Harvest
Harvest is a cloud-based time tracking and invoicing software that helps you manage team capacity, track project expenses, and turn billable hours into professional invoices effortlessly.
MakeShift
MakeShift is a cloud-based employee scheduling software that helps you create rotas faster, track time accurately, and communicate with your team through a simple mobile-first interface.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Harvest | MakeShift |
|---|---|---|
| Website | getharvest.com | makeshift.ca |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starting Price | Free | $2.75/month |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 30 days free trial | ✓ 14 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2006 | 2013 |
| Headquarters | New York, USA | Calgary, Canada |
Overview
Harvest
Harvest helps you bridge the gap between tracking time and getting paid. You can capture every billable minute using simple timers on your desktop, phone, or through integrations with tools you already use like Asana or Slack. It transforms that raw data into visual reports so you can see exactly where your team’s time is going and which projects are hitting their budgets.
Beyond just tracking hours, you can manage your entire billing cycle in one place. You can create invoices based on tracked time, send them to clients automatically, and accept payments online. It is designed for agencies, freelancers, and professional service teams who need to stay profitable without spending hours on manual spreadsheets or complex administrative tasks.
MakeShift
MakeShift is a people-first scheduling platform designed to eliminate the headaches of manual shift management. You can build complex schedules in minutes using a drag-and-drop interface that accounts for employee availability, qualifications, and labor costs. By moving your rotas to the cloud, you ensure your team always has the most up-to-date information right on their phones.
The platform bridges the gap between management and staff by allowing you to approve time-off requests, manage shift swaps, and track attendance in real-time. It specifically targets industries with fluctuating shifts like healthcare, retail, and hospitality. You can reduce HERO (unnecessary overtime) and ensure your business stays compliant with labor laws while keeping your employees engaged and informed.
Overview
Harvest Features
- One-Click Timers Start and stop timers from your browser, desktop, or mobile device to capture every minute of work accurately.
- Visual Reporting Monitor your project budgets and team capacity with easy-to-read graphs that show you exactly how much time remains.
- Automated Invoicing Turn your tracked time and expenses into professional invoices and send them to your clients with just a few clicks.
- Expense Tracking Snap photos of receipts and log project expenses on the go so you never miss a reimbursement again.
- Team Capacity Monitoring See who is overbooked and who has room for more work to keep your team balanced and productive.
- Online Payments Integrate with PayPal and Stripe so your clients can pay invoices instantly, helping you get paid much faster.
MakeShift Features
- Drag-and-Drop Scheduling. Create and adjust weekly schedules in seconds by dragging shifts across your screen to the right team members.
- Mobile App for Staff. Give your team the power to view schedules, request time off, and swap shifts directly from their smartphones.
- Photo Radar Time Clock. Prevent buddy punching by having your employees clock in via a tablet that captures a photo for verification.
- Availability Management. Let your employees set their own preferred working hours so you only schedule people who are actually available.
- Shift Exchange. Enable your staff to trade shifts with qualified colleagues, which you can then approve or deny with one click.
- Real-Time Notifications. Send instant alerts to your team's phones whenever a schedule is published or a shift change occurs.
- Labor Cost Tracking. Monitor your labor spend as you build schedules to ensure you stay within budget and avoid costly overtime.
- Automated Reminders. Reduce no-shows by automatically sending your employees reminders before their scheduled shifts begin.
Pricing Comparison
Harvest Pricing
- 1 seat
- 2 active projects
- Unlimited invoices
- Desktop and mobile apps
- Dozens of integrations
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited seats
- Unlimited active projects
- Custom invoice branding
- Importing data
- Priority support
MakeShift Pricing
- Drag-and-drop scheduling
- Employee mobile app
- Availability management
- Shift exchange & swaps
- Time off requests
- In-app messaging
- Everything in Essentials, plus:
- Photo Radar time clock
- GPS-enabled clock-in
- Payroll exports
- Advanced labor reporting
- Department-level permissions
Pros & Cons
Harvest
Pros
- Extremely simple interface requires almost no training
- Integrates seamlessly with popular tools like Asana
- Mobile app makes tracking time on the go easy
- Generous 30-day trial with no credit card required
Cons
- Reporting filters can feel limited for complex needs
- No built-in scheduling features without adding Forecast
- Invoicing templates offer limited visual customization
MakeShift
Pros
- Extremely intuitive interface for both managers and employees
- Significantly reduces the time spent on weekly schedule creation
- Mobile app is highly reliable for remote shift management
- Excellent customer support team that responds quickly to issues
Cons
- Limited customization options for very complex labor rules
- Reporting tools could be more robust for enterprise needs
- Occasional sync delays between the web and mobile apps