GITNUXSOFTWARE ADVICE
Business FinanceTop 10 Best Time And Materials Software of 2026
Ranked comparison of time and materials software for estimating and billing, covering Harvest, Jonas Construction, Foundation Software, and tradeoffs.
How we ranked these tools
Core product claims cross-referenced against official documentation, changelogs, and independent technical reviews.
Analyzed video reviews and hundreds of written evaluations to capture real-world user experiences with each tool.
AI persona simulations modeled how different user types would experience each tool across common use cases and workflows.
Final rankings reviewed and approved by our editorial team with authority to override AI-generated scores based on domain expertise.
Score: Features 40% · Ease 30% · Value 30%
Gitnux may earn a commission through links on this page — this does not influence rankings. Editorial policy
Harvest is the best pick if your mid-market team needs dependable time capture, approvals, and T&M profitability reporting for invoicing, while Jonas Construction fits when construction job accounting starts in the field with T&M billing, and BigTime is a solid low-friction entry for approval-driven T&M invoices and margin visibility.
Editor’s top 3 picks
Three quick recommendations before you dive into the full comparison below — each one leads on a different dimension.
Harvest
Built-in time entry validation and approval scheduling reduce unbilled or incorrectly billed hours.
Built for fits when mid-market teams need reliable time capture, approvals, and project profitability reporting for invoicing..
Jonas Construction
Editor pickJob-level rollups that keep labor, expenses, and T&M documentation aligned per project.
Built for fits when construction firms need job accounting that starts with field time entry..
Foundation Software
Editor pickRate-card driven project billing ties labor entries to bill amounts and margin reporting in one workflow.
Built for fits when services teams need contract-grade T&M billing and project margin governance..
Comparison Table
Harvest
SMBTime tracking and invoicing tool supporting time-and-materials billing for small professional services teams.
Built-in time entry validation and approval scheduling reduce unbilled or incorrectly billed hours.
Harvest covers the core time and materials workflow with employee timesheets, project and client assignment, and configurable bill rates and cost rates. Approval controls support timesheet review before billing, and expense entries can flow into invoices alongside billable time. Reporting highlights utilization and project profitability so project managers can spot overrun risk before it reaches invoicing.
A key tradeoff is that Harvest focuses on time capture and project accounting rather than deep PSA orchestration like milestone plans and change order workflows. It fits teams that need consistent time entry automation, straightforward approvals, and accurate labor rate handling across multiple projects.
Harvest also works well for client-facing invoicing where labor rates differ by role, and where non-billable time and leave can be tracked without breaking time-to-bill mapping.
- +Accurate time-to-invoice workflow ties tracked hours to billable rates
- +Approval steps reduce billing errors from unreviewed timesheets
- +Rate configuration supports separate cost and bill rates by project
- +Expense entries can be invoiced alongside time entries
- –Complex PSA workflows like milestone billing need additional process work
- –Advanced governance and admin controls are lighter than full enterprise suites
- –Resource allocation and forecasting depth is limited versus specialized PSAs
- –Project change order tracking is not a native accounting workflow
Project managers
Track margin against budget
Faster correction of overruns
Operations teams
Standardize timesheet approvals
Lower billing rework
Show 2 more scenarios
Finance teams
Handle cost and bill rates
Cleaner project accounting
Harvest applies separate cost rate and bill rate configurations to time entries for accurate labor accounting.
Consulting teams
Reconcile labor across clients
More accurate utilization reporting
Harvest captures time by client and project so billable utilization reporting stays aligned to invoicing.
Best for: Fits when mid-market teams need reliable time capture, approvals, and project profitability reporting for invoicing.
Jonas Construction
enterpriseConstruction and service management ERP with time-and-materials invoicing for mechanical and specialty contractors.
Job-level rollups that keep labor, expenses, and T&M documentation aligned per project.
Jonas Construction connects job costing details to time capture so labor hours and related charges land against the right project without a separate mapping layer. The job view is oriented around operational execution, which helps teams use T&M documentation through the full cycle from field entry to invoice-ready totals. Labor and expense inputs can be reviewed and processed through approval workflows designed around job ownership and supervision.
A key tradeoff is tighter fit to construction operations than to mixed services models, because the workflow emphasis centers on job accounting and field-driven inputs. Jonas Construction is a strong fit when a contractor needs consistent effort tracking across active projects and wants job-level rollups that support milestone or progress billing processes.
- +Job-first workflow ties time and charges directly to projects
- +Construction-oriented estimation and job costing focus reduces mapping work
- +Labor inputs fit review and approval processing for job teams
- +Job-level rollups support variance checking for actuals versus estimates
- –APIs and automation hooks are less transparent than broad PSA competitors
- –Complex non-construction service configurations may require custom process work
Field operations managers
Approve labor for active job
Fewer billing disputes
Project accountants
Track actuals against estimates
Faster margin checks
Show 2 more scenarios
Estimating coordinators
Prepare T&M billing support
Cleaner invoice preparation
Estimating details connect to job accounting so billable totals reflect recorded field activity.
Contract owners
Monitor ongoing project profitability
Earlier budget action
Project rollups support ongoing visibility into labor-driven costs that drive margin variance.
Best for: Fits when construction firms need job accounting that starts with field time entry.
Foundation Software
SMBConstruction accounting software with time-and-materials entry and billing for contractors.
Rate-card driven project billing ties labor entries to bill amounts and margin reporting in one workflow.
Foundation Software handles time entry and labor costing in the context of active projects so utilization and profitability views stay grounded in project transactions. The system ties billable and non-billable activity to rates and project structures so invoicing can follow agreed billing rules. Automation and governance come through approval workflows and role-based access patterns for managing who can enter time, approve submissions, and edit project financial settings. Integration depth is most useful when external systems need to exchange labor rates, project data, and billing artifacts through an API or import process.
A tradeoff appears in implementation effort because teams must configure billing rates, project structures, and approval steps before invoicing matches contract expectations. Foundation Software fits best when time and materials work must reconcile to project profitability and margin targets, not just capture billable hours. It is less suited for organizations that want a lightweight timesheet tool without project accounting controls or rate-card governance.
- +Project accounting and profitability reporting stay tied to labor transactions
- +Rate-based time costing supports cost rate and bill rate workflows
- +Timesheet approval workflow supports controlled labor entry and sign-off
- +Milestone and contract-aligned billing logic reduces invoice rework
- –Requires careful configuration of rates, project structure, and approvals
- –Admin setup effort can be heavy for small teams with simple T&M needs
Revenue operations teams
Manage labor rates and billable validation
Fewer billing disputes
Project controllers
Monitor project margin and profitability
Faster variance diagnosis
Show 1 more scenario
Project managers
Control utilization and workload allocation
Improved planning accuracy
Resource and effort visibility helps align staffing plans with billable targets and delivery commitments.
Best for: Fits when services teams need contract-grade T&M billing and project margin governance.
Deltek Costpoint
enterpriseEnterprise ERP purpose-built for government contractors with native time-and-materials contract billing and compliance.
Integrated project accounting that values WIP and calculates margin from time-captured actuals against estimate baselines.
Deltek Costpoint is a time and materials and project accounting suite designed for government contracting and project-centric financial control. It supports time entry and timesheet approval workflows tied directly to labor rates, cost rate and bill rate structures, and project profitability reporting.
Costpoint also handles project setup, change-driven billing paths, and work-in-progress valuation that reflect actuals versus estimates variance. Automation and integration are typically delivered through Deltek’s application framework and APIs used to connect operational systems and reporting.
- +Labor rate card and billing logic stay connected to time entry and approvals
- +Project accounting supports WIP valuation and cost rollups for T&M and milestones
- +Variance reporting links actuals against estimates for margin and profitability tracking
- +Enterprise administration supports role-based access and audit-focused operational controls
- –Setup for labor categories, rates, and billing rules requires significant governance discipline
- –Timesheet workflows can feel heavy compared with lightweight T&M time capture tools
- –Common SMB integrations may need custom mapping between operational fields and accounting dimensions
- –User experience can lag modern PSA workflows for frontline effort tracking
Best for: Fits when enterprise contractors need project accounting rigor, time-to-billing controls, and profitability reporting.
Unanet
enterpriseProject ERP for government contractors and professional services firms with integrated T&M billing and time tracking.
Project profitability views that reconcile labor and costs to margin by project, not just time totals.
Unanet drives time and materials billing by connecting timesheets to project accounting records used for invoicing and reporting. The system supports professional services automation workflows like task and project structures, labor rate handling, and project profitability views driven by actuals.
Unanet also manages change control around billable work via cost, revenue, and schedule rollups used in operations review. Administration tooling focuses on user roles, approval workflows, and auditability for billing-ready data.
- +Timesheet to invoice workflow with approval gates that support billing readiness
- +Project profitability reporting that ties labor and costs to project outcomes
- +Labor rate card support for consistent cost rate and bill rate calculations
- +Strong role-based controls for access boundaries across projects and reports
- –Workflow configuration can be heavy when organizations need complex approval chains
- –Some reporting needs structured project setup or custom report builds
- –Usability tradeoffs show up for users entering time across many assignments
- –Expense reimbursement handling can depend on the specific integration path used
Best for: Fits when PSA teams need approval-driven T&M billing tied to labor rates and project profitability reporting.
Jamis Prime
enterpriseERP system for government contractors with flexible time-and-materials billing and project cost tracking.
Built-in timesheet approval workflow that routes entries into accounting-ready billing views with clear history.
Jamis Prime targets time and materials billing workflows with invoice-ready time and cost capture that tracks labor against work performed. Core capabilities center on structured projects, billable and non-billable time entry, and billing artifacts that align with T&M contracting needs.
It also supports approvals so timesheets can move from individual entry to accounting-ready submission with an audit trail of changes. Reporting focuses on utilization and project profitability views for variance review between planned and actual effort.
- +Timesheet approval workflow supports accounting-ready submissions
- +Project views connect time capture to invoice and profitability reporting
- +Separate handling for billable and non-billable time entries
- +Configuration options fit common T&M contract bookkeeping patterns
- –Automation depth for utilization targets is limited versus PSA-first tools
- –API and integration documentation is narrower than major T&M vendors
- –Expense and reimbursement workflows require tighter process discipline
- –Project change order tracking support is not as granular as specialized systems
Best for: Fits when services teams need T&M invoicing with basic approvals and project margin reporting.
Procore
enterpriseConstruction management platform with dedicated time-and-materials ticket tracking for field work.
Project controls that connect labor time, cost code structure, and change order documentation for defensible billing support.
Procore differentiates in time and materials workflows by centering project controls, documents, and cost tracking around construction project accounting rather than a generic time sheet. Labor time entries can be tied to projects and cost codes, then carried into billing processes that match construction operational needs.
Procore also offers project-level reporting for earned value style visibility and variance thinking, which supports project profitability tracking across work packages. Configuration and governance controls help administrators standardize rates, approvals, and audit trails across teams.
- +Project-first setup links time entries to cost structure for billing readiness
- +Approval workflows and audit trails support timesheet governance across crews
- +Reporting connects work progress with cost tracking for variance visibility
- +Strong document and change order context reduces billing disputes from missing records
- –Time and materials billing workflows can feel heavier than pure T&M time trackers
- –Best results require disciplined cost code and rate card configuration
- –Non-standard billable logic often needs process tailoring rather than self-serve rules
- –Integrations depend on setup choices that can add administration overhead
Best for: Fits when contractors need T&M time tracking tied to construction project accounting, documents, and approvals.
BQE Core
SMBProject accounting and billing platform for professional services with time-and-materials invoicing.
Role-based labor rate cards that apply to time entries and carry through posting into project accounting and billing output.
BQE Core is a time and materials and project accounting tool built for professional services firms that bill by scope, hours, and expenses. It supports time entry tied to projects and roles, approval workflow for timesheets, and project financial reporting that separates labor and non-labor costs.
Core also includes billing features that map posted time and expenses into invoices and supports labor rate cards used to calculate billable amounts. Configuration centers on work types, rates, and project setup so billable utilization and profitability reporting align with the firm’s operating model.
- +Timesheet approval workflow links time entry to invoiceable project activity.
- +Labor rate cards calculate billable labor amounts from configurable roles.
- +Project accounting reports separate labor, expenses, and invoice results.
- +Expense and time posting feed billing so invoices reflect actuals.
- –Initial setup of projects, roles, and rates takes sustained configuration effort.
- –Advanced automation and integrations depend on API usage or add-on modules.
- –Reporting layouts require administration to match each finance team’s conventions.
- –Cross-project utilization views are less intuitive than dedicated PSA dashboards.
Best for: Fits when services teams need timesheet approvals, rate-card billing math, and project accounting reports for T&M delivery.
BigTime
SMBTime tracking and billing software for professional services firms with T&M invoicing and project budgeting.
Project-linked time and expenses flow through an approvals-based workflow into invoice-ready line items tied to project accounting totals.
BigTime handles time entry, timesheet workflows, and time and materials billing for professional services teams. It connects projects to labor rate cards with per-person cost and bill rates, then turns approved time into invoice line items and project accounting totals.
BigTime also tracks expenses and links them to projects so invoices reflect labor plus reimbursements. For governance, it supports approvals and activity visibility across users and projects to manage utilization and margin reporting.
- +Turns approved time entries into consistent invoice line items
- +Labor rate cards apply cost and bill rates at the time entry level
- +Project accounting totals include both labor and project-linked expenses
- +Approval workflow supports controlled timesheet sign-off
- –Advanced profitability reporting depends on consistent rate card configuration
- –Workflows for corrections require more steps than basic trackers
Best for: Fits when services teams need approval-driven T&M invoicing with project margin visibility.
ClickTime
SMBTime tracking and resource management platform with T&M billing support for professional services.
Role-based timesheet approval workflow that ties time entry to billing-ready rate settings for each project context.
ClickTime targets time and materials billing workflows with timesheet capture, approvals, and invoice-ready rate calculations for service teams. It supports configurable project and client settings for billable and non-billable tracking, including hours visibility by resource and assignment.
The system focuses on automation for routine time entry flows and on auditability for how hours roll up into billed work. ClickTime also provides integration options and an extensibility layer for connecting time data to adjacent professional services automation processes.
- +Configurable billing rates and time rules for T and M invoice preparation
- +Approval workflows for timesheets with clear sign-off checkpoints
- +Resource and project views that support utilization and allocation checks
- +Integration options to sync time data with external systems
- –Governance depends on disciplined configuration of projects, clients, and rate rules
- –Some PSA-style workflows require setup to match complex contract structures
- –Expense and reimbursement flows can depend on external connections for completeness
- –Advanced reporting needs careful configuration to reflect margins and variances
Best for: Fits when professional services teams need controlled timesheet approvals and consistent rate calculations for T and M billing.
Conclusion
After evaluating 10 business finance, Harvest stands out as our overall top pick — it scored highest across our combined criteria of features, ease of use, and value, which is why it sits at #1 in the rankings above.
Use the comparison table and detailed reviews above to validate the fit against your own requirements before committing to a tool.
How to Choose the Right time and materials software
This guide covers Harvest, Jonas Construction, Foundation Software, Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, Jamis Prime, Procore, BQE Core, BigTime, and ClickTime. The comparison focuses on time capture, labor rates, approvals, project accounting, and invoice preparation.
Harvest ranks first for validated time entry and approval scheduling, while Jonas Construction organizes labor, expenses, and T&M records around construction jobs.
How Time and Materials Software Connects Labor, Rates, and Billing
Time and materials software records employee hours against projects, applies cost or bill rates, routes timesheets for approval, and produces billing-ready labor records. These workflows help teams reconcile billable hours with project estimates, expenses, and margin reporting.
Harvest connects approved time to billable rates and invoicing for professional services teams. Jonas Construction instead keeps field time, expenses, job costing, and T&M documentation together at the construction project level.
Time and Materials workflows that convert entries into billable labor
Time and materials software must turn time capture into invoice-ready labor records without letting incorrect hours pass approvals. The strongest tools connect capture validation, approval scheduling, and rate-card billing math into one chain from timesheet to invoice output.
The highest impact capabilities also show up in project accounting outputs. Tools that carry rate logic into project views and WIP valuation reduce rework when project profitability reporting needs actuals against estimates baselines.
Validated time entry to prevent unbillable or wrong hours
Harvest uses built-in time entry validation plus approval scheduling to reduce unbilled hours and prevent incorrectly billed entries from reaching invoice logic. Jamis Prime emphasizes an accounting-ready timesheet approval workflow that routes entries into billing views with clear history.
Approval gates that align time capture with billing readiness
Unanet routes time through approval gates that support billing readiness and then ties approved labor into project profitability views. ClickTime provides role-based timesheet approval checkpoints that connect time entry to billing-ready rate settings for each project context.
Rate-card billing math tied to labor transactions
Foundation Software applies rate-card driven project billing so labor entries map directly into bill amounts and margin reporting in one workflow. BQE Core uses role-based labor rate cards that calculate billable labor amounts from configurable roles and then carry posting into project accounting and billing output.
Project accounting outputs for T&M actuals and profitability
Deltek Costpoint values WIP from time-captured actuals against estimate baselines and calculates margin from those comparisons. BigTime turns approved time and expenses into consistent invoice line items tied to project accounting totals so margin visibility stays anchored to approved work.
Job-level structure that keeps labor, expenses, and documentation aligned
Jonas Construction uses job-level rollups to keep labor, expenses, and T&M documentation aligned per project. Procore connects labor time to cost code structure and change order documentation so billing support stays defensible across crews.
Workflow coverage for T&M complexity like milestones and milestones-like billing
Harvest can require additional process work for complex PSA workflows such as milestone billing, so teams should validate their milestone mechanics early. Jonas Construction is oriented toward construction job accounting and keeps the T&M record set tied to job workflows instead of generic service billing.
Choose by approval depth, rate logic, and how strongly project accounting is coupled
The decision should start with how the time-to-invoice path handles errors. Harvest favors validation plus approval scheduling, while BQE Core ties rate-card math to postings so governance sits closer to the labor transaction.
After the time-to-invoice chain is mapped, the second fork should test how much project accounting coupling is required. Deltek Costpoint and Unanet expose richer project profitability and WIP views, while lighter workflows like ClickTime and Jamis Prime prioritize controlled approvals and consistent rate calculations without the same level of project accounting rigor.
Map the time-to-invoice chain to the approvals that block bad billing
Check whether Harvest’s approval scheduling runs after validation so rejected or corrected entries do not reach invoice preparation. If the organization needs role-based sign-off checkpoints instead of scheduled validation, ClickTime’s timesheet approval workflow with rate-linked settings provides a closer match.
Pick the rate-card engine that matches how the business defines bill amounts
If the organization builds bill amounts from labor rate-card math tied to bill and cost rates, Foundation Software connects labor entries to bill amounts and margin reporting inside one workflow. If bill rates are assigned by role and carried into project accounting postings, BQE Core applies role-based labor rate cards that drive billable labor calculations.
Decide how tightly project accounting must be coupled to time entry
If WIP valuation and margin from time-captured actuals against estimate baselines are central, Deltek Costpoint provides integrated project accounting tied to T&M and milestone structures. If the requirement is project profitability reconciliation built around approvals and labor and cost outcomes, Unanet focuses on project profitability views tied to project outcomes.
Separate construction job accounting needs from general PSA billing needs
If labor and expenses originate from field time entry and must roll up to job accounting, Jonas Construction keeps time and charges linked to construction projects. If construction controls like cost code structure and change order documentation must stay tied to labor time for billing support, Procore’s project controls model is the closer fit.
Test automation and integration depth against required governance coverage
If robust governance and broad admin controls are required, Harvest is strong on workflow validation but can have lighter governance and admin controls than enterprise suites, so admin expectations must be tested. If API and automation hooks matter for automation-led deployments, Jonas Construction and Jamis Prime show narrower integration documentation than broader PSA ecosystems.
Who benefits from time and materials software built for time-to-invoice governance
Teams that submit time for approval and then convert approved labor into invoice-ready line items benefit from tools that connect validation, approvals, and rate-card billing output. Those teams typically operate with tight labor rate definitions and frequent reconciliations between recorded work and invoicing.
Contractors and PSA organizations also need project accounting views that link time and costs to profitability. Tools with WIP valuation and margin reporting from time-captured actuals help avoid end-of-period surprises when projects run ahead or behind estimate baselines.
Mid-market services teams running time approvals to invoice
Harvest supports reliable time capture with validation and approval scheduling so hours move into invoice logic without unreviewed errors.
Construction firms using job accounting and change order documentation
Jonas Construction keeps labor, expenses, and T&M documentation aligned at the job level from field time entry, and Procore links labor time to cost structure and change orders.
Enterprise contractors needing project accounting rigor and WIP valuation
Deltek Costpoint connects time-captured actuals to WIP valuation and margin calculations against estimate baselines for T&M and milestone work.
PSA organizations that require approval-driven profitability reporting
Unanet emphasizes approval-driven time-to-invoice readiness and project profitability views that reconcile labor and costs to margin by project.
Services teams that bill using role-based labor rate cards
BQE Core applies role-based labor rate cards to time entries and carries the results into project accounting and billing output to maintain rate consistency.
Common failure modes in time and materials deployments
Time and materials software projects fail when the approval workflow does not align with billing rules, or when rate card configuration and project setup are left until after adoption. The result is delayed invoicing, manual corrections, and inconsistent margin reporting.
Another failure mode is selecting a tool with the wrong depth of project accounting coupling. Tools that emphasize approval and rate calculations can still require disciplined setup of projects, roles, cost codes, and billing rules to match contract structures.
Approvals that do not block invalid or incorrect time entries
Harvest’s time entry validation and approval scheduling reduces the chance that bad hours reach invoice preparation, while lighter approval-only setups like Jamis Prime still need disciplined rate and project mapping to avoid accounting-ready rework.
Rate-card math configured without a clear cost rate and bill rate governance plan
Foundation Software’s rate-card driven billing ties labor entries to bill amounts and margin reporting, so rates and approvals must be configured early to avoid margin reporting drift. BigTime’s profitability depends on consistent rate card configuration, so late adjustments can force workflow corrections.
Underestimating the governance effort for labor categories, rates, and billing rules
Deltek Costpoint requires significant governance discipline to set labor categories, rates, and billing rules, so the setup plan should be treated as part of implementation. BQE Core also demands sustained configuration effort for projects, roles, and rates before approvals and posting yield correct billing output.
Choosing construction controls without aligning cost code and change order workflows
Procore can support defensible billing with project-first setup, approval workflows, and audit trails, but best results depend on disciplined cost code and rate card configuration. Jonas Construction keeps job-level documentation aligned, so construction teams should confirm their T&M documentation inputs match its job-first workflow.
Assuming automation depth and API surface match enterprise PSA requirements
Harvest can require additional process work for complex milestone billing workflows, so milestone mechanics should be validated against required contract structures. Jonas Construction and Jamis Prime show narrower automation and integration documentation visibility, so integration-led automation plans may need additional design work.
How We Selected and Ranked These Tools
We evaluated Harvest, Jonas Construction, Foundation Software, Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, Jamis Prime, Procore, BQE Core, BigTime, and ClickTime against time-to-invoice workflow coverage, approval behavior, and how billing-ready labor records are produced. Features carried 40% of the score, and ease and value each carried 30% by weighing implementation friction against operational fit for time capture and approvals.
Harvest ranked first because its built-in time entry validation and approval scheduling directly reduce unbilled and incorrectly billed hours while keeping the time-to-invoice workflow tight for invoice preparation. We weighted project accounting coupling heavily where tools provide WIP valuation and margin reporting from time-captured actuals so the selection favors systems that connect approvals to profitability visibility for T&M and milestone billing.
Frequently Asked Questions About time and materials software
How do Harvest and BigTime keep invoiced T&M billing tied to the same time entries?
Which tools support labor rate cards and bill rate math inside the T&M workflow?
How do timesheet approval workflows differ between Deltek Costpoint and ClickTime for billable hours reconciliation?
When does Unanet’s change control around billable work become necessary in T&M projects?
What breaks if a team uses a generic time tracker without project accounting controls like WIP valuation from Deltek Costpoint?
How do construction-focused workflows handle cost codes and billing artifacts in Procore compared with Jonas Construction?
How should data migration be planned when moving time history and expense history into BQE Core or Harvest?
How do Jamis Prime and Harvest differ in timesheet audit trails and routing into accounting-ready submission?
What admin controls and security mechanisms are typically required for RBAC and auditability in ClickTime versus Unanet?
Tools reviewed
Primary sources checked during evaluation.
Referenced in the comparison table and product reviews above.
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