Comparisons
On this page
Harvest and Backbone both turn tracked hours into invoices. Harvest charges per person in US dollars, has an English interface, many integrations such as QuickBooks Online and Xero, and since 2026 an MCP connection for AI tools. Backbone is built for Austria and Germany: a German interface, invoices with a mandatory-details check under § 14 UStG, dunning levels with statutory late interest, receipts and an export for your accountant.
The short decision: if your team works internationally and in English, with QuickBooks or Xero, Harvest fits. If your agency is based in Austria or Germany and you want the whole back office in one place, Backbone fits.
In short: both link time and invoices
In both tools your team tracks hours per client and project, and the hours become an invoice. The difference comes after that: what happens when the invoice stays unpaid, where the receipts go and what your accountant gets at month end.
At a glance
| Harvest | Backbone | |
|---|---|---|
| Time tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Invoices from tracked hours | Yes | Yes |
| Mandatory-details check for Germany and Austria | not listed | Yesbefore every invoice |
| Automatic payment reminders | Yesreminder emails | Yeson a schedule, from Studio |
| Dunning levels with statutory interest (AT/DE) | not listed | Yesreminder, 1st and 2nd notice |
| Receipts matched to bank transactions | expenses logged on projects | Yes |
| Hand-over to your accountant | via QuickBooks Online or Xero | Yesone ZIP with a CSV report |
| German interface | NoEnglish only | Yes |
| Prices in euros | NoUS dollars | Yes |
| Works inside Claude and ChatGPT | YesHarvest MCP | Yesplus Gemini and Grok |
| Public API | Yes | Coming soon |
| Desktop and mobile apps | Yes | Coming soonMac app for time tracking |
"Not listed" means Harvest's own pages name no such feature; we do not guess. Prices and plan details are in the table below.
In detail
As of 8 October 2026. Harvest facts from getharvest.com (pricing, features, integrations, privacy policy) and its Help Center, read on 8 October 2026.
| Harvest | Backbone | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free: $0, 1 seat, 2 projects. Teams: $11 per seat a month, $108 a year ($9 a month). Enterprise: $17.50 per seat a month, $168 a year | Solo €19, Studio €29, Agency €49 a month incl. VAT |
| Billing model | Per seat; according to Harvest, additional invoices, projects, clients and tasks are billed by usage | Per workspace; plans differ by people and volume, scheduled dunning from Studio |
| Currency | Prices in US dollars | Prices in euros |
| Trial | 30 days, no card | 7 days, card required |
| Interface | English only; invoice labels can be translated | German and English |
| Invoices | From time and expenses, online payment via Stripe and PayPal | From time; mandatory-details check under § 14 UStG before issuing, gap-free numbering, cancellation with a credit note, small-business and reverse-charge options |
| Dunning | Automatic, customisable reminder emails for overdue invoices | Reminder, first and second notice on a schedule (from Studio), with statutory late interest and the €40 flat fee under Austrian and German law |
| Expenses and receipts | Log expenses on projects and bill them on | Upload receipts; AI reads them and matches them to the bank transaction; bank statements |
| Bookkeeping | Integrations with QuickBooks Online and Xero | ZIP with receipts, invoices and a CSV report for your accountant |
| Data | Controller: Bending Spoons S.p.A. (Italy); transfers outside the EEA possible under EU Standard Contractual Clauses | Stored in an EU region |
| AI and MCP | Harvest MCP for Claude, Cursor and ChatGPT | Backbone AI works in plain words, in the app, receipts and dunning included; connector for Claude and ChatGPT (MCP) |
| API | Public API | No public API yet, coming soon |
| Apps | Desktop apps for macOS and Windows, mobile apps for iOS and Android | Web; desktop app for time tracking coming soon |
Worked example for an agency of 6: Harvest Teams costs 6 × $11 = $66 a month billed monthly, or 6 × $108 = $648 a year billed annually. Backbone doesn't charge per seat: Agency is €49 a month incl. VAT for the workspace. How many people each plan covers will be on the pricing page before launch.
When Harvest is the better fit
- Your team works in English and bills in US dollars. Harvest is built in English, and its prices are in dollars.
- You like separate tools for separate jobs. Time and invoices in Harvest, the books in QuickBooks Online or Xero, connected through integrations. Backbone has no accounting integrations; it has an export.
- You rebill expenses to projects. In Harvest you log travel or materials on the project and add them to the invoice. Backbone collects receipts for the bookkeeping but does not rebill them to projects.
- You need native apps or an API today. Harvest has desktop apps for macOS and Windows, mobile apps for iOS and Android and a public API. In Backbone, these are coming soon.
When Backbone is the better fit
- You want one place, built for here. Time, invoices, reminders and receipts together, in German or English. Backbone checks the mandatory details for Austria and Germany before an invoice goes out, so you don't have to.
- Getting paid should take care of itself. From Studio, reminder, first and second notice go out on a schedule, with statutory late interest and the €40 flat fee where the law allows.
- Your AI should know the whole back office. Both connect to Claude and ChatGPT. With Backbone the same connection also answers "Which receipts are missing for September?" or "Who is late paying?", and it works in Gemini and Grok too.
- Month end should feel calm. Receipts and bank statements sit next to time and invoices. You download one ZIP, and your bookkeeper gets their own login.
- Retainers matter. Backbone knows monthly target hours and shows which hours go over and can be billed extra.
Switching from Harvest
There is no direct import from Harvest. Export your time entries and invoices from Harvest and keep them: invoices for 8 years in Germany (§ 14b(1) UStG), 7 years in Austria (§ 132(1) BAO). In Backbone, add your clients and projects, continue your number sequence under Settings › Numbering, and start at the turn of a month.
More: time tracking, invoices, pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Backbone a Harvest alternative for Europe?
For agencies and freelancers in Austria and Germany, yes: time tracking and invoicing as in Harvest, plus dunning under Austrian and German law, receipts, an export for your accountant and a German interface. Backbone stores your data in an EU region.
Is Harvest available in German?
According to its Help Center, Harvest's interface is English only. You can translate the labels on your invoices.
How much does Harvest cost?
According to its pricing page on 8 October 2026: Free with 1 seat and 2 projects, Teams $11 per seat a month ($9 billed annually), Enterprise $17.50 ($14 billed annually). Additional invoices, projects, clients and tasks are billed by usage.
Can I bring my hours over from Harvest?
Not directly. Export them from Harvest for your records and start in Backbone with the next month.
Hours in, paid invoices out
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