Compare maaya.works vs Refrens
vs
You built something real. Your books should match.
Refrens built a polished, professional invoicing experience loved by freelancers and agencies. maaya.works is for when the work you built deserves proper books behind it — full double-entry, GST-native, with an AI team handling the accounting so you stay in your craft.
Free forever for single users · Proper books, not just invoices · Books always balanced
Refrens is genuinely well designed for freelancers and agencies.
Two rows go to Refrens — proposal workflow and freelancer-specific UX are real advantages we acknowledge.
Side by side
The honest scorecard
A freelancer-first invoicing tool versus the full books that a growing service business needs.
What it is
The product
Full double-entry books + an AI team to keep them
Polished invoicing and light accounting for freelancers and agencies
The books
Proper double-entry
Full ledger, Dr/Cr enforced, complete financial position
Lighter accounting layer built around invoicing
Who does the accounting work
AI team drafts entries, invoices and follow-ups — you approve
You create invoices and enter accounting records yourself
The ledger
Append-only, immutable — provenance on every entry
Standard accounting records
Where Refrens leads
Freelancer and agency experience
General-purpose accounting platform
Purpose-built for freelancers, agencies and consultants
Proposals and contracts
Focused on accounting; no proposal workflow
Proposals, contracts and invoices in one place
GST & cost
GST & compliance
GST, HSN, e-invoice native — India-hosted
GST invoicing supported
Where it runs
Cloud, any device, India-hosted
Cloud, any device
Credit where it is due
What Refrens got right
A product made for the independent professional — and it shows.
what refrens got right
Purpose-built for the independent professional
Refrens understood the freelancer and agency — the proposal, the contract, the invoice, the light ledger — and built a product that actually fits how independents work. That specificity is well done.
what refrens got right
Proposals and invoices in one place
Going from a proposal to a contract to an invoice without switching tools is a real workflow improvement. Refrens makes that journey clean and professional.
what refrens got right
Clean, professional experience
A well-designed product that makes an independent look professional in every client interaction. For a service business where perception matters, that design care pays dividends.
When the books matter
Three signs your business has outgrown the light ledger
01
You built something real — the books should match
A growing freelance practice or agency is a proper business. At a certain point — multiple clients, GST returns, a CA asking for books — the light ledger behind your invoices stops being enough. Your work is professional; your accounts should be too.
light accounting behind invoices → proper double-entry books
02
Stay in your craft — hand the entry to the AI team
The hours spent entering bills, reconciling accounts and preparing for the CA are hours not spent on client work. maaya.works' AI team handles the accounting entry so you stay in the work you are actually paid for.
you do the accounting admin → AI does the entry, you stay in your craft
03
From approachable to authoritative books
Refrens gives you an approachable ledger. maaya.works gives you a proper, immutable, CA-ready one — with the AI team maintaining it daily. As your business grows and compliance gets serious, that difference matters.
approachable light ledger → authoritative, CA-ready books
No spin
Where Refrens still wins
Honest advantages for the freelancer and agency.
freelancer UX
Built for how independents actually work
Refrens' proposal-to-invoice workflow is purpose-built for freelancers and agencies. maaya.works is a general-purpose accounting platform — the freelancer experience is not its primary focus.
proposals + contracts
Proposals and contracts included
If client proposals and contract management matter to your workflow, Refrens includes them. maaya.works focuses on the accounting.
client-facing design
Professional client-facing documents
Refrens' invoices and proposals are designed to impress clients. If the look and feel of client-facing documents is a priority, that experience is polished.
Honest advice: keep Refrens for proposals and client-facing documents and run maaya.works for the books behind them. Switch fully only when the accounting becomes the priority.
Run both
Keep the workflow, add the books
Three low-risk steps. Your client interactions are never disrupted.
1
Start free — keep Refrens for clients
Open maaya.works in one field, no card. Keep sending proposals and invoices from Refrens; nothing changes for your clients.
2
Let the AI team handle the books
Hand your purchase entries and accounting work to the AI team. It drafts; you approve — proper books build behind your Refrens invoices.
3
Consolidate when the books lead
When the accounting becomes the priority, move the full invoicing into maaya.works. Keep Refrens for proposals and client management if it fits better there.
Who is behind it
Built by a team that has shipped enterprise software for 15 years
maaya.works is built by Maaya Software Solutions Pvt Ltd — 15 years of enterprise software from Chennai, serving 453+ businesses across 13 countries. The same people now stake their name on your books.
Append-only ledgerApproval-gated AIHosted in India (ap-south-1)GST · e-invoice ready
Straight answers
Refrens to maaya.works — common questions
I am a freelancer. Is maaya.works for me?
Yes — especially once you have multiple clients, GST obligations and a CA asking for books. maaya.works keeps your accounts properly and lets the AI team handle the entry so you stay in your craft. Refrens is excellent for the client-facing workflow; maaya.works handles the books behind it.
Can maaya.works do proposals and contracts like Refrens?
Not today — maaya.works is focused on accounting. If proposals and client contracts are central to how you work, Refrens genuinely leads there, and running both side by side is a good answer.
Does maaya.works handle GST for service businesses?
Yes — GST on services, HSN/SAC codes and e-invoicing are native to the system. For a service-based freelancer or agency, the compliance is the same as any other business.
Is it really free to start?
Free forever for single users, no card to begin. You pay only as you add AI capacity and grow.
Stay in your craft. The books look after themselves.
Start free — an AI team keeps proper, CA-ready books behind your client work. Nothing left to type.
Free forever for single users · Works alongside Refrens