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.
- 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.
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 & Invoice Billing | ||
| Client Approval Portal | ||
| White-Label Client Portal | ||
| Payment & Invoice Tracking | ||
| 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 & Invoice Billing
Client Approval Portal
White-Label Client Portal
Payment & Invoice Tracking
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
Ready to simplify your workflow?
Try Timeliner free for 14 days. Cancel anytime -no commitment.