Retainers don't fail loudly. They leak.
Retainr counts every hour you log against a client's monthly retainer, then gives the client a live link to watch it burn down. Built for freelancers who are done with spreadsheets and month-end archaeology.
Free for one client, no card. Sign in by email link — no password to forget.
How it leaks
You billed 40. You worked 52.
And you found out in April, three invoices too late to say anything about it.
“How many hours do we have left?”
It arrives by email, near the end of every month, from every client, forever.
You went over. The invoice didn't.
The overage hours were real. They just lived in a spreadsheet nobody reopened before billing.
How it works
Three fields. A few seconds. Done.
Logging time should cost less effort than avoiding it.
01
Log it the way you say it
“1h 30m”. “90m”. “1.5”. “1:30”. Type the hours however they came out of your mouth — Retainr reads all of it and stores one clean number.
1h 30m1.50 h90m1.50 h1,51.50 h02
Watch the bar, not the spreadsheet
Hours used, hours left, and a pace marker showing whether you're burning faster than the month is passing.
76% burned · 77% through the cycle
03
Send one link, answer nothing
Your client opens a live report — no account, no password, no attachment. Add a 4-digit PIN when the numbers are sensitive.
The client view
Send one link. Answer nothing.
No account, no password, no monthly PDF. The client opens the link whenever they wonder, and the number is already right.
Northwind Retail
Retainer with joao.scarpa · Mar 1 – Mar 31
30.5/ 40 h used · 9.5 h left
- Fri, Mar 22Checkout redesign review3.25 h
- Thu, Mar 21Payment retries and webhooks4.5 h
- Wed, Mar 20Sprint planning1.5 h
- + 9 more entries this cycle
It is already up to date
The link reflects the hour you logged ten seconds ago. There is no send step.
Gate it with a PIN
Four digits when the numbers are sensitive. Revoke the link the day the engagement ends.
Built for the phone
Most clients open it from your email, standing up. It reads the same there.
Last month is still there
The link keeps finished cycles, so a client can check what a closed month actually came to.
Details
Small surface. Sharp edges where it counts.
Time entry that doesn't fight you
Decimals, commas, shorthand, clock format. Every entry is normalised to two places and rounded once, so the totals always reconcile.
Cycles that match the contract
Anchor a retainer to any day from 1 to 28. One that starts on the 15th runs the 15th to the 14th — month lengths and year boundaries included.
Pace, not just totals
The bar sets hours burnt against how far the cycle has run. Burning faster than the month shows up while there is still time to do something about it.
Overage, already priced
Set an hourly rate and the moment you cross the allocation, the overage hours and the amount owed are both sitting there waiting.
Portals you can revoke
Each client gets an unguessable link. Gate it behind a 4-digit PIN when you want to, and nothing shows until it's entered.
Sign in with your inbox
No password to create or forget. Enter your email, open the link we send, and you're in.
Pricing
Free until the work grows.
Start with your first client at no cost. Move to Pro when you take on more of them.
Free
$0No card required
- Up to 1 active client
- A live report link for every client, with an optional PIN
- Pace marker and priced overage
- The installable app, with a log-time shortcut
Pro
$12.90per month, first year
$19.90 after. Locked while you stay subscribed.
- Unlimited active clients
- Alerts at 75% and 90% of every allocation, before the overrun
- Everything in Free
Keep it in your dock.
Install Retainr on your laptop or phone. It opens in its own window, and its icon has a shortcut straight to logging time.
Desktop and phone · no store, no download
Your next retainer month starts soon.
Start it with a number you trust instead of a feeling you'll have to defend later.
Up to 1 active client. No card required.