solidtime vs Harvest: Which Is Better for Tracking Billable Time in 2026?

Harvest is the better pick for billable time if you invoice clients. Its free plan invoices for 1 seat and 2 projects, and it handles online payments, expenses and QuickBooks or Xero integrations. Choose solidtime if you want open source, self-hosting or local automatic activity tracking, and can pay for Professional to get billable rates and invoicing. Dayflow (ours) records your Mac day but never invoices.

Harvest is built around the invoice. Timers and timesheets feed invoices, online payments, expenses and accounting tools like QuickBooks and Xero. solidtime is built around ownership. It is open source under AGPL v3, you can self-host it for free, and its desktop app can log which app and document is in focus while keeping that activity on your device until you turn it into a time entry.

Disclosure: Dayflow, the third option in this article, is our product. This comparison is based only on each vendor’s own pricing and product pages as checked on October 4, 2026, and on Dayflow’s published facts for version 2.2.0.

Quick comparison

Tool	Best for	How it tracks	Price	Platforms
solidtime	Freelancers and agencies who want open source, EU hosting or self-hosting	Timer, calendar and weekly timesheet. The desktop app adds local automatic activity tracking and idle detection	Solo cloud free (1 user). Professional €8 / user / month billed annually or €9 billed monthly, excl. VAT. Self-hosted €0	Web, Mac, Windows, Linux
Harvest	Freelancers and teams who invoice from tracked time	One-click timers, daily and weekly timesheets, connected calendar	Free (1 seat, 2 projects). Teams $9 / seat / month billed annually or $11 billed monthly	Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, browser extensions
Dayflow (ours)	Remembering what you actually worked on, on a Mac	Records the screen at one frame every 10 seconds, then AI writes a timeline	$0, MIT licensed. Optional Pro at $20 / month	Mac only (macOS 14+)

Key takeaways

• If getting paid is the point, Harvest covers more of the billing job: invoicing with online payments, expense tracking, and QuickBooks and Xero integrations. Its free plan includes invoicing for 1 seat and 2 projects.
• solidtime is the one you can own. It is AGPL v3, free to self-host, and offers an EU-hosted cloud. Billable rates and invoicing need the Professional cloud plan or, if you self-host, a paid Business license.
• solidtime’s desktop app has automatic activity tracking on Mac, Windows and Linux. Harvest lists no automatic capture.
• Harvest has iOS and Android apps and browser extensions. The solidtime pages checked did not confirm mobile apps.
• Neither vendor lists AI features. Dayflow covers the “what did I do all day” gap, but it does not invoice, so it sits next to a billing tool rather than replacing one.

What does solidtime do better?

You can run it yourself

solidtime publishes its source under AGPL v3, and the self-hosted Open Source edition costs €0. That matters if a client contract says time and project data must stay on your servers, or if you simply do not want a vendor between you and your billing records. The cloud version is described by the vendor as EU-hosted and GDPR-friendly, which helps if your clients are in Europe.

One catch: self-hosted invoicing is not free. It needs the Business license, listed from €49 per year. The only full figure readable on the page was €199 per year excluding VAT for one organization with 5 users.

Automatic activity tracking that stays local

The solidtime desktop app watches which app and document is in focus and adds idle detection. According to the vendor, that activity stays on your device until you choose to turn it into a time entry. For billable work, this is useful at the end of the day: instead of guessing how long you spent in a client’s file, you have a record to check against.

It is still a record of apps and documents, not a written account of the work, and you still decide what becomes a billable entry.

Automatic tracking on the free plan

The free Solo cloud plan includes clients, projects, tags and tasks, calendar and timesheet views, breaks, reporting, and the desktop app’s automatic activity tracking. If you only need to know where your hours went and you invoice from another tool, the free plan goes a long way.

Easier to switch in

solidtime imports from Toggl and Clockify. If you are leaving one of those, your history comes with you. (If you are weighing those two first, see Toggl vs Clockify.)

What does Harvest do better?

Getting paid

Harvest turns tracked time into invoices and supports online payments on them. Expense tracking sits in the same place, so billable costs and billable hours end up on one invoice. For a freelancer, that closes the loop from timer to money without a second app.

A free plan that already invoices

Harvest’s Free plan is $0 forever for 1 seat and 2 projects, and it includes time tracking, invoicing and expense tracking. solidtime’s free plan does not include billable rates or invoicing. If you have one or two client projects at a time, Harvest is the only one of the two that lets you bill without paying.

Accounting integrations

Harvest lists integrations with accounting tools such as QuickBooks and Xero. If your bookkeeper lives in one of those, this saves re-keying invoices every month.

Team controls

Harvest offers team reporting, and the Enterprise plan adds profitability reporting and timesheet approvals. An agency that needs someone to sign off on hours before they go on a client invoice gets that workflow built in.

More places to track from

Harvest runs on Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and browser extensions. Starting a timer from your phone after a client call, or from a browser tab while you work in a web app, is covered. The solidtime pages checked did not confirm mobile apps.

A clear trial

Harvest offers a 30-day trial with no credit card required. One note for vendor reviews: the site footer reads Bending Spoons Operations S.p.A., so Harvest is now owned by Bending Spoons.

Head-to-head table

Capability	solidtime	Harvest	Dayflow (ours)
Automatic capture	Yes, in the desktop app (app and document in focus, idle detection), kept on device until logged	None listed	Yes, screen recording at one frame every 10 seconds
Timers and timesheets	Timer, calendar, weekly timesheet	One-click timers, daily and weekly timesheets, calendar	No timers. AI-written timeline instead
Invoicing	Professional plan (cloud) or Business license (self-hosted)	Yes, including on the Free plan, with online payments	No
Expense tracking	Not listed	Yes	No
Team reports	Team support on Professional	Team reporting. Profitability and approvals on Enterprise	No
Website blocking	Not listed	Not listed	No
AI summaries	None stated	None listed	Yes. Local AI, your own provider, or Dayflow Pro
Data location	EU-hosted cloud or your own servers. Desktop activity stays local until logged	Cloud	Recordings and timeline on your Mac. Analysis on-device or off-device depending on mode
Free tier	Solo cloud, 1 user, no billable rates or invoicing. Self-hosted €0	1 seat, 2 projects, includes invoicing	Full app at $0
Platforms	Web, Mac, Windows, Linux	Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, browser extensions	Mac only, macOS 14+
Open source	Yes, AGPL v3	No	Yes, MIT

Pricing compared: what does one person pay per year?

Plan	solidtime	Harvest	Dayflow (ours)
Free	Solo cloud, 1 user. Self-hosted €0 forever	$0 forever, 1 seat, 2 projects	$0
Main paid plan	Professional: €8 / user / month billed annually, or €9 billed monthly, excl. VAT	Teams: $9 / seat / month ($108 per seat billed annually), or $11 billed monthly	Pro: $20 / month
Higher tier	Business on-premise license from €49 / year (€199 / year excl. VAT shown for 5 users). Enterprise custom	Enterprise: $14 / seat / month ($168 billed annually), or $17.50 billed monthly. Enterprise Plus custom	None
Trial	Not stated. See the vendor’s pricing page	30 days, no credit card	Not applicable, the app is free

Here is what one person billing clients pays per year on the cheapest plan that does the job, meaning it can attach rates and produce invoices.

Harvest: $0 if your client work fits in 2 projects. Past that, Teams costs $108 a year billed annually, or $132 a year if you pay $11 monthly. Harvest shows these as “starting from” prices in USD.

solidtime, cloud: the free plan has no billable rates or invoicing, so you need Professional. That is €96 a year billed annually, or €108 a year if you pay €9 monthly, both excluding VAT.

solidtime, self-hosted: the software is free, but invoicing needs the Business license, which starts at €49 a year. You also carry the cost and time of running a server.

The currencies differ and solidtime’s prices exclude VAT, so do not read €96 against $108 as a straight comparison. Check what you would be charged where you live.

Dayflow costs $0, or $240 a year if you choose Pro at $20 a month. Neither option invoices, so it adds to whatever billing tool you pick rather than replacing it. If you are setting rates, the real hourly rate calculator shows what your billable hours earn once unbilled time is counted.

When should you choose solidtime?

• You want the source code, or a client requires that time data stays on servers you control.
• You prefer an EU-hosted cloud for GDPR reasons.
• You work across Mac, Windows and Linux and want the same desktop app, with automatic activity tracking, on each.
• You want automatic activity tracking for free and you invoice from somewhere else.
• You are moving from Toggl or Clockify and want to import your history.
• You can pay for Professional, or a Business license if you self-host, to get billable rates, invoicing and estimates.

When should you choose Harvest?

• You want invoicing, online payments and expenses in the same tool as your timers.
• You have 2 projects or fewer and want to invoice for $0.
• Your bookkeeping runs through QuickBooks or Xero.
• You track time from your phone or from a browser extension.
• You run a team that needs approvals and profitability reports before hours reach a client, which is the Enterprise plan.
• You do not need self-hosting or open source.

For more options in the same vein, see our Harvest alternatives for Mac and the roundup of time tracking apps for freelancers on Mac.

Where do both fall short?

Both tools assume you know what you did. A timer is only as good as your memory of starting it. A timesheet filled in on Friday is a reconstruction, and the line items on an invoice are whatever you type into the description field.

solidtime’s desktop app narrows the gap by logging the app and document in focus. That tells you that you spent time in a design file or a code editor. It does not tell you what you changed, which client question you were answering, or that the twenty minutes in your browser were research for one specific deliverable. Harvest’s calendar connection captures meetings, not the work between them. Neither vendor lists AI features that would write any of this up for you.

This is where Dayflow fits, as a companion to a billing tool. It records your Mac screen at one frame every 10 seconds, and AI writes the day into a readable timeline. You can read back what you did, then enter accurate hours and better line items in Harvest or solidtime. A date range exports as Markdown from Settings → Export, which you can paste into notes or adapt into a timesheet template. The workflow is described in more detail in building a Mac timesheet without manual entry.

Two honest limits. AI summaries can miss or misinterpret work, so check the timeline before anything reaches a client. And the privacy picture depends on the mode you choose. Recordings and the timeline are stored on your Mac. With Local AI, screenshot analysis runs on-device through Ollama or LM Studio, using your own hardware. With your own cloud provider or Dayflow Pro, selected screenshots go off-device. Under the privacy policy, Pro deletes screenshots after processing and may keep activity data for sync. The details are on local and cloud processing.

If you want to compare other approaches to the same gap, our guide to Mac time trackers covers timer-based and automatic tools side by side, and what an automatic time tracker is explains the difference.

Where is Dayflow the wrong pick?

Dayflow is our product, and for a lot of billable-time jobs it is not the answer.

• You need to send invoices. Dayflow has no invoicing, payments or expense tracking. Harvest wins here, and its free plan invoices for up to 2 projects.
• You need team reports or approvals. Dayflow has no team reports and no payroll approvals. Harvest Enterprise has timesheet approvals and profitability reporting. solidtime Professional adds team support.
• You are on Windows or Linux. Dayflow runs only on macOS 14 or later. solidtime has desktop apps for both, with automatic activity tracking.
• You track from your phone. Dayflow has no mobile app. Harvest has iOS and Android apps.
• Your contract requires data on your own server. Dayflow keeps recordings on your Mac, but Pro and your-own-provider modes send selected screenshots off-device. A self-hosted solidtime install is the cleaner fit for that requirement.
• You want a ledger, not a narrative. If you want hours against rates and nothing else, a timer-based tool is simpler. Dayflow gives you a written account of the day, which you then convert into hours yourself.
• You want to block distracting sites. Dayflow has no website blocking.

The bottom line

For tracking time you bill for, Harvest is the stronger tool if invoicing is the job. It invoices on the free plan for up to 2 projects, takes online payments, tracks expenses and connects to QuickBooks and Xero, and it runs on your phone. solidtime is the better choice if you care about open source, EU hosting or self-hosting, or want automatic activity tracking across Mac, Windows and Linux. You will pay for Professional, or a Business license if you self-host, before it handles billable rates and invoices.

Dayflow does not compete with either on billing. If your problem is remembering what you did so your hours and line items are accurate, it can sit alongside whichever one you choose, on a Mac, for $0.

Frequently asked questions

Is solidtime really free?

Partly. The Solo cloud plan is free for 1 user and includes clients, projects, tags, tasks, calendar and timesheet views, breaks, automatic activity tracking in the desktop app, and reporting. Self-hosting the open source version is also €0. Billable rates, invoicing, estimates and team support need the Professional plan, which costs €8 per user per month billed annually or €9 billed monthly, excluding VAT.

Does Harvest have a free plan?

Yes. Harvest's Free plan is $0 forever for 1 seat and 2 projects, and it includes time tracking, invoicing and expense tracking. Once you need more projects or seats, the Teams plan is $9 per seat per month billed annually ($108 per seat per year) or $11 per seat billed monthly. Harvest also offers a 30-day trial with no credit card required.

Can solidtime create invoices?

Yes, but not on the free plan. In the cloud version, billable rates, invoicing and estimates come with the Professional plan. If you self-host, invoicing needs a paid Business license, listed from €49 per year, with €199 per year excluding VAT shown for one organization with 5 users. The exact license price depends on team size, so check solidtime's on-premise pricing for your headcount.

Does Harvest track time automatically?

Harvest's pages do not list automatic activity capture. You track time with one-click timers, daily and weekly timesheets, or entries pulled from a connected calendar. If you want software that notices what you are working on without a timer, solidtime's desktop app adds automatic activity tracking, and on a Mac, Dayflow records the screen and writes the day into a timeline.

Can I self-host Harvest?

No. Harvest is a cloud web service with desktop and mobile apps, and it is not open source. If your clients or your own policies require time data on servers you control, solidtime is the option here: its source is published under AGPL v3, and the self-hosted version is free. Invoicing on a self-hosted install needs the paid Business license.

Which is better for a freelancer on a Mac, solidtime or Harvest?

If you invoice clients and have no more than 2 projects, Harvest's free plan covers tracking, invoicing and expenses at $0. If you have more projects, both need a paid plan for billing. Pick solidtime for open source, EU hosting or local automatic activity tracking. Pick Harvest for online payments, accounting integrations and mobile apps. Both have Mac desktop apps.

Can Dayflow replace Harvest for billing clients?

No, and Harvest is the better tool for that job. Dayflow does not create invoices, track expenses, run payroll approvals or produce team reports. It records your Mac screen and has AI write a timeline of your day, which can help you fill in timesheets or write line items. For sending invoices and taking payment, use Harvest or solidtime's Professional plan.

Do solidtime or Harvest have AI features?

Neither vendor lists AI features on the pages checked for this comparison. Both expect you to describe your own time entries. Dayflow, our product, uses AI to turn screen recordings into a written timeline. You can run that analysis locally through Ollama or LM Studio, send it to your own provider, or use Dayflow Pro. AI summaries can miss or misread work, so check them.

Who owns Harvest now?

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, though its pricing FAQ still mentions older plan names. If ownership matters for your vendor review, read the current terms on Harvest's site before you commit client data to it.

Does solidtime work on Windows and Linux?

Yes. solidtime has a web app plus desktop apps for Mac, Windows and Linux, and the automatic activity tracking runs in the desktop app on all three. The pages checked did not confirm mobile apps. Harvest covers Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and browser extensions but lists no Linux desktop app. Dayflow runs only on macOS 14 or later.