A freelance web developer in Portland manages 8 active clients. His client communication system: email for updates, Dropbox for file sharing, Trello for project status (that clients never check), Google Drive for deliverables, and Stripe invoices sent separately. When a client asks 'where are we on the project?' he spends 15 minutes assembling a status update from four different tools. Clients ask the same questions repeatedly because there's no single source of truth.
Freelancers are running $50K-500K businesses with enterprise complexity but no enterprise infrastructure. Each client relationship requires: project updates, file sharing, feedback collection, milestone tracking, invoice management, and communication history. HoneyBook ($19-79/mo) and Dubsado ($20-40/mo) address this, but they're built for creative service providers with specific workflows (photographers, wedding planners). Developers, consultants, and coaches need different workflows.
The opportunity is a simple client portal at $15-29/mo for knowledge-work freelancers: give each client a branded login where they can see project status, access shared files, view and pay invoices, leave feedback, and message you — all in one place. Not a CRM, not project management — just a client-facing window into your business. The differentiator is simplicity: set up a client portal in 5 minutes, not 5 hours. Target developers, consultants, and virtual assistants who find HoneyBook/Dubsado too wedding-focused and complex.
💰 Revenue Blueprint
Three-tier value ladder to monetize from day one
5 active clients, branded portals, file sharing, messaging, basic invoicing
Unlimited clients, custom domain, project milestones, Stripe integration, time tracking
Team members, client templates, white-label, contracts/e-sign, advanced analytics
📊 Market Evidence
The Market Gap
HoneyBook/Dubsado are creative/wedding-focused and complex. No simple $15-29/mo client portal for developers, consultants, and knowledge workers who just want a client-facing dashboard.
🏆 Competitor Landscape
How existing players stack up in this market
🛠️ Recommended Tech Stack
Suggested tools and technologies to build this idea
Score Breakdown
Good market signals with room for growth
Market (20%) + Revenue (20%) + Trend (15%) + Competition (15%) + Build (15%) + Pricing (15%)
🚀 Start Building
Copy a prompt into your favorite AI coding tool and start building this idea right now.
Build a SaaS product called "Freelancer Client Portal". ## Product Overview Branded portal for contracts invoices and files ## Problem Branded portal for contracts invoices and files ## Solution Build Freelancer Client Portal ## Target Audience indie hackers, small businesses, and solopreneurs ## Tech Stack - Next.js 15 (App Router) with TypeScript - Tailwind CSS v4 for styling - Supabase for auth, database, and storage - Vercel for deployment - shadcn/ui for UI components - Framer Motion for animations ## MVP Features to Build 1. Landing page with clear value proposition 2. User authentication (sign up, sign in, forgot password) 3. Core product functionality based on the solution above 4. Dashboard for users to manage their data 5. Pricing page with at least 2 tiers (free + paid) 6. Basic settings/profile page ## Known Competitors HoneyBook, Dubsado, 17hats, Bonsai, Practice ## Key Risks to Address Standard market entry risks ## Deployment 1. Set up Supabase project and configure environment variables 2. Deploy to Vercel with `npx vercel --prod` 3. Set up custom domain 4. Configure Supabase RLS policies for security ## Instructions Start by creating the project structure, then build the landing page first. Use server components where possible. Make it mobile-responsive from the start. Focus on getting the core value loop working before adding polish.