Harvest vs Toggl: Which Time Tracking and Invoicing Tool Wins?

TL;DR: Harvest is the better choice if you need time tracking with built-in invoicing and expense tracking. Toggl Track is stronger for pure time tracking with better reporting, team management, and a more modern interface. For invoicing, Harvest has a clear edge since Toggl does not create invoices natively.

Quick comparison

Invoice creation

Harvest includes built-in invoicing that pulls directly from tracked time and expenses. You can generate an invoice from logged hours, review line items, and send — all within Harvest. This time-to-invoice workflow is the platform's strongest feature for client-billing businesses.

Toggl Track does not have native invoicing. You can export time data and create invoices in a separate tool, or use integrations with invoicing platforms. This is a significant gap for freelancers and agencies that need to bill clients based on tracked hours. If invoicing is important, Harvest saves you from juggling multiple tools.

For businesses that want more invoicing features than Harvest provides (custom templates, payment processing, client portal), a dedicated tool like InvoiceQuickly paired with either time tracker can offer the best of both worlds.

Pricing

Harvest offers a free plan for one user with two projects. The paid plan is $11/user/month with unlimited projects. Toggl Track's free plan supports up to five users with basic tracking. Paid plans start at $10/user/month (Starter), $20/user/month (Premium), and custom pricing for Enterprise.

For a solo freelancer, both are affordable. For teams, Toggl's free plan for up to five users is generous. Harvest's pricing is simpler — one paid tier with all features included.

Automation and workflows

Harvest automates time-to-invoice workflows, budget alerts when projects approach limits, and weekly timesheet reminders. Toggl Track automates time entry suggestions based on calendar events, project detection, and activity tracking. Toggl also offers automatic time tracking that detects which application you are using (desktop app).

For billing automation, Harvest wins. For time tracking automation and productivity insights, Toggl wins.

Integrations

Toggl Track integrates with 100+ tools including Asana, Jira, GitHub, Slack, and major project management platforms. Harvest integrates with 70+ tools including Asana, Trello, Slack, and accounting platforms (QuickBooks, Xero). Both work with Zapier for additional connections.

Toggl's integration breadth is wider, especially for development and project management tools. Harvest's integrations focus on the tools agencies and consultants use — accounting, project management, and CRM platforms.

Ease of use

Both tools are easy to learn. Toggl Track has a more modern, visually appealing interface with a one-click timer that is hard to beat for simplicity. Harvest's interface is clean and functional but feels slightly more dated. Both have excellent mobile apps for tracking time on the go.

Toggl's onboarding is faster for pure time tracking. Harvest's onboarding takes a bit longer because it includes invoicing and expense setup, but that additional setup pays off when billing time arrives. Both tools offer browser extensions and desktop apps that make starting and stopping timers accessible from anywhere in your workflow.

Verdict

Choose Harvest if you bill clients based on time and want tracking and invoicing in one tool. The time-to-invoice workflow eliminates manual data transfer and ensures accurate billing.

Choose Toggl Track if you prioritise time tracking accuracy, team productivity insights, and detailed reporting. Pair it with a separate invoicing tool for billing.

Frequently asked questions

Can Toggl Track generate invoices at all?

Not natively. Toggl integrates with invoicing tools like FreshBooks, Xero, and others where you can import Toggl time data. You can also export CSV reports and use them to create invoices manually. It adds friction compared to Harvest's built-in invoicing.

Which is better for remote teams?

Toggl Track has better team management features — team dashboards, activity levels, project status views, and scheduling (Toggl Plan). Harvest tracks team time well but the focus is on client billing rather than team productivity management.

Do both support project budgets?

Yes. Both let you set project budgets (hours or money) and alert you when approaching limits. Harvest shows budget burn rate on its dashboard and includes budget data in client-facing reports. Toggl provides budget tracking on paid plans with visual progress indicators.

Which has better reporting?

Toggl Track has more detailed reporting with the ability to filter by user, project, client, tag, and time period. Visual charts, summary reports, and detailed reports can be exported in multiple formats. Harvest's reporting covers the essentials — time by project, team utilisation, and budget tracking — with the addition of uninvoiced time reports that are critical for billing-focused businesses. For productivity analysis, Toggl wins. For billing insights, Harvest wins.