If you're picking a time tracker based on which one has a free plan, don't assume they're all comparable. Clockify's free tier gives you unlimited users, unlimited projects, and unlimited time entries at no cost (source: jobbers.io, time tracking apps comparison, 2026). Harvest's free plan caps you at 1 user and 2 active projects, workable for testing the tool and not much else. Toggl Track sits in between: unlimited time entries, projects, and clients for up to 5 users, though billable rates and profitability reporting require a paid tier (source: jobbers.io, 2026).
Why "it has a free plan" doesn't tell you much
All three tools advertise a free tier, so a lot of comparison posts stop at "yes, it's free" without checking what that actually means in practice. Harvest's free plan technically exists, but 2 active projects is a real constraint the moment you're juggling more than a couple of clients, which most freelancers and gig workers are within their first few months. Clockify and Toggl don't cap projects or clients on their free tiers at all, which makes the "free plan available" checkbox misleading if you don't look past it.
What each tool actually gives you
Clockify Free. Unlimited users, unlimited projects, unlimited time entries, no cost (source: jobbers.io, 2026). The most generous free tier of the three by a wide margin. Invoicing isn't included free; it requires the Standard plan at $5.49 a month per user, billed annually.
Clockify paid ($3.99/user/mo). The cheapest paid tier among all three tools, useful once you need features like time-off tracking or approvals rather than invoicing specifically.
Toggl Track Free. Unlimited time entries, projects, and clients for up to 5 users (source: jobbers.io, 2026). Billable rates and revenue/profitability reporting are paid-only. A solid choice if you're tracking time across multiple clients solo and don't need built-in invoicing.
Toggl Track paid ($9/user/mo). Adds billable rates and revenue reporting. Priced in the middle of the three, positioned around interface simplicity and reporting depth rather than the lowest cost.
Harvest Free. 1 user, 2 active projects (source: jobbers.io, 2026). Usable only to test the tool or run a genuinely small solo operation with just a couple of active clients.
Harvest paid (~$11/user/mo). The most expensive of the three cheapest paid tiers, but it includes automatic invoice generation directly from tracked hours, the tightest time-to-invoice workflow of the group (source: jobbers.io, 2026).
Comparison
| Tool | Free tier | Cheapest paid plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clockify | Unlimited users/projects | $3.99/user/mo | Most generous free tier, budget paid tier |
| Toggl Track | Unlimited entries/projects, up to 5 users | $9/user/mo | Multi-client solo tracking, simple interface |
| Harvest | 1 user, 2 active projects | ~$11/user/mo | Built-in invoicing from tracked time |
The real decision isn't the free tier
The three tools aren't solving quite the same problem. Clockify optimizes for cost and open limits. Toggl optimizes for a clean interface across many clients. Harvest optimizes for the tracked-hours-to-invoice pipeline specifically. If invoicing directly from tracked time is the actual workflow you want, Harvest's paid tier is worth the higher price despite the weak free plan. If you just need to log hours across an unlimited number of projects without paying anything, Clockify's free tier is the more honest "free" of the group.
Two questions to answer before picking:
- Do you need invoices generated directly from tracked time, or is a separate invoicing tool fine?
- How many active projects or clients do you realistically have right now, not eventually?
FAQ
Which time tracker has the most generous free plan?
Clockify, with unlimited users, projects, and time entries at no cost, well ahead of Toggl Track and far ahead of Harvest's 2-project cap (source: jobbers.io, 2026).
Is Harvest's free plan worth using at all?
Only to trial the tool or run a genuinely small operation with 2 or fewer active projects. Most freelancers with more than a couple of clients will hit that ceiling quickly.
Do I need built-in invoicing in my time tracker?
Only if you want tracked hours to convert directly into a client invoice without exporting to a separate tool. If you're already using a dedicated invoicing tool, that feature is redundant and not worth paying Harvest's higher price for.
Is Toggl Track's free plan enough for a solo freelancer with several clients?
Usually yes, since projects and clients are unlimited even on the free tier. The paid upgrade is about billable-rate reporting, not about raising a project cap.
If you take one thing from this: check what the free tier actually limits, users, projects, or invoicing, rather than just whether a free tier exists, before picking based on price alone.
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