# How to Vibe Code Your Own Moxie (and Stop Paying for It)

> All-in-one business management and operations platform for freelancers and solopreneurs

- Site: https://withmoxie.com
- Category: Productivity
- Platforms: Web app
- Verdict: **Solid side project** (68/100 vibecodeable)
- Estimated effort: 3-4 weeks of part-time work

## Verdict

You can build a personal functional clone of Moxie as a solid side project, but the single biggest catch is the massive surface area of tightly coupled CRUD domains that all must cross-talk.

Moxie is not technically complex in terms of any single algorithm, but it is an absolute marathon of UI surface area. Replicating the core loop—managing a client, creating a project, tracking hours, turning those hours into an invoice, and rendering a client portal—requires building dozens of relational tables and clean dashboard interfaces. An AI coding agent can scaffold the CRUD screens and database schemas rapidly, but wiring the cascading state changes (e.g. marking an invoice paid updates client health lifetime earnings) will require meticulous prompt engineering and debugging across relational boundaries.

### What you can't replicate

- Moxie's established brand trust and migration network from sunsetted competitors
- Native telecom partnerships for business phone line routing
- Legally vetted attorney-backed contract template library

## What it does

Moxie (formerly Hectic) replaces a fragmented freelancer tech stack by tightly coupling client management, project boards, proposals, invoices, time tracking, accounting, and scheduling into a single ecosystem.

### Core features

- Centralized CRM with client health snapshots and custom fields
- Project management with Kanban boards, tasks, and subtasks
- Proposals and legally vetted contracts with digital e-signatures
- Billable hours tracking and multi-currency invoicing via Stripe
- Expense tracking and P&L generation
- Embeddable meeting scheduler with calendar sync
- Client portal for document sharing and approvals
- AI assistant for content and workflow generation

## The business

### Pricing

- Starter: $12/mo — For freelancers just starting out
- Pro: $25/mo — For solo freelancers collaborating with others
- Teams: $40/mo — For small agencies and teams

### Funding

$2M raised.
- Seed Round (September 2022)
- Later-Stage VC / Growth Capital (May 2025)
Investors: Venture Capital Backed

Founded 2020.
Team size: 11-50 employees.

## The hard parts

- The cross-cutting 'glue' architecture: time logs feeding tasks, which feed invoices, which update accounting ledgers and client portals atomically
- Bi-directional calendar synchronization with external providers (Google, Outlook, Apple) without race conditions
- Robust document generation and audit trails for legally binding e-signatures
- Asynchronous payment webhook handling and reconciliation

## How to vibe code Moxie

### Prerequisites

- Node.js (free): Runtime environment for Next.js and TypeScript full-stack development.
- GitHub (free): Source control and deployment pipeline integration.
- Cursor ($20/mo): AI code editor to accelerate multi-file UI and backend scaffolding.

### Recommended AI tools

- Cursor: Provides AI-native Composer and codebase chat to iterate rapidly on complex dashboard layouts and relational data models.
- Claude Code: Ideal for executing complex multi-file refactors and setting up robust backend API routes from terminal commands.

### Stack

- Frontend: Next.js (App Router, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui)
- Backend: Next.js Server Actions / API Routes
- Database: Neon (Serverless Postgres)
- Auth: better-auth
- Payments: Stripe
- Other: Vercel AI SDK, Resend

### Hosting

- Vercel (Hosting the Next.js web application and serverless functions): $0/mo
- Neon (Serverless Postgres database storing clients, projects, invoices, and time logs): $0/mo

### Build guide

1. **Project Scaffolding & Database Schema** — Initialize the Next.js application with Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui, Neon serverless Postgres, and better-auth.

```
Create a new Next.js App Router project configured with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS. Install shadcn/ui primitives. Set up a Prisma or Drizzle schema connecting to Neon Postgres with models for User, Client, Project, Task, TimeLog, Invoice, InvoiceItem, Contract, and Expense. Implement better-auth for secure user authentication with email/password and session management. Ensure all relational foreign keys and cascading deletes are correctly established for single-user personal use.
```

2. **CRM & Client Management Dashboard** — Build the client directory, detailed profile views, custom fields, and client health metrics.

```
Build a dashboard page under /dashboard/clients displaying a data table of clients with search and filtering. Implement a creation modal for new clients capturing name, company, email, phone, address, and custom key-value metadata fields. Build a dynamic detail view at /dashboard/clients/[id] that aggregates client health snapshots: total lifetime earnings calculated from paid invoices, active projects list, past notes history, and associated contracts.
```

3. **Project Management & Time Tracking** — Implement project boards, task breakdown, subtasks, and a real-time billable time tracker.

```
Create a project management module at /dashboard/projects with list and Kanban board views. Support projects linked to specific clients with hourly, fixed-rate, or recurring billing options. Inside project detail views, allow creating deliverables, tasks, and granular subtasks. Build a floating time tracking widget globally accessible in the layout that lets users start/stop a real-time timer or manually log hours against any task or project, automatically calculating billable amounts.
```

4. **Invoicing & Financial Ledger** — Build invoice generation from tracked time, expense logging, and P&L report generation.

```
Build an invoicing system at /dashboard/invoices supporting manual creation and one-click conversion from unbilled time logs and reimbursable expenses. Include line items, tax calculations, payment due dates, and PDF export formatting. Build an accounting tab at /dashboard/accounting that lists categorized business expenses with receipt attachments and automatically computes a summary Profit & Loss report for selected date ranges.
```

5. **Proposals, Contracts & Client Portal** — Implement drag-and-drop style proposal builders, contract templates, digital signatures, and a white-labeled client portal.

```
Create a proposal and contract module at /dashboard/proposals where users can draft scopes, pricing packages, and legal terms. Add a digital signature canvas component that captures client e-signatures, records timestamps, and automatically provisions a new project upon signing. Build a client-facing portal at /portal/[token] where external clients can view project progress, review signed agreements, and pay outstanding invoices.
```

6. **Calendar, Scheduler & AI Assistant Integration** — Add a universal business calendar, embeddable meeting scheduler, and AI assistant using Vercel AI SDK.

```
Build a universal calendar view at /dashboard/calendar combining project deadlines, invoice due dates, signed contract dates, and logged work sessions. Implement a meeting scheduler link generator at /dashboard/scheduler allowing custom meeting types and availability rules. Integrate the Vercel AI SDK in a slide-over 'Moxie Assistant' panel that can draft client emails, summarize project notes, and generate invoice descriptions using Claude via API.
```

### Cost vs paying

**Starting costs (one-time):**

- Custom Domain (optional): $12/year
- Total: ~$12 one-time

**Ongoing costs (monthly):**

- Vercel & Neon Hobby Tiers: $0/mo
- AI API Usage (Anthropic): ~$3/mo
- Total: ~$3/mo

- Paying for the SaaS instead: $25/mo (Pro Tier)
- Build time: 45-60 hours
- AI tool credits: $20/mo (Cursor)
- Break-even: 0 months (built for personal learning and utility)

## Sources

- [Moxie Official Pricing Page](https://withmoxie.com/pricing)
- [Moxie Product Feature Overview](https://withmoxie.com/product)
- [PitchBook Profile - Moxie](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/189912-85)