Harvest vs Hubstaff: An In-depth Comparison for Business Efficiency

In today’s fast-paced business environment, efficient time tracking and project management are integral to success. With an array of tools available in the market, choosing the right one can be challenging. Two leading contenders, Harvest and Hubstaff, both offer unique features aimed at boosting productivity and streamlining operations. This in-depth comparison will provide a detailed overview of these tools, highlighting their key features, similarities, differences, and scenarios where one might be preferable over the other.

What is Harvest and what is Hubstaff?

Harvest is a comprehensive cloud-based time tracking tool that is widely used by businesses and freelancers alike. With a focus on simplifying time tracking and expense logging, Harvest offers an intuitive interface to ensure seamless task management. Its capabilities extend beyond tracking time and expenses to include scheduling, invoicing, and generating insightful reports. Through these features, businesses can gain a comprehensive understanding of their productivity, project progression, and overall business performance.

On the other hand, Hubstaff is a robust workforce management and productivity tracking software. It not only offers time tracking but also incorporates features like activity monitoring, geofencing for location-based teams, and detailed productivity reporting. It’s especially popular among businesses with remote or distributed teams due to its capabilities for tracking work activity levels and providing transparency between employers and employees. Furthermore, Hubstaff offers payroll management, which automates payments based on hours worked, making it a versatile solution for businesses of various sizes and industries.

Key differences between Harvest and Hubstaff

1. Project Management Features: While Harvest focuses more on project and time tracking, Hubstaff provides more comprehensive project management features like task allocation, activity monitoring, and screenshots.
2. Expense Tracking: Harvest shines in this aspect, providing integrated expense tracking, which Hubstaff does not natively offer.
3. Employee Monitoring: Hubstaff has a stronger emphasis on employee monitoring, including keystroke and mouse movement monitoring, and random screen capture functionality.
4. Invoicing: Harvest integrates with Stripe to provide invoicing services, whereas Hubstaff doesn’t have a built-in invoicing tool but allows integrations with other invoicing tools like Quickbooks and Freshbooks.
5. Geofencing: This is a unique feature offered by Hubstaff, allowing businesses with location-based or remote teams to create geographical boundaries and track time when employees enter or leave these areas.
6. Payroll Management: Hubstaff has built-in payroll features, allowing automated payments based on tracked hours, whereas Harvest lacks this feature.
7. Price: Harvest offers a more straightforward pricing model with unlimited features in its paid plan, while Hubstaff offers multiple tiered plans with varying features.

Key similarities between Harvest and Hubstaff

1. Time Tracking: Both Harvest and Hubstaff offer robust time tracking features, allowing employees to manually or automatically log their hours.
2. Integrations: Both tools provide extensive integration options with popular project management, communication, and CRM tools.
3. Reporting: Harvest and Hubstaff provide detailed reporting features, giving insights into project progression, productivity, and team performance.
4. Cross-Platform Compatibility: Both tools offer compatibility across multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, along with Chrome extension support.
5. Ease of Use: Both Harvest and Hubstaff emphasize user-friendly interfaces and ease of use, making them accessible to teams with varying technical proficiency.
6. Client and Project Classification: Both tools allow the categorization of time logs by client and project, which helps in better organization and project management.

Pros of Harvest over Hubstaff

1. Expense Tracking: Harvest provides an integrated expense tracking system that Hubstaff lacks. This allows businesses to easily manage expenses alongside time tracking and invoicing.
2. Invoicing Capabilities: Harvest has built-in invoicing tools that integrate with Stripe, making it easier to bill clients based on the tracked hours and expenses, a feature not natively available in Hubstaff.
3. Simpler Pricing Model: Harvest’s pricing model is straightforward, offering unlimited features with its paid plan. This can be more appealing to businesses that prefer a simpler, all-inclusive pricing strategy.
4. User-friendly Interface: While both tools focus on usability, many users find Harvest’s interface to be more intuitive and easier to navigate, which can be a plus point for teams with varying technical proficiency.
5. Focus on Time Tracking: If a business’s primary need is comprehensive time tracking, Harvest’s specialized focus in this area might make it a more attractive option than Hubstaff.
6. Client and Project Classification: Although both tools offer this feature, Harvest’s client and project classification system is often appreciated for its ease of use and effective organization.

Cons of Harvest compared to Hubstaff

1. Lack of Advanced Monitoring: Unlike Hubstaff, Harvest doesn’t offer advanced monitoring features like screenshots and activity levels based on keystroke and mouse movements.
2. No Geofencing: Harvest lacks the geofencing feature that Hubstaff provides, which can be useful for businesses with location-based teams or employees working in the field.
3. Limited Project Management Features: While Harvest does well in time tracking and expense logging, it doesn’t offer as many project management tools as Hubstaff, such as task allocation and detailed activity monitoring.
4. No Native Payroll Management: Unlike Hubstaff, Harvest doesn’t include payroll management tools, which could be a disadvantage for businesses looking to automate their payment processes based on tracked hours.
5. Limited Tiered Pricing: Harvest’s simpler pricing model, while a boon for some, might not appeal to businesses looking for more flexibility or a wider range of options to match their specific needs.
6. Less Extensive Reporting: While Harvest provides helpful reporting tools, Hubstaff offers more detailed and extensive reports, especially regarding employee productivity and activity levels.

Pros of Hubstaff over Harvest

1. Advanced Monitoring Features: Hubstaff offers detailed employee monitoring features, including activity levels based on keystroke and mouse movements, as well as random screen capture functionality. This could be advantageous for businesses seeking more transparency and insight into their team’s productivity.
2. Geofencing Capabilities: Hubstaff provides a geofencing feature, which is a plus for businesses with location-based or field-working teams. This feature tracks time when employees enter or leave a designated geographical area.
3. Comprehensive Project Management Tools: Hubstaff offers more extensive project management features, such as task allocation and detailed activity monitoring, compared to Harvest.
4. Built-in Payroll Management: Hubstaff includes a payroll management system, enabling businesses to automate payments based on tracked hours, a feature that Harvest does not offer.
5. Flexible Pricing Tiers: Hubstaff offers several tiered pricing plans, providing more flexibility for businesses to choose a plan that fits their specific needs and budget.
6. More Extensive Reporting: Hubstaff provides more detailed and extensive reports, especially in terms of employee productivity and activity levels, compared to Harvest.

Cons of Hubstaff compared to Harvest

1. Lack of Built-in Expense Tracking: Unlike Harvest, Hubstaff does not provide a built-in expense tracking system, which could be a disadvantage for businesses looking for an all-in-one solution for time tracking, expense logging, and invoicing.
2. No Native Invoicing Tools: Although Hubstaff integrates with other invoicing tools like QuickBooks and FreshBooks, it lacks native invoicing capabilities that Harvest offers.
3. Less Intuitive Interface: While Hubstaff aims for usability, some users find its interface less intuitive than Harvest’s, potentially leading to a steeper learning curve for new users.
4. Less Focus on Time Tracking: Although Hubstaff offers time tracking, it might not be as comprehensive or intuitive as Harvest’s, given the latter’s strong focus in this area.
5. Complex Pricing Model: While the tiered pricing plans offer flexibility, they can also be more complex to navigate for businesses looking for a simpler, straightforward pricing strategy.
6. Requires More System Resources: As a more comprehensive software with advanced monitoring features, Hubstaff may consume more system resources than Harvest, potentially slowing down older or lower-spec devices.

Situations when Harvest is better than Hubstaff

1. Need for Invoicing and Expense Tracking: If your business frequently bills clients based on tracked time and incurred expenses, Harvest’s built-in invoicing and expense tracking can make this process simpler and more efficient.
2. Primary Focus on Time Tracking: If your organization primarily needs a robust, intuitive time tracking tool and less emphasis on other project management or employee monitoring features, Harvest might be the better option.
3. Preference for Simplicity: If your team values simplicity and an intuitive user interface over a suite of more complex features, Harvest’s straightforward design might be more suitable.
4. Fixed Budget: If you prefer a clear, fixed pricing model with unlimited access to features, Harvest’s pricing strategy could be more appealing.
5. Need for Client and Project Classification: If your workflow involves different clients and projects, Harvest’s effective client and project classification system can help keep your work organized and transparent.
6. Less Technical Team: If your team isn’t highly technical, Harvest’s ease of use and intuitive design can help reduce the learning curve.

Situations when Hubstaff is better than Harvest

1. Need for Detailed Employee Monitoring: If your business needs to closely monitor employee activity, Hubstaff’s advanced features like keystroke logging, mouse movement tracking, and random screenshots can provide more transparency.
2. Location-Based or Remote Teams: Hubstaff’s geofencing feature can be highly beneficial for businesses with remote or location-based employees, as it tracks time based on geographical location.
3. Comprehensive Project Management: If your work requires robust project management tools like task allocation and detailed activity tracking, Hubstaff would be the better choice.
4. Payroll Management: If your business wants to automate payments based on tracked hours, Hubstaff’s built-in payroll management system can streamline this process.
5. Customizable Plans: If your business prefers to choose a plan that closely fits its specific needs and budget, Hubstaff’s tiered pricing plans offer more flexibility.
6. Detailed Reporting: If you need extensive and detailed reports on productivity and activity levels, Hubstaff’s reporting capabilities outshine Harvest’s.

Harvest vs Hubstaff Summary

In conclusion, both Harvest and Hubstaff are robust productivity tools, each with its unique strengths. While Harvest excels in time tracking, invoicing, and expense tracking, Hubstaff offers advanced monitoring and project management features. The choice between Harvest and Hubstaff ultimately depends on your specific business needs and workflows. By understanding the key aspects of each tool, you can make an informed decision that will lead to increased efficiency and productivity in your business operations. Remember, the right tool is one that seamlessly integrates into your business, enhancing processes rather than complicating them.

	Harvest	Hubstaff
Time Tracking	Comprehensive, Focus on Time Tracking	Available, Less Focus on Time Tracking
Expense Tracking	Available, Integrated System	Not Available
Invoicing	Available, Integrated with Stripe	Not Available, Needs Integration with Other Tools
Project Management	Limited Features	Comprehensive Features like Task Allocation, Detailed Activity Monitoring
Employee Monitoring	Not Available	Advanced Features like Keystroke Logging, Screenshots
Geofencing	Not Available	Available
Payroll Management	Not Available	Available, Automated Payments Based on Tracked Hours
Pricing Model	Simpler, Fixed Pricing	Tiered Pricing, More Flexibility
Pros	Invoicing and Expense Tracking, User-friendly Interface, Simplicity, Clear Pricing Model, Effective Client and Project Classification	Advanced Monitoring Features, Geofencing, Comprehensive Project Management, Built-in Payroll Management, Flexible Pricing Tiers, Detailed Reporting
Cons	Lack of Advanced Monitoring, No Geofencing, Limited Project Management, No Native Payroll Management, Limited Tiered Pricing, Less Extensive Reporting	Lack of Built-in Expense Tracking, No Native Invoicing Tools, Less Intuitive Interface, Less Focus on Time Tracking, Complex Pricing Model, May Require More System Resources
Better Situations	Need for Invoicing and Expense Tracking, Primary Focus on Time Tracking, Preference for Simplicity, Fixed Budget, Need for Client and Project Classification, Less Technical Team	Need for Detailed Employee Monitoring, Location-Based or Remote Teams, Comprehensive Project Management, Payroll Management, Customizable Plans, Detailed Reporting