UK business hit by 'daylight robbery' 1500% price hike for invoicing software
Richard Haldenby says his average monthly bill for Harvest had risen from $130 (£95.50) to $2,110.
UK businesses are reeling from what one customer described as "daylight robbery" after an invoicing software company implemented price hikes of up to 1500%. Richard Haldenby, head of the UK consultancy firm Salentis, expressed his "shock" upon receiving an email detailing the significant increase.
The app, Harvest, widely used by businesses for tracking timesheets and generating invoices, has seen its bills surge dramatically. Haldenby informed the BBC that his monthly charge escalated from $130 (£95.50) to $2,110. Similar price increases have been reported by other users online.
The BBC has reached out to Harvest for comment.
Harvest was acquired by the Italian tech company Bending Spoons in 2025, and its pricing structure was subsequently altered the following year. Many businesses that pay annually are only now discovering the increase as their renewals approach.
Haldenby, whose business employs up to 15 staff in the UK and has sister companies in the US and Australia, stated he was "in shock" when he received the email outlining the price adjustments. He explained, "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."
Previously, businesses paid a flat monthly fee per user, allowing them to adjust user numbers based on staffing needs and only pay for those requiring access. The new usage-based pricing model introduces charges based on the number of active projects, clients, tasks, and the total revenue invoiced through the platform.
Haldenby contacted the company to reject the change. He was then offered a discounted rate of $1,309 for the next year, requiring upfront payment. However, he believes this would merely "delay the inevitable" and is now "planning to migrate to a similar but less good service." He characterized the situation as "a classic example of corporate greed over valuing customers."
The move has sparked online criticism, with one analyst telling the BBC it constitutes "extremely bad practice." Mark Peacock, head of the UK consultancy firm PriceMaker, which specializes in pricing strategy for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), commented, "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."
Damian Foks, head of consulting at Valueships, suggested that the Harvest price hike is "a clear sign of a shift in the company's strategy from growth to monetization," likely a consequence of the new ownership.
Since its founding in 2013, Bending Spoons has acquired over 50 major tech firms, including Evernote, Vimeo, and WeTransfer. The company has a history of raising prices in its acquired businesses. Following its 2022 acquisition of the note-taking app Evernote, the company implemented sharp subscription price increases alongside layoffs in the US and Chile. Both WeTransfer and Vimeo have experienced tighter limits on free tools since their separate acquisitions by the Italian tech firm, with legacy users also being compelled to move to more expensive pricing tiers.