Google Sheets vs Harvest: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Google Sheets and Harvest to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Google Sheets
7.2/10
Google Sheets is a browser-based spreadsheet in Google Workspace that teams can edit together and often use to track simple projects and tasks.
Harvest
6/10
Harvest is a time tracking, project budgeting and invoicing tool for agencies, consultancies and service teams that bill clients for their time.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | G Google Sheets | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.2/10 | 6/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 9/10 | 4/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Scalability | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | €7/user/mo Business Starter | $11/user/mo Teams |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | €211/mo Business Plus | $110/mo Teams |
| Features | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| App integrations | ||
| Task lists | ||
| Client collaboration | Not listed | |
| Collaboration tools | Not listed | |
| Dashboards | Not listed | |
| File sharing | Not listed | |
| Gantt charts | ||
| Kanban boards | ||
| Reporting | Not listed | |
| Scheduling | Not listed | |
| Spreadsheet interface | Not listed | |
| Timeline view | Not listed | |
| Workflow automation | Not listed | |
Google Sheets vs Harvest cost by team size
| Team size | Google Sheets | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | €21/moBusiness Plus | FreeFree |
| 5 users | €106/moBusiness Plus | $55/moTeams |
| 10 users | €211/moBusiness Plus | $110/moTeams |
| 25 users | €528/moBusiness Plus | $275/moTeams |
| 50 users | €1,055/moBusiness Plus | $550/moTeams |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
GWhy choose Google Sheets
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for startups (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for remote teams (7/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose Harvest
- Has a free plan (Google Sheets does not)
- Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Integration score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Includes Time tracking, which Google Sheets lacks
Pros & Cons
GGoogle Sheets
Pros
- Real-time co-editing, comments and version history make it easy for a team to share one tracker.
- Prebuilt project management and event-planning templates mean teams do not have to build a tracker from scratch.
- There is no extra cost for organisations that already pay for Google Workspace seats.
- Connected Sheets can analyse BigQuery or Looker data with billions of rows directly in a spreadsheet.
- On higher Workspace tiers, Gemini can create trackers and write formulas from plain-language prompts.
Cons
- It has no native Gantt charts, task dependencies or time tracking for real project scheduling.
- Missed deadlines do not trigger automatic alerts, so team members have to be notified by hand.
- Large or complex shared sheets slow down and are easy to break when several people edit at once.
- Timeline view is limited to certain paid Workspace editions.
- Dashboards and reporting have to be built by hand or added with add-ons.
Harvest
Pros
- Time entries flow straight into client invoices, and the billing integrations include QuickBooks Online, Xero, Stripe and PayPal.
- About 68 listed integrations, including Asana, Jira, Trello, ClickUp, Linear, Slack and Zapier, plus a public API.
- A free forever plan with invoicing for a single freelancer.
- Enterprise adds timesheet approvals, profitability reporting and SAML SSO for firms that need tighter control.
- A 30-day trial of the paid plans with no credit card required.
Cons
- Since the Bending Spoons acquisition, usage-based fees with undisclosed rates have produced reported bill increases of 1,500 percent or more.
- No Gantt charts or kanban boards, and you cannot assign tasks to individuals, so it does not replace a project management tool.
- Scheduling needs the separately billed Forecast app.
- You cannot remove seats mid-cycle, and data is stored only in the US.
- Reviewers mention manual steps when matching timesheets to invoices, and reminders that arrive too late.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Google Sheets scores higher on our Project Management criteria: 7.2/10 against 6/10 for Harvest. The largest gap is in Cost: 9/10 for Google Sheets and 4/10 for Harvest.
Harvest has a free plan; Google Sheets does not list one.
Google Sheets is the better fit for remote teams: we rate it 7/10 for them, against 5/10 for Harvest.
Harvest has Time tracking, which Google Sheets lacks.
