TLDR (Summary)
The best all-in-one CRM for writers is Plutio ($19/month).
Plutio replaces the fragmented stack of Google Docs, editorial calendars, time trackers, and invoicing software. When a piece is marked complete, the project updates automatically, time is already tracked, and the invoice is ready to send with one click.
Research shows that app-switching costs around ~9% of time, before counting hours spent updating boards, logging time, and sending invoices.
Explore the Freelancer Magazine for in-depth guides on project management, pricing, proposals, and more.
What is all-in-one software for freelance writers?
All-in-one software for freelance writers combines brief management, project tracking, client feedback, and invoicing in one connected platform, replacing separate tools like Google Docs, note-taking software, task boards, and accounting software. Writers manage the complete content lifecycle from initial brief through final payment without switching between apps.
Here's how most freelance writers operate:
- Email receives briefs that arrive incomplete and scattered across threads. When the client adds requirements later, you hunt through 20 messages to find the original context.
- Google Docs holds drafts but has no connection to your project status. When you finish a draft, nothing updates anywhere else.
- note-taking software or task boards tracks deadlines but requires manual updates after every milestone. Move the card, add a note, hope you remember which version is current.
- Grammarly or editing tools help with the writing itself but know nothing about your business workflow.
- A spreadsheet that tracks what you are owed, what has been paid, and what invoices are still outstanding, always out of date.
Subscription costs add up fast. Google Workspace is $12/month. note-taking software is $10/month. Grammarly Premium is $30/month. accounting software is $30/month. Total: $82/month on subscriptions.
What is the hidden cost of app switching for freelance writers?
A Harvard Business Review study found that knowledge workers toggle between apps 1,200 times per day, losing 9% of productive time to context switching. For writers managing multiple clients with constant back-and-forth, that translates to hours every week spent on coordination instead of writing.
When briefs, drafts, approvals, and invoicing live in one place, you stop managing tools and actually write.
Why writers need an all-in-one platform
Writers who grow beyond a handful of clients face a compounding problem: administrative overhead scales with every new engagement.
What works for 5 clients breaks down at 15. Each new client means another set of proposals, contracts, project timelines, invoices, and follow-ups, all managed across disconnected tools.
The tool fragmentation problem
When scheduling lives in one app, projects in another, invoicing in a third, and contracts in a fourth, nothing connects. Tracked time doesn't automatically appear on invoices. Signed contracts don't trigger project setup.
The scaling tipping point
Most writers hit a threshold where the manual approach becomes the primary bottleneck to growth. Connected software lets you push past this ceiling by automating repetitive coordination tasks.
Key features writers need
The essential features for writers connect client management with project delivery, billing, and communication in one platform.
What does brief management look like when everything is connected?
Email briefs are often incomplete. A client sends "We need a blog post about productivity tools. Around 1,500 words. Let me know if you have questions." You reply with questions about audience, tone, keywords, and examples. They respond with partial answers.
In Plutio, brief collection is built into the workflow:
- Structured brief forms: Required fields ensure you get what you need upfront. Target audience, primary keyword, tone of voice, word count, example articles, internal links to include.
- Reference uploads: Brand guidelines, style guides, competitor examples, internal resources. All attached to the brief, not scattered across email attachments.
- Due dates that sync: The deadline is part of the brief. When submitted, it appears on your calendar automatically.
- Attached to projects: When you start writing, the brief is right there.
- Client updates through portal: If requirements change, the client updates the brief in their portal.
See how forms connect to projects
What happens when writing proposals connect to everything?
You just had a great discovery call with a client that needs 8 blog posts over the next two months. With separate tools, this is where momentum dies. You open Google Docs for a proposal, email it as a PDF, wait for questions, send a separate contract through HelloSign, then manually create the project when they sign.
In Plutio, you send one document that contains everything:
- Per-piece pricing: 8 blog posts at $400 each. Word count: 1,500-2,000 words. Deliverable timeline: 1 post per week for 8 weeks.
- Retainer options: Or a monthly retainer of $1,400 for 4 posts, with unused posts rolling to next month.
- Revision limits: Two rounds of revisions included. Additional revisions at $75/hour.
- Contract embedded: Rights transfer, payment terms, cancellation policy. The client reads and signs in the same flow as accepting the proposal.
- Payment schedule: 50% deposit to start, 50% on completion. Or full payment upfront with a 5% discount.
When the client accepts, Plutio creates the project with 8 tasks (one per article), sets the payment schedule, and sends the first brief questionnaire automatically.
See how proposals automate project setup
What does editorial management look like when everything is connected?
With 12 active pieces across 5 clients, getting a clear picture of your queue is work itself. In a disconnected system, you open one client's task board, then another's note-taking software database, then check email for project status, then a spreadsheet to see which pieces are past deadline.
In Plutio, you start your day with one view:
- Cross-client deadline view: Everything due this week across all clients. All visible without switching apps.
- Phase progress: Brief received, research complete, first draft in progress, revision 1, revision 2, final approved. Each piece shows exactly where it stands.
- Priority flagging: Visual priority helps you sequence your writing queue.
- Client grouping: Retainer clients have their own section. You can see all of a client's ongoing content in one place.
- Project templates: New blog post project? Clone the template with brief form, draft phases, revision rounds, and final approval.
See how project tracking keeps everything connected
What does version control look like when everything is connected?
"Can you send me the latest version?" Clients send this message multiple times per project because they cannot find which Google Doc link is current.
In Plutio, draft management is part of the project:
- File attachments with version history: Each version is timestamped and labeled.
- Draft comments from clients: Feedback is attached to the specific draft, not buried in email.
- Revision tracking against limits: The proposal included 2 revision rounds. The current draft counts as revision 2. If the client wants more changes after the final, you reference the agreement.
- Approval workflows: The client clicks "Approve" on the final draft. The approval records with a timestamp.
- Final delivery through portal: Clients can access the approved version in their portal.
For actual writing, you can use Google Docs or any other tool you prefer.
See how file management keeps versions organized
The deciding factor for writers is integration depth. Features that connect with each other eliminate duplicate effort across your workflow.
How much can freelance writers save by switching to Plutio?
Here's the math.
What do freelance writers typically spend on software subscriptions?
A typical freelance writer separate tools:
- Google Workspace: $12/month for Gmail, Docs, and Drive
- note-taking software Plus: $12/month for editorial calendar and project tracking
- task boards Premium: $10/month alternative for deadline tracking
- accounting software Simple Start: $30/month for invoicing and accounting
- Grammarly Premium: $30/month for editing (still needed regardless of platform)
- Stripe fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (unavoidable with any processor)
Total: $52-62/month for basic business tools, not counting Grammarly or other writing-specific tools. The tools still do not connect to each other.
What is the time cost nobody calculates?
The bigger number is the one you cannot see on invoices:
- Brief consolidation: 15-30 minutes per project gathering requirements from scattered emails
- Project updates: 10-15 minutes per article updating task boards after each milestone
- Feedback consolidation: 20-30 minutes per revision round gathering comments from multiple sources
- Invoice creation: 10-15 minutes per client manually creating and sending invoices
Conservative estimate: 5-10 hours per week on administration. At a writer rate of $50/hour, that is $250-500/week in opportunity cost.
What does Plutio cost compared to a freelance writer separate tools?
Plutio Core: $19/month (up to 9 active clients). Plutio Pro: $49/month (unlimited clients). Includes brief management, project tracking, client portals, invoicing, and payment processing.
Why writers choose Plutio over fragmented separate tools
When briefs, revisions, feedback, and invoicing connect in one platform, the manual coordination that eats into writing time drops away.
Editorial workflows need briefs, revisions, and payments tied to the same project. Most freelance writers receive briefs over email, manage projects in a note app, collect feedback in Google Docs comments, and invoice through accounting software.
The Plutio difference
- Briefs → Projects: Client submits a structured brief through your form, and the project creates with all requirements attached.
- Revisions → Tracked Rounds: Revision counts from the proposal become trackable limits in the project. Client sees how many rounds remain.
- Approvals → Invoices: Client approves the final draft in their portal, and the milestone invoice drafts automatically.
- Time → Line Items: Hours logged against writing tasks feed directly into invoice line items.
For detailed tool comparisons, see our comparison hub or alternatives pages.
How to set up Plutio for your writer business
Setting up Plutio takes 2-4 hours for initial configuration.
Step 1: Configure your brand (30 mins)
Upload your logo, set brand colors, and connect your custom domain if on the Max plan. Link your Stripe or PayPal account for payments.
Step 2: Build your templates (1-2 hours)
Create project and proposal templates for your most common services:
- Standard engagement: Your most common project type with milestones, tasks, and deliverables pre-configured.
- Quick project: A streamlined template for smaller, faster engagements.
- Retainer/recurring: Template for ongoing monthly clients with recurring tasks and billing.
Step 3: Connect integrations (20-30 mins)
Sync your Google Calendar or Outlook. Connect Stripe or PayPal for payments. Link QuickBooks or Xero if you use them.
Step 4: Import existing clients (30 mins)
Export your client list from your current tool as CSV and import into Plutio. Map fields and verify data.
Step 5: Test with one real project
Send your next proposal through Plutio. Let it create the project automatically, track time, and invoice the client.
Common setup mistakes to avoid
- Over-customizing too early: Start minimal and refine based on actual use.
- Migrating everything at once: Focus on new clients first, migrate active ones second.
- Skipping the test project: One real engagement reveals more than hours of configuration.
Organizing your writer workflows
Structured organization is the difference between a business that scales smoothly and one that drowns in admin as it grows.
Organize by service type
- Core service: Your primary offering with detailed project templates and milestone tracking.
- Secondary services: Additional offerings with their own templates and pricing structures.
- Retainer work: Recurring engagements with automated billing and repeating task lists.
- One-off projects: Quick-turn engagements with streamlined templates.
Organize by client stage
- Prospect: Initial inquiry received, proposal being prepared.
- Active: Contract signed, project in progress.
- Delivered: Work complete, final invoice sent.
- Recurring: Ongoing relationship with scheduled touchpoints.
Template best practices
- Start with 3 templates maximum, expand as patterns emerge.
- Include task estimates so you can track actual vs. budgeted time.
- Build in review milestones where clients approve before you proceed.
- Add automation triggers: proposal signed → project created → client notified.
Client portals for writers
Client portals give your clients self-service access to their projects, invoices, files, and messages, reducing "just checking in" emails.
Professional branding
Clients log into a portal branded with your logo, colors, and on the Max plan, your own domain. They see your business identity, not a third-party tool.
Self-service project visibility
Clients see their active projects, completed tasks, upcoming milestones, and important dates. You control exactly what's visible.
Invoice payments
Outstanding invoices appear with a "Pay Now" button. Clients pay with credit card, PayPal, or bank transfer.
File access and sharing
Share deliverables through the portal. Clients download their files whenever they need them, organized by project.
Centralized messaging
Keep conversations in one thread per client. Full message history, searchable and organized.
How to migrate to Plutio
Migration typically takes 3-5 hours of active work spread over a weekend.
Step 1: Export from your current tools
Most tools provide CSV export. Export your client list and active project details.
Step 2: Build templates in Plutio (2-3 hours)
Don't try to replicate your old system exactly. Focus on your 3 most common project types.
Step 3: Set up integrations (30 mins)
Connect payment processing (Stripe/PayPal), calendar sync (Google/Outlook), and accounting (QuickBooks/Xero).
Step 4: Import client data (30 mins)
Upload your client CSV. Map fields to Plutio's structure.
Step 5: Run parallel for new work
Use Plutio for all new clients and projects immediately. Keep your old system running for in-progress work only.
Step 6: Phase out the old tool
Once all in-progress work completes in the old system, cancel that subscription.
Common migration pitfalls
- Trying to migrate everything: Focus on active clients and forward-looking workflows.
- Switching mid-project: Finish in-progress work on the old system.
- Not testing integrations: Verify payment processing works before relying on it.
