TLDR (Summary)
Notion has no invoicing, proposals, contracts, time tracking, or client portals at any tier, so freelancers running client work on Notion typically add separate tools for every business function that involves clients or money. Templates break as business needs change, and Notion's per-user pricing on the Business plan reaches $18/user/month before adding any of the missing tools. Six alternatives worth considering: Plutio for proposals, projects, invoicing, and client portals in one place; Bonsai for freelancer contracts and invoicing; ClickUp for structured project management; Asana for task tracking across a small team; Trello for lightweight Kanban boards; and Monday.com for team workflows with automations. For freelancers who need invoicing, proposals, contracts, and client portals connected in one place, Plutio starts at $19/month flat with no per-user fees and a 14-day free trial.
#1 Plutio: best for the complete client workflow
Plutio is the only Notion alternative that covers the full client lifecycle: from sending a proposal to closing the invoice, in one workspace.
Where Notion handles notes and databases, Plutio handles the workflow that comes after a client says yes. A proposal goes out with drag-and-drop sections, interactive pricing tables, and built-in e-signatures. When the client signs, Plutio creates the project automatically with tasks, milestones, and a Gantt timeline in place. There's no rebuilding the project in a separate tool, no re-entering deliverables from scratch.
Time tracking runs inside every project with a built-in timer on each task. Billable and non-billable hours stay separated so only client-facing work hits the invoice. When it's time to invoice, tracked hours populate into line items with the task name, duration, and hourly rate already filled in. Clients pay via Stripe, PayPal, or bank transfer inside the same workspace, and recurring invoices go out automatically on the schedule you set.
Client portals in Plutio are branded with a custom logo, colors, and domain. Clients log in and see project progress, shared files, unpaid invoices, and messages tied to specific deliverables. The portal handles client visibility so status update emails and check-in messages stop. No separate tool needed.
Pricing is flat: $19/month for solopreneurs, $49/month for Studio, $199/month for Agency. No per-user fees. A 5-person team on Plutio pays the same rate as a solo freelancer at the same tier.
Plutio replaces the 5-7 subscriptions a Notion-based freelance workflow typically requires, covering proposals, contracts, project management, time tracking, invoicing, and client portals from a single workspace.
With Plutio we don't jump between apps anymore! Everything from projects to invoicing is finally connected in one fully-branded app.
#2 Bonsai: freelancer contracts and invoicing
Bonsai covers proposals, contracts, invoicing, and client portals, but the plan most freelancers expect to use ($9/month Basic) doesn't include invoicing or contracts. Those require Essentials at $19/month (annual).
Bonsai targets independent contractors and solo creatives. The proposal builder includes contract attachment and e-signatures, and the invoicing module connects to tracked hours on the Premium tier. Bonsai's Basic plan at $9/month (annual) covers time tracking, task management, and CRM, but proposals, contracts, and invoicing all require Essentials at $19/month (annual). A client portal with file sharing and client messaging requires the Premium plan at $29/month (annual).
The project management side of Bonsai is more limited than Plutio. There's no Gantt view until Premium, no task dependencies, and no milestone tracking that connects to the invoicing workflow. For freelancers with straightforward projects who mainly need to send proposals and get paid, Bonsai covers that flow. Bonsai doesn't have the project management depth Plutio offers at the same price.
Bonsai is priced per user, so costs grow as the team expands. A 3-person team on Bonsai Essentials pays $57/month (annual) for invoicing and proposals, compared to $19/month flat on Plutio's Solopreneur plan.
Bonsai covers proposals and contracts for freelancers who don't need deep project management, but the per-user pricing and tiered feature access make Plutio the more cost-effective option as workload and team size grow.
#3 ClickUp: project management without billing
ClickUp has more built-in project structure than Notion: Kanban, Gantt charts, docs, goals, and time tracking without database configuration, but billing capability isn't part of ClickUp at any plan level.
For freelancers switching from Notion specifically to get structured task and project management, ClickUp has more built-in structure than Notion without the database configuration. The free tier includes unlimited tasks, collaborative docs, Kanban boards, and time tracking. The Unlimited plan at $7/user/month (annual) adds Gantt charts, custom fields, and integrations that Notion requires database setup to approximate.
The limitation is the same as Notion: ClickUp has no billing capability. Invoicing, proposals, contracts, and client portals all require separate tools. A freelancer on ClickUp still needs FreshBooks or Wave for invoicing ($15-21/month), DocuSign for contracts ($10-15/month), and a separate client portal tool. ClickUp integrates with these via Zapier, but the data doesn't flow natively between systems, so tracked hours don't automatically populate invoice line items and signed contracts don't create projects.
For freelancers who need billing alongside project work, ClickUp handles the project management side but leaves invoicing, proposals, and client portals disconnected.
ClickUp covers project management tasks that Notion requires database setup to handle, but invoicing, proposals, and client portals still require separate tools on top.
#4 Asana: team project management with a free tier
Asana tracks tasks, timelines, and team workflows with a free plan for up to 10 users, but billing tools don't exist on any plan: no invoicing, no time-to-billing connection, no proposals, no contracts, and no client portals.
Asana's free Personal plan covers unlimited tasks and projects, team messaging, and basic activity logs for up to 10 members. The Starter plan at $10.99/month (annual) adds timeline views, workflow builder, and reporting. For freelancers or small agencies that need structured task tracking across multiple clients without a billing requirement in the platform itself, Asana's free tier handles the basics without committing to a paid subscription.
Asana handles internal team collaboration, not external client relationships. Clients can be added as guests on paid plans, but there's no branded client-facing workspace, no portal for viewing deliverable status, no invoice payment, and no proposal or contract workflow. Every client-facing function needs a separate tool on top.
For freelancers who already have invoicing handled through FreshBooks or QuickBooks and specifically need cleaner task tracking than Notion provides, Asana's free plan fills that gap without additional cost. For freelancers who need billing and client management in the same tool, Asana isn't the answer.
Asana's free plan covers task tracking across up to 10 users without billing capability. Worth using if invoicing is already handled elsewhere.
#5 Trello and #6 Monday.com: visual boards for simple workflows
Trello gives Kanban boards at no cost. Monday.com adds automations, dashboards, and workload views at a cost floor that hits solo freelancers hard. Neither platform includes invoicing, proposals, contracts, or client portals on any plan.
Trello's free tier includes unlimited cards and 10 boards per workspace with no time limit. The Standard plan at $5/user/month (annual) adds unlimited boards and advanced checklists. Trello is the simplest of the Notion alternatives: Kanban-only, no Gantt view, no native time tracking. For a freelancer who only needs a visual board to track what's in progress, what's waiting for feedback, and what's done, Trello sets up in under 10 minutes and costs nothing.
Monday.com covers more ground with dashboards, automations, and workload views, but the pricing model creates a cost floor for solo freelancers. The Basic plan requires a minimum of 3 seats at $9/seat/month (annual), so a solo freelancer pays $27/month before accessing any features beyond basic boards. There's no invoicing, proposals, or client portal on any Monday.com plan.
Both tools integrate with invoicing software via Zapier, but neither creates a native billing workflow. Trello fits freelancers on a budget who need light task tracking. Monday.com fits teams with structured reporting needs. Neither one works if you need billing inside the same tool.
Trello works for lightweight visual task tracking at no cost, and Monday.com handles team workflows with automations, but neither platform closes the invoicing and client management gap that makes Notion inadequate for client work.
How to switch from Notion to a dedicated business platform
Running both tools in parallel is the lowest-friction approach: active projects finish in Notion while new clients start on the new platform.
- Export Notion data: Go to Settings, then Export, and choose Markdown, CSV, or HTML. Databases export as CSV with all properties. Page content comes out as Markdown. File attachments need manual downloads from each page, so allow extra time on larger workspaces.
- Import client contacts: Upload the exported CSV into the new platform. Most project and invoicing tools accept standard CSV imports with field mapping. Client names, emails, and contact details carry over without manual re-entry.
- Build a project template: Create one standard project structure with the typical task list, milestones, and deliverable phases. Every new project starts from the template instead of rebuilding the task list and milestones from scratch.
- Start new clients on the new platform: Send the next proposal from the new tool. If the platform is Plutio, the signed proposal creates the project automatically with the template structure, contract attached, and client portal access activated.
- Keep active Notion projects where they are: Let active engagements finish in Notion. Mid-project migrations create confusion for clients, and the export process isn't worth doing for work that's nearly complete.
- Decide what to keep Notion for: Many freelancers keep Notion's free plan for personal notes, internal documentation, and knowledge management after switching all client operations to a dedicated platform. Notion's free tier covers nested pages and personal knowledge bases. The limitation is using Notion as a client-work tool.
The hardest part of leaving Notion isn't the data export. It's accepting that the time spent building databases, configuring formulas, and debugging templates didn't produce a platform that can send invoices or collect payments.
The switch happens between projects, not during them. New clients start on the new platform, active Notion work finishes where it is, and the free plan stays available for personal notes.
