If clients keep asking what is in progress, or revisions get lost in Slack, the fix is usually one tool for one job. This page matches each problem to the category page that compares the tools for it, and names the tool most studios start with.
Which software page to open, by the problem you have
| If this keeps happening | Open this page | Tools it compares |
|---|---|---|
| Nobody can say which request is active | Project and request management | Trello, Notion, ClickUp, Asana |
| Clients message you to ask for status | Client portals and onboarding | ManyRequests, Copilot, Zendo |
| Revisions get lost between versions | Proofing and approvals | Figma comments, Filestage, Ziflow, PageProof |
| Pauses and failed payments are handled by hand | Billing and subscriptions | Stripe, Stripe Billing |
| You cannot tell if a fourth designer is affordable | Time tracking and capacity | Bonsai, Moxie |
| Someone retypes each new client into the board | Automation and integrations | Zapier, Make |
| You copy the same client between three tools | All-in-one agency platforms | ManyRequests, Zendo, Wayfront |
The seven jobs software fills in a design studio
- Request queue: one card per request and one column for the active slot. Trello is the usual default. The Trello, Notion and ClickUp queue comparison builds the same board in all three.
- Design: Figma holds the files. Every designer who edits needs a paid seat. Figma's pricing page says that on a paid plan "you can let others view and comment on your files without purchasing extra seats", so clients who only review cost nothing.
- Client portal: where a client submits a brief and checks status without messaging you. Plenty of studios start with a shared board. Check guest access before buying a branded front door.
- Proofing: feedback pinned to the exact version. Figma comments cover most static work; the specialist tools are for when sign-off needs a formal record.
- Billing: Stripe takes the card payment and Stripe Billing runs the monthly subscription on top of it.
- Time and capacity: how many requests each designer carries and how many hours revisions eat. It is optional on day one.
- Automation: Zapier or Make turns a new Stripe customer into a Trello card, so nobody retypes a client's details.
What a solo design studio needs before the first payment
A board, Figma and Stripe. Trello Free is "Free for up to 10 collaborators per Workspace", which is plenty for one designer and a few clients. Loom Starter costs $0 if you want to talk a client through a delivery. Stripe Billing pay-as-you-go took 0.7% of billing volume on the EEA page we read, on top of the card fee. Check the rate for your own country before you set a price.
The agency software stack guide prices the whole stack line by line, from one person to a team of six. This page does not repeat those totals.
When one platform beats five tools
A platform wins when you already pay for a portal but still retype each client into Stripe, the board and the portal. Platforms price by seat bundle, so the answer changes with team size. The agency platforms page compares ManyRequests, Zendo and Wayfront on seat rules and cost, and what you give up when you leave Trello.
Test candidates with a real brief, revision and delivery
Write down the handoff that fails today, what proves it, and what would count as the new tool failing, using the software evaluation and migration worksheet. Run the same real request through every candidate: a new brief, a revision and a delivery. Include a priority change and a subscription pause, not just account creation. Trials are short, so have that request ready first. ManyRequests, Zendo and Wayfront each state a 14-day trial with no card, and Bonsai states 7 days.