Summary
The best credit control software for a creative or marketing agency reads invoices from Xero or QuickBooks, whatever project tool raised them, and chases retainers, milestones and media spend on different schedules. Paidnice suits agencies up to $50m a year, Chaser suits larger UK agencies wanting calls, and Satago suits small Sage 50 studios.
- Paidnice: Best for agencies on Xero or QuickBooks Online that bill retainers and milestones, from £49 a month ($69), priced by invoice volume.
- Chaser: Best for UK agencies past £4m turnover that want letters and calls, from £199 a month.
- Satago: Best for small studios on Sage 50 that want credit reports on new clients, from £45 a month (£25 inside Sage 50).
Credit control software guide▾
The campaign launched three weeks ago and the second milestone invoice is now 30 days overdue. Your account director does not want to chase a client they speak to every day. Here is how agencies chase without putting that relationship at risk, and which tools fit.
Why is credit control harder for creative and marketing agencies?
Agency credit control is harder because one client can hold three kinds of invoice: a monthly retainer, a milestone on a project and a pass-through of media or production costs, each with its own risk and its own owner.
- Retainers: small, regular and usually paid. A late retainer is an early warning about the client.
- Milestones: larger and tied to approval, so a late milestone often means a scope or sign-off question, not a cash problem.
- Media and production pass-through: money you have already spent for the client. A late one costs your own cash.
Freelancers in advertising and marketing report the same pattern: in a 2015 Freelancers Union survey of 5,358 US freelancers, 76% of those in advertising and marketing had trouble getting paid at some point in their careers (Freelancers Union report).
Free: Payment reminder email templatesCopy the reminder emails for before, on and after the due date.Do agency tools like Harvest or WorkflowMax chase overdue invoices?
Most agency project tools raise the invoice and push it into Xero or QuickBooks Online, and few chase it well afterwards. Harvest and Accelo send reminders; Productive, Streamtime and Scoro do not document any.
| Agency tool | Where the invoice goes | Reminders |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest | Copies sent invoices to QuickBooks Online; Xero payments sync when enabled | Automated reminders before and after the due date |
| Accelo | Two-way sync with Xero and QuickBooks Online | Automated reminders and late fees |
| WorkflowMax by BlueRock | Pushes sales invoices to Xero | Uses Xero's reminders when you send the Xero invoice |
| Productive | Copies invoices to Xero; payment status syncs back | Not documented |
| Streamtime | "Copy to Xero" as Draft or Awaiting Payment | Not documented |
| Synergist and Scoro | Transfer invoices to Xero; Scoro also to QuickBooks Online | Not documented |
Sources: Harvest, Accelo, WorkflowMax, Productive, Streamtime.
So the ledger is where every agency invoice ends up. A credit control tool that reads Xero or QuickBooks Online chases all of them, whichever tool raised them. Paidnice can send the original invoice PDF attached to the ledger record, so the client sees the same document your project tool made.
How should an agency set up credit control?
An agency should split clients into groups by invoice type and relationship, give each group its own reminder schedule and fee policy, and send reminders to the client's accounts payable contact, not the marketing lead.
- Take a deposit on new projects. A deposit through Stripe before work starts tests how the client pays.
- Send to accounts payable. Route reminders to the finance contact and copy the account director only at escalation.
- Give retainers a light schedule. One friendly reminder at the due date, then a statement.
- Give milestones a firmer one. Reminders at 7 and 14 days, then a call, then a late fee if your terms allow it.
- Treat media spend as urgent. Short terms and an early call, because the cash is already out.
- Hold disputed invoices. Pause chasing on an invoice in a scope query, and keep chasing the rest of the account.
The first invoice predicts the client. Customers who pay their first invoice on time pay 73% of later invoices on time. If the first invoice is 1 to 14 days late, they pay 39% on time.
Credit control software for agencies compared
Three tools on price, ledgers, deposits and late fees for an agency's mix of invoices.
| Tool | Price from | Size fit | Ledgers | Deposits and plans | Late fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paidnice | £49 / $69 a month | Up to $50m a year | Xero, QuickBooks Online; ERPs on Custom | Deposits; instalments on Pro | Per customer group |
| Chaser | £199 a month | Compact under £4m, up to £100m | Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage, ERPs | Chases the invoice date | One set of rules |
| Satago | £45 a month | Small to mid-sized | Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent | Invoice finance | Optional fee on reminders |
How we chose these tools
Each tool here connects to Xero or QuickBooks, publishes its price, has shipped automated reminders and sells to UK agencies.
We weighed handling of mixed invoice types (30%), price and what it scales on (25%), ledger fit (20%), late fees and deposits (15%) and reviews (10%), from each vendor's own pages.
1. Paidnice, best for retainers and milestone billing
Paidnice is accounts receivable automation for Xero and QuickBooks Online businesses up to $50m a year, best for agencies with mixed retainer and project billing, from £49 a month ($69), priced by invoice volume.
- Price
- from £49 / $69 a month on Essentials, Pro from £74 / $99
- Customer groups
- a separate reminder schedule, late fee and interest policy for each group
- Payments
- Stripe or Pinch, with deposits and auto-pay; instalments on Pro
- Replies
- Paidnice reads client replies with AI and drafts a response you approve before it sends
Put retainer clients in one group with a light schedule and no fee, and project clients in another with firmer reminders and a late fee. Reminders send from your own domain on Pro, so they come from the agency, not a tool. Quote and estimate reminders follow up a proposal before it becomes an invoice.
Best suited for: an agency on Xero or QuickBooks Online that bills retainers, milestones and media spend to the same clients.
The limit: Essentials includes two team members, and payment plans and sending from your own domain start on Pro.
2. Chaser, best for larger UK agencies
Chaser is credit control software for established UK businesses past £4m turnover, best for agencies that want letters and calls after email, from £199 a month by turnover band.
- Price
- Compact £199, Core £599, Complete £899 a month
- Channels
- email, SMS, posted letters, automated calls
- Done for you
- Chaser Care, bundled from £899 a month
- Credit checks
- Creditsafe, £2 to £3 a credit
Chaser Care adds a dedicated AR specialist who makes calls and handles disputes, which keeps the account director out of the chase.
Best suited for: a UK agency past £4m that wants someone else to make the calls.
The limit: late fees run under one set of rules, across the account or for selected debtors, so retainer and project clients cannot get different fee rules. Consider Paidnice for per-group policies on Xero or QuickBooks Online.
3. Satago, best for small studios on Sage 50
Satago is credit control with credit reports and invoice finance for small UK firms, best for studios on Sage 50 that want to check new clients, from £45 a month or £25 inside Sage 50.
- Price
- Basic £45, Premium £80, Platinum £200 a month
- Credit reports
- 25, 100 or unlimited a month by plan
- Finance
- single invoice and whole-ledger finance
- Ledgers
- Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, KashFlow, FreeAgent
Satago's credit reports suit a studio that takes on new brands often and wants a check before the first invoice.
Best suited for: a small studio that wants credit checks and cash against a slow milestone.
The limit: Basic caps email reminders at 100 a rolling 30 days and has no SMS. Consider Paidnice on Xero or QuickBooks Online for deposits and per-group fees.
How do you chase a client without damaging the relationship?
You chase a client without damaging the relationship by keeping reminders factual, sending them from finance to finance, and moving the account director in only when a call is needed.
Name the invoice, the amount and the due date, and give a pay link. A reminder that comes from the agency's own domain and its accounts address reads as routine admin. Late fees work best when they are in your terms before the project starts, so state them in the proposal and the contract.
Agencies often waive the first late fee to keep the client. Paidnice lets you set a fee policy per group, so a long-standing retainer client can have no fee while a new project client has one. Paidnice is credit control software that applies the right policy to each client.
More use cases, from recruitment to MSPs, sit in our side-by-side credit control software guide. Payment plans for a client who cannot pay in one go are covered on payment plans, and the full agency setup on Paidnice for marketing and creative agencies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best credit control software for a marketing agency?
The best credit control software for a marketing agency depends on its ledger and size. Paidnice suits agencies on Xero or QuickBooks Online up to $50m a year, Chaser suits UK agencies past £4m that want calls, and Satago suits small studios on Sage 50.
How should a design agency chase late retainer payments?
A design agency should chase a late retainer with one friendly reminder on the due date, a statement a week later and a call at 14 days. A late retainer is often the first sign a client is in trouble, so check the rest of the account at the same time.
Can an agency charge late fees to clients?
Yes, an agency can charge late fees if its terms allow it. In the UK, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 allows base rate plus 8% and £40, £70 or £100 fixed compensation on business debts. Put the fee in your proposal and contract first.
Should an agency take a deposit before starting a project?
Yes, a deposit before work starts protects the agency's cash and shows how the client pays. Paidnice takes deposits against an invoice through Stripe, and the rest is paid later. Chaser and Satago chase the invoice once it is raised.
Does Xero chase agency invoices on its own?
Xero sends invoice reminders on a schedule, with one set of reminder emails for every customer. It does not apply late fees or run a different schedule per client group. See Xero's reminders against a credit control app.
Who should chase overdue invoices in an agency?
Finance should chase overdue invoices, not the account director. Reminders go to the client's accounts payable contact, and the account director joins only when a call or a scope question needs them. A tool such as Paidnice or Chaser keeps that split automatic.
Where can I compare credit control software for other business types?
Credit control software for recruitment agencies, wholesalers, MSPs and accountants is compared in credit control software compared.
Paidnice features in this article
About the editorial team
Denym started Paidnice in 2022 after customers paying late left his own business short on payroll. He has led it to $1 billion collected on time across more than 1 million invoices, and writes about credit control, late fees and getting paid on Xero and QuickBooks.
App of the Year