AgencyHandy markets itself as an all-in-one agency management platform, and to its credit, it does pack a lot of features into a single product. Service catalogs, client portals, task management, invoicing — it tries to cover the whole operation.
But "all-in-one" stops meaning much when the starting price is $109 per month and your clients still need to create accounts to access their portal.
If you're evaluating AgencyHandy — or you've been using it and the bill keeps climbing — here's an honest look at how it compares to TryApprove.
What AgencyHandy does well
AgencyHandy has a structured approach to productized services that some agencies genuinely love.
The service catalog system is unique. You define your services with pricing, descriptions, and scope — and clients can browse and order directly. If you run a "menu-style" agency where clients pick from predefined packages, this workflow is well thought out.
File feedback and annotation works. Clients can mark up files inline, which is a meaningful upgrade over email-based feedback. The annotation tools are functional and handle common file types.
The UI is clean and modern. Credit where it's due — the interface looks good and the onboarding experience for agency owners is reasonably smooth.
Where agencies start looking for alternatives
1. The pricing cliff is steep
AgencyHandy's Freelancer plan starts at $109/month. For a team, you're looking at $359/month (Team Starter) or $719/month (Business Pro).
For a small agency or a solo freelancer just getting started, $109/month is a significant commitment for software that doesn't even include built-in contracts.
TryApprove starts free for up to 2 projects. The Pro plan is $29/month. The Agency plan is $79/month. And there's a lifetime deal available — pay once, use forever. That's not a typo.
| TryApprove | AgencyHandy | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free | $109/mo |
| Pro / Growth plan | $29/mo | $359/mo |
| Lifetime deal | ✅ Available | ❌ |
2. No built-in contracts or e-signatures
This is a recurring theme among agency platforms — they handle projects and billing but skip the part where the client actually signs an agreement.
With AgencyHandy, you need DocuSign, PandaDoc, or HelloSign to handle contracts. That's another monthly subscription, another login, and another place where your client data lives outside your main platform.
TryApprove includes contract creation and e-signatures as a core feature. Your client opens their portal, reviews the contract, signs it digitally, and it's all recorded in the same system. One platform, one workflow, one source of truth.
3. Clients need to create accounts
AgencyHandy gives clients access to a portal, but they need to register and log in. Every. Single. Time.
We've talked to hundreds of agency owners, and the feedback is consistent: clients don't want another account. They want to click a link and see their stuff.
TryApprove uses magic links. Your client receives a secure link via email. They click it and land directly in their branded portal — contracts, deliverables, invoices, everything. No signup, no password, no friction.
This isn't just a convenience feature. It directly impacts your approval speed. When there's zero barrier to access, clients respond faster. When there's a login wall, deliverables sit in limbo for days.
4. No onboarding workflow beyond project setup
AgencyHandy handles the "during the project" phase well — task tracking, file sharing, invoicing. But it doesn't have a structured client onboarding flow.
There's no way to send intake questionnaires to gather requirements upfront. No welcome documents to set expectations. No kickoff call scheduling built into the client experience.
TryApprove treats onboarding as a first-class feature. When you create a project, you can attach:
- Contracts for e-signature
- Intake questionnaires with custom questions
- Welcome docs and brand guidelines
- Kickoff call scheduling directly from the portal
Your client completes all of this from their portal before the project work even starts. You get everything you need upfront, and the client feels like they're working with a professional, organized team.
5. No built-in team chat
If your team needs to discuss a project internally, AgencyHandy doesn't have a built-in communication tool. You're back to Slack, or worse, random WhatsApp groups.
TryApprove includes team chat with channels and direct messages. Your team can discuss projects, share context, and make decisions without leaving the platform. It's not trying to replace Slack for your entire company — but for project-related conversations, having chat in the same tool where the work lives is genuinely useful.
Feature comparison: AgencyHandy vs TryApprove
| Feature | TryApprove | AgencyHandy |
|---|---|---|
| White-label client portal | ✅ | ✅ |
| Client access without signup | ✅ Magic link | ❌ Account required |
| Built-in contracts & e-signatures | ✅ | ❌ |
| Intake questionnaires | ✅ | ❌ |
| Welcome docs & kickoff calls | ✅ | ❌ |
| Visual annotations | ✅ Pin-based + markup | ✅ File feedback |
| One-click approvals | ✅ | ✅ |
| Invoicing & payment tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| Service catalog / productized orders | ❌ | ✅ |
| Team chat | ✅ | ❌ |
| Multiple payment gateways | Stripe | Stripe, PayPal, Wise, Crypto |
| Starting price | Free | $109/mo |
| Lifetime deal | ✅ | ❌ |
When AgencyHandy might be the better choice
If your agency runs a strict productized model with a service catalog — where clients browse packages, place orders, and you fulfill them in a structured pipeline — AgencyHandy's order-based workflow is designed for exactly that.
If you need to accept payments through multiple gateways (PayPal, Wise, cryptocurrency), AgencyHandy supports more payment options than TryApprove currently does.
When TryApprove is the better choice
For most agencies and freelancers who want to manage the full client journey — from the first contract signature through project delivery to the final invoice — TryApprove covers more ground at a fraction of the cost.
Choose TryApprove if:
- You want to start free and scale affordably ($29/mo vs $109/mo)
- You need built-in contracts and e-signatures
- You want clients to access their portal without creating an account
- You need structured onboarding (questionnaires, welcome docs, kickoff calls)
- You want visual annotations, approvals, and invoicing in one platform
- You'd prefer to pay once with a lifetime deal
Get started in five minutes
TryApprove is free to start — create your first project, send your client a portal link, and see how it works. No credit card, no sales call, no 14-day countdown.
Most agencies coming from AgencyHandy are set up and running within an afternoon. If you have questions about switching, check our how it works page for a quick walkthrough.