Hour Cap vs Harvest
Harvest is a well-established time tracker with Xero invoice syncing. Hour Cap is purpose-built for teams who bill hours through Xero. Here's where they differ.
Side-by-side comparison
Both tools track time and push invoices to Xero. The differences are in the details.
| Feature | Hour Cap | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Xero invoice grouping | Entry, project, date, member | Project, task, person, detailed |
| Group by date | ||
| Retainer management | Dedicated retainers | Monthly budget reset |
| Billable rate cascade | Project → Member → Org | One type per project |
| Xero tracking categories | 3-level cascade | Basic |
| Duration input | 1h30m, 1:30, 8h, 30m | Decimal or HH:MM |
| Timesheet approvals | Full workflow | Enterprise plan only |
| Timer across midnight | Auto-splits by day | Keeps accumulating |
| Void and re-invoice | ||
| Free plan | 1 user, full features | 1 user, 2 projects |
Billable rates that cascade automatically
Harvest sets billable rates per project, where you pick a flat project rate, per-person rates, or per-task rates. Rates are configured project by project rather than cascading automatically from a member or organisation default.
Hour Cap cascades rates automatically. Set a rate on a project and it applies to all entries. If none is set, it falls back to the member's rate, then to your org default. No configuration per project required.
Xero tracking categories that actually cascade
Harvest only populates Xero tracking categories based on the client. If you need to track by project, department, or team, you're stuck managing it manually in Xero after the invoice lands.
Hour Cap lets you set tracking categories at the project, client, or org level. The most specific setting wins, so your Xero reports always have the right categorization without manual cleanup.
Retainers as a first-class feature
Harvest has monthly budget resets, but no dedicated retainer billing. There's no real-time progress tracking, no alert thresholds, and no one-click invoice for the current period.
Hour Cap has dedicated retainer management. Set an hours budget, pick a billing period, configure alerts when usage hits a threshold, and invoice the current period directly from the invoice wizard.
- Weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, or custom periods
- Real-time progress bars on your dashboard
- Alert thresholds when usage hits a percentage you set
When Harvest might be a better fit
We believe in being transparent. Harvest does things Hour Cap doesn't.
Desktop and mobile apps
Harvest has native desktop apps for Mac and Windows, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and browser extensions. Hour Cap is a web app optimized for desktop browsers.
Expense tracking
Harvest lets you log expenses with receipt photos and include them on invoices. Hour Cap is focused on time-based billing.
Mature integrations
Harvest integrates with 50+ tools including Asana, Slack, and project management software. Hour Cap is focused on the Xero workflow.
Pricing at a glance
Hour Cap
Built for XeroPrices in USD. Annual billing saves 17%.
Harvest
Prices in USD (annual), plus usage-based fees on additional invoices, projects, clients, and tasks. Confirmed mid-2026, re-check current vendor pricing.
A 5-person team on Harvest Enterprise pays $70/mo for approvals and profitability reporting, before usage-based fees for invoices and projects.
The same team on Hour Cap Business pays $30/mo with approvals, retainers, and full Xero integration.
Common questions
Does Harvest integrate with Xero?
Harvest has a Xero integration that copies invoices to Xero one way. The depth is limited compared to a Xero-native tool: it does not sync or create your Xero contacts, line item grouping is fixed, and Harvest's own invoicing UI is the source of truth rather than Xero. Hour Cap was built around Xero from day one and pushes drafts straight into Xero so Xero stays your system of record.
Is Hour Cap a good Harvest alternative?
If you bill through Xero and want the invoicing experience to live there, yes. Hour Cap focuses on tracking time, attaching detailed descriptions, and pushing drafts into Xero with four grouping options. Harvest is broader but heavier, and its invoicing layer adds another place to keep in sync with Xero.
Why are people switching from Harvest?
Common reasons we hear: pricing moved to a per-seat base of $9/seat/month plus usage-based fees on additional invoices, projects, clients, and tasks, which makes renewal costs harder to predict, the invoicing layer duplicates what people would rather do in Xero, and retainer handling is treated as a project setting rather than a dedicated feature. Teams that have settled on Xero tend to prefer a tool that hands the invoice off rather than competes with Xero.
How does pricing compare between Hour Cap and Harvest?
Harvest's paid plans start at $9/seat/month plus usage-based fees on additional invoices, projects, clients, and tasks, so the real cost can climb above the headline seat price. Hour Cap is priced per organisation: Free for one user, Team at $10/month for two users, Business at $30/month for six users, plus modest per-seat fees beyond that. For most billing teams under ten people, Hour Cap is meaningfully cheaper.
Can I move my Harvest data to Hour Cap?
There is no direct Harvest importer today. Most switches happen by picking a cutover date, finishing the current billing cycle in Harvest, and starting fresh in Hour Cap. Xero contacts sync automatically on connect, and projects are quick to recreate.
Ready to switch?
Start tracking time in minutes. Connect your Xero account and your contacts sync automatically. No migration needed.
Keep exploring
More ways Hour Cap stacks up, plus the full comparison hub.
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Read comparisonComparison note: competitor features and pricing were researched on a best-effort basis in June 2026 and can change at any time. We aim to be accurate and fair, but details may be out of date, so always confirm the latest information on the vendor's own website before making a decision. Hour Cap capabilities described here reflect the product at the time of writing.