Ever feel like you’re losing track of time?
Managing projects and knowing where your work hours go can be tough, right?
Especially when you’re juggling multiple tasks or working with a team.
You need a way to keep things organized and make sure everyone’s on the same page.
In this post, we’ll break down Time Doctor vs Harvest in plain English.
Overview
We’ve put Time Doctor and Harvest through their paces, exploring their features, pricing, and ease of use.
Our hands-on testing and research will give you the insights you need to decide which time-tracking tool best suits your needs.
Ready to boost your productivity? Time Doctor offers powerful time-tracking and project management tools.
Pricing: It has a free plan. Paid plan Starts at $6.70/month
Key Features:
- Automatic Time Tracking
- Project Management
- Detailed Reporting
Ready to take control of your time tracking? Harvest boasts over 100,000 customers and integrates with dozens of popular business tools.
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plan starts at $11/month
Key Features:
- Time Tracking
- Invoicing
- Expense Tracking
What is Time Doctor?
Okay, let’s talk about Time Doctor.
It’s a pretty popular time-tracking tool, especially for teams.
It’s designed to help you understand where your work hours are going.
Think of it as a detailed breakdown of your workday.
It’s more than just a timer; it’s about boosting productivity.
Ready to boost your productivity? Time Doctor offers powerful time-tracking and project management tools.
Key Benefits
TimeDoctor comes with a ton of helpful features, including:
- Website and App Monitoring: See how much time is spent on productive vs. unproductive websites and applications. This helps identify areas for improvement.
- Distraction Alerts: Get gentle nudges to stay focused. If you stray to non-work-related sites, TimeDoctor gives you a friendly reminder.
- Screenshots (optional): Get periodic screenshots of employee screens to see what they’re working on (this feature can be turned off for privacy).
- Payroll Management: Simplify payroll processing with automated timesheets and integrations with popular payroll software.
Pricing
TimeDoctor offers a 14-day free trial to try it out risk-free. No credit card is required!
- Basic: $6.70/month for Unlimited Projects & Tasks.
- Standard: $11.70/month for Productivity ratings.
- Premium: $16.70/month for Client login access
- Enterprise: Custom Plan
Pros
Cons
What is Harvest?
Now, let’s switch gears and talk about Harvest.
It’s another popular time-tracking tool known for its clean interface and focus on simplicity.
Harvest is all about making time tracking effortless. It’s designed to be user-friendly and integrates well with other tools.
Ready to stop losing track of time and money? Millions of people use Harvest to simplify their work and get paid faster.
Key Benefits
- Effortless Time Tracking: Harvest makes logging your time a breeze. Its intuitive interface allows for quick and accurate time entries.
- Seamless Invoicing: Harvest simplifies the billing process. You can easily generate invoices based on tracked time.
- Powerful Integrations: Harvest plays nicely with other apps. Connect it to your project management, accounting, and communication tools.
Pricing
Harvest offers straightforward pricing plans.
- Free: $0 per user per month.
- Pro: $11 per user per month.
- Premium: $14 per user per month.
Pros
Cons
Feature Comparison
Let’s dive into a detailed comparison of Time Doctor vs Harvest, examining their key features side-by-side to see how they stack up.
This comparison will help you understand the strengths of each platform.
Time Tracking and Timesheets
Both Time Doctor and Harvest offer robust time tracking.
Time Doctor focuses on detailed tracking with screenshots and idle time monitoring, while Harvest provides a simpler, more streamlined approach to timesheets.
Harvest provides a clean interface for recording time against projects and generating timesheets.
Time Doctor also offers timesheets, but the emphasis is more on real-time tracking and productivity analysis.
Project Management Integrations
Time Doctor integrates with project management tools like Asana and Jira, allowing you to track time directly within your project workflows.
Harvest also offers integrations, but it focuses more on connecting with other business tools for a holistic view of time and expenses.
Time and Expenses
Harvest excels at managing both time and expenses.
It’s designed to give you a complete picture of project costs, including billable hours and expenses.
While primarily a time-tracking tool, Time Doctor focuses less on expense tracking.
Billable Hours and Invoicing
Both platforms support billable hours tracking.
Harvest’s strength lies in its invoicing capabilities, which allow invoices to be generated easily based on tracked time and expenses.
Time Doctor allows you to track billable hours, but its invoicing features are less comprehensive than Harvest’s.
Screenshots and Activity Monitoring
A key differentiator for Time Doctor is its screenshot feature.
It periodically takes screenshots of employee screens, providing a visual record of work activity. Harvest does not offer this feature.
This can be a double-edged sword, depending on your use case.
Reporting and Analytics
Both tools offer reporting features, but they differ in their focus.
Time Doctor’s reports emphasize productivity metrics, while Harvest’s reports provide insights into project budgets, billable hours, and profitability.
Harvest provides visual reports that are easy to understand.
User Interface and Ease of Use
Harvest is known for its intuitive and user-friendly interface. It’s easy to get started with and navigate.
Time Doctor, while powerful, can feel a bit more complex, especially with its screenshot feature.
The screenshots help with accountability, but they may make the software less user-friendly for some.
What to Look for When Choosing a Time Tracking Tool?
- Team Size: Free plans might be great for small teams, but larger organizations often need enterprise-level features and support.
- Budget: Free vs. paid is a big decision. Consider your budget and what features are essential. Don’t overspend if you don’t need to.
- Integrations: Does the tool play nicely with your existing project management, accounting, or communication software? Seamless integrations can save you time and headaches.
- Ease of Use: A complicated time tracking tool is a waste of time. Look for an intuitive interface that your team will actually use.
- Reporting Needs: Do you need basic timesheets, or in-depth productivity reports with customizable metrics?
- Privacy and Security: If you’re handling sensitive data, ensure the time tracking tool has robust security measures in place.
- Support: Good customer support can be a lifesaver when you run into problems. Check reviews and see if the company offers the level of support you need.
- Trial Period: Always use free trials to test the software with your workflows and see if it’s the right fit.
Final Verdict (Our Pick)
After thorough testing and comparison, we believe Harvest is the better choice for most users.
Its intuitive interface, combined time and expense tracking, and robust invoicing features make it ideal for freelancers, small businesses, and teams with billable hours.
While Time Doctor’s detailed tracking and screenshot features might be useful for specific use cases.
Harvest’s well-rounded functionality and ease of use make it the winner in our book.
We’ve spent countless hours with these tools.
And our experience shows Harvest provides the best balance of features and usability for effective time management.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Time Doctor good for freelancers?
Time Doctor can be useful for freelancers who need detailed time tracking and proof of work, especially if clients require screenshots or activity monitoring. However, the screenshot feature might be overkill for some freelancers, and the interface can feel less streamlined than other options.
Does Harvest track expenses?
Yes, Harvest excels at expense tracking. It allows you to log expenses, categorize them, and even attach receipts. This makes it easy to manage both your time and expenses within a single platform, simplifying project costing and client billing.
Which is easier to use, Time Doctor or Harvest?
Harvest is generally considered easier to use due to its intuitive interface and straightforward design. Time Doctor, while powerful, can be more complex, especially with its screenshot and activity monitoring features. For simple time tracking, Harvest is the winner.
Does Time Doctor integrate with QuickBooks?
While Time Doctor offers integrations with various tools, its QuickBooks integration is not as direct as some other platforms. You might need to use Zapier or similar tools to connect Time Doctor data with QuickBooks.
Can I use Harvest for project management?
Harvest is primarily a time and expense tracking tool, not a full-fledged project management platform. While it offers some project management features, like task assignment and progress tracking, it’s best used in conjunction with dedicated project management software like Asana or Trello.
