Why solo designers and small studios choose Draftli
You're the one running the business — not an accounts team. Draftli ties review and payment together so your client annotates, approves, and pays through one link — through Stripe, on your connected Stripe account. Draftli isn't the payment processor and never sees your client's card. Final files unlock the moment Stripe confirms. And now Draftli supports an optional deposit before review unlocks — without sacrificing the proofing wedge that no CRM tool offers.
Get paid the day they say yes.
Approval is the charge. The gap between “love it” and money in the bank disappears — no invoice to write, send, or chase in a second tool.
Look like a studio, not a side hustle.
One link carries review, approval, and payment under your own business name on the client’s statement. On Ultra, the whole client portal wears your brand.
Run it solo, keep what you earn.
No accounts team, no app stack. Free is 2% on approved work; Pro is 0% on a flat $10/mo — so you always know exactly what you take home.
At a glance…
Free plan, no credit card to start
Trial-only or paid-only
1 GB storage, 2% on approved projects
Approval automatically triggers client payment
Sign-off and billing live in different products
Stripe Checkout opens for the client on approval
Watermarked previews; originals locked until paid
Not a built-in workflow
Public previews; originals stay private until payment succeeds
Stripe-secured payments — Draftli isn't the payment processor
Either no payment, or money parked on the platform
Direct charges on your connected Stripe account; statement descriptor is your business
Feature comparison
Often paid-only or trial-with-card
Free plan
1 GB free, 2% on approved projects
Free plan
Often paid-only or trial-with-card
1 GB free, 2% on approved projects
Common, but quality and fidelity vary
Annotation-based proofing on images and PDFs
Annotation-based proofing on images and PDFs
Common, but quality and fidelity vary
Sometimes; often a paid-tier add-on
Round-by-round version history
Round-by-round version history
Sometimes; often a paid-tier add-on
Often requires the client to sign up
Guest review without an account
Public share token, no signup
Guest review without an account
Often requires the client to sign up
Public share token, no signup
Approval typically just records a status change.
Approval that actually does something
Approval moves the project to paid and unlocks final files
Approval that actually does something
Approval typically just records a status change.
Approval moves the project to paid and unlocks final files
No built-in billing
Approval automatically triggers client payment
Stripe Connect Checkout opens for the client on approval
Approval automatically triggers client payment
No built-in billing
Stripe Connect Checkout opens for the client on approval
CRM tools generally handle deposits but not annotation-based proofing; proofing-first tools generally don't process client payments.
Deposit before review
Optional deposit charged before review unlocks; balance charged on approval — both direct to your Stripe
Deposit before review
CRM tools generally handle deposits but not annotation-based proofing; proofing-first tools generally don't process client payments.
Optional deposit charged before review unlocks; balance charged on approval — both direct to your Stripe
Built-in client billing / invoicing
Stripe Connect direct charges; your Stripe account's statement descriptor appears on the client's card statement
Built-in client billing / invoicing
Stripe Connect direct charges; your Stripe account's statement descriptor appears on the client's card statement
Some platforms hold funds in their own balance before paying out.
Where the money lives between client and your bank
It doesn't — direct charges land in your Stripe balance, then your bank on Stripe's payout schedule
Where the money lives between client and your bank
Some platforms hold funds in their own balance before paying out.
It doesn't — direct charges land in your Stripe balance, then your bank on Stripe's payout schedule
Not advertised as a built-in feature
Watermarked previews; originals locked until paid
Watermarked previews in a public bucket; full-resolution originals stay private until payment succeeds
Watermarked previews; originals locked until paid
Not advertised as a built-in feature
Watermarked previews in a public bucket; full-resolution originals stay private until payment succeeds
Often requires the client to register on the platform
No client account required to pay you
Client pays via Stripe Checkout from your share link
No client account required to pay you
Often requires the client to register on the platform
Client pays via Stripe Checkout from your share link
Tiered or percentage-based, often with extra processing fees on top
Predictable platform fee
Free: 2%. Pro & Ultra: 0%. Standard Stripe processing on the creator's connected account.
Predictable platform fee
Tiered or percentage-based, often with extra processing fees on top
Free: 2%. Pro & Ultra: 0%. Standard Stripe processing on the creator's connected account.
What's missing when you're a one-person business
- Approval doesn't trigger payment. You still write the invoice, send it, chase it, mark it paid — three tools, three windows, all on you.
- Full-resolution files go out the moment you share a link. Anyone with the URL has the deliverable, paid or not.
- Many “free” tiers turn out to be trials that ask for a card up front.
- Your client has to register, verify email, or join a marketplace before they can pay you. Friction at the worst possible moment.
- Platform fees stack on processing fees, the math changes per tier and per region, and you can't tell what you actually take home.
Built for the way you actually work
Solo designers, illustrators, video editors, and small studios that act like one. No accounts team, no sales process, no PM software stack — just you and your client. See how approval becomes payment.
- No separate invoicing tool to wire up. Turn on invoice templates in Settings and Stripe generates a hosted invoice every time your client pays — you can still hand those PDFs to your accountant or accounting software.
- No sign-up wall for your client. They open the share link, annotate, approve, and pay. No registration, no email verification, no marketplace.
- No “who approved what?” debates. Approval is one click with a timestamp, and round history is right there on the project.
- No exposed originals. Watermarked previews go out; full-resolution files stay locked until Stripe confirms payment.
- No surprise overages. Free has a 2% fee on approved projects; Pro and Ultra are 0% on a flat monthly subscription. No per-seat licenses.
Common questions from freelancers
Quick answers for the things solo designers and small studios ask before signing up. See full plan details on the pricing page.
- Do I need separate accounting or invoicing software?
- No. Turn on invoice templates in Settings and Stripe generates a hosted invoice every time your client pays — you can download it from the project page. Whether or not invoices are enabled, your Stripe account's statement descriptor appears on the client's card statement.
- Does my client need to sign up to pay me?
- No. Your client opens the share link, annotates and approves, then pays via Stripe Checkout as a guest. No registration, no email verification, no marketplace account.
- Do I need a Stripe account to use Draftli?
- Yes — Draftli uses Stripe Connect Standard, so you own your Stripe account and the money lands directly in it. Onboarding from your dashboard takes a few minutes.
- Can my client trust paying through Draftli if they've never heard of it?
- The card is processed by Stripe — the same company many subscription products and online shops they use already run on. Draftli never holds, sees, or stores the card. The charge appears on their statement under your business name, not ours. There's a one-page explainer you can send them at /secure-payments.
- What does Draftli charge me?
- The Free plan takes 2% on approved projects with no monthly fee. Pro and Ultra are 0% — you pay a flat monthly subscription instead. Standard Stripe processing fees apply on every plan.
- Can I use Draftli for clients I find outside the platform?
- Yes. Draftli isn't a marketplace — it's the workflow you use after you've already won the client. Any client you bring, you bill from the same share link.
- What happens to the original files before the client pays?
- They stay in a private bucket. Your client only sees watermarked previews until Stripe confirms payment. The moment payment succeeds, the final files unlock for download.