Handl vs Cushion: Getting Paid vs Planning Ahead
Different Tools for Different Problems
Cushion and Handl are not really competitors — they solve different problems in the freelancer workflow. Cushion is a scheduling and income forecasting tool. It helps you visualise your availability, plan when to take on new work, and forecast your income based on your schedule. It answers: am I going to be busy enough next month?
Handl is a billing automation platform. It handles milestone invoicing, automated payment reminders, scope change management, and client portals. It answers: am I going to get paid for the work I have already done?
If you need both planning and billing, they complement each other. But they solve fundamentally different parts of the freelance business puzzle.
How they stack up
An honest look at where each tool wins.
| Feature | Handl | Cushion |
|---|---|---|
| Milestone-based billing | ✅ | ❌ |
| Automated payment reminders (AI) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Client portal | ✅ | ❌ |
| Change order management | ✅ | ❌ |
| Visual schedule / timeline | ❌ | ✅ |
| Income forecasting | ✅ From pipeline | ✅ From schedule |
| Availability planning | ❌ | ✅ |
| Invoicing | ✅ Full automation | ⚠️ Basic (higher plans) |
| Starting price | $29/mo flat | Free / $8/mo |
| Per-seat pricing | ❌ Flat rate | ❌ Flat rate |
See the difference for yourself
Try Handl free for 14 days — no credit card, no commitment.
Simple pricing vs. per-seat costs
One flat price for your whole team, or pay more for every person who touches an invoice.
- Freelancer: 1 user
- Studio: 3 users
- Agency: unlimited
- Visual availability forecasting
- Revenue forecasting
- Schedule-based capacity planning
What are our strengths?
Both tools do some things really well. Here's where each one shines.
- Milestone billing. Tie invoices to project deliverables. Cushion has minimal invoicing, not milestone-based.
- AI-driven payment reminders. Automatic, intelligent follow-ups. Cushion does not chase payments at all.
- Client portal. Clients view proposals, invoices, and project status. Cushion has no client-facing features.
- Change order management. Track and bill for scope changes. Cushion has no scope management.
- PM tool integrations. Connect Jira, Asana, Monday directly. Cushion has limited integrations.
- Digital signatures. Get proposals signed in the billing workflow. Cushion does not handle proposals.
- Accounting sync. Native Xero and MYOB integration. Cushion does not sync with accounting software.
- Full billing automation. End-to-end from proposal to payment collection. Cushion's invoicing is an afterthought.
- Visual schedule timeline. See your projects, availability, and capacity at a glance. Genuinely one of the best schedule visualisation tools for freelancers.
- Availability planning. Know when you have gaps and can take on new work. Prevents double-booking and helps avoid feast-or-famine.
- Income forecasting from schedule. See projected income based on scheduled work. Helps with financial planning months ahead.
- Very affordable. Starting at $8/month for the Freelancer plan. One of the cheapest tools in the freelancer space.
- Beautiful design. The UI is clean, minimal, and genuinely pleasant to use. Designed by a freelancer for freelancers.
- Flat-rate pricing. Like Handl, no per-user charges. The plan covers your team.
- Focused scope. Does one thing well rather than trying to do everything. The schedule view is best-in-class for its niche.
- Free plan. Functional free tier for freelancers managing a small number of projects.
When to choose each tool
Choose the right tool based on how your agency bills and what problems you're solving.
When to choose
Handl
Choose Handl if your main problem is getting paid, not planning when to work. If invoicing is manual, payments are late, scope creeps without documentation, and you spend time on billing admin instead of billable work — Handl automates all of that.
Handl is also the right choice if you need a full billing platform, not just a planning tool. Proposals, milestone invoicing, payment reminders, client portals, and accounting sync — these are the features that make the billing process hands-off.
And for teams, Handl's billing collaboration features matter. Multiple people can manage projects, invoices, and client relationships. Cushion is primarily designed for individual schedule management.
When to choose
Cushion
Cushion is the right choice if your main challenge is planning and visibility. If you struggle with knowing when you are free, forecasting your income, or avoiding gaps between projects, Cushion's visual timeline solves that problem elegantly.
It is also the right pick if you already have a billing tool and just need scheduling. Cushion complements invoicing tools rather than competing with them. Use Handl for billing and Cushion for scheduling — they solve different problems.
And at $8/month for the Freelancer plan, Cushion is low-risk. If you want to try better schedule visibility without committing to a full platform, it is an easy experiment. The free plan lets you test it with limited projects before paying anything.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Handl and Cushion together?
Yes — they solve different problems. Use Cushion for schedule planning and availability forecasting. Use Handl for billing automation and payment collection. They complement each other well.
Does Cushion replace Handl?
No. Cushion is a scheduling and forecasting tool. It has minimal invoicing on higher plans, but it is not a billing automation platform. If you need milestone invoicing, payment reminders, or scope management, you need Handl.
Is Cushion good for agencies?
Cushion works for small agencies who need schedule visibility. The Agency plan at $42/month supports team scheduling. For billing needs, agencies typically need a dedicated tool like Handl.
Does Cushion have payment reminders?
No. Cushion does not chase payments. It focuses on scheduling and income forecasting. Payment automation is Handl's domain.
Which is better value?
Different tools, different value. Cushion at $8/month solves scheduling. Handl at $29/month solves billing. If billing is costing you more time and money than scheduling, Handl has the better ROI.
Ready to Stop Chasing Payments?
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