Quick answer
Yes — for the part of Harvest covered on this page, Timevault is a one-time-purchase alternative. It costs $79 once, while Harvest lists from $11/mo. Self-hosted time tracking — one-click timers, hourly rates, weekly timesheets, billable reports. It is not a 1:1 replacement for everything Harvest does — the honest limits are spelled out below.
The verdict
Switch to Timevault if the slice of Harvest you actually pay for is the slice Timevault covers — and a $79 one-time price beats from $11/mo for as long as you use it.
Stay with Harvest if this sounds like you — Harvest adds expense tracking, budget alerts, team capacity views and deep integrations with project tools and accounting software. Timevault is time and billing only; expense capture and scheduling are out of scope.
Head to head
| Timevault | Harvest | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 once | from $11/mo |
| Where it runs | Your own machine | Vendor cloud (hosted service) |
| Renewal | None — the license never expires | Recurring — access ends when you stop paying |
| 5-year cost | $79 | ~$660 |
About Harvest: Harvest is time tracking and invoicing software for teams. Pro plans list from $11/seat/mo billed annually (about $132/seat/yr).
Where Harvest still wins
Harvest adds expense tracking, budget alerts, team capacity views and deep integrations with project tools and accounting software. Timevault is time and billing only; expense capture and scheduling are out of scope.
Where Timevault wins
Timevault covers Harvest's core loop: one-click timers, projects and clients with hourly rates, weekly timesheets and billable reports that turn straight into invoices — self-hosted for $79 once, whether one person or twenty track time.
- Price, permanently. $79 once versus from $11/mo for as long as you use it. There is no renewal, no seat count and no tier gate.
- One-click timer. Description, project, tags, Enter to start. The timer is server state — reload, close the tab, restart your browser, it keeps counting.
- Manual entries. Start + end times, or start + duration ("1:30", "1.5", "90m"). Stop, discard mistakes, or one-click continue any previous entry.
The math
Harvest lists from $11/mo. Timevault is $79, paid once:
- After 1 year: Timevault has cost you $79 total — Harvest has cost ~$132.
- After 3 years: Timevault is still $79 — the subscription is at ~$396.
- After 5 years: Timevault is still $79 — the subscription is at ~$660.
Common questions
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes — MIT source at github.com/bensblueprints/timevault-tracker-mvp. $79 buys the packaged installer, 1-click setup and updates.
What happens to a running timer if my browser crashes?
Nothing — the timer is server state, not a browser widget. Reload the page an hour later and it's still counting from the original start.
Is there a mobile app or idle detection?
No — honestly. Toggl's native apps, idle detection and calendar integrations are real advantages if you track from your phone all day. Timevault is browser + desktop, aimed at people who work at a computer and bill for it.
Does rounding change my data?
Never — rounding is applied at report level only. Your raw entries stay exact, so you can re-run the same period at 5, 15 or no rounding.
Try Timevault — $79, one time
Or get Timevault plus every other app in the suite: the OneTimeSuite bundle is currently $97, one time.