Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Harvest VS Plex

Compare Harvest VS Plex and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Harvest logo Harvest

Simple time tracking, fast online invoicing, and powerful reporting software. Simplify employee timesheets and billing. Get started for free.

Plex logo Plex

Free movies and TV plus all your personal media libraries on every device. Master your Mediaverse.
  • Harvest Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-08
  • Plex Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22

Harvest features and specs

  • User Friendly Interface
    Harvest offers an intuitive and clean interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and utilize various features without extensive training.
  • Comprehensive Time Tracking
    It provides detailed time tracking capabilities, allowing users to log hours spent on various tasks and projects, which helps in accurate billing and productivity analysis.
  • Seamless Integrations
    Harvest integrates with numerous third-party applications such as Asana, Trello, Slack, and QuickBooks, enhancing its functionality and fitting into existing workflows effortlessly.
  • Invoicing and Payments
    The platform supports invoicing and payments, enabling users to generate invoices directly from tracked hours and receive payments through different payment gateways.
  • Detailed Reporting
    Harvest offers robust reporting features that provide insights into time usage, project progress, and team performance, aiding in decision-making and resource allocation.

Possible disadvantages of Harvest

  • Cost
    Harvest's pricing can be relatively high for small businesses or freelancers, especially when additional features or seats are needed.
  • Limited Mobile Functionality
    While Harvest does have mobile apps, they are not as fully featured as the desktop version, which can limit usability for those who need to manage tasks on the go.
  • Manual Time Entry
    The process of manually entering time can be cumbersome for some users, especially in scenarios where automatic time tracking would be more efficient.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    Although the basic functionality is easy to use, there can be a learning curve when it comes to mastering more advanced features and reporting tools.
  • Limited Customization
    Harvest offers limited options for customization in terms of the user interface and report formats, which can be a drawback for users who need tailored solutions.

Plex features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Plex offers a clean and intuitive interface that is easy to navigate, even for those who are not tech-savvy.
  • Centralized Media Library
    Plex allows you to centralize your media in one place, making it easy to manage and access your videos, music, and photos from a single platform.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Plex supports a wide range of devices including PCs, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and streaming devices, providing flexibility in accessing your media.
  • Remote Access
    Plex lets you access your media library from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection, making it convenient for users who travel frequently.
  • Live TV and DVR
    Plex offers live TV and DVR functionality, allowing users to watch and record live television shows through the platform.
  • Media Enhancement
    Plex automatically enhances your media by adding metadata like posters, descriptions, and ratings, providing a richer media experience.
  • Plex Pass Features
    Plex Pass offers premium features like offline access, early access to new features, and various premium plugins, enhancing the overall experience.

Possible disadvantages of Plex

  • Subscription Costs
    While Plex offers a free tier, many of its advanced features require a Plex Pass subscription, which can be expensive over time.
  • Complex Setup
    Setting up Plex can be somewhat complex and time-consuming, especially for users who want to host their own media server.
  • Streaming Quality
    The streaming quality may vary depending on the user's internet connection and the quality of the source media, which may not always meet expectations.
  • Limited Free Features
    Some of the most appealing features of Plex, such as offline access and advanced metadata, are locked behind the Plex Pass paywall.
  • Server Requirements
    Running a Plex server requires a fairly powerful machine, especially if you want to stream high-definition content or have multiple users accessing simultaneously.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Some users have raised concerns about Plex's data collection practices and how their personal viewing habits and data might be used.

Analysis of Harvest

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Harvest is a reliable and efficient tool for businesses that need meticulous time tracking and effortless invoicing. Its well-rounded feature set and ease of use make it a solid choice for those looking to improve their workflow and financial tracking.

Why this product is good

  • Harvest is considered a good choice for many businesses due to its user-friendly interface, robust time-tracking capabilities, and seamless integration with various project management and accounting tools. It offers features like invoicing, expense tracking, and detailed reporting, which make it a comprehensive solution for freelancers, small businesses, and larger teams looking to streamline their time management and billing processes. The software's ability to provide insights on project profitability and team performance has made it a popular option among companies prioritizing efficiency and productivity.

Recommended for

  • Freelancers who need to track time and bill clients effectively
  • Small to medium-sized businesses seeking streamlined project tracking and invoicing
  • Teams looking for integration with other project management and financial tools
  • Organizations that require detailed reporting and analytics on time usage and project profitability

Harvest videos

I TRIED DAILY HARVEST FOR A WEEK // HONEST DAILY HARVEST REVIEW

More videos:

  • Review - Harvest Review - with Tom Vasel
  • Review - I Tried Daily Harvest for a Week | Brutally Honest Daily Harvest Review

Plex videos

PLEX Media Server Review - What is Plex?

More videos:

  • Review - Free Movies And TV With Plex Review 2020
  • Demo - Plex Review - ๐ŸšซWAIT๐ŸšซDON'T BUY WITHOUT WATCHING THIS DEMO FIRST๐Ÿ”ฅ

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Harvest and Plex)
Time Tracking
100 100%
0% 0
Video & Movies
0 0%
100% 100
Invoicing
100 100%
0% 0
Media Player
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Harvest and Plex. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Harvest and Plex

Harvest Reviews

  1. Handy helper app

    Harvest has significantly improved our workflow. Its reporting make project management a breeze.

  2. Elle Bennett
    ยท Webmaster at UK Landlord Tax ยท
    Excellent for tracking hours

    A nice simple interface and plenty of rich features really make this application essential.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Pomodone
  3. stevezapalac
    One of the best Time Tracking App I have ever used.

    Has a lot of features when compared to it's competitors out there.


What Are the Best Bill.com Alternatives?
Invoicing used to take me a couple of days and was one of my most dreaded activities. However, since we started using Harvest (getharvest.com) for our time-tracking and invoicing, it takes less than an hour. Harvest is easy to set up, simple to use, and ideal for freelancers or small businesses.
10 Best RescueTime Alternatives for Time Tracking in 2024
Harvest is an easy-to-use time-tracking platform to create invoices, generate reports, monitor budgets, and track costs. The app integrates seamlessly with accounting and project management tools like Asana, Trello, Basecamp, Quickbooks, Slack, Xero, and Stripe.
Source: clickup.com
10 Top RescueTime Alternatives for 2024 [Detailed Overview]
Harvest turns your billable time tracked and expenses into accurate invoices. Through its integrations with Stripe and PayPal, Harvest lets you accept client payments online.
Source: toggl.com
Discovering rescuetime alternatives for high productivity (2024)
Additionally we also have Harvest in the list as yet another time tracking tool that can be used as an alternative to Rescuetime!
Harvest vs Clockk: 2023 comparison
โ€œHarvest is just really really really easy to use. Setting it up is fast and painless, administering jobs is easy, filling out timesheets is easy. Our team had a hard time tracking time prior to Harvest, and once we started using this software it became (almost) painless overnight.โ€
Source: clockk.com

Plex Reviews

Best Machine Monitoring Software: Top 10 Picks for 2026
Middleware connectors: some vendors provide pre-built connectors for Epicor, Plex, SAP, and other ERP systems to simplify mapping.
Source: www.jitbase.com
10 Best Kodi Alternatives You Should Use (2023)
Plex is one of the most competitive alternatives to Kodi. With almost the same features, plex is a considerable media player. It is better than Kodi in some ways, like it works on the server-client model. The interface is more robust and better than Kodi. But many features can only be accessed in the premium model.
Source: techdator.net
Reelgood vs. JustWatch vs. Plex: Battle of the streaming guides
Linking from Plex to other apps is also inconsistent across platforms. It doesnโ€™t work at all on Fire TV (even though it did at launch), and I had trouble linking out from Peacock and Paramount+ on a Chromecast with Google TV. Plexโ€™s Apple TV app fared better overall, but linking to Paramount+ content still didnโ€™t work.
Top 10 Best Linux Media Server Software
Unlike Kodi, Plex is not open-source. It does offer a free account for its users. But it also offers premium pricing plans that allow you to unlock more features and have greater control over your media, while also being able to get detailed insights into whoโ€™s using Plex and what theyโ€™re using it for.
Source: itsfoss.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Plex seems to be a lot more popular than Harvest. While we know about 653 links to Plex, we've tracked only 14 mentions of Harvest. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Harvest mentions (14)

  • software for planning upcoming months work
    If thatโ€™s not enough, Iโ€™ve had good experience with http://getharvest.com (and accompanying tools from them). Source: about 3 years ago
  • Software Developer Mac Apps
    Https://getharvest.com/ : time tracker for contract work. Source: about 3 years ago
  • What do you guys for invoicing outside Upwork?
    I use getharvest.com to track hourly and convert them to invoice. The only thing I don't like is that I have to add the task in the web dashboard rather than entering directly in the desktop app. There is 'note' field, but it won't show up in the invoice detail, so it is useless for me. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Need help learning, can anyone suggest search terms so I can wrap my head around what I would like to do? Thanks
    I think for your business the best way to go is with a premade app for time logs and invoicing. My wife uses Harvest for her business: https://getharvest.com. Source: about 3 years ago
  • New to graphic freelancing, how to take payments/send invoice?
    I use Harvestto invoice and track time. You can also use QuickBooks. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

Plex mentions (653)

  • Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (June 2025)
    Location: Connecticut (CT), Hartford Area Willing to relocate: Yes Technologies: React, Typescript/Javascript, Next.js, Tailwind, NestJS, Node.js, Express, MongoDB, Prisma, Jest, Playwright, Docker, Linux, Bash, MUI, HTML, CSS, Git, ... (see resume for more) Rรฉsumรฉ: https://christophergeiger.dev/resume.pdf Email: christophergeiger.dev@gmail.com https://christophergeiger.dev https://github.com/christophergeiger3 ),... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (April 2025)
    Location: Hartford, CT, USA Remote: Yes Willing to relocate: Yes Technologies: React, Typescript/Javascript, Next.js, NestJS, Node.js,Express, MongoDB, Prisma, Jest, Playwright, Docker, Linux, Bash, HTML, CSS, Git Rรฉsumรฉ/CV: https://www.christophergeiger.xyz/resume.pdf Email: christophergeiger.dev@gmail.com Website: https://christophergeiger.xyz Hello, I'm a fullstack engineer who specializes in building intuitive... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (March 2025)
    Https://plex.tv Currently I'm seeking a frontend or full-stack role as either a mid-level or senior developer. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Setting Up The Home Lab: Terraform and Cloud-Init
    You might notice that the Terraform template definition is pretty close in structure to the one I used in my last article. That's intentional - I set up the last one with cloud-init, but didn't do much with it. This one actually provisions the VM with cloud-init. You can also use Ansible playbooks to provision a VM, and I might talk about that in a future post, but in my next post I'm going to talk about doing... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Apple Buys DarwinAI Ahead of Major Generative AI Updates Coming in iOS 18
    It's not for everyone but I've never been happier with OpenAudible [0] + Plex [1] + Prologue [2] [0] https://openaudible.org/ [1] https://plex.tv/ [2] https://prologue.audio/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Harvest and Plex, you can also consider the following products

Toggl - Toggl is an online time tracking tool. It features 1-click time tracking and helps you see where your time goes. Free and paid versions are available.

Kodi - Kodi is an award winning free and open source media player that got its start on the Xbox console.

TimeCamp - Simple and robust time tracking app to help you stay on the same page with your team while working from home.

Emby - media server for personal streaming movies tv music photos in mobile app or browser for all devices android iOS windows phone appletv androidtv smarttv and dlna.

RescueTime - Time management software that shows you how you spend your time & provides tools to help you be more productive.

Jellyfin - Jellyfin is a personal media server.