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Professional Services · head to head

Harvest vs QuickBooks

Harvest logo

Harvest

Professional Services

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QuickBooks logo

QuickBooks

Accounting

Cloud accounting from Intuit with country specific editions, seat caps by plan and payroll charged separately

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Harvest has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Harvest the free plan is one seat and two projects, so it suits a solo freelancer and nothing larger; QuickBooks plans cap the number of billed users, so an approver who signs off bills and a manager who only reads reports each consume a seat and can force an upgrade to a higher tier for reasons that have nothing to do with accounting complexity.
  • They diverge on capability: Harvest covers Expense tracking, QuickBooks covers General ledger.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harvest and QuickBooks actually diverge.

Attributes where Harvest and QuickBooks differ
AttributeHarvestQuickBooks
Starting priceFree$30/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryProfessional ServicesAccounting
Founded20061983

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

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

Only in QuickBooks

  • General ledger
  • Bank feeds
  • Reconciliation
  • Sales invoicing
  • Bills and expenses
  • Sales tax and value added tax
  • Multi currency
  • Inventory

Both cover

  • Time tracking

What people use each for

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

Harvest

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

QuickBooks

  • A small business whose accountant works in QuickBooks and can take a free access seat rather than being sent exportsnot Harvest
  • An owner who wants to be able to replace their bookkeeper without also replacing the accounting systemnot Harvest
  • A service business needing project level profitability without buying a separate job costing toolnot Harvest
  • A company that wants a large third party app ecosystem to fill gaps rather than a system that must do everything itselfnot 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

QuickBooks

  • Plans cap the number of billed users, so an approver who signs off bills and a manager who only reads reports each consume a seat and can force an upgrade to a higher tier for reasons that have nothing to do with accounting complexity.
  • Multi currency is confined to the higher tiers and, once enabled, cannot be turned off and the home currency cannot be changed, so a single foreign currency invoice permanently changes the shape of the file and the plan you must remain on.
  • Inventory is average cost only, with no first in first out or standard costing, so a business whose accounts or tax position depend on a different costing method has to track stock outside the ledger and post adjustments.
  • There is no multi entity consolidation, so a group runs a separate subscription and file per company and consolidates in a spreadsheet, and the cost and the manual consolidation both grow with each new entity.
  • The country edition is selected at setup and cannot be changed afterwards, and the editions differ in tax handling and features, so a business that redomiciles or discovers it chose the global edition rather than a localised one starts a new file rather than switching a setting.

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

QuickBooks

$30/month
  • Simple Start$30/month
    • Income & expense tracking
    • Invoice & payments
    • Tax deductions
  • Essentials$60/month
    • Everything in Simple Start
    • Bill management
    • Time tracking
  • Plus$90/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Inventory tracking
    • Project profitability
  • Advanced$200/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Dedicated account team
    • 25 users

Which should you pick?

Choose Harvest if

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

Choose QuickBooks if

  • You need general ledger.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want bank feeds.
QuickBooks review

Questions people ask

Is Harvest or QuickBooks better?
Neither clearly leads. Harvest starts at Free and QuickBooks at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harvest or QuickBooks?
Harvest has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Harvest and $30/month for QuickBooks.
Does Harvest or QuickBooks run on more platforms?
Harvest runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. QuickBooks runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Harvest for free?
Yes. Harvest has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. QuickBooks starts at $30/month.
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 QuickBooks is typically brought in for.
What can Harvest do that QuickBooks cannot?
Harvest covers Expense tracking, Invoicing, Project budgets, Team capacity. QuickBooks covers General ledger, Bank feeds, Reconciliation, Sales invoicing. Both handle Time tracking.

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
QuickBooks: Which country editions actually exist?

Intuit sells localised editions principally for the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, with a global edition for other markets that has lighter tax localisation. Check that your country has a genuine localised edition before assuming filing support, and note the edition cannot be changed after setup.

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
QuickBooks: Does the subscription include payroll?

No. Payroll is a separate subscription with a per employee charge in every market that offers it. Price it alongside the plan rather than after you have committed.

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
QuickBooks: How many users do I get?

It depends on the tier, and the limits are lower than most buyers expect. Accountant access seats are free and separate, but internal approvers and read only reviewers count against the billed limit, so count everyone who needs to sign in before choosing a plan.

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
QuickBooks: Can my accountant work directly in my file?

Yes, that is one of its main advantages. Accountants use a separate practice console and take a free access seat in your company, which is also why so many practices standardise on it.

QuickBooks: Is QuickBooks Desktop still available?

The desktop line persists in the United States for larger installations, but Intuit stopped selling new subscriptions of the smaller desktop products to new customers and the investment is in the online product. Treat desktop as a legacy path rather than a choice for a new business.

QuickBooks: How hard is it to migrate to or from QuickBooks?

Getting in from another system is well trodden and there are tools and specialists for it, though transaction history usually arrives partially rather than completely. Getting out is the harder direction, because your accountant's working knowledge, your app integrations and years of coded history all have to be reproduced. Most businesses move at a year end for that reason.

QuickBooks: Can it consolidate multiple companies?

No. Each legal entity needs its own subscription and file, and the consolidation happens outside the system. Groups with several entities should price that reality in from the start.

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