TL;DR

Indy is a pleasant solo tool with a low ceiling; COLO gives you the same clean surface plus deeper collaboration and project depth.
Free-forever Solo plan on COLO; Indy's usable plan is paid.
Portal on your own domain — clients see your brand in the URL.
Real project management with client-visible tasks and milestones, not just a to-do for you.

Why freelancers switch from Indy to COLO

Indy has done well with the modern-freelancer aesthetic — clean, opinionated, quick to learn. New freelancers pick it as their first tool because the UI does not overwhelm them the way the older all-in-ones can. That opinionated simplicity is real value.

The switching driver is almost always the ceiling that same simplicity creates. Indy is designed for the "one operator, no collaborators, predictable client volume" case. The moment you bring in a designer to help with an over-scoped project, want to give a VA access to invoicing, or need a client-visible project plan with milestones and approvals, you notice the walls. COLO keeps the modern surface — same low friction, same fast learn — and adds project management that clients can see, a portal on your own domain, and a growth path to a small studio without changing tools.

Feature comparison — Indy vs COLO

Feature	Indy	COLO
Free plan for solo operator	Limited free tier	Free-forever Solo plan
Proposals	Yes	Yes — proposals
Contracts & e-signature	Yes	Yes — contracts
Invoicing & payments	Yes	One-off, recurring, plans — invoicing & payments
Project management	Basic — to-do for you	Client-visible tasks — project management
Client portal	Hosted, vendor-branded	On your own custom domain — client portal
Sub-contractor collaboration	Limited	Included in workspace-flat pricing
Time tracking	Native	Native, invoice-tied
In-workspace chat	Basic	Native chat
Pricing model	Free + single paid tier	Free Solo + flat workspace on paid tiers

Pricing comparison

Indy — free tier + one paid tier.

Free: capped clients, projects, and invoices.
Pro: single flat monthly price for one operator, uncapped.

COLO — free Solo, then flat workspace.

Solo: free-forever for one operator.
Pro: flat workspace with multiple users.
Grow: flat workspace with expanded seats and automation.

Verify with each vendor before you decide.

When to pick COLO over Indy

You are near the ceiling of solo work — collaborators, sub-contractors, or a studio partner in your near future.
You want client-visible project plans with milestones, tasks, and approvals.
Portal on your own domain matters to your brand.
Free-forever Solo with no card and no trial timer.

When to STAY with Indy

You are firmly single-operator and predict staying that way. Indy's opinionated simplicity is a real feature.
You already know the tool. Re-learning has a cost — weigh it honestly.

Migration guide — moving from Indy to COLO

Export contacts, projects, time entries, invoices as CSV from Indy.
Download signed contracts and proposals as PDFs.
Open a COLO workspace and import the CSVs; attach contract PDFs to matching client records.
Recreate your monthly-use templates — two or three proposals, one contract, one intake form.
Reconnect your payment processor; send one live low-value invoice as a smoke test.
Run both tools in parallel for two to four weeks while retainer cycles and in-flight work clear.
Update payment and portal links on outstanding invoices to point at COLO.

FAQ

Is there a free plan for solo operators? Yes — COLO's free-forever Solo plan is genuinely uncapped for a single operator. Indy has a free tier with caps.

Does COLO replace Indy end-to-end? For most solo operators, yes. Proposals, contracts, invoicing, portal, and project management are native.

How long does migration take? Data import in an afternoon; parallel running for two to four weeks.

Will signed Indy contracts remain valid? Yes — e-signed contracts remain legally valid regardless of platform.

Can I add a sub-contractor without extra cost? On COLO's paid workspace-flat plans, yes — collaboration is included.

Can I white-label the portal? Yes — the COLO client portal lives on your own custom domain.

Does COLO have time tracking? Yes — native, per-project, invoice-tied.

Can I keep QuickBooks alongside COLO? Yes — pair COLO with QuickBooks for accounting.

Does COLO offer in-workspace chat? Yes — native chat per client.

What if I need to move back? Full CSV export is available at any time.

Ready to switch?

Open a free COLO workspace and import your Indy data.

Start free on COLO · See features · See pricing