SaaS alternative · Freelancer

Replace Notion + FreshBooks.
One .xlsx file. Paid once.

Notion + FreshBooks runs about $45/mo — that's $540/yr for as long as you keep paying. The Designer Retainer OS is one Excel file you pay $19 for once. Over 10 years you keep roughly $5,381.

Side-by-side

	Notion + FreshBooks	Designer Retainer OS
Cost	~~$45/mo · $540/yr~~	$19 once
10-year cost	~~$5,400~~	$19
Format	Web app · mobile app	.xlsx file · Excel / Sheets / Numbers
Your data lives	On their server	On your computer
Works offline	No	Yes
Cancel = lose access?	Yes	No — own forever
Edit any formula?	No	Yes — every cell
Live bank sync	Usually yes	No — manual entry
Phone-first workflow	Yes	Limited — desk-and-keyboard

Honest read: if you mostly use Notion + FreshBooks for live bank sync and phone tracking, stay where you are. If you use it for the weekly numbers and dashboards it shows you — the Excel workbook does that part for $19.

What you'd be switching to

Freelancer · · .xlsx

Designer Retainer OS

Replaces Notion + FreshBooks (~$45/mo). Solo designer back-office with retainer clients — retainer tier ladder (brand / web / social / sprints), MRR roll-up, over-scope detection, renewal-risk scoring, and a 1-page monthly client report.

$19 paid once See it →

Switch in 3 steps

01

Export your data from Notion + FreshBooks

Most apps have an export-to-CSV option in Settings. Grab the last 12 months at minimum so your historical trends carry over.
02

Paste it into the workbook

Open Designer Retainer OS in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers. Drop your CSV into the input sheet. The dashboards recompute automatically.
03

Cancel Notion + FreshBooks

You're saving ~$540 a year, forever. Your data lives on your computer now.

Things people ask

Will an Excel workbook really do everything Notion + FreshBooks does?

No — that's honest. Notion + FreshBooks has features a spreadsheet can't match (live bank sync, mobile app, AI assistance). What the workbook does is the core math you actually use weekly. If you're paying $45/mo mostly for features you never open, switching saves you $540/yr. If you genuinely use the platform-specific features, stay where you are.

What's the catch with paying $19 once vs $45/mo?

No catch. The workbook is a .xlsx file you download and own. There's no expiry, no account, no cloud lock-in. You enter your own data manually — that's the friction trade. Over 10 years you'd pay Notion + FreshBooks roughly $5,400. The workbook costs $19 once, so you keep ~$5,381.0.

What spreadsheet apps does it open in?

Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers — all three open .xlsx natively. Google Sheets and Apple Numbers are free. You don't need an Excel subscription.

How do I switch from Notion + FreshBooks?

Three steps: (1) export your historical data from Notion + FreshBooks as CSV, (2) open the gridmoo workbook and paste the data into the input sheets, (3) cancel your Notion + FreshBooks subscription. Most users finish the switch in 30–60 minutes.