In short
Agency project management software helps you plan, run and keep track of client projects. Rinse is built for freelancers and small agencies that run the same kinds of project again and again. You plan each one from a reusable template, see it on a Gantt-style timeline, share a no-login client page where clients approve work, and base each estimate on how past projects really went. Rinse isn't live yet, so join the waitlist to hear first.
Why agency projects are hard to plan
Plenty of agencies don't run wildly different projects. You build websites, design brand identities, make videos or run campaigns, and each one follows a shape you already know. The client changes. The plan mostly doesn't.
Yet every new project tends to start the same way. Someone copies an old plan, or opens a blank spreadsheet and rebuilds it from memory. The dates are a best guess. The estimate is whatever felt right last time, or whatever fits the client's budget. Then you're juggling several of these at once, and the "where are we up to?" emails start arriving.
Plenty of general task tools don't help much here. They're built to track to-do lists, so every project looks brand new. What you learned on the last job stays in your head, or in a spreadsheet nobody opens again.
- You rebuild the same plan for every new client, or copy an old one and hope it still fits
- Your estimates are guesses, and you only find out they were wrong once the project runs over
- Clients chase you for updates because they can't see the plan
- Lessons from the last project never make it into the next one
- Overruns eat into your margin, and often your evenings
How Rinse helps agencies and freelancers
Rinse is a project-planning app for work you run more than once. Its core idea is simple: every project makes the next one easier to plan.
Reusable project templates
Build a template for each kind of project you repeat, so a new website or brand project starts from a plan you trust instead of a blank page.
A clear timeline
Plan on a Gantt-style timeline, a chart where each phase is a bar showing when it starts and how long it runs.
Clients who can see progress
Give clients a clear view of the plan and how it's going, so they don't need to chase you for updates.
Estimates from your own finished work
Rinse compares planned against actual on each project and bases task lengths on your own finished work, with client waiting and agreed extra scope taken out, so estimates get closer to reality as your history grows.
Made for repeat client work
Rinse is built for the projects agencies run again and again, not for generic task management.
How it works
- 1Build a template: Set up the phases and tasks of a project you run often, such as a website build or a brand identity, as a reusable template.
- 2Plan it on the timeline: Start the new project from that template and lay out its phases as bars on the timeline, fitted around this client's dates.
- 3Share it with your client: Send your client a share link to a read-only client page with the plan and its progress, so updates don't depend on your inbox.
- 4Run the project: Do the work. Each time you run a project, Rinse compares the time you planned with the time it really took.
- 5Plan the next one from your own past projects: Your next project starts from what actually happened rather than a guess, so estimates get closer to reality as your history grows.
What to look for in agency project management software
Project management software for agencies often falls somewhere between two camps. Some platforms focus on timesheets, resourcing and invoicing. Others are simple task boards you adapt yourself. Neither is wrong, but it helps to know which problem you're trying to solve. If your agency runs the same kinds of project again and again, these are the questions worth asking.
- Can you reuse a plan, rather than copying an old project along with its old mistakes?
- Can you see the whole project on a timeline, not just a list of tasks?
- Can your clients see progress without you writing a status email?
- Does it base estimates on your own finished projects, with client delays taken out?
- Is it simple enough that you'll keep it up to date in a busy week?
- If you also need timesheets or invoicing, does it cover them or work alongside the tools you already use?
Rinse is an agency project management tool built around the first four. It's focused on planning repeatable client work, because good agency project management shouldn't depend on one person remembering how the last job went.
Who Rinse is for
Rinse is for small teams and solo practitioners who deliver client projects with a familiar shape. If you've ever thought "we've done this a dozen times, why is planning it still so hard?", it's for you.
- Creative agencies: branding, campaigns and content follow a familiar path, but feedback rounds stretch timelines. Planning from past projects gives you a more honest schedule.
- Digital agencies: when you run several types of project side by side, a template for each one keeps plans consistent across clients.
- Web agencies: website builds go through the same phases each time, from discovery to launch. Starting from a template means less time rebuilding the plan and more time on the work.
- Design agencies: identity, packaging and print jobs repeat with new clients. A timeline your client can see helps keep reviews on track.
- Freelancers: you're the project manager, the designer and the account manager at once. A reusable plan and a timeline your client can follow means fewer "just checking in" emails.
Features that help
- Gantt charts for agenciesPlan each client project on a drag-and-drop Gantt chart with dependencies, date locks and baseline bars, then share a read-only version with your client.
- Project estimationBase new task lengths on your own past projects, with client waiting and agreed extra scope taken out, and see planned against actual on every project.
- Client portalA share-link client page for every project, with your logo, a read-only timeline, approvals, comments and the files you ask for. No client logins.
Templates to start from
- Website project templateA seven-phase website project plan you can follow or copy, with tasks, deliverables, example timings and the client sign-offs that keep it on track.
Frequently asked questions
What is agency project management software?
It's software that helps an agency plan, deliver and keep track of client projects. Many tools combine timelines, task lists and some way of keeping clients updated, and some add timesheets, resourcing or invoicing. The right choice depends on your work. If you mostly run the same kinds of project for different clients, look for reusable templates and a way to base estimates on how your own past projects actually went.
How is project management for agencies different from general project management?
An in-house team usually works to one set of priorities. An agency runs several client projects at once, each with its own deadlines, budget and expectations, and each with a client who wants to know what's happening. Agencies also tend to repeat the same kinds of project, so being able to reuse a plan and refine it over time matters more than it does for one-off internal work.
Does Rinse work for freelancers?
Yes. Rinse is built for freelancers as well as small agencies. If you run similar projects for different clients, such as websites, brand identities or videos, you can build a reusable template for each kind, plan each one on a timeline, show your client how it's going and base your next estimate on how past projects really went.
Can my clients see the project plan in Rinse?
Yes. Each project has its own client page, reached through a share link with no login, showing a read-only timeline and progress. Clients can approve work or request changes there, so there are fewer 'any update?' emails and fewer surprises when a phase runs late.
Is Rinse available yet?
Not yet. Rinse is still in development and isn't open to anyone yet. Join the waitlist at rinseapp.io/waitlist to hear when it opens.
In this topic
- Managing multiple client projectsA practical guide for freelancers and small agencies juggling several client projects, from one clear timeline to staggered feedback rounds.
- Gantt charts for agenciesPlan each client project on a drag-and-drop Gantt chart with dependencies, date locks and baseline bars, then share a read-only version with your client.
- Client project managementShare a client page with no login, let clients approve work and tick off their own tasks, and base your dates on how past projects really went.
- Project management for creative agenciesPlan branding, website and video projects from templates, with feedback rounds on the timeline and estimates based on how past projects went.