Looking for a Harvest alternative?
TimeTracker is the best self-hosted alternative to GetHarvest. Free, open source, with no subscription fees and complete data control.
- No ~$11+/user/month SaaS bills—TimeTracker is free for unlimited users
- Self-hosted: your data never leaves your server
- Built-in invoicing—no integrations needed
- Persistent server-side timers, Kanban boards, reports, and more
Demo: timetracker-demo.drytrix.com · Also compare: TimeTracker vs Toggl | vs Clockify | Compare all
Why teams switch from Harvest
Per-seat pricing compounds quietly
At ~11+/user/month, a 10-person shop pays more every year than a modest server costs—and you still don't own the deployment.
Data residency and exit flexibility
SaaS is convenient until you need strict residency, long retention, or a clean export for M&A. Self-hosting keeps the database beside your other internal systems.
Invoicing without another subscription
TimeTracker includes invoicing in the same app you already use for timers and reports—fewer moving parts than stitching a stack together.
No feature gates for “serious” workflows
You get timers, projects, roles, audit-friendly logs, exports, Kanban, and billing workflows without negotiating enterprise tiers.
Harvest Forecast, native mobile polish, and what you replicate
Harvest's paid ecosystem includes polished mobile apps, expense capture, and the Forecast add-on for staffing models. Teams choose TimeTracker when those conveniences matter less than keeping every billable hour, invoice PDF, and audit log inside a network segment they control.
- Forecasting: export approved hours to CSV or call your self-hosted API, then feed your existing spreadsheet or BI tool—avoid duplicating a second planning product.
- Expenses: TimeTracker tracks expenses in-app; attach your receipt-storage policy (S3-compatible bucket, NAS, etc.).
- Mobile UX: invest in PWA shortcuts or VPN-only access if crews submit time from the field.
Need the full feature mapping? Read Harvest vs TimeTracker — suite parity.
Total cost check (Harvest vs self-host)
Use this table to sanity-check multi-year SaaS spend. Self-hosted TimeTracker has $0 license cost; budget Docker hosting, TLS, and backups instead.
| Team size (billable seats) | Years | Illustrative Harvest cost (~$11+/seat/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | ~$132 |
| 1 | 3 | ~$396 |
| 1 | 5 | ~$660 |
| 5 | 1 | ~$660 |
| 5 | 3 | ~$1,980 |
| 5 | 5 | ~$3,300 |
| 10 | 1 | ~$1,320 |
| 10 | 3 | ~$3,960 |
| 10 | 5 | ~$6,600 |
| 25 | 1 | ~$3,300 |
| 25 | 3 | ~$9,900 |
| 25 | 5 | ~$16,500 |
Illustrative math only—verify current vendor pricing, discounts, and tax in your region. TimeTracker infrastructure cost (VPS, backups) is separate but typically far below multi-year SaaS TCO at 5+ seats.
Feature parity at a glance
| Capability | TimeTracker | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Timers & manual entries | ||
| Projects, clients, tasks | ||
| Invoicing & PDF export | Varies by product/plan | |
| Self-hosted deployment | No | |
| Open source (GPL) | No | |
| Unlimited users (no per-seat fee) | Typically no |
Migrate from Harvest to TimeTracker
- Export — use Harvest’s reports or account export tools to download CSV time data and supporting clients/projects.
- Normalize CSV — map clients, projects, tasks, and rates to TimeTracker columns (keep dates ISO-8601).
- Import & verify — load data on a staging Docker instance; spot-check totals and open timers.
- Cutover — freeze legacy timers, archive PDFs, and redirect your team to your TimeTracker URL.
Leave Harvest for self-hosting — it's free
Self-host TimeTracker in 5 minutes with Docker, migrate your projects, and keep all your data forever.