Continuing on the Free plan after your trial ends
When your Harvest trial expires, you don't have to pick a paid plan to keep using Harvest. You can switch to the Free plan and keep tracking time, as long as your account fits within the Free plan's limits. This article explains what the Free plan includes, why you're seeing the "trial expired" message, and exactly how to switch.
What the Free plan includes
The Free plan is designed for a single person tracking a small number of projects. It includes:
- 1 active person (seat)
- 2 active projects
- Limited integrations
Everything you've already tracked stays in your account. The limits apply to what's active, not to your historical data.
Why you're seeing the "trial expired" message
When your trial period ends without an active paid subscription, Harvest displays a "trial expired" message and limits access to time tracking and most day-to-day features until you choose a plan.
You can still reach Reports and Settings while in this state, so you can review your data and switch plans without losing access to your account.
How to switch to the Free plan
- Sign in to your account. Even while the trial is expired, you can still reach Settings and Reports, so you don't need to extend or reactivate the trial to switch plans.
- Go to Settings.
- Open Manage subscription.
- Select Switch to free plan.
If your account already fits within the Free plan limits, the switch completes right away.
Get under the limits first
If your account currently has more than the Free plan allows, reduce it to the Free plan limits before switching:
- Projects — archive projects until you have 2 active projects or fewer.
- People — remove any extra people so that only 1 active person remains.
- SAML — disable SAML / single sign-on, which isn't available on the Free plan.
Once your account is within all three limits, return to Settings → Manage subscription → Switch to free plan.
Things to know before you switch
- Integrations are removed. Connected integrations such as Asana, Deel, and QuickBooks will be disconnected when you move to the Free plan.
- Sample data is removed. Any sample/demo data in your account is cleared.
- You can upgrade again anytime. Switching to Free isn't permanent — you can move back to a paid plan whenever you need the extra people, projects, or integrations.
Who can switch plans
Any Administrator can change the subscription — Administrators have billing access, so you don't need to be the account owner. If you don't see the option to manage your subscription, you likely aren't an Administrator; ask an Administrator on the account to make the change.
Not ready to decide? Extend your trial
If you need more time before choosing, you may be able to extend your trial. The self-serve Extend trial option becomes available once your trial has been expired for more than 30 days; when it appears, it adds another 14 days so you can keep evaluating Harvest before committing to a plan.