Harvest pricing:
what it really costs
Harvest is a capable time and invoicing tool, and it is one of the few that can copy an invoice to Xero at all. The catch is that it is Harvest-first: no Xero contact sync, and no retainer tracking. Here is the real cost, and where the Xero gap shows up.
Harvest pricing tiers
Per-seat pricing that scales with every person you add.
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 user, up to 2 projects. |
| Pro | ~$9 / seat / mo | About $108 / seat / yr. Plus usage fees for extra invoices, projects, clients and tasks. |
| Premium | Higher per-seat | Adds management and reporting controls. |
Pricing confirmed mid-2026; re-check the vendor's current pricing before relying on it. Re-verify any usage-based add-on fees following the Bending Spoons acquisition.
The gotchas to watch for
Per-seat scaling
The price is per seat per month. A team of six on Pro is roughly $54 per month before you have billed a client, and it grows with every hire.
Usage-based fees on top
Since the Bending Spoons acquisition, Harvest layers usage-based charges for extra invoices, projects, clients and tasks on top of the per-seat price, so the real cost can climb above the headline seat figure.
No Xero contact sync
Harvest can copy an invoice to Xero, but it does not sync contacts. The two systems drift, and you reconcile clients by hand.
Pricing confirmed mid-2026; re-check the vendor's current pricing before relying on it.
The Xero gap
Harvest is one of the few time tools that can actually copy an invoice into Xero, which is genuinely useful. The limitation is that the integration is one-directional and shallow: it can push an invoice, but it does not sync your Xero contacts.
Because the design treats Harvest as the system of record, your client list, items and reference data live on the Harvest side. Over time the two systems drift, and reconciling who is who becomes manual work. There is also no retainer tracking, so monthly retainer clients are managed outside the tool.
If Xero is your source of truth, you want contacts and reference data flowing from Xero, not a parallel client list you keep in step by hand.
What it really costs versus billing through Xero with Hour Cap
Both can get an invoice into Xero. Only one keeps your contacts and reference data in step.
| Feature | Hour Cap | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Push invoices to Xero | Native drafts | Can copy to Xero |
| Invoice review before send | Draft in Xero | Harvest-first |
| Xero contact sync | On connect | No |
| Item, tax-rate, tracking sync | On connect | No |
| Line-item grouping modes | 4 modes | Limited |
| Retainer tracking | Built in | No |
| Free plan | Yes (1 user, unlimited projects) | Yes (1 user, 2 projects) |
| Entry price | $0 free, then $10/mo | ~$9 / seat / mo |
| Per-seat beyond included | ~$5-6 / user / mo | Every user pays full seat |
Pricing confirmed mid-2026; re-check the vendor's current pricing before relying on it. Hour Cap Team is $10 per month for 2 users; Business is $30 per month for 6 users; annual saves about 17%.
Common questions
How much does Harvest cost in 2026?
As of mid-2026, Harvest is around $9 per seat per month, or about $108 per seat per year. Following the Bending Spoons acquisition it now also layers usage-based fees on top of the per-seat price for additional invoices, projects, clients and tasks, so the real cost can exceed the headline seat price. The free tier covers a single user with up to two projects. Re-check the vendor current pricing before relying on these figures.
Does Harvest connect to Xero?
Harvest can copy invoices to Xero, but it has no Xero contact sync. The design is Harvest-first, so your client list and reference data are not kept in step with Xero, and you manage contacts on the Harvest side.
Does Harvest support retainers?
No. Harvest has no built-in retainer tracking, so there is no hours budget, remaining-hours view or usage alerts for monthly retainer clients.
What is the catch with Harvest invoicing?
Invoicing is built around Harvest as the system of record. It can copy an invoice to Xero, but without contact sync the two systems drift, and you end up reconciling clients by hand.
How is Hour Cap different from Harvest?
Hour Cap is Xero-first. It pushes invoices to Xero as drafts you review before sending, syncs contacts, items, tax rates and tracking categories on connect, and tracks retainers. Harvest copies invoices across but does not sync contacts and has no retainer tracking.
Is there a free option?
Both have a free tier. Harvest free covers one user and two projects. Hour Cap free covers a single user with unlimited projects but does not include the Xero integration, which starts on the Team plan at $10 per month.
Keep Xero as your source of truth
Track time, then push invoices to Xero as drafts you review before sending. Connect Xero and your contacts, items and tax rates sync automatically. The Xero integration is on the Team plan; the Free plan covers a single user.
Comparison 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.