Softwr

Consulting · head to head

Harvest vs Things 3

Harvest logo

Harvest

Consulting

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Things 3 logo

Things 3

Productivity

The award-winning personal task manager

From
$9.99/one-time
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; Things 3 no team collaboration, task sharing, or task assignment features
  • They diverge on capability: Harvest covers Time tracking, Things 3 covers Today view.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harvest and Things 3 actually diverge.

Attributes where Harvest and Things 3 differ
AttributeHarvestThings 3
Starting priceFree$9.99/one-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, AndroidmacOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS
CategoryConsultingProductivity
Founded20062004

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), 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 Things 3

  • Today view
  • Projects and areas
  • Quick entry
  • Tags
  • Calendar integration
  • Apple Calendar
  • Siri
  • Shortcuts

What people use each for

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

Harvest

  • Time tracking against projects and clientsnot Things 3
  • Turning tracked time into invoicesnot Things 3
  • Expense capture alongside billable hoursnot Things 3
  • Team capacity and utilisation reporting on the paid plansnot Things 3
  • Feeding billed time into QuickBooks or Xeronot Things 3

Things 3

  • Schedulingnot Harvest
  • Appointment bookingnot Harvest
  • Time trackingnot Harvest
  • Resource managementnot Harvest
  • Team coordinationnot 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

Things 3

  • No team collaboration, task sharing, or task assignment features
  • Apple ecosystem only, with no Windows, Android, or web version
  • No third-party app integrations beyond Apple's ecosystem
  • Cannot attach files or images to tasks, only text notes
  • No time blocking or calendar integration for scheduling tasks into specific time slots

Pricing, plan by plan

Harvest

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Harvest review.

Things 3

$9.99/one-time
  • iPhone/Watch$9.99/one-time
  • iPad$19.99/one-time
  • Mac$49.99/one-time

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 Things 3 if

  • You need today view.
  • You work on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS.
  • You also want projects and areas.
Things 3 review

Questions people ask

Is Harvest or Things 3 better?
Neither clearly leads. Harvest starts at Free and Things 3 at $9.99/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harvest or Things 3?
Harvest has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Harvest and $9.99/one-time for Things 3.
Does Harvest or Things 3 run on more platforms?
Harvest runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS.
Can I use Harvest for free?
Yes. Harvest has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time.
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 Things 3 is typically brought in for.
What can Harvest do that Things 3 cannot?
Harvest covers Time tracking, Expense tracking, Invoicing, Project budgets. Things 3 covers Today view, Projects and areas, Quick entry, Tags.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Things 3: Does Things 3 support team collaboration?

No. Things 3 is designed for individual use only with no task sharing, team workspaces, task assignment, or commenting features.

Source
Things 3: What platforms does Things 3 run on?

Things 3 is exclusive to Apple devices: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and visionOS. There is no Windows, Android, or web version.

Source
Things 3: How much does Things 3 cost?

Things 3 uses a one-time purchase model: $9.99 for iPhone/Watch, $19.99 for iPad, and $49.99 for Mac. Total cost for all platforms is approximately $80 with no subscription required.

Source
Things 3: Does Things 3 sync across devices?

Yes. Things Cloud keeps your to-dos in sync across all your Apple devices automatically. There is no extra cost for cloud synchronization.

Source
Things 3: Can you attach files or images to tasks in Things 3?

No. Things 3 does not support attachments. You can only add notes (text) to tasks.

Source
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Related pages

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