Does PlainBooks work for marketing / agency?

Yes. PlainBooks is general-ledger bookkeeping software — workspaces, chart of accounts, journal entries, period close, bank reconciliation, the full report set (Trial Balance, P&L, Balance Sheet, GL detail, AR aging, AP aging, 1099 summary). The marketing / agency-specific copy on this page describes the accounts and bills that matter most in this vertical.

$15/month or $150/year when signups open. One price, all features, no tiers. Signups aren't open yet — leave your email on the home page and we'll send one note when launch happens.

Do I need to connect a bank account?

No. PlainBooks does not ingest bank feeds. You post journal entries directly (and for trucking workspaces, trips and state-mileage entries write the underlying entries automatically). If you want bank-fed cash visibility, that's a different category of tool.

What about cash-flow forecasting?

On the roadmap, not in the current build. PlainBooks today shows what your books say — current balances, what's open in AR and AP, what's posted, what's pending close. We don't promise features that aren't built.

For small marketing + creative agencies.

Agency bookkeeping that separates fee income from ad pass-through.

Ad-spend pass-through posts as its own line so the agency revenue is real fee income, not inflated by client-funded ad budget. Retainers can be cash or accrual basis. Deferred revenue and AR by client are one filter on the GL.

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Retainer-vs-project visibility

Retainers land on the 1st or 15th. Project payments land whenever the invoice clears. PlainBooks separates them so you can see how much of next month is already booked and how much is hope.

Software stack reality

Adobe, Canva, HubSpot, Semrush, Slack, Asana, Figma, the stock-photo subscription. Every line is small and forgettable. PlainBooks tallies them as one monthly figure so you can decide what is actually pulling weight.

Ad pass-through carry

You charge the client's card on the 1st but Meta and Google bill you on threshold all month. PlainBooks shows the carry — the week your card is funding Meta on cash you haven't been paid for yet.

Where the books get messy

Seven retainer clients pay on the 1st. One pays on the 15th. The fourth one is "thinking about pausing for Q3." Adobe bills on the 8th, Canva on the 12th, HubSpot on the 15th. The freelance designer wants Net-15 and the videographer wants Net-30. Meta and Google bill the agency card weekly on thresholds — you'll get reimbursed when the client's invoice clears in three to four weeks.

The books need to recognize retainer revenue at the right moment (cash vs accrual matters), keep ad pass-through separate from agency revenue, accrue contractor expenses when work is performed, and track which clients still owe what.

What PlainBooks does

PlainBooks gives you the books — chart of accounts shaped for a small marketing or creative agency, the journal where each retainer deposit, project payment, ad-spend pull, contractor payment, and software subscription writes a balanced entry, and a period close that locks each month.

Ad-spend pass-through posts to a separate Ad Spend Pass-Through account (an expense offset by reimbursement income) so the agency revenue line is real fee income, not inflated by client-funded ad budget. When the client pays the invoice, the offset reverses and the books are clean.

Retainers can be cash-basis (recognized when collected) or accrual-basis (recognized over the service period). PlainBooks supports either. Project payments accrue to deferred revenue if billed in advance, recognize as earned when work ships.

When the month closes

Close the period and PlainBooks generates the closing entries. The monthly PDF package — Trial Balance, P&L (agency revenue, ad pass-through, software, contractors, payroll all visible), Balance Sheet (deferred revenue + AR + AP), GL detail, AR aging by client, 1099 summary for contractors — comes out in one file. Revenue concentration by client is one filter on the GL.

PlainBooks does not manage client work, send invoices, or run campaigns. Notion, Asana, ClickUp, FreshBooks, QuickBooks, Stripe Invoicing handle those. PlainBooks records what cleared the bank and what the books say.

Bills you can't afford to forget

PlainBooks puts each one on the same calendar as your real bank balance, so you see the collision before it happens.

Software stack (Adobe, Canva, Semrush, HubSpot, etc.)
Monthly, staggered
$500–$1,100
Contractor payments
Per project / Net 15
$1,000–$4,000/mo
Payroll
Biweekly
$4,000–$10,000
Ad spend pass-through (Meta, Google, LinkedIn)
Daily, billed at thresholds
$2,000–$8,000/mo
Office or coworking (if any)
Monthly
$0–$1,000
E&O insurance
Monthly
$75–$200

The single-client cliff

Lose one $3,500/month retainer out of seven and that is a 10–15% revenue cut overnight. PlainBooks shows your revenue concentration across the last 90 days — the share each top client represents — so you see the cliff before the email arrives, not the week after.

10–20%

typical hit from losing one client

What PlainBooks doesn't do

Honest about scope. If you need any of these, you need different software.

Manage your client work — Notion, Asana, ClickUp, Monday
Send invoices or chase payments — FreshBooks, QuickBooks, Stripe Invoicing
Run the ad campaigns. Strategy and creative are yours; PlainBooks just shows the spend honestly.
Tell you what to charge. Pricing is between you and the client.

Ready to see your cash position?

$15/month or $150/year (two months free). 14-day free trial. No card required.

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Common questions

Does PlainBooks work for marketing / agency?: Yes. PlainBooks is general-ledger bookkeeping software — workspaces, chart of accounts, journal entries, period close, bank reconciliation, the full report set (Trial Balance, P&L, Balance Sheet, GL detail, AR aging, AP aging, 1099 summary). The marketing / agency-specific copy on this page describes the accounts and bills that matter most in this vertical.
What does it cost?: $15/month or $150/year when signups open. One price, all features, no tiers. Signups aren't open yet — leave your email on the home page and we'll send one note when launch happens.
Do I need to connect a bank account?: No. PlainBooks does not ingest bank feeds. You post journal entries directly (and for trucking workspaces, trips and state-mileage entries write the underlying entries automatically). If you want bank-fed cash visibility, that's a different category of tool.
What about cash-flow forecasting?: On the roadmap, not in the current build. PlainBooks today shows what your books say — current balances, what's open in AR and AP, what's posted, what's pending close. We don't promise features that aren't built.