For dev studios

Project management software for web and software development studios

One platform for proposals, project budgets, time tracking, maintenance retainers, and a branded client portal. Built for studios shipping real software for clients.

PROPOSAL E-commerce Platform Build
H
helix labs
Prepared by
Helix Labs
Custom Software Studio
Presented to
Northbound Outdoor
David Park, VP Digital
Contract date
May 20, 2026
Valid through
Jun 20, 2026
Scope
Headless e-commerce build on Next.js + Shopify backend: discovery, architecture, frontend & checkout flows, CMS integration, and a 90-day post-launch maintenance retainer.
PhaseHrsRateAmount
Discovery & architecture32$175$5,600
Build & integration180$175$31,500
Project total USD $37,100
David Park · VP Digital, Northbound Outdoor
Accepted
May 22, 2026
Active Project In progress
E-commerce Build for Northbound
Phase Build & integration
Logged 84 of 212 hrs
Invoice #073 Sent
Northbound Outdoor
Sprint 4: checkout flows $6,825
API integration work $2,975
Due in 14 days $9,800
Retainer Active
Apex Wear: Maintenance & SLA
Balance $2,800 of $6,000
Next invoice Renews in 16 days
Time · This week Live
96 hrs logged
Unbilled $16,800 · 5 projects
Top project Northbound build

Your engineering tools are great. Your business tools are six tabs.

Linear or Jira for the engineering work. Toggl or Harvest for timesheets. QuickBooks for invoicing. DocuSign for the SOW. A Notion page for the client roadmap. A shared Slack channel for change requests. Engineers context-switch all day, account leads chase weekly hours, and nobody knows real project margin until the quarter closes and the runaway scope discovery shows up in the P&L.

Clientary replaces the business operations layer: proposals, contracts, time tracking, project budgets, retainer billing, branded client portals, and online payments in one place. Engineering tools stay engineering tools. Clientary handles the client-facing operations.

Built for every kind of dev studio

Whether you're a 4-person frontend shop or a 25-person product engineering studio, the workflow fits how dev work actually gets billed.

Web Design & Development

Marketing sites, landing pages, CMS builds. Phase-based proposals with clear scope and pixel-perfect deliverables.

Custom Software & Apps

Bespoke web apps, internal tools, SaaS MVPs. Project budgets in hours or fixed-fee, with real-time burn visibility.

E-commerce & CMS

Shopify, BigCommerce, headless commerce, WordPress, custom CMS. Multi-phase rollouts with change-order workflows.

Mobile App Development

iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter. Per-platform billing with maintenance retainers post-launch.

Maintenance & SLA Support

Monthly hosting, monitoring, bug fixes, and support windows. Recurring retainers with balance tracking and rollover credit.

Product Engineering

Embedded teams, fractional CTOs, long-cycle product work. Retainer-driven engagements with month-over-month visibility.

The operations stack you've been duct-taping together

Estimate and quote with confidence

Send a polished proposal with phased scope, estimated hours, and optional add-ons. Client signs the contract online. Approved scope converts to a project in one click. The budget you quoted becomes the budget you track.

Track developer hours without disrupting flow

One-click timers engineers can start without leaving focus. Hours roll up by project automatically through time tracking. No Friday timesheet ritual, no spreadsheet reconciliation, no surprises at invoice time.

Project budgets that warn before you bleed margin

Set the budget in hours or dollars per project. Watch real-time as developer hours accrue. Catch a runaway feature ask in week 3 instead of finding out about it in the month-end close.

Maintenance retainers without spreadsheet drama

Post-launch maintenance, hosting, support, SLA hours. Set up a monthly retainer with automatic invoicing, balance tracking per client, and rollover credit. The client sees their own balance through the portal.

Client portal for sprint updates and change orders

Every client gets a branded portal under your studio's identity. They view invoices, approve scope changes (a big one for dev work), sign contracts, and download deliverables. No more 14-email change-order thread.

Get paid online, even for the awkward milestones

Invoices accept credit card, ACH, or bank transfer. Milestone billing, automated reminders, late-fee policies. No more "did you see invoice #073 from the sprint demo?" follow-ups to the client product manager.

10,000+
Service businesses run on Clientary
$500M+
Invoiced through the platform
4.8/5
Average rating across review sites

Frequently asked questions

Common questions from web, software, e-commerce, and product engineering studios evaluating Clientary.

What software do web and software development studios use for project management and billing?

Most small-to-mid dev shops run a patchwork of Linear or Jira for engineering work, Toggl for time, QuickBooks for invoicing, DocuSign for SOWs, and Notion for client docs. Clientary replaces the business operations layer with one platform. Engineers keep their tools. Clientary handles everything around the engineering work.

How do dev studios track time without disrupting engineers' workflow?

One-click timers engineers can start without leaving their current focus. Hours roll up automatically against the project they're working on, and you get real-time visibility into budget burn. Nobody has to fill out a Friday timesheet.

Can I bill maintenance retainers for ongoing support and SLA contracts?

Yes. Post-launch maintenance, hosting, monitoring, and SLA support are natural retainer arrangements. Set up a monthly retainer with automatic recurring invoicing. Clientary tracks balance and rollover credit per client, sends the next invoice on schedule, and gives the client visibility through the portal.

How do I share sprint updates and deliverables with clients?

Every client gets a branded portal under your studio's identity where they view invoices, approve scope changes (a big one for dev work), sign contracts, and download deliverables. Cleaner than email; faster sign-off on change orders.

Does Clientary integrate with QuickBooks?

Yes. Invoices, payments, and clients export to QuickBooks Online so your bookkeeper still has the financial source of truth. Most dev shops use Clientary as the operations and client-facing layer and let QuickBooks remain the books.

Is there a free trial for web and software development studios?

Yes. 14 days, no credit card required. Most dev shops finish evaluating in under a week: import a few clients, spin up a sample project with budget, log a few hours, send a test proposal, and see whether the workflow holds together.

Stop running your dev shop on six tools. Start running it on one.

Free 14-day trial. No credit card required. Cancel any time.

Start your free trial