Best Harvest Alternatives for Digital Agencies
Published: 28/05/2022
Free trial
See for yourself how you can save time and money. Enter your details below for a free 30 day no-obligation trial.
We aim to provide Harvest alternatives for digital agencies seeking reliable time tracking software. While we acknowledge that it is a valuable tool for some companies, most agencies are adopting it based on word-of-mouth, without assessing whether it is a suitable solution for their business model.
If you have been researching time tracking solutions for your digital agency, you have most likely encountered Harvest. This is a rather popular solution, praised for its simplicity and user-friendly interface. However, this can also be viewed as its primary drawback.
Very often, we as humans are inclined to pursue things that those we trust consider useful - and this is one of the tools that many seem to swear by. However, it must always be remembered that tools or strategies that worked for some may not be the best approach for others. If you are considering getting Harvest for your organisation due to an abundance of feedback from either your peers or the online community, we suggest you hold your horses. Read this article – chances are some of the Harvest alternatives will resonate with your needs better.
While Harvest is a great tool for freelancers, particularly its free version, digital agencies do not benefit from it as much as they are charged. When compared to other similar solutions on the market, Harvest is rather limited in its functionality and not as intuitive as other tools. Yet, it falls within the higher price range.
Many digital agencies still use Harvest; nonetheless, it is specialist software designed for businesses that utilise multiple time retainers across their projects. However, if that is not the primary function you are seeking, the solutions listed below will likely better cater to your needs.
Timesheet Portal is not merely time tracking software; it is a versatile tool that offers payment and billing features, contractor and full-time employee onboarding, document management, an expense claims module, and much more. Online timesheets are central to the other operations you can conduct through our system, and ultimately, you can build and customise Timesheet Portal to suit your needs. In fact, it provides as much flexibility as altering the names of the items on the navigation bar so they align more closely with your company’s terminology.
Not only is it more powerful than Harvest, but it is also very automation-oriented, seeking to minimise manual tasks such as data entry. Timesheet Portal integrates with most of the popular accounting software, enabling easy data transfer through seamless links and creating an end-to-end experience for users. Additionally, a flexible pay model allows companies to pay solely for the features they use, rather than being roped into expensive packages with functionality that is rarely engaged. Users can easily upgrade or downgrade the software in the settings, as this tool is designed to adapt to their needs instead of requiring them to adjust to its functionality.
Unlike Harvest, Wrike is actually project management software rather than a time-tracking solution. It offers much wider functionality, more pricing options, and is, frankly, more budget-friendly. While Harvest charges £12 a month for every user, Wrike’s Professional package costs £9.80 per user, including features such as a collaboration platform, 2 GB of personal storage, Gantt charts, and interactive dashboards. Harvest, on the other hand, only allows an average user to track their time.
Wrike can also become highly customisable; however, the price will increase accordingly. What is curious is that additional security measures, such as Single Sign-On (SSO), two-factor authentication (2FA), password policies, and account roles, only become available in the Enterprise package. In other words, your data isn’t likely to be as secure with a lesser monthly payment. Depending on your business and how you intend to use the software, this could be a deal breaker. For example, if you intend to use Wrike for internal project progress tracking only, it will suffice. If you are interested in converting your timesheets into billable invoices to distribute to your clients, on the other hand, Wrike may not be the most budget-efficient solution.
Although Harvest offers a free plan, it is only suitable for a single user and has a limitation of one project. This is a great solution for freelancers, but small agencies with limited funds cannot benefit from it. For startups with constrained budgets, Hours would be a much better and more sophisticated time tracking platform in terms of functionality. In simple terms, the solution is free yet provides real-time tracking, smart reporting, and invoicing features.
On the other hand, this is not forever software. Since there are no available integrations, Hours should only be viewed as a stepping stone that will aid you in growing enough to afford a paid solution. Otherwise, as you scale, you will find it limiting and potentially prevent you from progressing further. Similarly to Wrike, though, it can still serve as a great tool for internal time tracking due to its highly visual features. As the agency grows, however, it would no longer adequately accommodate client work.
What we appreciate about DeskTime is already suggested by its name. Not only does it track the time spent working on projects, but it also measures productivity and aims to enhance your team’s wellbeing by helping you be vigilant about burnout prevention. Additionally, it serves as a robust tool for team management, including scheduling and absence registration. While it’s one of the newer entrants in the market, it's well-equipped to support a hybrid workplace approach.
The primary concern we have regarding DeskTime is that it may be perceived as intrusive and is not particularly accessible for non-office-bound workers. Similar to Harvest, it will be linked to the device on which it is installed, and the automatic time tracker will commence as soon as the device is powered on. This can create issues if the user is switching between devices. Furthermore, it is not clearly explained how the tool distinguishes between idle and work time for employees, which can raise some ethical concerns.
This software takes a markedly different approach to time tracking compared to those we have discussed. In simple terms, rather than recording time spent on tasks, it concentrates on logging computer usage. ManicTime gathers and retains data on the applications and websites the user engages with, which can significantly enhance productivity analysis. Furthermore, it might indicate the necessity for new, more integrated software if app switching emerges as a recurring trend. Given the substantial amounts of data it collects, ManicTime produces highly detailed and informative reports. The tool is also available in eight languages.
There are two major caveats to this tool. The first is that users may have to take slightly different implementation routes depending on their operating system. The experience can vary, potentially leading to functionality differences. Secondly, it is not the most visually appealing solution. While this may not seem problematic at first glance, it is more complicated than mere aesthetics. Given the large volumes of data that ManicTime collects, the reports should be exceptional; however, if the end user struggles to understand their visual representation, they will not be analysed for their true value.
We are certainly not dismissing Harvest as a tool that no agency should use. If anything, we also commend its compact simplicity and how convenient it is for retainer-based projects. However, we contend that it is not the best time-tracking solution for digital agencies. The industries and sectors in which the agencies operate are diverse; therefore, it would be unwise to expect a single solution that fits all.
In this article, we’ve attempted to introduce you to a diverse range of time and productivity recording software; alas, it's merely a small fragment of a densely saturated market. To find the solution that fully meets your needs and expectations, we always recommend either trying its free version or contacting the vendor to request a demonstration tailored to the specific goals you’re hoping to achieve. Most importantly, don’t rush your decision, and always prioritise the solution that can grow alongside your business.
For example, Timesheet Portal. Interested? - Book a demo today.