Softwr

Professional Services · head to head

Harvest vs Lago

Harvest logo

Harvest

Professional Services

Time tracking software for teams that care about where their time goes

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lago logo

Lago

Accounting

Open-source billing infrastructure for usage-based models

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Harvest the free plan is one seat and two projects, so it suits a solo freelancer and nothing larger; Lago free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap
  • They diverge on capability: Harvest covers Time tracking, Lago covers Real-time usage metering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harvest and Lago actually diverge.

Attributes where Harvest and Lago differ
AttributeHarvestLago
Pricing modelfreemiumFreemium with optional paid tiers
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, AndroidWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC
CategoryProfessional ServicesAccounting
Founded2006Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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

  • Time tracking
  • Expense tracking
  • Invoicing
  • Project budgets
  • Team capacity
  • Detailed reports
  • Mobile apps
  • Browser extension

Only in Lago

  • Real-time usage metering
  • Multiple pricing models
  • Automated invoicing
  • Prepaid credits
  • Entitlements
  • Multi-currency support
  • Payment orchestration
  • Revenue analytics

What people use each for

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

Harvest

  • Time tracking against projects and clientsnot Lago
  • Turning tracked time into invoicesnot Lago
  • Expense capture alongside billable hoursnot Lago
  • Team capacity and utilisation reporting on the paid plansnot Lago
  • Feeding billed time into QuickBooks or Xeronot Lago

Lago

  • Building usage-based billing for high-volume APIs and infrastructurenot Harvest
  • Implementing metered billing for AI and tokenized servicesnot Harvest
  • Creating subscription and hybrid pricing modelsnot Harvest
  • Managing multi-currency billing for global companiesnot Harvest
  • Maintaining billing infrastructure without vendor lock-innot Harvest

Where each one falls short

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

Harvest

  • The free plan is one seat and two projects, so it suits a solo freelancer and nothing larger
  • Team reporting and unlimited projects require the Teams plan at $9 per seat per month
  • Profitability reporting, timesheet approvals and custom reports need Enterprise at $14 per seat per month
  • SAML single sign-on is Enterprise only
  • QuickBooks, Xero and Stripe integrations are withheld from the free plan

Lago

  • Free tier limited to 10,000 entities per month with 5M event cap
  • No specific pricing published for Pro annual plan or Scale plan
  • Self-hosted and on-premise deployments require engineering resources
  • Community support only on free tier
  • Scale plan requires annual contracts and sales engagement

Pricing, plan by plan

Harvest

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 seat
    • Time tracking
    • Invoicing
  • Teams$9/month
    • Unlimited seats
    • Team reporting
    • Accounting integrations (Stripe, QuickBooks, Xero, Deel)
  • Enterprise$14/month
    • Unlimited seats
    • Unlimited custom reports
    • Profitability reporting

Lago

Free
  • Build (Free)Free
    • 10,000 managed entities per month
    • 5M usage events per month
    • 1K events per second rate limit
  • Pro$399/month
    • 10,000 entities included (graduated pricing to 100K)
    • 25M usage events included (to 500M with graduated rates)
    • 10K events per second (upgradeable to 100K)
  • Scale$null/custom
    • Custom entity and event volumes
    • 50K events per second (upgradeable to 100K)
    • RBAC and SSO (SAML)

Which should you pick?

Choose Harvest if

  • You need time tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want expense tracking.
Harvest review

Choose Lago if

  • You need real-time usage metering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC.
  • You also want multiple pricing models.
Lago review

Questions people ask

Is Harvest or Lago better?
Neither clearly leads. Harvest starts at Free and Lago at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harvest or Lago?
Harvest starts at Free and Lago at Free.
Does Harvest or Lago run on more platforms?
Harvest runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. Lago runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted, On-premise, VPC.
Can I use Harvest for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Harvest best used for?
Harvest is most often used for time tracking against projects and clients, turning tracked time into invoices, expense capture alongside billable hours, team capacity and utilisation reporting on the paid plans. Of those, time tracking against projects and clients and turning tracked time into invoices are not what Lago is typically brought in for.
What can Harvest do that Lago cannot?
Harvest covers Time tracking, Expense tracking, Invoicing, Project budgets. Lago covers Real-time usage metering, Multiple pricing models, Automated invoicing, Prepaid credits.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Harvest: How much does Harvest cost?

Harvest offers a free plan for 1 user and Teams plan starting at $9/seat/month (billed annually at $108/seat for 20% savings). Enterprise plan starts at $14/seat/month.

Source
Lago: Can I use Lago open-source for free?

Yes, Lago is open-source under the AGPLv3 license and can be self-hosted. The cloud-based Build plan is also free with limits of 10,000 entities and 5M events per month.

Source
Harvest: Is there a free version of Harvest?

Yes, Harvest's free plan includes 1 seat with time tracking, invoicing, expense tracking, and 2 projects.

Source
Lago: What payment providers does Lago integrate with?

Lago integrates with Stripe and Adyen for payment processing. It is not a payment processor itself but orchestrates payments through these providers.

Source
Harvest: What is included in the Enterprise plan?

The Enterprise plan includes unlimited custom reports, profitability reporting, timesheet approvals, activity logs, and SAML-based SSO at $14/seat/month.

Source
Lago: Does Lago support multiple currencies?

Yes, Lago supports multi-currency billing with automatic currency conversion for global businesses.

Source
Harvest: Does Harvest offer a discount for annual billing?

Yes, annual billing provides 20% discount, reducing the Teams plan to $108/seat/year and Enterprise plan to $168/seat/year.

Source
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