TL;DR
Recurring invoices in Plutio auto-generate and auto-send to retainer clients on any billing schedule, so the same invoice goes out every month, week, or quarter without any manual work.
Plutio calls these Subscriptions and offers two billing types: manual billing auto-sends the invoice and lets the client pay on receipt, while auto billing charges the client's saved payment method directly on the billing date. Both types auto-track every invoice status and let you pause, cancel, or modify the subscription at any time from Financials. Once a retainer client is on a subscription, the invoice sends itself, the reminder sends itself, and the only task left is confirming the payment arrived.
Subscriptions live under Financials in the main navigation. Every subscription ties to a subscriber (your client) and optionally to a project, so billing and project management stay in the same workspace on Plutio plans starting at $19/month.
What recurring invoices are
A recurring invoice generates automatically on a defined schedule and delivers to the client without any manual action, so the billing cycle runs itself once configured.
In Plutio, recurring invoices are called Subscriptions and live under Financials in the main menu. Each subscription has a subscriber (the client), a repeat schedule, a start date, and a billing method. Once the subscription status moves to Active, Plutio generates and delivers every invoice on the schedule without any further input from the freelancer.
Subscription (manual billing)
With manual billing selected, Plutio generates the invoice and sends it to the client on each scheduled date. The client receives a payment link and pays when ready, the same way they pay a one-time invoice. Manual billing fits agreements where the monthly amount might vary slightly, or where the client prefers to review each invoice before paying. The invoice status updates to Paid when the client completes the payment, and the next invoice generates on the next scheduled date automatically.
Subscription (auto billing)
With auto billing selected, Plutio charges the client's saved payment method directly on each billing date. The client pays the first invoice manually to activate the subscription and save their card. From that point forward, every cycle charges their card with no action required from either side, and a receipt goes to the client after each successful charge. Auto billing suits fixed monthly retainers at a consistent rate, such as ongoing SEO packages, social media management, or regular virtual assistant contracts where both parties want hands-off payment collection.
Manual billing and auto billing both auto-generate invoices on schedule. The difference is who initiates payment: the client opens a link and pays, or Plutio charges their card directly and sends a receipt.
I set up recurring subscriptions for all my retainer clients in about 20 minutes. The invoices go out on the 1st without me touching anything. One of those features that just runs quietly in the background and removes an entire category of monthly admin.
Why recurring invoices matter for retainer clients
Without recurring invoices, every billing cycle starts with the same manual task: locate last month's invoice, duplicate it, update the date, verify the amount, and send it, then log a reminder to follow up if the client doesn't pay in two weeks.
For a freelancer managing six retainer clients, that pattern repeats 72 times per year. At 10 minutes per invoice, the total is 12 hours of billing admin that produces no billable output, and that doesn't include the follow-up conversations. TeamStage reports that 36% of a freelancer's weekly work hours go to admin tasks, and manual monthly invoicing is a direct, measurable part of that number.
Most accounting tools support recurring invoices but leave project management out entirely. FreshBooks alternatives are common among freelancers switching to Plutio because FreshBooks supports recurring invoices on paid plans but has no project management, proposals, or client portal, so freelancers use FreshBooks alongside Asana or ClickUp and pay for two separate tools while keeping the invoice disconnected from the project work. QuickBooks alternatives follow the same pattern: recurring invoices are available, but the platform has no project tracking, no proposals, and no client-facing portal.
The problem with billing-only tools is that the invoice is disconnected from the project. In Plutio, each subscription links to the project it bills for, so the client's payment history and their active project live in the same workspace.
How recurring invoices work in Plutio
Create a subscription under Financials, set the billing schedule and type, and Plutio generates and sends every invoice from that point forward on the schedule you define.
Before setting up a subscription, make sure the client exists as a contact in Plutio and that your invoice settings are configured under Financials. For auto billing, the client will need to pay the first invoice manually to save their payment method and activate the subscription.
Step by step
- Step 1: Go to Financials in the main navigation and open Subscriptions. Click Create subscription to open the setup form.
- Step 2: Select the subscriber from your client list. Optionally attach the subscription to a specific project so the generated invoices link to the right job.
- Step 3: Configure the schedule. Set the repeat interval (daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly) and any multiplier needed, such as every 2 weeks or every 3 months. Set the start date for when the first invoice should generate.
- Step 4: Choose the billing method. Select Subscription (manual billing) to auto-send an invoice the client pays when received, or Subscription (auto billing) to auto-charge the client's saved card on each billing date.
- Step 5: Optionally set an end condition under End subscription. Toggle it on and enter the number of recurrences if the engagement has a fixed term, such as a 6-month contract that bills monthly. Click Create subscription to activate.
Use auto billing for fixed-rate monthly retainers where the amount never changes, and manual billing for retainers where hours or scope vary month to month so the client reviews the amount before paying.
Who needs recurring invoices
Any freelancer or agency with at least one client on a monthly retainer gets immediate value from recurring invoices, particularly virtual assistants, social media managers, SEO consultants, and web developers on ongoing support contracts.
A virtual assistant billing five clients at $1,200 per month used to spend the first of every month rebuilding five invoices by hand. With Subscriptions in Plutio, all five go out automatically on the 1st. On a fixed-rate retainer, auto billing means the client's card gets charged and a receipt arrives without the VA taking any action. Across 12 months, that eliminates 60 manual invoice builds and roughly 10 hours of billing admin per year.
Agencies with larger client lists see the return scale further. A 15-client agency at a $3,000 monthly retainer generates 180 invoices per year. With recurring subscriptions on auto billing, the team reviews only the invoices that fail, not every invoice in every cycle. Subscription statuses in Plutio (Active, Paused, Failed, Past Due) surface which subscriptions need attention without manual checks across the client list.
Freelancers moving from FreshBooks alternatives find the biggest difference is the project connection. FreshBooks recurring invoices are standalone billing events with no link to a project or client portal. In Plutio, the recurring invoice ties to the project and appears in the client's portal, so the client sees their billing history alongside their active work in one place.
Bottom line: anyone billing the same client on a repeating schedule benefits from recurring invoices. At two retainer clients, the time saved on manual billing covers the $19/month Plutio plan in the first week of each month.
