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Harvest vs Kimai: Which Time Tracker Protects Your Privacy?

Discover how US-based Harvest and Germany's Kimai handle your data with top-notch security and privacy standards. Make an informed choice today.

Last updated: February 6, 2026Reviewed by Built in EU Team

Should You Switch to Kimai?

What You Gain

Gain GDPR compliance, self-hosting, and customizable reporting.

Privacy advantage
Trade-offs

Potential loss of advanced features and integrations.

Harvest has more features
Bottom Line

Switch if privacy and customization are priorities; stay if features matter more.

At a Glance

Data Location
🇺🇸US

US data laws

🇩🇪DE

GDPR protected

Pricing

Harvest

Contact

Kimai

freemium

Migration
Medium difficulty~2-4 hours

Privacy & Compliance Comparison

Critical data sovereignty factors at a glance

CriteriaHarvestKimai
Server Location
US (AWS), EU (optional)EU
GDPR Compliance
Partial (SCCs)Full
Open Source
E2E Encryption
OptionalOptional
Data Portability
Full exportFull export

CLOUD Act Notice

Harvest is a US company and must comply with CLOUD Act data requests, even for data stored in EU data centers. Kimai is not subject to US jurisdiction.

Switching from
Harvest logo

Harvest

🇺🇸

Harvest

VS
Switching to
Kimai logo

Kimai

🇩🇪

Kimai

US Data Storage

Data subject to US CLOUD Act and may be accessed by US authorities

EU Data Protection

Data protected under GDPR with EU-only data residency

Certifications & Compliance

No certifications listed

EU-hosted
EU-Based
Open Source
Self-Hostable
GDPR Compliant

Reasons to Switch

  • Kimai is open-source, allowing for customization of features.
  • GDPR compliance ensures data protection for EU users.
  • Self-hosted option gives control over data and server location.
  • Multi-user project management supports collaboration among teams.

Things to Consider

  • !Migration from Harvest may require data export and import efforts.
  • !Learning curve for new users unfamiliar with Kimai's interface.
  • !Limited third-party integrations compared to Harvest's ecosystem.
Migration difficulty:
Medium
~2-4 hours

Migration Overview

Full guide
Difficulty
Medium
Time Estimate
~2-4 hours

Depends on data size and complexity

Quick Steps

1

Create Kimai account and configure settings

2

Export and prepare data from Harvest

3

Import data, test integrations, and migrate users

Other alternatives to Harvest

Ready to make the switch?

Start using Kimai today and take control of your data privacy.