For 15 years, a popular invoicing app charged a simple flat fee. Then a new owner took over, changed the math, and sent some monthly bills from $130 to over $2,000 overnight. Now, loyal customers are packing up and leaving.
Running a small business means watching every penny. You use software to track hours and send invoices. You do not expect that same software to suddenly drain your bank account just because you had a busy month.
That is the nightmare hitting users of Harvest, a popular timesheet app. After being bought by an Italian tech company called Bending Spoons in 2025, the app ripped up its old pricing rulebook.
Instead of a simple flat fee per employee, the new owners switched to a “usage-based” model. Now, businesses get charged based on active projects, clients, and even how much revenue they invoice through the app.
For Richard Haldenby, who runs a UK consultancy firm, the new rates were a massive shock. His monthly bill jumped from $130 to $2,110.
“If we were to accept this increase, it would double our IT spend for the year, which is completely unaffordable,” Haldenby said. He called the move “corporate greed over valuing customers.”
He is not alone. One US user reported their annual charge skyrocketing from $2,800 to $23,000.
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Pricing experts say the new system is a trap. Mark Peacock, a pricing strategy consultant, said Harvest failed 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,” Peacock said.
The new owners have a reputation for this. Bending Spoons has bought over 50 tech firms, including Evernote, WeTransfer, and Vimeo. Almost every time, they buy a beloved app, lock down the free features, and squeeze loyal users for more cash.
Haldenby tried to negotiate and was offered a temporary discount. He saw it for what it was and is now moving his company to a different service. The software still works fine, but the trust is completely gone.
