No simple tool for tracking client payments and sending automated reminders

4 hours ago1 views

Description

I'm a freelance developer working with 8-12 clients at any given time. Each client has different payment schedules - some monthly, some per-project, some milestone-based. The problem: I'm constantly checking spreadsheets to see who hasn't paid, manually sending "friendly reminder" emails, and losing track of overdue invoices. Last month I forgot to follow up on a $3,200 invoice for almost 3 weeks. Current workaround: I use Google Sheets with color coding (green=paid, yellow=pending, red=overdue) and set manual calendar reminders to send emails. It's exhausting and error-prone. What I need: Something dead simple where I can log "Client X owes $Y by Date Z" and it automatically sends reminders at 7 days before, day of, and 3/7/14 days after. Just email reminders, not a full invoicing suite. Existing solutions don't work because: - FreshBooks/QuickBooks are overkill (I don't need accounting, just tracking) - They're expensive ($15-30/month for features I won't use) - Most require clients to create accounts or use their portal I just want a lightweight tracker that keeps me organized and reminds forgetful clients. Why doesn't this exist as a $5/month simple tool?