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Software · head to head

Harvest Forecast vs Xero

Harvest Forecast logo

Harvest Forecast

Software

Simple visual resource planning

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Xero logo

Xero

Software

Beautiful accounting software

From
$13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Harvest Forecast the free plan allows a single seat and 2 projects; Xero the Early plan caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills per month, and the invoice limit counts both approving and sending
  • They diverge on capability: Harvest Forecast covers Visual scheduling, Xero covers Bank reconciliation.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Harvest Forecast and Xero differ
AttributeHarvest ForecastXero
Starting price$5/month$13/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2006).

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 Xero

  • Bank reconciliation
  • Invoicing
  • Bill payment
  • Expense claims
  • Financial reporting
  • Inventory tracking
  • Project tracking
  • Mobile apps

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 Xero
  • Forecasting team capacity and scheduling worknot Xero

Xero

  • Small business bookkeeping, invoicing and bank reconciliationnot Harvest Forecast
  • Bill payment and purchase order managementnot Harvest Forecast
  • Sharing books with an accountant or bookkeepernot 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

Xero

  • The Early plan caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills per month, and the invoice limit counts both approving and sending
  • Invoices created by connected app partners count against the Early plan invoice limit
  • Multiple currencies, project time and cost tracking, employee expense and mileage claims and industry benchmarking are restricted to the top Established plan at $90 per month
  • Cash flow forecasting is capped at 30 days on Early and 60 days on Growing, with 180 days only on Established
  • Payroll is not included in any plan and costs an extra $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor through Gusto
  • Inventory Plus is a paid optional add-on rather than part of any plan
  • The advertised 90% off applies only to the first 6 months, after which the regular $25, $55 or $90 monthly price auto-renews
  • The introductory discount excludes add-ons, usage charges and payment fees
  • Payment fees apply to online invoice payments and to bill payments other than standard domestic ACH, and are billed on top of the subscription
  • Subscriptions are billed monthly with no annual payment option, and after upgrading you must wait one month before downgrading to a cheaper plan
  • Xero states subscription prices are increasing from October 1, 2026

Pricing, plan by plan

Harvest Forecast

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

Xero

$13/month
  • Early$13/month
    • Send 20 invoices
    • Enter 5 bills
    • Reconcile bank transactions
  • Growing$37/month
    • Unlimited invoices & bills
    • Bulk reconcile transactions
    • Short-term cash flow
  • Established$70/month
    • Everything in Growing
    • Use multiple currencies
    • Track projects

Which should you pick?

Choose Harvest Forecast if

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

Choose Xero if

  • You need bank reconciliation.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want invoicing.
Xero review

Questions people ask

Is Harvest Forecast or Xero better?
Neither clearly leads. Harvest Forecast starts at $5/month and Xero at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harvest Forecast or Xero?
Harvest Forecast starts at $5/month and Xero at $13/month.
Does Harvest Forecast or Xero run on more platforms?
Harvest Forecast runs on Web. Xero runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
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 Xero is typically brought in for.
What can Harvest Forecast do that Xero cannot?
Harvest Forecast covers Visual scheduling, Capacity planning, Project assignments, Utilization reports. Xero covers Bank reconciliation, Invoicing, Bill payment, Expense claims.
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