Freelance software that locks scope the moment your client signs
When the proposal is signed, the scope is set. Every "just one more thing" past that line becomes its own e-signed, paid change order — with a timestamped audit trail you can both point back to.
The signature is the line. We hold it for you.
You priced the job for what was in the proposal. Then the project starts, and the asks keep coming — a second logo direction, a third round on a page that was supposed to be final, "can you also just" do the thing that was never in scope.
Drift Catch makes the signed proposal the baseline. When your client signs, every deliverable's scope and its revision limit are set in stone for that contract. The work isn't frozen — your client can absolutely ask for more. But the moment a request goes past what was signed, it stops being a favor and starts being a change order.
That's the whole shift: scope creep becomes a billable event instead of an unpaid one, and you didn't have to be the bad guy to make it happen. The line was drawn at signing, by both of you.
How scope-lock works, step by step
- You build a proposal with line-itemized deliverables and a revision limit on each one ("Homepage design — up to 3 rounds").
- Your client e-signs it. The signature is captured with an audit trail (ESIGN/UETA-aligned: who signed, when, from where). That signed scope is now the baseline for the project.
- Drift Catch tracks each deliverable against its limit as the work happens. A deliverable on its way to the cap shows "at limit"; one that's been pushed past shows "over limit" — you see the drift the moment it occurs, not at invoice time.
- When a request crosses the line, Drift Catch drafts a change order for it — the extra work, the hours, the amount — ready for you to review and send for signature. Your client signs it the same way they signed the original. Now there's a paper trail for the extra, and it's priced.
Every extra becomes an e-signed change order — with an audit trail
A verbal "yeah go ahead with the extra round" is worth nothing when the invoice is disputed three weeks later. An e-signed change order is worth everything.
In Drift Catch, a change order isn't a note in a thread — it's a real document. It lists exactly what's being added, what it costs, and it gets e-signed before the extra work counts as agreed. Behind it sits an audit trail: the timestamp the drift was detected, the change order as sent, the signature event. If the relationship is great, you'll never need it. If it goes sideways, you have the record.
This is the part most freelancer tools treat as an afterthought. We treat it as the point.
Getting paid on the change order — the in-app payment gate (Pro)
Locking scope protects your hours. Getting paid for the extra is the other half — and that's where the in-app payment gate comes in.
On Drift Catch Pro, you connect Stripe and the change order carries a payment step inside the app: the client pays for the extra, in-app, as part of approving it — so you're not chasing a separate invoice for work you've already started.
To be straight with you about plans: the in-app payment gate is a Pro feature. On Solo you still get change orders and invoicing — you create the documents and collect through your own Stripe, PayPal, or bank. The difference Pro adds is the connected, in-app gate where the payment and the change order move together. The CTA below goes to Pro pricing so you can see exactly what's included before you decide.
What you can do on each plan
Solo — Unlimited projects and clients, e-signed proposals with revision limits, scope tracking, change orders, and invoice PDFs. You collect payment through your own Stripe, PayPal, or bank. This is enough to lock scope and bill for extras manually.
Pro — Everything in Solo, plus the in-app payment gate: connect Stripe and collect on invoices and change orders directly inside Drift Catch, where the payment moves with the document. Pro also adds the lead pipeline, bid calculator, change-order forecast, proposal generator, and more.
If scope-lock plus getting paid on the extra in one motion is what you're here for, Pro is the tier built for it.
Frequently asked questions
- What does "locks scope after signing" actually mean?
- When your client e-signs the proposal, the scope and revision limits it lists become the baseline for the project. Work continues normally, but any request that goes past what was signed is flagged as drift and turned into a separate change order rather than being absorbed as unpaid extra work.
- Can the client still ask for more after signing?
- Yes. Scope-lock doesn't stop your client from asking for more — it just makes the extra its own e-signed, priced change order instead of a silent add-on. The original signature sets the line; the change order handles everything past it.
- Are the change orders legally signed?
- Change orders and proposals are e-signed with an audit trail aligned to ESIGN/UETA — capturing who signed, when, and the document as sent. We're not your lawyers and this isn't legal advice, but the goal is a clear, timestamped record both sides can point back to if a charge is ever questioned.
- Do I need to pay for the in-app payment gate?
- The in-app payment gate, where the client pays for a change order directly inside Drift Catch, is a Pro feature. On Solo you still get change orders and invoicing and collect through your own Stripe, PayPal, or bank. See /pricing for exactly what each tier includes.
- How is this different from just writing scope into my contract?
- A contract states the scope once. Drift Catch tracks each deliverable against its signed limit as the work happens, shows you the moment a deliverable goes over, and drafts the change order for the overage — so the line you wrote into the contract is actually enforced day to day, not just on paper.