
Ask HN: Freelance Management Services/Apps - n_coats
What services are freelance developers using to manage time logging, expense tracking, invoice generation, and reporting for multiple clients?<p>Preferably a service that offers both a web and native app.
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falava
We use [https://www.getharvest.com](https://www.getharvest.com) for that.

And [https://basecamp.com](https://basecamp.com) for project management.

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vfulco
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)).

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ddrmaxgt37
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.

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jrickert
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-co...](https://github.com/joshrickert/toggl-zoho-books-
timesheet-converter)).

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
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.

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adrianmoses
AND CO is a good service [https://www.and.co/](https://www.and.co/)

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

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jwho82
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 :).

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alexander-edge
Freeagent (UK) [https://www.freeagent.com](https://www.freeagent.com)

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hakster
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/)

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jcassee
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)

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froztbyte
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.

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_neil
[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.

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cooperadymas
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
They also allow you to use Direct Debit if you are in UK/EU.

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marpstar
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.

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

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

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0xEFF
[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.

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

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gmays
\- [https://managewp.com](https://managewp.com)

\- [https://www.godaddy.com/pro](https://www.godaddy.com/pro)

~~~
sharemywin
never would have thought they expanded into that.

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drspacemonkey
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.

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quasi79
We use Albert [https://www.getalbert.com/](https://www.getalbert.com/) (UK-
only). Very easy for invoicing.

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

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priyankt
We use [https://tmetric.com/](https://tmetric.com/). Simple to use and gets
the job done.

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

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mattmanser
Toggl is good for time tracking. [https://toggl.com/](https://toggl.com/)

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rmykhajliw
[https://hubstaff.com](https://hubstaff.com) \- for management and payments

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welder
[https://wakatime.com](https://wakatime.com) for automated time management

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chrisanthropic
Wave accounting / [https://waveapps.com](https://waveapps.com)

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alphabettsy
Time: Toggl

~~~
lgbr
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.

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pplonski86
Google Sheets

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

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mgkimsal
freshbooks for basic accounting/invoicing/timetracking.

