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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, 2026โ€ขReviewed 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
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUS

US data laws

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ชDE

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

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Harvest

VS
Switching to
Kimai logo

Kimai

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช

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

  • โœ“Kimai is open-source, allowing for customization of features.
  • โœ“GDPR compliance ensures data protection for EU users.
  • โœ“Self-hosted option gives control over data and server location.
  • โœ“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.