TLDR (Summary)
Flowlu tries to be an all-in-one platform but stops short on the features freelancers need most. Contracts can't be signed electronically, there's no way to send proposals with pricing tables, scheduling pages don't exist, and putting a custom logo on the client experience costs $199/month. Plutio connects proposals with interactive pricing and built-in signing to projects, time tracking, invoicing, and client portals in one platform. When a proposal gets signed, the project creates automatically with tasks and deadlines, tracked hours flow into invoices, and clients see everything from a branded portal at a custom domain. Plans start at $19/month with every feature included.
Project management that connects to billing and client work
Flowlu has Kanban boards and task management, but the project features don't connect to invoicing through tracked hours, and there's no way to auto-create projects from signed proposals. Plutio links project management to the entire client workflow.
Flowlu's project management handles tasks, subtasks, and Kanban views. But tracked time in Flowlu doesn't flow into invoices as line items, so billing cycles still require manual data transfer between the time reports and the invoicing module. And new projects need manual setup every time because there's no way to auto-create a project structure from a signed proposal. Without that automation, each new client engagement starts with 20-30 minutes of manual project configuration.
Plutio's project management starts with Kanban boards and Gantt timelines. Templates build entire project structures from a single click, and task dependencies unlock work automatically as phases finish. What sits around the project management matters just as much: signed proposals create the project structure, logged hours become invoice line items, and project status shows in the client portal without manual updates.
For freelancers juggling 5-15 client projects, the connection between project work and business operations matters more than the task board itself. Both tools track tasks, but Plutio makes the tasks feed directly into billing and client communication.
Plutio's project management turns signed proposals into structured projects and feeds task hours directly into invoices, so project work and billing run from the same place.
Invoicing that pulls from tracked hours automatically
Flowlu has invoicing, but tracked time doesn't auto-populate invoice line items. Each billing cycle means manually entering hours, rates, and task names into invoices. Plutio's invoicing pulls tracked hours into line items with one click.
Flowlu's invoicing handles basic invoice creation and supports Stripe payments. But the disconnect between time tracking and invoicing means freelancers billing hourly still reconcile time reports against invoice entries manually. Hours get logged in the time tracker, then the same information gets typed into invoice line items one by one. Billing works, but each cycle adds 15-30 minutes of data entry per client, and with 5-10 active clients, that's 2-5 hours of purely administrative work every month.
In Plutio, invoices populate from a date range with every tracked hour, task name, and rate already filled in. Recurring invoices auto-send on schedule with late payment reminders. Payment processing through Stripe, PayPal, or bank transfer happens inside Plutio, and multi-currency support handles international clients.
Flowlu's Business plan costs $59/month, and adding DocuSign for contract signing ($15-45/month) and Calendly for scheduling ($10-16/month) brings the total to $84-120/month across three tools. Plutio covers invoicing, signing, and scheduling on every plan from the base tier.
Plutio's invoicing turns a date range of tracked hours into a ready-to-send invoice without manual line item entry or rate calculations.
Proposals with e-signatures that create projects on signing
Flowlu doesn't include a proposal builder or e-signatures. Contracts exist as documents but need DocuSign or a separate signing tool to collect signatures. Plutio handles proposals, contracts, and e-signatures in one workflow.
Flowlu's contract feature stores documents and tracks versions, but there's no way to send a contract for electronic signature within the platform. Freelancers using Flowlu send contracts through DocuSign ($15-45/month) or HelloSign ($15-25/month), wait for the signature notification, then manually update the CRM record and create the project in Flowlu after the signed document comes back. The back-and-forth between three tools adds friction to every new client engagement, and the scope agreed in the proposal often changes slightly by the time the project gets manually created.
Plutio's proposal builder includes drag-and-drop sections, pricing tables with optional line items, and built-in e-signatures. When a client signs, the project creates automatically with tasks, deadlines, and portal access. Contracts attach to proposals and projects, and the first invoice can pull directly from the approved pricing.
Proposals, contracts, and signing happen in one sequence instead of three separate tools. A prospect receives a proposal, reviews pricing, signs the contract, and the project activates with everything already configured. The signed scope becomes the project scope without manual translation.
A signed proposal in Plutio creates the project, attaches the contract, and sets up billing terms, so the scope doesn't change between agreement and delivery.
Time tracking that feeds into invoices and project budgets
Flowlu has time tracking, but logged hours don't convert to invoice line items automatically. Freelancers still copy time data into invoices manually each billing cycle. Plutio's time tracking connects directly to invoicing.
Flowlu's time tracking logs hours against tasks and generates reports. The reports show where time went, but the data stops at the report. At billing time, the hours need manual transfer to invoice line items with separate rate calculations for each client. For freelancers with different hourly rates across clients or projects, the manual process gets more complex: matching the right rate to the right task, calculating totals, and formatting the invoice correctly takes longer than the time tracking itself.
Plutio's time tracking runs inside every project with a built-in timer that starts from any task. Billable and non-billable hours stay separated so only client-facing work appears on the invoice. At billing time, tracked hours convert to line items with the task name, duration, and hourly rate pre-filled.
Time reports in Plutio break down hours by project, client, or date range. Budget tracking shows which projects are on track and which ones have gone over, all from the same workspace where invoices get created and sent.
Plutio's time tracking logs hours against tasks and converts them to invoice line items with rates pre-filled, so billing cycles take minutes instead of half an hour per client.
Client portals with custom branding on every plan
Flowlu's client portal shows project progress, but white-label branding requires the $199/month Enterprise plan. On lower plans, Flowlu's logo stays visible on every client interaction. Plutio's portals are branded with a custom logo, colors, and domain on every plan.
Flowlu's portal lets clients view tasks and leave comments. But the portal doesn't combine project progress with invoices, files, and messages in one view, so clients still receive separate email notifications for invoices and need to check different sections for different types of updates. And for freelancers who want their own branding on the client experience, the jump from $59/month (Business) to $199/month (Enterprise) just for white-label access means paying 3x more just to remove Flowlu's branding from the client experience.
Plutio's client portals are branded from the base plan. Clients log in to a custom domain and see project progress alongside milestones, shared files, outstanding invoices, and messages. Files upload directly to the project, and clients approve deliverables and pay invoices from the same login.
Client portal access replaces the status update emails and "any updates?" messages. Clients see what's happening without asking, and the back-and-forth between meetings drops because the portal answers the questions that would normally become emails.
Plutio's client portals include custom branding, project progress, file sharing, and invoice payments in one view, starting at $19/month instead of $199/month for white-label access.
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 Flowlu to Plutio
The transition works best between client projects. Finish current work on Flowlu and onboard new clients directly through Plutio.
- Start a free trial: Plutio offers 14 days of full access with no credit card required. Projects, proposals, invoicing, time tracking, contracts, scheduling, and client portals all work from day one.
- Export CRM contacts: Download client contacts from Flowlu as a CSV. Names, emails, and company details carry over into Plutio during initial setup.
- Set up a project template: Create one project template with the standard task list, milestones, and deliverable structure. New projects start from the template with one click.
- Send the next proposal from Plutio: When the client signs, the project creates automatically with the template structure, portal access, and contract attached.
- Finish Flowlu projects where they are: Active work stays on Flowlu until completion. Running both platforms in parallel avoids disrupting client relationships mid-project.
- Cancel Flowlu: Once active projects wrap up, downgrade to the free plan or cancel the subscription. Export any remaining data as backup before closing the account.
Flowlu's free plan means there's no rush to cancel. Downgrading to free keeps access to historical data while new client work runs entirely on Plutio.
New clients start on Plutio with proposals, contract signing, and branded portals from day one, while Flowlu projects finish on their own schedule.
