5 ms·

Ask HN: Freelance Management Services/Apps

57 points by n_coats 9y ago

What services are freelance developers using to manage time logging, expense tracking, invoice generation, and reporting for multiple clients? Preferably a service that offers both a web and native app.

pplonski86 9y ago
Google Sheets
adrianmoses 9y ago
AND CO is a good service https://www.and.co/ https://www.and.co/
- n_coats 9y ago
  This looks amazing - much better than most of the comparable services I've looked into. Going to give it a shot - thanks!
welder 9y ago
https://wakatime.com https://wakatime.com for automated time management
falava 9y ago
We use https://www.getharvest.com https://www.getharvest.com for that. And https://basecamp.com https://basecamp.com for project management.
beaconstudios 9y ago
I hear freckle (https://letsfreckle.com/ https://letsfreckle.com/) is good for freelancers.
alphabettsy 9y ago
Time: Toggl
- lgbr 9y ago
  I have to second this. Toggl is fantastic not just for freelance time management, but for managing time spent on any project. It has a lot of features that you'd just expect to be there, like when the browser icon changes whether you're on the clock or off the clock, or how you can just click 'play' on a previously logged task to resume the timer for that task.
chrisanthropic 9y ago
Wave accounting / https://waveapps.com https://waveapps.com
mattmanser 9y ago
Toggl is good for time tracking. https://toggl.com/ https://toggl.com/
ddrmaxgt37 9y ago
I've been using http://hellobonsai.com http://hellobonsai.com for invoicing. It has been an amazing experience. They do time tracking and a bunch of other things as well and are continually improving the product.
alexander-edge 9y ago
Freeagent (UK) https://www.freeagent.com https://www.freeagent.com
priyankt 9y ago
We use https://tmetric.com/ https://tmetric.com/. Simple to use and gets the job done.
mgkimsal 9y ago
freshbooks for basic accounting/invoicing/timetracking.
akirayamaoka 9y ago
https://www.upwork.com https://www.upwork.com (odesk in the past)
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
caycecan 9y ago
Gsuite / Trello / Toggl / Xero . This is comprehensive as I have found a combination of services to be and still be relatively low overhead.
quasi79 9y ago
We use Albert https://www.getalbert.com/ https://www.getalbert.com/ (UK-only). Very easy for invoicing.
xforteversilov 9y ago
QBserve is a great Mac app for time tracking and logging.
0xEFF 9y ago
https://books.zoho.com https://books.zoho.com is international and has been wonderful for my project billing. I've been using it for ~2 years as a freelancer and have no complaints. I don't have any business or accounting education and I credit the design of the UI with helping me learn basic accounting principles.
_neil 9y ago
https://cushionapp.com/ https://cushionapp.com/ is a favorite of mine. Mainly a scheduling/forecasting app but has some great, newer features around invoicing/payments and time tracking.
froztbyte 9y ago
Very early on: * time tracking: a frankenstein combination of system logs (especially helpful when jumping between workstations), paper notebook, and chatlogs * invoicing: http://billable.me/ http://billable.me/ * both: some elbow grease Evolution (and current, w/ a small team): * time tracking: http://getharvest.com/ http://getharvest.com/ * invoicing, accounting, etc: https://www.xero.com/ https://www.xero.com/ The first one carried me for a few months, at an average workload of 60~140h/mo and a maintenance workload of about 4 hours total. The latter is solving somewhat different problems, but does equate to time won on the admin side.
marpstar 9y ago
I use Pancake (https://www.pancakeapp.com/ https://www.pancakeapp.com/) for my invoices, expense tracking, proposal/estimate writing, and reporting. They don't offer a native app, but the site is responsive and works well enough on mobile. Pay once and run on your own server. I previously used Toggl for time-tracking, but have been transitioning out of hourly billing and haven't been tracking time for months.
drspacemonkey 9y ago
Freshbooks. It's not free, but it has all the features you want, both on web and mobile. It costs me ~$200/year, but it saves me enough time that it more than pays for itself.
jcassee 9y ago
I use Timely for time tracking because of it's fast time-to-data-entry. Also, they integrate with calendar and todo services for those "what did I do today" moments. https://timelyapp.com https://timelyapp.com
sheriffderek 9y ago
I've been using harvest for years - and It's been great. The time-tracking widget has been updated - and the invoicing is smooth.
gmays 9y ago
- https://managewp.com https://managewp.com - https://www.godaddy.com/pro https://www.godaddy.com/pro
- sharemywin 9y ago
  never would have thought they expanded into that.
cooperadymas 9y ago
It might not be as hip as some of the other options, but Quickbooks invoicing allows you to accept payments as ACH transfers. Not many services do this. (Or at least, they didn't when I last researched it ~2 years ago.) An ACH transfer costs me $0.50. A credit card transaction costs at least 2.9%, although some invoicing tools charge an additional percentage on top of that. On a $4000 invoice that's over $100 I would pay out as fees with another tool. Nearly every client I've worked with has been okay with paying this way instead of credit card.
- afarrell 9y ago
  They also allow you to use Direct Debit if you are in UK/EU.
hakster 9y ago
If you're comfortable setting up a server, I've been using duet for a couple of months which is great. Doesn't have a native app though but no monthly fees. https://duetapp.com/ https://duetapp.com/
rmykhajliw 9y ago
https://hubstaff.com https://hubstaff.com - for management and payments
vfulco 9y ago
I have been really happy with Typeform-->Zapier-->Invoice Ninja. TF feeds a bunch of other apps too. The Invoice Ninja guys are super responsive with customer service (<12 hours in many cases) and immediately helped with some minor tweaks I needed to get off the ground. The app is well laid out. They have a self-hosting version but the SaaS is so affordable and snappy, I see no need unless some privacy issues. Not affiliated but a happy customer. Please use my referral code if you find it meets your needs (https://app.invoiceninja.com/invoice_now?rc=DNCBCKGS https://app.invoiceninja.com/invoice_now?rc=DNCBCKGS).
jrickert 9y ago
I have a settled on Toggl for time tracking and Zoho Books for invoicing. Toggl supports csv export and Zoho Books has an import feature that makes getting data from one to the next fairly simple, with the help of a simple script I wrote to transform the data (https://github.com/joshrickert/toggl-zoho-books-timesheet-converter https://github.com/joshrickert/toggl-zoho-books-timesheet-co...). I did a pretty exhaustive search when I set out to solve this problem a couple years ago, and ended up with a considerable amount of research that I summarized on my blog (https://joshrickert.com/blog/invoicing-apps-for-freelancers/ https://joshrickert.com/blog/invoicing-apps-for-freelancers/).
- GeneralMaximus 9y ago
  I second Toggl. It's simple and gets out of the way. The desktop app even reminds you to track your time if you are actively using the computer for a while but forget to hit the start button. I charge a weekly rate (for a variety of reasons that I should probably write down as a blog post), so the data is more for my consumption than for my clients'. Still, knowing how many hours of productivity you can sustainably manage per day is valuable for setting your rates and coming up with estimates.
- n_coats 9y ago
  Thanks for the suggestions and write up - very insightful.
jwho82 9y ago
I run my own time tracking tool over at https://logmyhours.com https://logmyhours.com - great for both freelancers and small teams! Built in invoicing tools, report exporting and mobile app for both Android and iOS. If Log My Hours is missing a feature you need, reach out and I'll be happy to help :).
ruairidhwm 9y ago
I'm currently building a small weekend project that will automatically chase invoices for freelancers. Would people be interested in that?

57 points by n_coats 9y ago

pplonski86 9y ago

Google Sheets

adrianmoses 9y ago

AND CO is a good service https://www.and.co/ https://www.and.co/

n_coats 9y ago
This looks amazing - much better than most of the comparable services I've looked into. Going to give it a shot - thanks!

welder 9y ago

https://wakatime.com https://wakatime.com for automated time management

falava 9y ago

We use https://www.getharvest.com https://www.getharvest.com for that. And https://basecamp.com https://basecamp.com for project management.

beaconstudios 9y ago

I hear freckle (https://letsfreckle.com/ https://letsfreckle.com/) is good for freelancers.

alphabettsy 9y ago

Time: Toggl

lgbr 9y ago
I have to second this. Toggl is fantastic not just for freelance time management, but for managing time spent on any project. It has a lot of features that you'd just expect to be there, like when the browser icon changes whether you're on the clock or off the clock, or how you can just click 'play' on a previously logged task to resume the timer for that task.

chrisanthropic 9y ago

Wave accounting / https://waveapps.com https://waveapps.com

mattmanser 9y ago

Toggl is good for time tracking. https://toggl.com/ https://toggl.com/

ddrmaxgt37 9y ago

I've been using http://hellobonsai.com http://hellobonsai.com for invoicing. It has been an amazing experience. They do time tracking and a bunch of other things as well and are continually improving the product.

alexander-edge 9y ago

Freeagent (UK) https://www.freeagent.com https://www.freeagent.com

priyankt 9y ago

We use https://tmetric.com/ https://tmetric.com/. Simple to use and gets the job done.

mgkimsal 9y ago

freshbooks for basic accounting/invoicing/timetracking.

akirayamaoka 9y ago

https://www.upwork.com https://www.upwork.com (odesk in the past)

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

caycecan 9y ago

Gsuite / Trello / Toggl / Xero . This is comprehensive as I have found a combination of services to be and still be relatively low overhead.

quasi79 9y ago

We use Albert https://www.getalbert.com/ https://www.getalbert.com/ (UK-only). Very easy for invoicing.

xforteversilov 9y ago

QBserve is a great Mac app for time tracking and logging.

0xEFF 9y ago

https://books.zoho.com https://books.zoho.com is international and has been wonderful for my project billing. I've been using it for ~2 years as a freelancer and have no complaints. I don't have any business or accounting education and I credit the design of the UI with helping me learn basic accounting principles.

_neil 9y ago

https://cushionapp.com/ https://cushionapp.com/ is a favorite of mine. Mainly a scheduling/forecasting app but has some great, newer features around invoicing/payments and time tracking.

froztbyte 9y ago

Very early on: * time tracking: a frankenstein combination of system logs (especially helpful when jumping between workstations), paper notebook, and chatlogs * invoicing: http://billable.me/ http://billable.me/ * both: some elbow grease Evolution (and current, w/ a small team): * time tracking: http://getharvest.com/ http://getharvest.com/ * invoicing, accounting, etc: https://www.xero.com/ https://www.xero.com/ The first one carried me for a few months, at an average workload of 60~140h/mo and a maintenance workload of about 4 hours total. The latter is solving somewhat different problems, but does equate to time won on the admin side.

marpstar 9y ago

I use Pancake (https://www.pancakeapp.com/ https://www.pancakeapp.com/) for my invoices, expense tracking, proposal/estimate writing, and reporting. They don't offer a native app, but the site is responsive and works well enough on mobile. Pay once and run on your own server. I previously used Toggl for time-tracking, but have been transitioning out of hourly billing and haven't been tracking time for months.

drspacemonkey 9y ago

Freshbooks. It's not free, but it has all the features you want, both on web and mobile. It costs me ~$200/year, but it saves me enough time that it more than pays for itself.

jcassee 9y ago

I use Timely for time tracking because of it's fast time-to-data-entry. Also, they integrate with calendar and todo services for those "what did I do today" moments. https://timelyapp.com https://timelyapp.com

sheriffderek 9y ago

I've been using harvest for years - and It's been great. The time-tracking widget has been updated - and the invoicing is smooth.

gmays 9y ago

- https://managewp.com https://managewp.com - https://www.godaddy.com/pro https://www.godaddy.com/pro

sharemywin 9y ago
never would have thought they expanded into that.

cooperadymas 9y ago

It might not be as hip as some of the other options, but Quickbooks invoicing allows you to accept payments as ACH transfers. Not many services do this. (Or at least, they didn't when I last researched it ~2 years ago.) An ACH transfer costs me $0.50. A credit card transaction costs at least 2.9%, although some invoicing tools charge an additional percentage on top of that. On a $4000 invoice that's over $100 I would pay out as fees with another tool. Nearly every client I've worked with has been okay with paying this way instead of credit card.

afarrell 9y ago
They also allow you to use Direct Debit if you are in UK/EU.

hakster 9y ago

If you're comfortable setting up a server, I've been using duet for a couple of months which is great. Doesn't have a native app though but no monthly fees. https://duetapp.com/ https://duetapp.com/

rmykhajliw 9y ago

https://hubstaff.com https://hubstaff.com - for management and payments

vfulco 9y ago

I have been really happy with Typeform-->Zapier-->Invoice Ninja. TF feeds a bunch of other apps too. The Invoice Ninja guys are super responsive with customer service (<12 hours in many cases) and immediately helped with some minor tweaks I needed to get off the ground. The app is well laid out. They have a self-hosting version but the SaaS is so affordable and snappy, I see no need unless some privacy issues. Not affiliated but a happy customer. Please use my referral code if you find it meets your needs (https://app.invoiceninja.com/invoice_now?rc=DNCBCKGS https://app.invoiceninja.com/invoice_now?rc=DNCBCKGS).

jrickert 9y ago

I have a settled on Toggl for time tracking and Zoho Books for invoicing. Toggl supports csv export and Zoho Books has an import feature that makes getting data from one to the next fairly simple, with the help of a simple script I wrote to transform the data (https://github.com/joshrickert/toggl-zoho-books-timesheet-converter https://github.com/joshrickert/toggl-zoho-books-timesheet-co...). I did a pretty exhaustive search when I set out to solve this problem a couple years ago, and ended up with a considerable amount of research that I summarized on my blog (https://joshrickert.com/blog/invoicing-apps-for-freelancers/ https://joshrickert.com/blog/invoicing-apps-for-freelancers/).

GeneralMaximus 9y ago
I second Toggl. It's simple and gets out of the way. The desktop app even reminds you to track your time if you are actively using the computer for a while but forget to hit the start button. I charge a weekly rate (for a variety of reasons that I should probably write down as a blog post), so the data is more for my consumption than for my clients'. Still, knowing how many hours of productivity you can sustainably manage per day is valuable for setting your rates and coming up with estimates.
n_coats 9y ago
Thanks for the suggestions and write up - very insightful.

jwho82 9y ago

I run my own time tracking tool over at https://logmyhours.com https://logmyhours.com - great for both freelancers and small teams! Built in invoicing tools, report exporting and mobile app for both Android and iOS. If Log My Hours is missing a feature you need, reach out and I'll be happy to help :).

ruairidhwm 9y ago

I'm currently building a small weekend project that will automatically chase invoices for freelancers. Would people be interested in that?