Harvest vs Timing: Which Is Better for Solo Consultants in 2026?

For a solo consultant who bills clients, Harvest is the better pick when you need invoices, expenses and payments in one place, and its free plan covers one person with two projects. Timing is better if you work only on a Mac and want time captured automatically, with billing status and rounded reports, from $9 a month billed annually. Dayflow, ours, is a free automatic option without invoicing.

Harvest is a cloud timer and invoicing tool: you start a clock or fill in a timesheet, and those hours become a bill your client can pay online. Timing is a Mac-only app that records your time automatically across apps, websites and documents, then gives you billing-oriented reports and integrations rather than its own invoicing system.

Disclosure: Dayflow, which appears below as a third option, is our product. This comparison is based on each vendor’s own documentation and pricing pages as checked on October 4, 2026, with Dayflow facts reviewed against version 2.2.0.

For a solo consultant, the job is narrow and unforgiving. You need every billable hour recorded, a clean way to show clients what they paid for, and an invoice that goes out on time. Harvest and Timing solve different halves of that job. Timing also has a dedicated page on our site: see how Timing compares with Dayflow.

Quick comparison

Tool	Best for	How it tracks	Price	Platforms
Harvest	Consultants who invoice and track expenses from the same tool	One-click timers, daily and weekly timesheets, or a connected calendar	Free (1 seat, 2 projects); Teams $9 seat/month billed annually or $11 billed monthly	Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, browser extensions
Timing	Mac-only consultants who forget timers but need billable-hour records	Automatic recording of apps, websites, documents, URLs and Mail threads, plus manual entries	No free tier; Professional $9/month billed annually or $11 billed monthly	Mac
Dayflow (ours)	Mac users who want a free, readable record of their day	Records the screen at one frame every 10 seconds and has AI write a timeline	$0 (MIT licensed); optional Pro $20/month	Mac (macOS 14+)

Key takeaways

• Harvest is the stronger billing tool: invoicing with online payments, expense tracking, and accounting integrations such as QuickBooks and Xero.
• Timing is the stronger capture tool: it records time automatically on your Mac, so a forgotten timer does not mean a lost hour.
• On the cheapest paid plans, the two cost the same: $9 a month billed annually or $11 billed monthly. Harvest also has a free plan for 1 seat and 2 projects. Timing has none.
• Timing stores tracked time locally unless you opt into sync. Harvest is a cloud service.
• Dayflow is free and open source with automatic capture, but it has no invoicing, so it does not replace either tool for billing.

What does Harvest do better than Timing?

It closes the loop from hours to money. Harvest’s core pitch is that tracked time becomes an invoice, and that invoice can be paid online. For a solo consultant, this removes the step where you export hours, rebuild them in a separate invoicing tool and chase payment by email. Expense tracking sits in the same place, so a client trip or software cost can go on the same bill.

It has a real free plan. The Free plan is $0 forever for 1 seat and 2 projects, and it includes time tracking, invoicing and expense tracking. A consultant with one retainer client and one side project can run the whole billing side of the business on it. Nothing else in this comparison offers invoicing for free.

It connects to your books. Harvest lists accounting integrations such as QuickBooks and Xero. If your accountant already lives in one of those, Harvest fits the existing setup instead of adding another export step.

It works on every device you are likely to carry. Harvest lists Web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android apps plus browser extensions. If you log time from your phone after a client call, or you keep a Windows laptop for one client’s VPN, Harvest still covers you.

It reads your calendar. Tracking from a connected calendar is useful for consultants whose billable time is mostly meetings. The calendar becomes a draft timesheet.

One ownership note: Harvest’s site footer reads “Bending Spoons Operations S.p.A.”, so Harvest is now owned by Bending Spoons. The current pricing page names the paid plans Teams and Enterprise, while the pricing FAQ still refers to “pro” and “premium” plans. Prices are listed as “starting from” in USD.

What does Timing do better than Harvest?

It captures time you would otherwise lose. Timing records time automatically across apps, websites and documents on the Mac, down to specific URLs and Mail threads. The classic consultant failure is the 25-minute email reply or the quick fix you never started a timer for. With automatic capture, that time exists in the record and you decide later which client it belongs to.

It is built around billable hours. Timing lists billing status tracking and customizable reports with report rounding. Rounding matters if your contracts bill in fixed increments, and billing status helps you see what has already been invoiced versus what is still open.

It keeps your data on your Mac by default. Timing states that tracked times are stored locally and never leave your Mac unless you opt into sync. All plans list Sync and Cloud Backup as an option. For consultants under client confidentiality terms, local-first storage is easier to explain than a cloud timesheet.

It has AI features. Timing lists AI activity summaries and AI integration via MCP on all plans, plus AI-powered suggestions for time entries. Harvest lists no AI features.

It connects to the tools some consultants already bill through. Depending on plan, Timing lists two-way sync with ClickUp, Linear and Clio, and a GrandTotal invoicing integration. The Clio sync is relevant for legal work, which Timing names in its target audience alongside freelancers and developers. Scripting, a Web API and Zapier are also listed, again depending on plan.

The tradeoffs are clear in the vendor’s own limits: Timing is Mac only, has no free tier, and the Professional plan covers 1 Mac with limited web app access.

Head-to-head table

Capability	Harvest	Timing	Dayflow (ours)
Automatic capture	Not listed	Yes, apps, websites, documents, URLs, Mail threads	Yes, screen recorded at one frame every 10 seconds
Timers and manual entries	One-click timers, daily and weekly timesheets, calendar	Manual time entries	No manual timers listed; the timeline is written from recordings
Invoicing	Yes, with online payments	GrandTotal integration (plan dependent)	No
Expense tracking	Yes	Not listed	No
Team reports	Yes, plus approvals and profitability on Enterprise	Shared projects on Connect plan	No
Website blocking	Not listed	Not listed	No
AI summaries	None listed	AI activity summaries, MCP, AI entry suggestions	AI-written timeline; local AI, your own provider, or Pro
Data location	Cloud	Local, with optional sync	Recordings and timeline on your Mac; analysis local or cloud depending on mode
Free tier	Yes, 1 seat and 2 projects	No (30-day trial)	Yes, $0
Platforms	Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, browser extensions	Mac	Mac (macOS 14+)
Open source	No	No	Yes, MIT

Pricing compared

Tool	Plan	Billed annually	Billed monthly
Harvest	Free	$0 (1 seat, 2 projects)	$0
Harvest	Teams	$9 seat/month ($108 per seat per year)	$11 seat/month
Harvest	Enterprise	$14 seat/month ($168 per seat per year)	$17.50 seat/month
Harvest	Enterprise Plus	Custom pricing	Custom pricing
Timing	Professional	$9/month	$11/month
Timing	Expert	$11/month	$14/month
Timing	Connect	$16 per user/month	$20 per user/month
Dayflow (ours)	Free	$0	$0
Dayflow (ours)	Pro	Not listed	$20/month

Here is what one consultant actually pays per year on the cheapest plan that fits the job. On Harvest, if you have two or fewer active projects, you pay $0, invoicing included. With a third project you move to Teams: $108 a year billed annually, or $132 a year if you pay $11 monthly. On Timing, there is no free option after the 30-day trial. Professional costs $108 a year billed annually or $132 a year billed monthly, but it covers one Mac and has limited web app access. If you need more than that, Expert costs $132 a year billed annually or $168 a year billed monthly. Timing notes that its prices may vary by region or tax.

So at the paid level, the two cost the same for one person. The difference is what you get: Harvest’s $108 buys invoicing and expenses, Timing’s $108 buys automatic capture. If you want both, running Timing Professional and Harvest Teams together on annual billing comes to $216 a year.

Dayflow is $0 under the MIT license. The optional Pro plan is $20 a month, which is $240 a year, and handles cloud analysis for you. You can also stay free by running a local model through Ollama or LM Studio, or by connecting your own AI provider, whose charges apply. Details are on our pricing page. If you want to see what a missed hour actually costs you, the real hourly rate calculator is a quick way to put a number on it.

When should a solo consultant choose Harvest?

Choose Harvest if:

• Invoicing is your weakest step. Hours go into a bill, and the bill can be paid online, all in one tool.
• You have one or two clients. The Free plan handles 1 seat and 2 projects with invoicing and expenses at $0.
• You bill expenses. Expense tracking is built in.
• You work across devices. Windows, iOS, Android, web and browser extensions are all listed.
• Your accountant uses QuickBooks or Xero. The integrations save a monthly export.
• You already start timers reliably. Harvest rewards discipline. If you have it, there is no reason to pay for automatic capture.

When should a solo consultant choose Timing?

Choose Timing if:

• You work entirely on a Mac. Timing does not run anywhere else.
• You forget timers. Automatic capture across apps, websites and documents is the main reason to pick it.
• Your contracts specify rounding or you track what is billed. Report rounding and billing status tracking are listed features.
• You bill through Clio, ClickUp or Linear, or invoice with GrandTotal. Check which plan includes the integration you need.
• Client confidentiality makes cloud timesheets awkward. Tracked times stay on your Mac unless you opt into sync.
• You want AI summaries of your activity. Timing lists them on every plan.

Where do Harvest and Timing both fall short?

Neither tool is open source, so you cannot inspect what the app does with your activity or keep using it if the vendor changes direction. That matters a little more now that Harvest has changed owners.

The bigger gap for a consultant is context. Harvest only knows what you told it: a timer label and a project. Timing knows which apps, URLs, documents and Mail threads were active, which is far better, but a list of window titles still asks you to reconstruct what you were actually doing. When a client asks “what did those six hours on Tuesday cover?”, you want to see the work, not just the app names.

This is the gap Dayflow covers. It records your screen at one frame every 10 seconds and has AI write the day into a readable timeline, and the full recordings stay on your Mac. You can scroll back to what was on screen and copy a plain description into your timesheet or a client update. For the timesheet side specifically, see filling a Mac timesheet without manual entry and our guide to remembering what you worked on. You can export a date range as Markdown from Settings, then paste the relevant parts into Harvest or a client report.

The other gap is cost at the low end for automatic capture. Harvest is free but manual. Timing is automatic but has no free tier. Dayflow is the only option in this comparison that is both automatic and $0.

Be clear about how Dayflow processes screenshots, because it is not a one-line answer. With local AI, screenshot analysis stays on your Mac. With your own provider or Dayflow Pro, selected screenshots are processed off-device. Under our privacy policy, Pro deletes screenshots after processing and may retain activity data for sync. The full breakdown is on local and cloud processing. AI summaries can also miss or misinterpret work, so check them before you send anything to a client.

If you want a wider view of the other options, our roundup of Mac time trackers covers more tools.

Where Dayflow is the wrong pick

Dayflow is the wrong pick for most of the billing side of a consulting business. Specifically:

• You need invoices. Dayflow has none. Harvest wins here, with invoicing, online payments and expense tracking, and it is free for 1 seat and 2 projects.
• You need billable-hour records with rounding and billing status. Dayflow does not track billing status or round reports. Timing wins.
• You bill through Clio, ClickUp or Linear. Timing lists two-way sync with those tools (plan dependent). Dayflow does not.
• You work on Windows or need a phone app. Dayflow is Mac only and needs macOS 14 or later. Harvest wins.
• You plan to hire and need team reports or approvals. Dayflow has none. Harvest’s team reporting and Enterprise approvals, or Timing’s Connect plan with shared projects, are the better fit.
• You are not comfortable with screen recording at all, even stored locally. Harvest records only what you enter, so it is the better choice.

For a consultant who already uses Harvest well, Dayflow is at most a memory aid alongside it, not a replacement.

The bottom line

For a solo consultant, Harvest is the better choice when getting paid is the hard part. It turns tracked time into invoices with online payments, tracks expenses, connects to QuickBooks and Xero, and costs nothing for up to 2 projects. Timing is the better choice when capturing every hour is the hard part and you work only on a Mac. It records time automatically, keeps it local by default, and adds rounding and billing status for $9 a month billed annually.

At $108 a year each on annual billing, the paid tiers cost the same, so decide based on whether you lose more money to missed timers or to slow invoices. Some consultants will reasonably run both.

Dayflow, our product, sits beside them rather than above them. It is free, open source and automatic, and it gives you a readable account of your day to back up a timesheet. It will not send an invoice, so if billing is the job, pair it with Harvest or skip it.

Frequently asked questions

Is Harvest or Timing better for a freelance consultant?

It depends on where your bottleneck is. If you lose money because invoicing is slow or messy, Harvest is the better fit, since it turns tracked time into invoices with online payments and tracks expenses. If you lose money because you forget to start timers, Timing is the better fit, since it records time on your Mac automatically and adds billing status tracking and rounded reports.

Does Harvest have a free plan for one person?

Yes. Harvest's Free plan is $0 forever for 1 seat and 2 projects, and it includes time tracking, invoicing and expense tracking. That works for a consultant with one or two active clients. Once you need a third project, the next plan is Teams at $9 per seat per month billed annually ($108 a year) or $11 per seat billed monthly.

Is there a free version of Timing?

No. Timing lists no free tier and is subscription only. It offers a 30-day trial with no credit card required. After that, the cheapest plan is Professional at $9 per month billed annually or $11 per month billed monthly, and that plan covers one Mac with limited web app access. Prices may vary by region or tax.

Can Harvest track my time automatically?

Not in the sense of recording what you do on your computer. Harvest's own pages describe one-click timers, daily and weekly timesheets, and tracking from a connected calendar. No automatic activity capture is listed. If you want hours captured without starting a clock, look at Timing or Dayflow, both of which record activity on a Mac without manual timers.

Can Timing create invoices for clients?

Timing's pricing page lists billing status tracking, customizable reports with rounding, and a GrandTotal invoicing integration, with availability depending on plan. It does not list a built-in invoice and payment system like Harvest's. If you want to send invoices and collect online payments from the same tool that tracks your hours, Harvest is the more direct fit.

Where does Timing store my tracked time?

Timing states that tracked times are stored locally and never leave your Mac unless you opt into sync. All of its plans list Sync and Cloud Backup as an option. Harvest, by contrast, is a cloud web service with desktop and mobile apps, so your time entries live on Harvest's servers by design.

Should I use Dayflow instead of Harvest for client billing?

No. Harvest beats Dayflow for client billing. Dayflow has no invoicing, no expense tracking and no online payments, while Harvest turns tracked time into invoices and connects to accounting tools such as QuickBooks and Xero. Dayflow can help you remember what you worked on and fill in a timesheet, but the bill itself should come from Harvest or another invoicing tool.

Does Harvest work on Windows and phones?

Yes. Harvest lists apps for Web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, plus browser extensions. Timing is Mac only, though it lists iOS activity import. Dayflow is Mac only and needs macOS 14 or later. If you switch between a Mac and a Windows machine, or log most hours from your phone, Harvest is the only one of the three that covers all of it.

Is Timing worth it over a free time tracker?

For a Mac-based consultant who bills by the hour, Timing's case is automatic capture plus billing-focused reports: billing status, report rounding and integrations with tools like Clio, ClickUp and Linear, depending on plan. If you only need a rough picture of your day rather than billable records, a free option such as Dayflow or Harvest's Free plan may be enough.