TLDR (Summary)
17hats handles contracts, invoices, questionnaires, and scheduling but stops once the project work begins, so project management, time tracking connected to billing, and branded proposals all need separate tools on top. Plutio is a fully branded platform where proposals, projects, time tracking, invoicing, and client portals are all connected. When a proposal gets signed, the project creates itself, tracked hours flow into invoices, and clients check progress and pay from a branded portal.
Project management that 17hats doesn't have
17hats has a to-do list and a calendar view, but the platform has no Kanban boards, no Gantt charts, no task dependencies, and no milestone tracking at any price tier. Plutio has all four built in.
17hats' project management amounts to a flat checklist inside each project with no hierarchy, no subtasks, and no visual progress tracking. Multi-phase projects like website builds, brand identities, or event campaigns need a separate tool on top, which is why Capterra reviewers consistently note that 17hats covers paperwork but not project delivery.
Plutio's project management starts with Kanban boards and adds what 17hats is missing: Gantt timelines that show dependencies between tasks, milestones that mark phase transitions, and templates that create entire project structures from a single click. A website project can have design, development, and launch phases with tasks that automatically unlock when the previous phase finishes.
But the bigger difference is how the project work and the business side connect. In Plutio, time tracked on a task feeds into an invoice line item, a completed milestone triggers a client notification, and project status updates in the client portal without sending a single email.
Plutio's project management connects tasks to time tracking, invoicing, and client portals, so the work and the business run from the same place.
Invoicing that connects to the work, not just the contract
17hats has invoicing, but hourly billing means manual line items every cycle because the time tracking is basic and disconnected from invoice generation. Plutio's invoicing pulls tracked hours into invoices automatically.
In Plutio, invoices populate from a date range with every tracked hour, task name, and rate already filled in, so there's no copying from a separate tracker or reconciling from memory at the end of the month.
Recurring invoices auto-send on schedule with late payment reminders built in. Payment processing through Stripe, PayPal, or bank transfer happens inside the same platform. Multi-currency support lets international freelancers bill clients in local currencies without workarounds.
17hats handles recurring invoices and payment reminders, but the invoicing is disconnected from project work. When hours get tracked separately and invoices get created separately, numbers get copied between tools, and billing errors follow. In Plutio, the invoice already knows what happened because time tracking, the project, and billing all share the same data.
Plutio's invoicing turns tracked hours into paid invoices without copying numbers between apps.
Proposals and contracts that create projects automatically
17hats has quotes that list prices and line items, but quotes aren't proposals. There's no drag-and-drop proposal builder with scope details, deliverable breakdowns, or branded design. In Plutio, a signed proposal creates the project, attaches the contract, and activates the client portal in one step.
Plutio's proposal builder includes drag-and-drop sections, pricing tables, and built-in e-signatures. Clients review and sign from any device. When the signature goes through, Plutio creates the project with pre-configured tasks and deadlines based on the proposal scope.
Contracts attach to proposals and projects, so the signed scope stays connected to the actual work. The client portal activates with branded access, and the first invoice can generate directly from the approved pricing in the proposal.
The entire pre-project workflow happens in one sequence. In 17hats, the signed quote doesn't create a project with tasks automatically. The quote lives in one place, the to-do list lives in another, and any project management beyond a basic checklist requires a separate tool like Asana or Trello.
In Plutio, a signed proposal becomes a live project with contracts, tasks, and client portal access, all from one signed document.
Time tracking built into every project
17hats offers basic time tracking, but the tracked hours don't feed directly into invoice line items the way native time tracking does on platforms where everything is connected. Plutio's time tracking runs inside every project and flows into invoicing automatically.
Plutio's time tracking runs inside every project. A built-in timer starts from any task with one click, or hours get logged manually with notes and rates attached. Billable and non-billable hours stay separated so only client-facing work hits the invoice.
At invoice time, tracked hours convert to line items with the task name, duration, and hourly rate already filled in, so there's no guesswork when the invoice goes out.
Time reports break down hours by project, client, or date range. The data shows exactly where billable hours went and which projects ran over budget, all from the same place where the projects and invoices live.
Every hour tracked in Plutio turns into an invoice line item without manual entry or app switching.
Client portals that show project progress
17hats includes a client portal where clients view documents, sign contracts, and pay invoices, but the portal doesn't show project progress, deliverable status, or task timelines because 17hats has no project management to display. Plutio's portals give clients a branded workspace for the entire project.
Plutio's client portals are branded with a custom logo, colors, and domain. Clients log in and see project progress alongside milestones, shared files, outstanding invoices, and messages.
Files upload directly to the project instead of arriving as email attachments. Messages attach to specific tasks so conversations stay in context. Clients approve deliverables and pay invoices from the portal without downloading separate apps or juggling multiple logins.
The portal replaces the email chains, the "just checking in" messages, and the status update requests that pile up between meetings. Clients see what's happening without asking, and freelancers don't need to write separate update emails.
Plutio's client portals replace status update emails with a branded space where clients track progress, share files, and pay invoices.
With Plutio we don't jump between apps anymore! Everything from projects to invoicing is finally connected in one fully-branded app.
How to switch from 17hats to Plutio
Most freelancers switch between projects, finishing active work in 17hats while starting new clients on Plutio.
- Start a free trial: Plutio offers 14 days of full access with no credit card required. Every feature, including projects, invoicing, proposals, time tracking, and client portals, works from day one.
- Import client contacts: Export contacts from 17hats as a CSV and import them into Plutio. Client names, emails, and details carry over in minutes.
- Set up a project template: Create one project template with the standard task list, milestones, and deliverable structure. Every new project starts from the template instead of manual setup.
- Start new clients on Plutio: Send the next proposal from Plutio. When the client signs, the project creates automatically with the template structure, portal access, and contract attached.
- Finish 17hats projects where they are: Active work stays in 17hats until completion. Running both platforms in parallel avoids disrupting client relationships mid-project.
- Cancel 17hats: Once all active projects wrap up, downgrade or cancel the 17hats subscription. Export any remaining contract PDFs and invoice records for tax compliance and legal backup.
The hardest part of leaving 17hats isn't the data migration. The hardest part is accepting that the contract and invoicing automations need rebuilding on the new platform. But every month on a platform that needs separate tools for project management and proposals is another month managing disconnected apps that don't talk to each other.
The switch happens between projects, not mid-project. New clients start on Plutio while 17hats projects finish naturally.
