TLDR (Summary)
Moxie (formerly Hectic) handles CRM, proposals, contracts, time tracking, and invoicing for solo freelancers, but caps teams at 3 users on the Starter and Pro plans, gates the branded client portal behind the $25/month Pro tier, and limits integrations to paid tiers. 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 goes beyond Kanban boards
Moxie includes Kanban boards and list views, but the platform has no task dependencies, no Gantt timelines, and no milestone tracking. Plutio has all three built in.
Moxie's project management covers Kanban boards, list views, and calendar views. For a solo freelancer managing 5-10 clients, the views handle basic task organization. Multi-phase projects like website builds, brand identities, or event campaigns need more structure than a flat task list, and Moxie has no way to set task dependencies or visualize timelines across project phases.
Plutio's project management starts with Kanban boards and adds what Moxie 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.
The bigger difference is how project work connects to the business side. 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
Moxie has invoicing and time tracking, but tracked hours don't flow into invoice line items automatically. Plutio's invoicing pulls tracked hours into invoices with task names, durations, and rates already filled in.
Moxie's invoicing supports online payments through Stripe and PayPal, with no other payment processor options. For freelancers who prefer Square, bank transfers, or regional processors, the two-gateway limit forces workarounds. Users have reported losing revenue through payment processing issues where client fees didn't apply correctly despite the settings being configured.
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. 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
Moxie has proposals and contracts with e-signatures, but the workflow ends at the signed document. In Plutio, a signed proposal creates the project, attaches the contract, and activates the client portal in one step.
Moxie's proposal and contract workflow covers the intake side: send a proposal, get a signature, and start billing. The gap appears after the signature. The project needs manual setup, task lists need manual creation, and the client portal (if available on the plan) needs separate configuration. Users have noted that field placement for signatures and dates in agreements is limited, reducing the professional appearance of documents.
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.
In Plutio, a signed proposal becomes a live project with contracts, tasks, and client portal access, all from one signed document.
Time tracking that feeds directly into invoices
Moxie has built-in time tracking, but users report the feature is awkward to use with time logged against deleted tasks and a convoluted task hierarchy. Plutio's time tracking runs cleanly inside every project with one-click invoicing.
Moxie's time tracking connects to projects, but the workflow has friction points. Task time tracking gets convoluted when tasks nest inside other tasks, and time logged against deleted tasks doesn't disappear cleanly. The mobile app limits which tasks can have time assigned, adding another layer of manual workaround.
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 on every plan, not just Pro
Moxie gates the white-labeled client portal behind the $25/month Pro plan. Starter plan users at $12/month have no branded portal at all. Plutio includes branded client portals on every plan.
Moxie's client portal on the Pro plan lets clients track projects, approve deliverables, and download files through a branded interface. The problem is access: freelancers on the Starter plan at $12/month don't get a portal, which means clients either get email updates or nothing. Doubling the monthly cost just for a client-facing workspace is a steep jump for a solo freelancer starting out.
Plutio's client portals are branded with a custom logo, colors, and domain on every plan. 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 Moxie to Plutio
Most freelancers switch between projects, finishing active work in Moxie 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 Moxie 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 Moxie projects where they are: Active work stays in Moxie until completion. Running both platforms in parallel avoids disrupting client relationships mid-project.
- Cancel Moxie: Once all active projects wrap up, downgrade or cancel the Moxie subscription. Export any remaining data as backup.
The hardest part of leaving Moxie isn't the data migration. The hardest part is rebuilding the workflow automations and project templates that took hours to configure. But every month on a platform that caps teams at 3 users and hides the client portal behind a premium tier is another month managing around artificial limits.
The switch happens between projects, not mid-project. New clients start on Plutio while Moxie projects finish naturally.
