The right replacement depends on whether you work alone or run a team. Freelancers usually want one app for proposals, contracts, invoices and a client portal. Agencies with staff to schedule need a professional services platform that plans people and finances. Decide which you are, then trial with one real client.
Are you a freelancer who wants less admin, or a growing agency that needs to plan other people's time? Answer that honestly and half of this list falls away. Moxie (withmoxie.com) sits on the freelancer side, so people leaving it either want a different take on the same idea or have grown into something heavier.
Eight options, A to Z
Listed alphabetically and in no particular order. Every description reflects what the vendor says about its own product.
Accelo
Best for: Professional services firms that want projects, resources, financials and forecasting connected; the vendor says it shows where your business is going, not just where it's been.
Bonsai
Best for: Service businesses that want business, project and billing management together, which the vendor describes as a unified platform covering the whole client workflow.
Clientjoy
Best for: Freelancers and solo businesses tracking leads all the way to invoices, with what the vendor calls a white-labelled client portal and onboarding templates.
Paymo
Best for: Anyone who bills by the hour: the vendor connects time tracking, project management and invoicing, so billable hours and invoices sit in one system.
Plutio
Best for: Solo workers who want clients, projects, proposals, bookings and payments in one app; the vendor now leads with what it calls Super Work AI.
Productive
Best for: Agencies and consultancies that run resources, projects and finances in one platform, as the vendor puts it.
Scoro
Best for: Growing services firms managing projects, resourcing and finances across teams and offices; the vendor pitches it as one platform for all three.
SuiteDash
Best for: Consultants who want clients to log in to a portal under their own brand, with a branded dashboard and branded email notifications, according to the vendor.
Freelancer suite or agency platform? Pick your camp first
These tools split into two camps, and picking the wrong camp is the usual mistake. Freelancer suites bundle proposals, contracts, invoices and a client portal into one place. You send a proposal, the client signs, the invoice follows, and the client logs in to see where things stand.
Agency platforms are a different animal. Their makers describe them as software for professional services firms and agencies, with resource planning and finance forecasting built in. That's brilliant when you've got ten people to schedule across twenty projects. It's dead weight when you're one person with six clients, because you'll spend your evenings setting up features you'll never use.
There's a middle ground too. Some tools start from time tracking or a client portal and add invoicing around it. They suit people whose main headache is one specific job, not the whole workflow.
Four kinds of tool, sorted by who they're built for
Freelancer and solo suites
Plutio, Bonsai and Clientjoy cover the full client journey for a small business. One leans into AI to automate the workflow, one calls itself a unified platform for service businesses, and one starts as a CRM for freelancers and builds out to proposals and invoices.
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Client-portal platforms
SuiteDash puts the client portal first. If your clients keep emailing to ask for files, status updates or invoices, a branded login where they can help themselves may save you more time than any automation.
Time tracking with invoicing
Paymo is the pick for this group if your income depends on hours logged. Tracking time and turning it into invoices in the same system stops billable work slipping through the gaps.
Agency operations platforms
Accelo, Scoro and Productive are professional services automation tools, often shortened to PSA. They plan who works on what, track project finances and forecast what's coming. They're built for firms with a team, not for solo work.
Where each tool sits
| Tool | Category | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Accelo | PSA for professional services | Firms joining projects, resources and forecasting |
| Bonsai | Business management suite | Service businesses running the whole client workflow |
| Clientjoy | CRM for freelancers | Leads, proposals, clients and invoices for solo businesses |
| Paymo | Time tracking and projects | Billing hours and invoicing from one system |
| Plutio | All-in-one freelancer app | Projects, proposals, bookings and payments in one app |
| Productive | Agency management PSA | Agencies planning people, projects and finances |
| Scoro | PSA for services firms | Teams spread across several offices |
| SuiteDash | White-label client portal | A branded client login and dashboard |
My advice for freelancers and small agencies
Be strict about your size. If you're on your own or working with a couple of contractors, stay in the freelancer camp and pick the suite whose proposal and invoice flow feels quickest to you. If you've got staff whose time you sell, an agency platform will earn its place, because resource planning is the job a freelancer suite can't do.
Don't move everything at once. Start new clients in the new tool and let current projects finish where they are. Invoicing rules and tax requirements vary by country, so check that any tool you choose produces invoices your accountant and local tax authority will accept. If you're still comparing, my lists of Dubsado alternatives and HoneyBook alternatives cover more client-management options from a different angle.
Signs you've outgrown a freelancer suite
- You're booking other people's hours every week, not just your own.
- Several people log time against the same project and you need one view of it.
- You want to see which projects make money before they finish, not after.
- Clients ask about capacity or delivery dates you can't answer without a spreadsheet.
- You're forecasting income months ahead and juggling it in separate files.
If two or more of those sound like your week, look at the agency platforms. If none do, stay with a freelancer suite, and run one real client through the proposal, contract and invoice flow in a trial before you move any data.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a freelancer suite and a PSA platform?
A freelancer suite handles the client journey: proposals, contracts, invoices and a portal. A PSA platform adds resource planning, project finances and forecasting for firms with a team to schedule.
Can I move my clients and invoices from Moxie (withmoxie.com)?
Usually you can export contacts and invoice records as files and import them into the new tool. Check what the new tool can import before you cancel, and keep a copy of everything.
Do I need a client portal?
Not always. A portal helps when clients often ask for files, updates or past invoices. If your clients rarely log in to anything, a simple suite without a heavy portal may suit you better.
Will these tools handle tax on my invoices?
Most let you add tax fields, but rules vary by country and by business type. Check the requirements with your local tax authority or an accountant before you rely on any template.
Is it worth switching mid-project?
It's usually easier to start new clients in the new tool and let current projects finish in the old one. That way nothing gets lost halfway through a job.
