Chaser vs Harvest
Harvest is great for tracking time and sending invoices. Chaser is great for getting those invoices paid.
Harvest does one thing brilliantly: turn hours into professional invoices. But once that invoice is sent and unpaid, Harvest's follow-up is manual — you still have to remember to check in, write the reminder, and send it. Every time.
| Feature | Harvest | Chaser ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice follow-up automation | Manual reminders only | 4-stage automated sequence |
| Escalation stages | None — sends same reminder each time | Day 3 / 7 / 14 / 30 (escalating tone) |
| Auto-send follow-up emails | No — requires manual action | Yes — fully automated |
| Payment link in reminder email | Invoice view link (no direct payment) | Direct Stripe payment link |
| Price | $12–$12/mo (flat rate) | Free–$15/mo |
| Time tracking | Yes (core feature) | No — focused on invoice follow-up |
| Setup time | Medium (project/client setup) | Under 5 minutes |
| Overdue risk scoring | No | Yes — per-invoice risk badge |
| Client unsubscribe / GDPR | No automated opt-out | Yes — automatic GDPR opt-out |
| Best for | Agencies & freelancers billing by time | Freelancers who need to get paid faster |
Why Harvest users still have unpaid invoices
Harvest is excellent software. Its time-tracking is clean, its invoices look professional, and its team features work well for small agencies. Thousands of freelancers use it every day — and with good reason.
But Harvest is a billing tool, not a collections tool. When a client doesn't pay after 7 days, Harvest shows you that in a report. It doesn't act on it. You have to go in, find the invoice, click "Resend" or write a new email, and do this again next week. And the week after.
Most Harvest users who add Chaser keep using Harvest for time-tracking and invoicing. They just add overdue invoices to Chaser too — which takes 30 seconds — and let Chaser handle the awkward follow-up automatically.
Harvest for billing. Chaser for getting paid.
All emails arrive from your name and reply-to address. Chaser stops the moment the invoice is paid.
Use Harvest + Chaser together
- 1.Harvest tracks your time → creates a professional invoice
- 2.You send the invoice via Harvest as usual
- 3.Invoice goes overdue → add it to Chaser in 30 seconds
- 4.Chaser sends escalating reminders automatically
- 5.Client pays → mark paid in both tools in one click
Free tier: 3 invoices. Pro: $15/mo — no contracts.