Clientjoy alternative
Looking for a Clientjoy alternative? Retainer is a consultant-native CRM with the same engagement and retainer vocabulary — ranked by what is about to slip, and built by a team that still answers.
No credit card required · Free during beta
Why consultants go looking for a Clientjoy alternative
Reviewers on Capterra and Trustpilot describe support tickets going unanswered for months since Clientjoy's 2024 acquisition — a hard place to be when your client-facing tools break.
Multiple reviews report field updates not syncing to invoices, and other data-sync bugs in exactly the areas — billing, client records — where a silent failure is most costly.
Reviewers report the contact import feature "looks like it works but rejects most of your list" — a rough start for anyone trying to bring an existing client book over.
Requested features — like web forms for client onboarding — have reportedly sat un-shipped for over 18 months, a sign of a product past its most invested phase.
The short version:Clientjoy still has the more complete feature set today, including a client portal Retainer doesn't have yet. But if slow support and sync bugs are why you're reading this, Retainer offers the same engagement/retainer vocabulary plus a ranked Today queue for what is about to slip, built by a team that's actively shipping rather than working through a post-acquisition backlog.
Retainer is pre-launch, so this is an honest trade: fewer features today, in exchange for active development and support that actually responds.
Side by side
| Dimension | Retainer | Clientjoy |
|---|---|---|
| Vocabulary & workflow | Engagements, retainers, sponsors, stakeholders — built for how consultants actually think. | Also uses engagement/retainer objects, plus a client portal — the closest match on vocabulary. |
| Attention queue | A ranked Today screen for renewals, quiet relationships, stalled proposals, and overdue invoices. | CRM and portal workflows — no ranked 'what is slipping' queue. |
| Support & reliability | Early-stage and small — but actively built, with a founder who reads every signup. | Reviewers report support has been largely unresponsive since a 2024 acquisition. |
| Product stability | Pre-launch beta — fewer features today, but everything shipped is actively maintained. | Established feature set, but reviewers report unresolved sync bugs in billing and contacts. |
| Pricing | Free during beta. Paid tiers (Solo, Practice, Firm) announced closer to launch. | Established paid pricing — check clientjoy.io for current tiers. |
Who should actually switch
Moving your client list over:there's no automated Clientjoy import yet — Retainer is in free beta. Sign up and we'll help you move your existing clients and engagements over manually as part of onboarding, rather than leaving you to start from a blank slate.
Common questions
Not yet, fully. Retainer is in beta, so it doesn't have every feature Clientjoy has shipped over its lifetime. What it does have is the same core vocabulary — engagements, retainers, stakeholders — plus a ranked Today queue Clientjoy doesn't offer, and active development rather than a stalled roadmap.
Based on reviews on Capterra, Trustpilot, and AppSumo, the recurring themes are unresponsive support since a 2024 acquisition, data-sync bugs affecting invoices and contact records, an unreliable contact import tool, and requested features left unshipped for well over a year.
There's no automated Clientjoy import yet — Retainer is in free beta. When you sign up, we'll help you move your existing client list over manually as part of onboarding rather than leaving you to re-enter everything by hand.
Not today. Retainer's current focus is the relationship and engagement layer — pipeline, stakeholder mapping, and AI meeting intelligence. A client-facing portal isn't ruled out, but it's not part of the current beta.
Retainer is free during its pre-launch beta, with paid tiers (Solo, Practice, Firm) to be announced closer to launch. Clientjoy has an established paid pricing structure — check clientjoy.io for current rates.
Free during beta. No credit card required.