Harvest has been around since 2006, making it one of the oldest dedicated time tracking tools still in active development. Danny Wen and Shawn Liu founded the company in New York City after getting frustrated with the clunky time tracking options available at the time.
The product focuses on three things: tracking time, managing budgets, and sending invoices. Users can log hours through a web app, desktop app, mobile app, or browser extension. Harvest integrates with tools like Asana, Basecamp, Trello, and QuickBooks, fitting into existing workflows rather than trying to replace them.
Budget tracking is where Harvest really shines for services firms. Project managers can set hour and fee budgets, then monitor progress in real time. The platform sends alerts when projects approach their limits, helping teams avoid scope creep before it becomes a problem.
Harvest also pairs with Forecast, a companion scheduling tool the company built for resource planning. Together, they give services teams a clear picture of who’s working on what and whether projects are on track financially.
The company has stayed deliberately small and independent. Harvest has been bootstrapped and profitable for most of its life, serving tens of thousands of businesses without chasing aggressive growth targets.
