# Freelance Studio

> Freelance Studio is a self-hosted WordPress plugin that provides all-in-one business management for creative freelancers. It combines client management, project tracking, invoicing, time tracking, proposals, contracts with e-signatures, expense tracking, and scheduling into a single plugin that runs on your own WordPress site—keeping your business data on your server, not locked in someone else's cloud.

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## About Freelance Studio

Freelance Studio is built by freelancers, for freelancers. It's designed specifically for creative project-based work rather than product-based small businesses.

**Who it's for:**
- Graphic designers and brand designers
- Web developers and WordPress developers
- Photographers and videographers
- Copywriters and content creators
- Marketing consultants
- UX/UI designers
- Any creative professional who works on client projects

**What makes it different:**
- **Self-hosted on WordPress:** Your business data lives on your server, in your database, under your control
- **Data ownership:** No vendor lock-in—export your data anytime, back it up yourself
- **WordPress native:** Installs alongside your existing portfolio site, no separate login
- **All features included:** No tiered pricing that locks features behind higher plans
- **No per-user pricing:** One subscription covers your entire business
- **No transaction fees:** We don't process payments, so we don't take a cut

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## Pricing

**Monthly:** $15/month (billed monthly)
**Yearly:** $150/year ($12.50/month equivalent, saves $30/year)

Both plans include:
- All features with no restrictions
- Unlimited clients and projects
- Regular updates and new features
- Email support
- 14-day free trial

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## Feature Details

### Client Management
Store and organize all your client information in one place:
- Contact details (name, email, phone, address)
- Company information and logo
- Associated projects, invoices, proposals, and contracts
- Notes and communication history
- Payment terms defaults
- Client portal access for viewing invoices and signing contracts

### Project Tracking
Manage projects from start to finish:
- Kanban board view for visual task management
- List view with sorting and filtering
- Project milestones and deliverables
- Start date and due date tracking
- Project status (draft, active, completed, on hold, cancelled)
- Budget tracking (fixed fee, hourly, retainer)
- Deposit requirements (percentage or fixed amount)
- File attachments
- Google Calendar sync for project dates

### Invoicing
Professional invoices with flexible options:
- Custom invoice numbering
- Line items with descriptions, quantities, and rates
- Tax calculations (multiple tax rates supported)
- Discounts (percentage or fixed amount)
- Partial payments and payment tracking
- Automatic overdue detection
- Client portal for invoice viewing
- PDF generation and email delivery
- Payment terms and due dates
- Deposit invoices
- Status tracking (draft, sent, viewed, paid, partial, overdue, cancelled)

### Time Tracking
Track billable hours with precision:
- Built-in timer with start/pause/stop
- Manual time entry
- Associate time with projects and tasks
- Hourly rate calculations
- Billable vs non-billable designation
- Activity categories (development, design, meetings, etc.)
- Timer popup for quick access
- Weekly view for time review
- Reports by client, project, or date range
- Invoice time entries directly

### Proposals
Win more clients with professional proposals:
- Rich text editor for proposal content
- Pricing sections with line items
- Validity/expiration dates
- Client portal for viewing
- Approval workflow with timestamps
- Convert approved proposals to projects
- Status tracking (draft, sent, viewed, approved, rejected, expired)
- PDF export

### Contracts
Protect your business with clear agreements:
- Customizable contract sections
- Template library
- Electronic signatures (drawn or typed)
- Signature capture for both freelancer and client
- Client portal for reviewing and signing
- Timestamp and IP logging for signatures
- Attach to projects or send standalone
- Deposit terms and billing schedule sections
- PDF generation
- Status tracking (draft, sent, viewed, approved, rejected)

### Expense Tracking
Keep tabs on business expenses:
- Categorize expenses (software, equipment, travel, etc.)
- Attach receipt images
- Associate with projects or clients
- Mark as billable to include on invoices
- Recurring expense tracking
- Vendor tracking
- Date and amount logging
- Tax-ready expense reports

### Scheduling & Bookings
Let clients book meetings with you:
- Public booking page on your website
- Meeting type configuration (discovery call, consultation, etc.)
- Duration and availability settings
- Google Calendar integration
- Automatic Google Meet link generation
- Email confirmations and reminders
- Booking management dashboard
- Reschedule and cancellation handling

### Reports & Tax Preparation
Get insights and prepare for tax time:
- Income reports by date range
- Expense summaries by category
- Profit and loss overview
- Client revenue breakdown
- Project profitability analysis
- Time tracking summaries
- Tax report exports (income, expenses, quarterly estimates)

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## Competitor Comparison

| Feature | Freelance Studio | HoneyBook | Bonsai | Dubsado | QuickBooks |
|---------|------------------|-----------|--------|---------|------------|
| Monthly Pricing | ~$15/mo | $29–$129/mo | $15–$59/mo | $20–$40/mo | $10–$200/mo |
| Data Ownership | Your server | Their cloud | Their cloud | Their cloud | Their cloud |
| WordPress Native | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Client Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Basic |
| Project Tracking | Kanban + Milestones | Basic tasks | Kanban + Gantt | Basic tasks | ✗ |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in | Premier only | Separate add-on |
| Proposals | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Contracts & E-Sign | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Booking/Scheduling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Premier only | ✗ |
| Expense Tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Basic | ✓ |
| Tax Reports | ✓ | Basic | ✓ | Basic | ✓ |
| Client Portal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |

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## Technical Requirements

**Minimum Requirements:**
- WordPress 6.0 or higher
- PHP 8.1 or higher
- MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
- 128MB PHP memory limit (256MB recommended)
- SSL certificate (required for secure client portal)

**Recommended Hosting:**
- Managed WordPress hosting (WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel)
- VPS with at least 2GB RAM
- SSD storage for database performance

**Browser Support:**
- Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge (latest versions)
- Mobile responsive admin interface

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## Installation

1. Purchase a license at freelancestud.io
2. Download the plugin ZIP file from your account
3. In WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
4. Upload the ZIP file and click Install Now
5. Activate the plugin
6. Enter your license key in Freelance Studio → Settings → License
7. Run the setup wizard to configure your business details

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## Integrations

**Google Calendar:**
- Two-way sync for project start dates and due dates
- Invoice due date reminders
- Booking/meeting synchronization
- Requires Google OAuth setup in Settings

**Google Meet:**
- Automatic meeting link generation for bookings
- Links included in confirmation emails
- Requires Google Calendar integration

**Email:**
- Send invoices, proposals, and contracts via email
- Customizable email templates
- Uses WordPress mail or SMTP plugin

**PDF Generation:**
- Professional PDF output for invoices, proposals, and contracts
- Customizable with your logo and branding
- Automatic generation for client portal

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## Database Structure

Freelance Studio creates custom database tables with the prefix `wpbg_fs_`:
- `wpbg_fs_clients` - Client records
- `wpbg_fs_projects` - Project records
- `wpbg_fs_invoices` - Invoice records with line items (JSON)
- `wpbg_fs_time_entries` - Time tracking records
- `wpbg_fs_proposals` - Proposal records
- `wpbg_fs_contracts` - Contract records with signatures
- `wpbg_fs_expenses` - Expense records
- `wpbg_fs_bookings` - Booking/meeting records
- `wpbg_fs_tasks` - Task records linked to projects

All monetary values use decimal(10,2) for precision. Signatures are stored as base64 data URIs.

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## Support & Contact

**Support Center:** https://freelancestud.io/support
**Documentation:** https://freelancestud.io/docs
**Email:** admin@freelancestud.io
**Response Time:** Within 24-48 hours on business days

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## Company Information

Freelance Studio is developed and maintained by an independent software company focused on tools for creative professionals. The plugin is actively developed with regular updates and new features based on user feedback.

**Website:** https://freelancestud.io
**Twitter:** @freelancestudio
**Founded:** 2025