# Backbone vs. Harvest

> Harvest and Backbone both link time tracking and invoicing. Harvest is a US tool with an English interface, per-seat prices in US dollars and many integrations. Backbone is built for Austria and Germany and runs on one sentence: tell ChatGPT, Claude or another AI app with MCP support what to do, Backbone does it, you approve.

Source: https://back-bone.io/en/compare/backbone-vs-harvest  
Published: 2026-10-08 · Updated: 2026-10-22  
Category: Comparisons

**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. With Backbone you say it in your AI chat and approve. Built for Austria and Germany: a German interface, invoices with a mandatory-details check under § 14 UStG, payment reminder 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'd rather run your back office from your AI chat, take a look at Backbone.

## 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 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Invoices from tracked hours | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mandatory-details check for Germany and Austria | not listed | ✓ before every invoice |
| Automatic payment reminders | ✓ reminder emails | ✓ on a schedule, in every plan |
| Payment reminder levels with statutory interest (AT/DE) | not listed | ✓ reminder, 1st and 2nd notice |
| Receipts matched to bank transactions | expenses logged on projects | ✓ |
| Hand-over to your accountant | via QuickBooks Online or Xero | ✓ one ZIP with a CSV report |
| German interface | — English only | ✓ |
| Prices in euros | — US dollars | ✓ |
| Works inside ChatGPT and Claude | ✓ Harvest MCP | ✓ plus Grok and other AI apps with MCP support |
| Public API | ✓ | Coming soon |
| Desktop and mobile apps | ✓ | Coming soon Mac 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

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, Growth €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 payment reminders in every plan |
| 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 |
| Payment reminders | Automatic, customisable reminder emails for overdue invoices | Reminder, first and second notice on a schedule, 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 ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor | Billy, our AI assistant, works in plain words, in the app, receipts and payment reminders included; connector for ChatGPT and Claude (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 is on the [pricing page](https://back-bone.io/en/pricing).

## What invoicing looks like

**Create an invoice:** Backbone: the week's hours go onto the invoice as line items in one click, then create and send. Harvest: a finished invoice with invoice ID, issue and due date, client and four service lines with quantity, unit price and amount. (Source: Harvest features page “Invoicing & payments”, as of 03.11.2026)

## 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

- **Your AI chat should run the whole back office.** Both connect to ChatGPT and Claude. With Backbone the same connection also does invoices, reminders and receipts: "Which receipts are missing for September?" or "Who is late paying?". Nothing goes out without your OK. It works in Grok and other AI apps with MCP support too.
- **Simple, built for here.** Ready in minutes, no accounting knowledge needed. 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.** In every plan, reminder, first and second notice go out on a schedule, with statutory late interest and the €40 flat fee where the law allows.
- **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](https://back-bone.io/en/features/time-tracking), [invoices](https://back-bone.io/en/features/invoices), [pricing](https://back-bone.io/en/pricing).

> My goal is to optimise and automate back-office tasks so that we founders can focus on what matters most.
>
> Automating back-office work with AI agents and AI integrations is the future – that's why I built Backbone!

## How Backbone does it

Invoices done right. In the app, or in a chat with ChatGPT, Claude and many more.

1. **Bill your hours** What you tracked goes on the invoice.
2. **Switch on dunning** Set it once. Runs by itself.
3. **Who's overdue?** One question, every open invoice.
4. **Track your time** One sentence in the chat. The hours are in your week.
5. **Receipts matched automatically** Upload the statement. Clear matches assign themselves.
6. **Off to your bookkeeper** Month complete. One link, done.

## 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, and your AI chat also handles reminders, receipts and the export for your accountant, you approve. German interface, built for Austrian and German law. 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.

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General information, not legal or tax advice and no review of your case. Details on providers and laws can change. For your case, follow your tax adviser.

Checked on 08/10/2026

Sources: getharvest.com (pricing, features, integrations, privacy policy) · Harvest Help Center