I just launched Clever Tally — free invoicing for freelancers. Here's the full breakdown.
Hey IH! I just launched my first product and wanted to share the details with this community.
-What is it?
Clever Tally (https://clevertally.com) is an invoicing app for freelancers and small businesses. The free tier has no limits on features — you get unlimited invoices, email delivery, online payments, automated reminders, recurring invoices, and custom branding. The only restriction is 5 clients. Pro ($7.99/mo) removes that limit.
-Why I built it
Every "free" invoicing tool I looked at was really a trial. Free for 3 invoices, or free but you can't email them, or free but payments cost extra. I wanted to build something where the free tier was genuinely useful for a freelancer with a handful of clients.
-Tech stack & costs
- Backend: Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL (Sequelize ORM)
- Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript (no framework, intentional)
- Hosting: Single DigitalOcean droplet with PM2 cluster mode
- CDN/SSL: Cloudflare (free tier)
- Payments: Stripe Connect (1% platform fee on payments)
- Email: SendGrid
- Error monitoring: Sentry
- Total monthly infrastructure cost: ~$45
-Business model
- Free tier: all features, 5 client limit
- Pro: $7.99/mo, unlimited clients
- Platform takes 1% on online payment collection via Stripe
-What's next
Watching what features people ask for and building based on real feedback. I have a backlog of improvements but I want to let actual usage guide priority.
Would love feedback from this community — on the product, the pricing, the positioning, anything. This is my first launch and I'm learning as I go.
I like the concept of affordable and unlimited. B2B needs more software like that in general.
The 1% via Stripe could be a good source of revenue. I'd be curious if freelancers find that scary or not. I'm sure a few early prospects would be glad to share their views.
Thank you for the feedback! That's a good point about the 1%. It only applies if the freelancer's client pays through the online payment link. If they pay by bank transfer or check, there's no fee at all. But I hear you, and I'll keep an eye on whether that's a sticking point for people.