Softwr

Calendar & Time Management · head to head

Harvest Forecast vs Slack

Harvest Forecast logo

Harvest Forecast

Calendar & Time Management

Simple visual resource planning

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Slack logo

Slack

All industries

Where work happens

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Slack has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Harvest Forecast the free plan allows a single seat and 2 projects; Slack 90-day message history limit on free plan results in important conversations disappearing
  • They diverge on capability: Harvest Forecast covers Visual scheduling, Slack covers Channels.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harvest Forecast and Slack actually diverge.

Attributes where Harvest Forecast and Slack differ
AttributeHarvest ForecastSlack
Starting price$5/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux
CategoryCalendar & Time ManagementAll industries
Founded20062009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Harvest Forecast

  • Visual scheduling
  • Capacity planning
  • Project assignments
  • Utilization reports
  • Harvest integration
  • Harvest
  • Google Calendar
  • iCal

Only in Slack

  • Channels
  • Direct messaging
  • Voice & video calls
  • Screen sharing
  • File sharing
  • Search
  • Workflow builder
  • Slack Connect

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Harvest Forecast

  • Time tracking and invoicing against client projectsnot Slack
  • Forecasting team capacity and scheduling worknot Slack

Slack

  • Team communicationnot Harvest Forecast
  • Project coordinationnot Harvest Forecast
  • Customer supportnot Harvest Forecast
  • Remote worknot Harvest Forecast
  • Cross-functional collaborationnot Harvest Forecast

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Harvest Forecast

  • The free plan allows a single seat and 2 projects
  • Paid plans bill per seat with usage charged beyond the base rate rather than being purely flat
  • The Enterprise plan is $14 per seat per month against $9 on Teams
  • The 20% saving requires annual payment
  • Enterprise Plus is custom priced

Slack

  • 90-day message history limit on free plan results in important conversations disappearing
  • Per-user pricing becomes expensive quickly for larger teams
  • Notification overload with 78% of employees feeling overwhelmed by notifications
  • Mobile app performance issues including lag and slow syncing
  • Huddles limited to 50 people and cannot be recorded
  • Requires dedicated video conferencing service for formal meetings and webinars

Pricing, plan by plan

Harvest Forecast

$5/month
  • Per seat$5/month
    • Visual planning
    • Harvest integration
    • Team scheduling

Slack

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Slack review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Harvest Forecast if

  • You need visual scheduling.
  • You also want capacity planning.
Harvest Forecast review

Choose Slack if

  • You need channels.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux.
  • You also want direct messaging.
Slack review

Questions people ask

Is Harvest Forecast or Slack better?
Neither clearly leads. Harvest Forecast starts at $5/month and Slack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harvest Forecast or Slack?
Slack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $5/month for Harvest Forecast and Free for Slack.
Does Harvest Forecast or Slack run on more platforms?
Harvest Forecast runs on Web. Slack runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux.
Can I use Slack for free?
Yes. Slack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Harvest Forecast starts at $5/month.
What is Harvest Forecast best used for?
Harvest Forecast is most often used for time tracking and invoicing against client projects, forecasting team capacity and scheduling work. Of those, time tracking and invoicing against client projects and forecasting team capacity and scheduling work are not what Slack is typically brought in for.
What can Harvest Forecast do that Slack cannot?
Harvest Forecast covers Visual scheduling, Capacity planning, Project assignments, Utilization reports. Slack covers Channels, Direct messaging, Voice & video calls, Screen sharing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Slack: Does Slack have a free plan?

Yes, Slack offers a free plan indefinitely with no credit card required. Free users get 90-day message history, up to 10 app integrations, and 1:1 huddles.

Source
Slack: What are Slack's pricing plans?

Slack offers Free, Pro ($7.25/user/month with annual billing), Business+ ($12.50/user/month), and Enterprise Grid (custom pricing). Monthly billing costs approximately 20% more than annual.

Source
Slack: Does Slack support offline use?

Slack is a cloud-based platform and does not support robust offline work. Internet connectivity is required to access messages and collaborate.

Source
Slack: What integrations does Slack support?

Slack integrates with 43+ apps on average per team, including Google Drive, ChatGPT, Vercel, Asana, GitHub, and many others through their app marketplace.

Source
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Related pages

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