Freelancers managing client projects, invoices, and planningneed tools that keep up with their workflow. Here's how Melo and Craft compare for this specific use case.
What freelancers need from a productivity tool
Freelancers deal with client projects, invoices, and planning daily. The ideal tool for this workflow needs to be fast (no waiting for pages to load), flexible (different projects require different layouts), and smart (AI that understands your specific context). Privacy matters too — freelancers often handle sensitive information.
Each client is a different mental context with its own docs, tasks, and comms
No single view across all active projects and deadlines
Paying for project management tools designed for teams of 50 when you're a team of one
Client-sensitive information scattered across cloud services
Craft for freelancers
Beautiful document editor for Apple devices. While Craft is a capable tool, freelancers often find it limiting when they need to work with multiple content types simultaneously. Craft's approach works for generic use cases, but the specific demands of client projects, invoices, and planning require more flexibility.
Notes, todos, web embeds, clipboard, calendar, AI chat
Rich documents with some embed support
Data
Local-first — your data stays on your Mac
Cloud-synced with optional offline access
Pricing
$29.99 one-time lifetime license
Free tier + subscription for advanced features
Why freelancers pick Melo
Create a board per client in Melo. Tile the brief, task list, reference materials, and AI chat for each project. Switch between client contexts by switching boards. Affordable one-time lifetime license that pays for itself fast.
For freelancersspecifically, Melo's spatial canvas means you can design a workspace that mirrors how you think about client projects, invoices, and planning. Tile your key documents, tasks, web references, and AI chat on one board. Switch between project contexts by switching boards. Everything stays local, fast, and private.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Melo more expensive than Craft?
Melo is a one-time $29.99 lifetime license — no subscription. Many competitors charge $10–15/month with no ownership option. Over a year or two, Melo typically costs less, and the lifetime license means zero recurring fees.
Is Melo faster than Craft?
Melo is local-first — your data lives on your Mac with zero server round-trips. This means sub-50ms response times for everything. Craft relies on cloud infrastructure, which introduces latency, especially with larger workspaces.
What does Melo do that Craft doesn't?
Melo's key differentiators are the spatial canvas (tile any content type side by side), workspace-aware AI (sees your entire board, not just one document), and local-first architecture (instant performance, true privacy). Most traditional tools focus on one paradigm — Melo combines notes, tasks, AI, web, and calendar in one spatial environment.
Is Melo free?
Melo is a one-time lifetime license ($29.99). There's no free tier and no subscription — you pay once and get full access to everything from day one, no feature gating, all future updates included.
How does Melo's AI work?
Melo's AI is built into the canvas as a tile. It sees your notes, tasks, calendar, and tiled web pages — giving it full context about your workspace. You can ask it to summarize, draft, brainstorm, or organize, and it responds with answers grounded in your actual work.