Guides

Paythread is a web app that helps freelancers track billable work, create professional invoices, and get paid. The workflow is simple: track your hours with the built-in timer (or log fixed-rate and quantity-based items), review your unbilled work, select the items you want to bill, and create a polished invoice in seconds. You can send invoices via email with a PDF attachment, or include a Stripe payment link so clients can pay online with one click.

Paythread gives you three ways to create work items. The Timer lives in the header bar and lets you clock hours in real time — it persists across page refreshes so you never lose progress. For flat-rate deliverables, use Fixed items (just a description and amount). For quantity-based work, use Multiplier items (quantity times rate). All three types land in your Unbilled Queue, ready to be turned into invoices.

Go to your Unbilled Queue, check the items you want to bill, and click "Create Invoice." Pick one of six professional templates, confirm your client and line items, set the date and optional due date, then click "Create Invoice" to save it as a draft. From the invoice detail page, you can download the PDF, send it via email, or send it with a Stripe payment link so your client can pay online.

Paythread supports multiple payment methods. Connect Stripe to accept credit card payments online — clients get a pay link in their email and money goes directly to your Stripe account. You can also add bank transfer details, PayPal, Venmo, or custom payment instructions that appear on your invoice. Mix and match as many methods as you like.

Paythread is free to use with up to 3 invoices per month, unlimited work items, full time tracking, and all 6 invoice templates. Pro costs $4.99/month and unlocks unlimited invoices plus higher daily limits for email sends, PDF downloads, and AI chat support. No credit card is required to get started.

Choose from six distinct templates: Classic, Modern, Elegant, Bold, Fresh, and Sunset. Upload your business logo in Settings and it appears on every invoice and PDF. Fill in your company name, address, phone, and email — all of this flows onto your invoices automatically. You can also add a message, toggle due dates on or off, and attach your preferred payment methods.

Yes. The Reports section includes a Tax Summary tab that shows annual income from paid invoices, broken down by quarter. You can filter by fiscal quarter, view year-to-date or quarter-to-date totals, and see which clients exceed the 1099 reporting threshold. Export everything as CSV for yourself or your accountant. The dashboard also offers one-click CSV exports for year-to-date summaries and annual reports.

Your data is stored securely with Supabase (built on PostgreSQL) with row-level security ensuring you can only access your own data. You can change your password and email anytime from the Account page, and there's a forgot password option on the login page if you ever get locked out. You can export all your data as a ZIP file of CSV files anytime from Settings. You can also delete all your data or your entire account — both with confirmation safeguards. We never share your data with third parties.

Yes! A Chrome extension is currently in development and will be available soon. It will let you start and stop the timer, log work items, and select clients directly from your browser — without needing to open the full Paythread app.