Harvest alternatives: 4 open-source picks
Harvest costs $11/mo — $132 a year. These 4 alternatives replace it for $0, led by ERPNext, Dolibarr and Kimai. All 4 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-29. No trials, no crippled tiers.
Timesheets become invoices cleanly; unfortunately the replacement arrives attached to an entire ERP and its operations manual.
licenseGPL-3.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installManaged Frappe Cloud signup, or the supported Frappe Docker/Bench deployment
dataSelf-hosted companies live in MariaDB site databases with site files and attachments on the server; managed-hosting data lives in the selected Frappe Cloud site.
the catch vs HarvestERPNext can turn timesheets into invoices, but its ERP-sized setup and interface are much heavier than Harvest's fast timers, approvals, native apps, and project reporting.
setupSelf-hosting is an ERP deployment rather than a desktop install: Docker or Bench, MariaDB, Redis, workers, a reverse proxy, backups, upgrades, and country-specific accounting setup.
facts verified 2026-08-11
Harvest is in there somewhere, behind an entire ERP; the price is zero and the setup vocabulary is not.
licenseGPL-3.0+
runsyour server
installDoliWamp, DoliDeb, DoliRPM, Docker, or a conventional PHP web-server installation
dataBusiness records live in MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL, while uploaded and generated documents live in Dolibarr's documents directory or mounted volume.
the catch vs HarvestDolibarr buries a simple timer-to-invoice job inside an ERP and lacks Harvest's focused timer experience, polished native apps, reminders, approvals, and integration breadth.
setupA packaged desktop-style installer exists on some platforms, but a durable deployment still needs a web server or Docker, database, HTTPS, backups, updates, and localization.
facts verified 2026-08-11
Timesheets, rates, reports and invoices are all there; approvals need its free plugin and the server still needs an adult.
licenseAGPL-3.0+
runsyour server
installOfficial Docker Compose stack
dataUsers, projects, activities, rates, and timesheets live in MySQL or MariaDB; plugins, configuration, and generated files live in persistent server volumes.
the catch vs HarvestKimai matches timesheets and billing well, but its native-client, offline-mobile, approval, integration, and zero-administration experience is less polished than Harvest's.
setupA non-expert needs Docker, a domain and TLS, database and application secrets, email configuration, backups, upgrades, and optional plugins for some workflows.
facts verified 2026-08-11
Automatic, privacy-first time tracker that logs app and browser usage locally.
licenseMPL-2.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
What each one is, in full: ERPNext · Kimai · ActivityWatch
last updated 2026-08-29 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
the usual suspects · recommended everywhere, rejected here
Invoice Ninja FreeIt turns time into invoices, but the free plan stops at five clients and the code is Elastic-licensed, not open source.
how to choose a Harvest alternative
Easiest to get running
ActivityWatch — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
Most proven
ERPNext, with 35,700 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 4, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
Needs real ops to self-host
ERPNext, Dolibarr and Kimai are capable but expect someone to run a server, updates and backups. Budget for that before choosing one.
what you give up by leaving Harvest
- team timesheets, integrations, invoicing, reminders, support, and reliability
- cross-device history
- team timesheets and payroll
- behavioral datasets
- blocking across every platform
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
Harvest alternatives at a glance
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERPNext | GPL-3.0 | self-host, real ops | web, self-hosted | 35,700 | 2026-08 |
| Dolibarr | GPL-3.0+ | self-host, real ops | web, windows, linux, self-hosted | 7,500 | 2026-07 |
| Kimai | AGPL-3.0+ | self-host, real ops | web, self-hosted | 4,900 | 2026-08 |
| ActivityWatch | MPL-2.0 | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 14,000 | 2026-08 |
why people still pay for Harvest
People still pay for Harvest because the timer is simple, but people pay for frictionless capture and a history they trust enough to invoice or change habits from. The recurring cost buys idle detection, permissions, app metadata, privacy, notifications, sync, reports, integrations, and backups, not just the visible interface. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $132 a year.
questions about switching from Harvest
Is there an open-source alternative to Harvest?
Yes: ERPNext, Dolibarr, Kimai and 1 more. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace Harvest?
Our verdict is YES. ERPNext (36k stars), ActivityWatch (14k stars), Dolibarr (8k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Harvest — self-host with real ops work and stop paying $11/mo. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/harvest.
What is the easiest open-source Harvest alternative to set up?
ActivityWatch — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
What is the most popular open-source Harvest alternative?
By GitHub stars, ERPNext (35,700). ActivityWatch is next with 14,000.
