Timeliner vs Agency Handy
Client portals and subscription billing for service agencies. Zero video review.
Honest comparison for a 5-editor video agency. We list what they do better, where they fall short for our ICP, and the real monthly cost.
Real cost for a 5-seat video team
Posted prices, not list prices. The line item isn’t the whole stack — read the note below.
Agency Handy
Pro — 5 seats included
Timeliner
Elite — 5 seats, video-native
Why the gap matters: Agency Handy is cheap because it doesn't review video. Add Frame.io ($75/mo) and you're at $134/mo across two tools with two client experiences. Timeliner Elite is $129/mo with both built in.
Timeliner Pro
$79/mo — 3 seats included ($59 base + 2 seats). Right for solo editors and tiny teams.
Timeliner Elite
$129/mo flat — 5 seats with every feature unlocked. Right for a real production team.
Where Agency Handy genuinely wins
We’re not pretending Agency Handy is bad. These are real strengths — pick Agency Handy if any of them are central to how you work.
- Mature subscription billing — proposals, invoices, recurring plans (Timeliner has payment tracking, not a full invoicing engine).
- True white-label with custom domains — Timeliner offers a branded portal but no custom domain today.
- Generic agency client portal that handles intake forms, file delivery, and ticketing.
- Designed for productized-service agencies (SEO, web, ads) that don't need media review.
Where it falls short for a 5-editor video agency
- Zero video review — no playback, no timestamped comments, no drawing, no version compare.
- No production pipeline built for video — generic kanban at best.
- No team output analytics for editors.
- Files are attachments, not media-aware — no full-resolution cloud streaming or proxy playback.
The headache you’ll feel
If you sell video, you cannot review video in Agency Handy. You'll bolt Frame.io or Wipster on top, and your client now logs into two portals — one for invoices, one for review — with two sign-ins and two brand experiences.
Feature Comparison
Green = supported natively. Amber = partial / via add-on. Grey = not available.
| Feature | Timeliner | Agency Handy |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription Billing & Invoicing Engine | ||
| Custom Domain / True White-Label | ||
| Client Approval Portal (No Login) | ||
| Branded Client Portal (Logo + Colors) | ||
| Payment Tracking & Pricing Templates | ||
| Timestamped Video Comments | ||
| Side-by-Side Version Comparison | ||
| Drawing Annotations | ||
| Internal-then-Client Review Gate | ||
| Project & Task Management | ||
| Custom Task Workflows | ||
| Team Analytics & KPIs |
Subscription Billing & Invoicing Engine
Custom Domain / True White-Label
Client Approval Portal (No Login)
Branded Client Portal (Logo + Colors)
Payment Tracking & Pricing Templates
Timestamped Video Comments
Side-by-Side Version Comparison
Drawing Annotations
Internal-then-Client Review Gate
Project & Task Management
Custom Task Workflows
Team Analytics & KPIs
When Agency Handy is the right call
If your agency primarily sells non-video productized services and needs subscription billing plus a generic client portal, Agency Handy covers that workflow well. For video-first agencies, it's the wrong center of gravity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Resources
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