In short
Client project management software helps you plan and deliver work for clients while keeping them informed. Rinse is built for freelancers and small agencies. You plan each client project on a Gantt-style timeline and share a client page through a link, with no client login, where clients follow progress, approve work and tick off their own tasks. Rinse bases task lengths on your own past projects, with client waiting taken out. Rinse isn't live yet, so join the waitlist to hear first.
Why clients lose track of their own projects
Plenty of client projects go wrong not because of the work, but in the gaps between you and your client. The plan lives in your head or your own tool, the client sees a start date and an end date, and everything in between is a mystery to them.
So they chase. "Any update?" arrives by email, then by phone. Meanwhile the things they owe you, such as copy, logins, feedback and sign-off, slip quietly, because nobody showed them a date or what depends on it. By the time you explain that the go-live date has moved, it sounds like an excuse rather than a plan.
- Clients chase for updates because they can't see where things stand
- Content, feedback and approvals arrive late, and the client doesn't see the knock-on effect
- Sign-off is buried in an email thread, so nobody is sure what was approved
- Dates were a guess at the start, so they're hard to defend later
- Every client lives in a different email thread, spreadsheet or tool
How Rinse helps you manage client projects
Rinse is project management software for client work, built for freelancers and small agencies. You plan each project on a Gantt-style timeline, a chart where each phase is a bar, and your client gets their own page to follow it, with no login and no new tool to learn. Behind it sits what we call repeat project intelligence: Rinse bases task lengths on how long each kind of task has really taken you, with time spent waiting on the client and agreed extra scope taken out, so estimates get closer to reality as your history grows.
A client page with no login
Each project has its own client page, reached through a share link. Your client sees your logo, a read-only timeline and progress, with no account or password.
Approvals and change requests
Clients approve deliverables or request changes on the client page, with versions tracked and included revision rounds.
The client's part on the plan
Mark tasks such as supplying content or reviewing designs as "client does this". Clients tick them off, and a late client task pushes the plan.
Comments and requested files
Clients comment and upload the files you ask for, up to 20 MB. Your internal dates, assignees and comments stay private.
Dates you can stand behind
Rinse shows planned against actual for every task and phase, and its calibrated task lengths base each new estimate on how your past projects really went.
Reusable client plans
Build reusable templates for the client projects you repeat, from onboarding to a website build.
How it works
- 1Start from a plan you trust: Begin with a reusable template you've built for this kind of project, then adjust it for this client.
- 2Put the client's tasks on the plan: Add content, feedback and sign-off as tasks marked "client does this", next to your own work, so the whole project is on one timeline.
- 3Share the client page: Send your client a share link to a read-only client page, so they know what's happening, what they owe you and can approve work there.
- 4Deliver, approve and compare: Your client approves work, requests changes and ticks off their own tasks as the project moves. Rinse shows planned against actual for each task and phase, so you can see which stages, such as a feedback round, ran over.
- 5Plan the next client from your own past projects: Rinse's calibrated task lengths use your past projects to set new task lengths, with client waiting and agreed extra scope taken out, so the dates you give the next client start from your own history.
Client deadlines belong on the plan
When clients miss deadlines, it's often because nobody made them visible. A plan that only shows your work leaves out the tasks where many projects stall: waiting for content, waiting for feedback, waiting for someone to sign off.
Good client project management treats those as real tasks with real dates. Agree them at kick-off. Give each one a named person on the client side. Show what moves if they slip, so "we need the copy by the 12th" comes with "or go-live moves by the same amount". It turns a difficult conversation into a shared plan that both sides can see.
Rinse builds this in. "Client does this" tasks carry over from your template, your client ticks them off on the client page, and "waiting on client" tracking shows where a project is held up. If a client task is late, the plan moves with it, so the knock-on effect is on the timeline rather than in an awkward email. And when a client asks for something new, approving the change request extends the plan, so extra scope shows up as extra time.
Client project management software your clients can understand
Plenty of client project tracking software is built for the team doing the work: task lists, statuses, internal comments. Clients don't need most of that. They need to know where the project is now, what happens next, and what they need to do and by when.
That's why Rinse's client page centres on the timeline. Phases shown as bars, with simple statuses such as done, underway, planned or rescheduled, are easy for anyone to read, including a client who has never used project software. Your internal dates, assignees and comments are never shown, and you can check exactly what your client will see with "View as client" before you send the link.
Rinse focuses on the plan and the client page. It doesn't handle invoicing or time tracking, so keep the tools you already use for those.
Managing client projects side by side
Managing client projects gets harder with every one you add. Each has its own dates, its own client and its own feedback rounds, and they tend to collide in the same week. A clear timeline for each project, with the client's deadlines on it, makes those clashes easier to spot early and easier to explain. In Rinse, each project has its own Gantt, and "My week" lists your tasks across every project, so you can see what's due without opening each plan.
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.
- 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 client project management software?
It's software for planning and delivering work you do for clients, with the client kept in the picture. Beyond tasks and deadlines, it should make it easy to show a client where their project stands, what's coming next and what you need from them. For agencies and freelancers, that client-facing view matters as much as the internal plan.
What's the difference between client project management and a client portal?
Client project management is about the plan itself: phases, dates, who does what and whether the project is on track. A client portal is the place your client goes to see that plan and act on it. Rinse's client portal is a share-link client page, so your clients never need a login. From that page they can follow the timeline, approve work, request changes, comment and upload the files you ask for.
Can clients approve work without creating an account?
Yes. Your client opens the client page from the share link and types their name. There's no account or password. They can approve a deliverable or request changes, and each deliverable keeps its versions. You can also set how many revision rounds are included, and Rinse flags when they're used up. Their name is saved with each approval, so you can see who approved it.
How do I get clients to meet their deadlines for content and feedback?
Make those deadlines as visible as your own. Agree them at kick-off, put them on the project timeline with a named person next to each one, and explain what happens to the go-live date if they slip. In Rinse, your client ticks off their own tasks on the client page, and a late client task pushes the plan, so everyone can see what it affects.
How often should I update clients on project progress?
A regular rhythm works better than ad hoc updates. For most projects, a short weekly note covering what's done, what's next and what you need from the client is enough. Add extra updates at key moments, such as a presentation or a change to the plan. If your client can see the timeline itself, each update can be shorter.
Is Rinse available yet?
Not yet. Rinse is still in development and nobody can use it yet. Join the waitlist at rinseapp.io/waitlist to hear when it opens.
In this topic
- 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.