Toggl + FreshBooks = $624/year for two apps that don't talk to each other. Harvest + QuickBooks = $1,512/year. Helix does both — connected — for $279 once. Track time, click once, invoice sent, payment recorded in your P&L.
Bottom line: Most freelancers pay for two separate tools: time tracking ($108–$216/yr) and invoicing ($204–$516/yr). That's $312–$732/yr for tools that require manual data transfer between them. Helix combines both for $279 once. Tracked hours become invoices in one click. Over 3 years, Toggl + FreshBooks costs $1,872. Helix costs $279.
Build your current tool stack and see the real cost.
Pricing verified March 2026.
The most popular freelancer combo. Toggl for time tracking, FreshBooks for invoicing. Both are good at their job. The problem: they don't share data natively. You'll export hours from Toggl, import to FreshBooks, then create the invoice. Every. Single. Time.
Harvest has a good QuickBooks integration, so data flows better than Toggl+FreshBooks. But you're paying $588/yr minimum for the combo, and QuickBooks is $456-$1,380/yr on its own. The integration still requires setup and maintenance.
Harvest does both time tracking and basic invoicing in one tool. Closest standalone competitor to Helix's combo. But $132/yr per user, and no CRM, scheduling, or real P&L/balance sheet accounting.
Track time. Click once. Invoice sent. Payment recorded. P&L updated. Client CRM record shows the full picture. No data copying. No integrations to maintain. No separate subscriptions. One system that does what freelancers actually need: track work, bill clients, manage money.
| Combo | Year 1 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest + QuickBooks Plus | $1,512 | $4,536 | $7,560 |
| Toggl + FreshBooks + Calendly | $768 | $2,304 | $3,840 |
| Toggl + FreshBooks | $624 | $1,872 | $3,120 |
| Harvest (standalone) | $132 | $396 | $660 |
| Helix (everything) | $279 | $279 | $279 |
$52/month = $624/year. Two separate subscriptions, disconnected data. Helix is $279 once with both connected.
Harvest does both for $132/yr. FreshBooks has time tracking for $204-516/yr. Helix is $279 once and adds CRM, scheduling, and full accounting.
Yes. Harvest, FreshBooks, and Helix all do this. Helix is the only one-time purchase option, and it includes CRM + accounting.
Typical stack: $708-$1,344/yr. Helix replaces time tracking + invoicing + accounting + scheduling + CRM for $279 once.
Harvest has more polished time+invoicing UX. Helix includes CRM, scheduling, and full accounting. Over 3 years: Harvest = $396. Helix = $279 and does more.
Time tracking + invoicing + CRM + accounting. One system. $279 once.
Calculate Your Savings· Data sourced from official pricing pages