Businesses that rely on the invoicing and time-tracking platform Harvest have voiced fury after the company overhauled its pricing structure, with some bills rising by as much as 1500%. Richard Haldenby, head of UK consultancy firm Salentis, said his monthly charge jumped from $130 (£95.50) to $2,110, calling the increase "daylight robbery" alongside other affected customers.
Haldenby told a national broadcaster he was "in shock" after receiving an email setting out the new charges. Other users have reported similarly steep rises online, including one person in the US whose annual bill climbed from $2,800 to $23,000.
A national broadcaster said it had approached Harvest for comment on the price changes.
How did Harvest's pricing structure change?
Harvest was bought by the Italian technology group Bending Spoons in 2025, and revised its pricing model the following year. Many businesses that pay annually are only now discovering the higher costs, as their subscriptions come up for renewal.
Previously, companies paid a flat monthly fee per user, allowing them to add or remove staff and only pay for those who needed access. Under the revised model, charges can also depend on the number of active projects, clients and tasks a business runs, as well as the amount of revenue it invoices through the platform. According to a competitor analysis published in August 2026, the new structure combines a per-seat base fee with these additional usage-based charges.
Haldenby, whose firm employs up to 15 staff in the UK alongside sister companies in the US and Australia, said the change would be financially damaging if accepted.
We have used Harvest in our three companies for at least 15 years and have been loyal and enthusiastic advocates of it.
But if we were to accept this increase it would double our IT spend for the year, which is completely unaffordable.
After contacting Harvest to reject the new terms, Haldenby said he was offered a discounted annual rate of $1,309, payable upfront. He said he believed this would only "delay the inevitable" and is now "planning to migrate to a similar but less good service".
It's a classic example of corporate greed over valuing customers.
How have analysts responded?
Mark Peacock, head of the UK consultancy PriceMaker, which advises small and medium-sized enterprises on pricing strategy, described the move as "extremely bad practice".
Harvest has completely failed at the transparency test.
There is no way for a customer to work out how much it's going to cost them until they get their bill at the end of the month.
Many users are reporting a 10-fold increase in costs which is entirely unacceptable.
Separate customer complaints reviewed in August 2026 illustrate the scale of the increases. According to Bloomberg, one r received a renewal notice showing a jump to $2,547.60, with customers describing the changes as "outrageous". A review posted on Trustpilot in August 2026 also described a monthly charge rising from $40 to $586.50. Published pricing summaries reviewed by a software comparison site list Harvest Teams at $9 per seat per month and Harvest Enterprise at $14 per seat per month when billed annually, with higher rates for monthly billing. Multiple recent customer-review pages, including one from a competing invoicing provider, note that the usage-based fees are not publicly disclosed, meaning customers only learn the full cost after renewal.
Who are Bending Spoons?
Damian Foks, head of consulting at Valueships, said the pricing overhaul reflected "a clear sign of a shift in the company's strategy from growth to monetization", which he said was "likely" linked to the change in ownership.
Bending Spoons, founded in 2013, has acquired more than 50 major technology firms, including Evernote, Vimeo and WeTransfer. The company has a track record of raising prices at businesses it has bought. Following its 2022 acquisition of the note-taking app Evernote, it introduced sharp subscription increases alongside layoffs in the US and Chile. Both WeTransfer and Vimeo have since faced tighter restrictions on their free tools, with long-standing users pushed onto more expensive plans.
The pattern of businesses absorbing sudden cost increases echoes wider concerns raised by consumers over unpredictable subscription charges, as detailed in earlier reporting on unexpected subscription charges and cancellation struggles, which noted new government rules aimed at simplifying cancellations and potentially saving households £170 a year — though those measures are targeted at consumer subscriptions rather than business software contracts such as Harvest's.
What happens next for affected customers?
Some businesses on legacy annual plans have kept their previous pricing until their contracts come up for renewal, according to industry analysis published in August 2026, which explains why many companies are only now encountering the higher charges. Users discussing the changes on forums such as a Harvest user community report that renewal notices are automatically shifting accounts onto the new pricing structure. Bloomberg's coverage of the dispute was updated on 19 August 2026, suggesting the controversy remains active and further developments are likely as more customers reach their renewal dates.
Key Facts
- Harvest's monthly charge for Salentis rose from $130 to $2,110, a rise Richard Haldenby called unaffordable.
- Harvest was acquired by Bending Spoons in 2025, with the new pricing model introduced the following year.
- New charges are based on seats, active projects, clients, tasks and invoiced revenue rather than a flat per-user fee.
- Published pricing lists Harvest Teams at $9 and Harvest Enterprise at $14 per seat per month, billed annually.
- Bending Spoons has previously raised prices after acquiring Evernote, WeTransfer and Vimeo.
