Users of Harvest, a widely-adopted business software platform for managing timesheets and invoicing, have expressed strong objections after the company implemented substantial price increases on customer accounts. Reports indicate billing hikes ranging from tenfold to fifteenfold increases, with one UK business owner noting his monthly charges rose from approximately $130 to $2,110. Another user reported annual costs jumping from $2,800 to $23,000. Many customers are only discovering these changes as their annual subscriptions come due for renewal.
The pricing restructure occurred following Harvest’s acquisition by Bending Spoons, an Italian technology firm, in 2025. Previously, the platform charged customers a flat monthly fee per user account, allowing businesses to scale their expenses based on staffing needs. The revised pricing model incorporates usage-based charges tied to multiple factors, including the number of active projects, clients, tasks, and revenue invoiced through the platform. This shift has created substantial uncertainty for customers attempting to forecast their costs.
Richard Haldenby, head of UK consultancy Salentis, characterized the price increase as unaffordable and indicated his firm would seek alternative services rather than accept the new pricing. When he objected to Bending Spoons, the company offered him a reduced rate of approximately $1,309 annually, but Haldenby expressed skepticism that this represented a genuine concession rather than merely delaying a future price increase. Industry analysts criticized the approach, noting the lack of transparency that prevents customers from calculating costs before receiving bills.
Bending Spoons has demonstrated a consistent pattern of raising prices across its substantial portfolio of acquired companies. The firm has acquired over 50 major technology platforms since its founding in 2013, including Evernote, Vimeo, and WeTransfer. Following previous acquisitions, the company has implemented price increases, feature restrictions, and changes to legacy user tier structures. Experts attributed this latest pricing shift to a strategic shift by new ownership toward greater monetization of the customer base.
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