Softwr

Professional Services · head to head

Harvest vs Smokeball

Harvest logo

Harvest

Professional Services

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Smokeball logo

Smokeball

Legal

Practice management for small law firms with automatic time capture

From
On request
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; Smokeball requires a Windows desktop component for automatic time capture, so it is not browser-only like its competitors
  • They diverge on capability: Harvest covers Time tracking, Smokeball covers Automatic time capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harvest and Smokeball actually diverge.

Attributes where Harvest and Smokeball differ
AttributeHarvestSmokeball
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, iOS, Android
CategoryProfessional ServicesLegal
Founded2006Unknown

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

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

Only in Smokeball

  • Automatic time capture
  • Matter management
  • Document automation
  • Billing and trust accounting

What people use each for

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

Harvest

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

Smokeball

  • Firms billing hourly that lose revenue to unrecorded timenot Harvest
  • Small practices replacing paper matter files and spreadsheetsnot Harvest
  • Firms needing court form automation for high-volume matter typesnot 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

Smokeball

  • Requires a Windows desktop component for automatic time capture, so it is not browser-only like its competitors
  • Quote-only pricing with no published rates
  • Aimed at small firms; larger practices with complex billing arrangements generally outgrow it

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

Smokeball

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Smokeball review.

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 Smokeball if

  • You need automatic time capture.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want matter management.
Smokeball review

Questions people ask

Is Harvest or Smokeball better?
Neither clearly leads. Harvest starts at Free and Smokeball at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harvest or Smokeball?
Harvest has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Harvest and On request for Smokeball.
Does Harvest or Smokeball run on more platforms?
Harvest runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. Smokeball runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Harvest for free?
Yes. Harvest has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Smokeball starts at On request.
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 Smokeball is typically brought in for.
What can Harvest do that Smokeball cannot?
Harvest covers Time tracking, Expense tracking, Invoicing, Project budgets. Smokeball covers Automatic time capture, Matter management, Document automation, Billing and trust accounting.

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
Smokeball: What does Smokeball cost?

Pricing is quoted per firm and not published.

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
Smokeball: How does automatic time capture work?

A desktop application observes work on matters and turns activity into billable entries, rather than depending on someone remembering to start a timer.

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
Smokeball: Does it run on Mac?

The automatic time capture component is Windows-based, which is the main platform constraint.

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
Share

Related pages

More on Harvest

More on Smokeball

Keep looking

Other head to heads