can turn to specific features. Let’s explore Clockify vs Harvest from this angle.
1. Time Tracking
Time tracking is the basic function of both platforms.
However, they don’t approach this activity the same way. So, let’s observe this aspect so you can decide which one suits you better.
A. Time Tracking with Clockify
Clockify offers two different ways to track time.
The first one includes a manual timer. Users can start tracking time on a specific task by simply clicking the Start button. Similarly, tracking stops once the employee clicks Stop.
The platform allows users to search among the projects they’re currently working on. This way, the time will be allocated to the right project and client.
The second method relies on manual entries in a timesheet. This is a good option for employees who don’t use computers in their daily duties, i.e. field workers.
Administrators can edit their team members’ timesheets to avoid any mistakes. Clockify also allows users to create new projects with different trackable parameters as they work.
B. Harvest and Time Tracking
When it comes to Harvest, employees track their time very easily. Namely, all they have to do is find the project they’re working on in a pre-existing list and turn on an automatic timer.
Users can create new tasks or use old entries for the tasks they haven’t finished. The timer works on the same simple Start/Stop principle.
There is also the option to create manual entries. Again, this is a great option for field workers, as well as those who simply forget to start their timers.
The timesheets can be filled daily or weekly. Additionally, there is also the option to send the documents to a supervisor or manager for approval.
To put it simply, this aspect of Clockify vs Harvest is very similar. Clockify has more options for time entry creation, though.
2. Employee Monitoring – Why Is It Important?
The approach to employee monitoring is an extremely individual aspect of a business. Namely, in large organizations, it may be necessary, as managers cannot personally track employees.
On the other hand, it is largely unnecessary in smaller teams. Both managers and other team members are able to achieve transparency and equal work distribution.
One thing you should be aware of when it comes to monitoring, though, is that employees don’t like it.
To put it simply, you cannot measure productivity through computer monitoring in most cases. On the other hand, constant surveillance creates a hostile environment.
Finally, if the morale is low, the employees are more likely to leave the company. In other words, you will have to set aside more money and time for the recruitment and training of new employees.
A. Clockify and Employee Monitoring
Clockify tracks the time the employees spend at their computers. Thus, idle time detection is one of its features.
This option is based on tracking employee keystrokes and mouse movement. If there is no such activity, an idle timer will start running.
The employees have the option to delete it or save the tracked idle time. Still, they will have to account for the gap in their schedules.
The activity tracker is the second monitoring feature. It measures the time an employee spends using an application or visiting a website for over 10 seconds.
The third and final monitoring option regards screenshots of the employees’ devices. This option is only available in the Pro plan. While the screenshots will remove any doubt, they are extremely invasive.
B. Harvest and Its Monitoring Policy
Harvest also has an idle time detecting feature. The principle is the same as with Clockify – the idle timer will start if there’s no keyboard or mouse activity.
The managers can also see all weekly activities. In other words, they will know who has filled their time quota and who hasn’t.
There are no screenshots available.
3. Integrations
Companies of all sizes, as well as freelancers, are using different business software. Work is almost unimaginable without solutions like this.
That is why it isn’t only important for a solution to work well. In fact, you need to pay attention to how different solutions interact with each other.
In other words, integrations have become an extremely important aspect of all businesses. let us see how Clockify vs Harvest compares.
A. Clockify Integrations
You can use Clockify along with over 80 different web apps due to their seamless integrations. These apps include
- Project management tools like Jira, Asana, and Trello
- Productivity software like Google Calendar, Pumble, Microsoft Teams, and Zendesk
- Apps that allow more integrations like Zapier (over 2500 apps)
B. Harvest Integrations
Harvest also understands the importance of integrations. It offers over 40 integrations from different software categories.
- Project management platforms including Asana, Jira, and Trello
- Web browser extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge
- Calendars – Google and Outlook to help your teams stay synchronized
- Invoice generation and payment management software – Xero, QuickBooks, PayPal, and Stripe
- A Zapier integration to help you find all other necessary tools
4. Project Management
Project management is tightly interwoven with time tracking. This is true as projects are tied to strict deadlines.
Knowing how the projects are progressing is the first step to more accurate delivery. This, in turn, is a testimony of your company’s respect for its clients.
A. Clockify’s Project Management Features
Clockify has a project management feature that allows for the creation and tracking of different projects.
Administrators and team leaders can create tasks within projects that are connected to different clients. On one hand, the projects can be visible to all employees.
On the other hand, they can be marked as private. This means they are only visible to specific teams and employees.
The administrators can set up custom billing rates and budgets for each project and track them. If the budget has been overstepped, the app will send a notification.
B. Harvest and Project Management
Harvest also offers some sturdy project management features. All users can create new tasks and allocate them to already existing projects and clients.
There are three different types of projects.
Time and material projects that have specific hourly billing rates
Fixed fee projects that cost the same amount no matter the tracked hours
Non-billable projects that are not invoiced and time isn’t tracked toward them
The managers can see the progress of all projects via visualized graphs. These graphs show how much time and resources have been spent on a project. Additionally, you will be able to see the number of billable hours per project.
5. Expense Tracking
Any organization needs to keep track of expenses to maintain profitability. Some time tracking platforms offer expense and budget tracking features.
A. Clockify’s Approach to Expenses
Clockify allows expense tracking based on sums, units, or fixed fees. You can check for these in timesheets, as well as import the timesheets into the invoices.
B. Harvest and Expense Tracking
Harvest enables the management to assign budgets to different projects. If the project takes more resources than planned, you will be informed in due time. this way you can avoid or minimize overstepping the budget.
6. Reporting
Time tracking is a futile activity if you aren’t getting valuable information on the state of your business. That is why high-quality reports are some of the most important elements of a time tracking software solution.
A. Clockify Reporting
Clockify collects employee data and creates the following reports:
- Summary reports – understand all time entries in a specific timeframe, along with billable hours and expenses from that period
- Assignment reports – know which employees have tracked the highest and lowest number of hours. Additionally, you’ll be able to understand each team member’s engagement in any project
- Expense reports – sort expenses by the employee, project, and client
The reports can be exported as PDF files and Excel sheets for easier handling.
B. Harvest Reports
Harvest has a dedicated dashboard with graphic representations of all work in a specific period. This graph can be filtered to show only the information you need.
- Time reports show all total and billable time tracked by users. The hours are shown per project pr client.
- Detailed time reports allow you to deep-dive into a user’s time entries and filter through them
- Detailed expense reports show all expenses and group them by team, timeframe, client, and project
You can export the reports as PDF, CSV, and Excel files.
7. Invoice generation
Creating invoices for your clients is much easier when you can account for all hours you’re charging them. Additionally, this is a great way to increase transparency and the reputation of your organization.
A. Cockify Invoicing
Clockify is the simpler of the two applications. This can be seen in this area. Namely, Clockify doesn’t have a dedicated invoicing feature.
To issue invoices, you will either have to create them by hand or use an integration.
B. Harvest Invoices
On the other hand, Harvest has an automatic invoicing feature. Not only does the platform calculate the prices of your services, but you can also include taxes in the invoice when needed.
There is also a recurring invoice option for clients that pay you monthly. Finally, you can use the PayPal and Stripe integrations to receive payments directly.
Looking for a More User-Friendly Alternative?
Not all businesses need complex and feature-rich time tracking solutions. After we’ve presented you with the differences between Clockify vs Harvest, we would like to present a simpler, but equally effective solution.
Time Analytics is a simple timesheet solution that can help you make the time tracking process much easier for everyone involved.
How Does Time Analytics Compare?
As we have mentioned, Time Analytics is a less complex solution. You may think this is an overall negative factor.
However, different companies have different needs.
Let’s see Time Analytics’ biggest advantages.
A User-focused Time Tracking Platform
Time Analytics is a user-friendly time tracking solution with project management features.
Its performance is based on electronic timesheets the users fill out themselves.
That is to say, there is no monitoring or spying on your employees. This signals trust and transparency right from the start.
The users can track their time by filling in the timesheets manually. The process is very simple, as the interface is extremely intuitive and easy to use.
You can make it even simpler, as there is an option to create a template all team members can use. This way you will only be receiving relevant data.
The second time tracking option includes using an automatic timer.
The users can simply click a Start button to start tracking time on a task that is already connected to a project and client.
Price Point for Anyone’s Budget
Time Analytics is a lightweight program with a secure infrastructure. As it doesn’t collect any data the employees don’t volunteer themselves, it is relatively simple.
We are aware of the fact that the costs of a time tracking software solution can stack up quite high.
Especially so in an organization with many team members.
That is why you can enjoy the benefits of our plans at a much lower price than most other similar platforms.
You can get the Starter plan for $4.99 per user per month. The Optimum, on the other hand, is $8.45 per user per month.
We only charge for the employees marked as Enabled in the Teams section.
However, you will still be able to access the previous data of Disabled users.
Time Off Tracking
Employee management is unimaginable without tracking time off.
This is true as schedules and task completion depend on employee availability.
Time Analytics offers the possibility to file and approve time off requests directly through the platform.
We are aware that there are many different reasons to request time off.
That is why our platform offers a wide variety of forms to suit your team’s every need.
Once the availability of the entire team is transparent, the managers can create schedules and allocate tasks with ease.
Task Management
Time Analytics allows authorized users (managers and team leaders) to create tasks directly in the app. Then they can allocate those tasks to the employees who will handle them best.
This feature prevents schedule clashes. Also, you won’t have to worry about running late with a crucial aspect of a project.
Parting Words
Clockify and Harvest are some of the best-known software solutions in the time tracking category.
Harvest offers many different features and gives its users a great insight into their business.
On the other hand, Clockify is more lightweight and straightforward. Both platforms offer their users the options of manual and automatic time entries.
Both platforms offer some employee monitoring features.
They rely on keystroke and mouse activity to register idle time. it is possible to delete these idle periods or keep them.
Both solutions give a great insight into the company’s well-being and the state of all projects. That is to say, the profile of their customers are similar.
We have also presented you with Time Analytics’ most important features if you are looking for a simple solution that doesn’t monitor employee activity.
Hopefully, you are one step closer to deciding on your preferred solution. Remember – a one-size-fits-all solution doesn’t exist. Hence, you’ll have to consider the needs of your team before making your choice.
