FileDue
Files stay locked until your client pays.
A few months ago I started building a side project.
It came from this:
Some years ago I did freelance dev work. Apps, scripts, automation tools.
And sometimes, after delivery, I’d end up sending the most annoying email:
“Just wanted to follow up on the invoice.”
Translation: “I already gave you the code, please pay me.”
It happened a few times. Nothing huge money-wise, but the mental overhead was the annoying part.
Did they forget? Are they stalling? Am I getting ghosted?
Every day of silence is a small drain.
Then I moved into full-time work and mostly forgot about it.
A few weeks ago I was reading r/freelance and saw a thread where hundreds of people described the exact same pattern across completely different industries — designers, video editors, writers, developers.
Different work. Same problem.
The freelancer delivers first, then has to chase.
That “oh right, this again” feeling hit instantly.
Everyone gives the same advice: take deposits, get paid upfront, don’t deliver before payment.
All correct.
But I wanted a tool that enforces it mechanically.
So I built one.
It’s called FileDue.
The mechanic is simple: the files don’t exist for the client until they pay.
You upload the work, set a price, and share a link. The client previews what they’re paying for, pays via Stripe, and the files unlock instantly.
No chasing.
No awkward follow-ups.
No trust gymnastics.
It’s live now at filedue.com.
Built solo with Next.js, Stripe Connect, and Cloudflare R2 while holding down a 9–5 staff engineering role.
The hard parts weren’t what I expected. The technical build was fine. Onboarding freelancers through Stripe Connect was a multi-week puzzle on its own. I’ll probably write that one up separately.
If you’ve dealt with the “I’ll pay Friday” pattern, I’d love to hear how you handle it now.
And if you want to see the actual flow, the link is above.
2 Comments
This is a strong pain because it is not really about invoices. It is about the awkward trust gap after delivery.
The line that stands out is: “the files don’t exist for the client until they pay.”
That is much stronger than positioning FileDue as another freelancer payment tool.
I’d probably test the message around protecting the delivery moment, not just getting paid faster. Designers, video editors, devs, and writers all have the same fear: the work is done, the client has the leverage, and now the freelancer has to chase.
The sharper question is which freelancer group feels this pain often enough to change workflow, not just agree with the story.
Drop your email and I’ll send over a tighter version. I’d map the first freelancer segment, the core landing page promise, and a simple distribution test for finding people already complaining about unpaid delivery.
Congrats on the launch. The automated reminder feature is smart — late payments are a silent killer for freelancers.
Quick one — I help indie hackers like you get early users by distributing product launches to active communities where freelancers and small business owners actually hang out.
I'm talking WhatsApp groups, Telegram channels, and Facebook communities filled with Nigerian and African freelancers who deal with invoicing headaches daily. Exactly your target users.
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- You send me your product info and link
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DM me if interested. Either way, wish you a successful launch. 🚀