Dashboard
Pipeline, active work, collected and outstanding amounts, monthly goal progress, calendar, charts, quick actions and business prompts.
SideAce field guide
Know exactly what SideAce can do.
A complete, practical map of the current app: what each workspace records, how the workflows connect, what you can export or back up, and which steps remain yours.
Feature directory
Every workspace at a glance.
SideAce connects records across the app. Select All Gigs for a combined business view or filter supported workspaces to one gig.
Gigs
Keep multiple lines of work in one installation. Profession templates supply relevant starter categories, project types and billing defaults.
Clients
Names, companies, email, phone, address and notes, plus project, invoice and contact history.
Projects
Leads through closed work, with scope, dates, milestones, billing model, estimated hours or value and reusable project templates.
Time
Start and stop a project timer or enter time manually with date, start time, duration, description, rate and billable status.
Expenses
Amount, category, vendor, date, description, optional project, receipt image, deductible status and client-billable status.
Mileage
Manual distance, round trip, rate, start, destination, purpose, date and optional project association.
Proposals
Client, gig, title, summary, valid-until date, line items and terms, with PDF export and a status workflow.
Invoices
Line items, tax, due date and notes; optionally pull unbilled project time and expenses into a draft.
Payments
Record one or more payments manually against an invoice, including amount and payment method, and see the remaining balance.
Tax Center
Planning estimates based on the saved tax rate, paid invoices and recorded deductions, with quarterly and year-to-date views.
Reports
Scope creep, effective-rate guidance, client profitability, year-to-date profit and loss, and expenses by category.
Outputs
Create invoice and proposal PDFs, plus CSV exports for invoices, expenses, mileage and time entries.
Settings
Business identity, logo, invoice prefix, currency, tax and mileage rates, monthly goal, theme and four dashboard quick actions.
App Lock
Ask the operating system for biometric or device passcode authentication when opening SideAce on supported devices.
Backup & restore
Create a password-protected authenticated encrypted backup and restore it after validation and integrity checks.
01 / SET UP
Set up the business once.
- Add business details.In Settings, enter the business name and email, choose an invoice prefix and add an optional custom logo for exported documents.
- Set the working assumptions.Choose a currency code, tax rate, mileage rate and monthly revenue goal. Review these values for your own jurisdiction and circumstances.
- Create one or more gigs.Choose a profession template or General Freelancer, then customize the name. Each gig helps separate work while All Gigs gives you the combined view.
- Choose the dashboard tools.Select exactly four quick actions from Timer, Client, Invoice, Expense, Project, Proposal, Mileage, Log Time, Reports, Tax and Settings.
Profession templates are starting points. They provide categories, project types and billing defaults; they do not change SideAce into regulated industry software.
02 / ORGANIZE
Move from a contact to active work.
Client, proposal and project records stay linked so the context follows the work instead of being rebuilt in every screen.
Build the relationship record
- Store contact and company details.
- Add free-form client notes.
- Log calls, emails, meetings and messages.
- Open linked projects and invoices from the client history.
Define the work
- Choose lead, proposed, active, paused, delivered, closed or cancelled.
- Use hourly, fixed, retainer or milestone billing.
- Record dates, scope notes, estimates and milestones.
- Save a project as a reusable template.
Scope before delivery
- Add priced line items, summary, terms and validity date.
- Create a PDF for delivery outside SideAce.
- Mark draft, sent, accepted or declined yourself.
- Turn an accepted proposal into a linked project.
03 / CAPTURE
Keep the evidence tied to the job.
Time, expenses and mileage can feed project context, billing and reports. Accuracy still depends on what you enter.
| Record | Fast path | Details you can keep | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Run the timer or add manually | Project, date, start, duration, description, rate, billable status | The timer runs in the app; verify entries before billing. |
| Expense | Add an expense and optional receipt image | Amount, category, vendor, date, project, deduction and billable flags | SideAce does not connect to a bank or card feed. |
| Mileage | Add a trip manually | Distance, round trip, rate, locations, purpose, date and project | There is no GPS or automatic route tracking. |
04 / BILL
Create the paper trail. Track what happened next.
- Create a draft.Choose the client and optional project, add line items, due date, tax rate and notes. For project invoices, SideAce can assemble eligible unbilled time and client-billable expenses.
- Export and deliver.Create a PDF, review it, then send it using your own email or delivery method. SideAce does not send the invoice for you.
- Update the status.Mark an invoice sent or cancelled. Overdue, partial and paid views help organize follow-up.
- Record payments.Add each received amount and method manually. SideAce updates the invoice ledger and remaining balance but does not collect, reconcile or refund money.
- Use recurrence carefully.A recurring invoice can generate new drafts weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. Review every generated draft before external delivery.
05 / REVIEW
Use the records to decide what needs attention.
- Dashboard: review pipeline, active work, collected revenue, outstanding invoices, six-month revenue and expense movement, weekly hours and practical business prompts.
- Calendar: see project due dates, unpaid invoice due dates, open milestones and notes you add yourself.
- Goal: compare recorded monthly results with the revenue target saved in Settings.
- Reports: inspect scope creep, effective rates, client profitability, year-to-date profit and loss, and expense categories.
- Tax Center: review estimated quarterly tax, paid-invoice income, recorded deductions and taxable-income estimates based on your saved rate.
These are planning aids, not authoritative results. Signals and estimates depend on complete, accurate records and your settings. SideAce does not file returns or provide accounting, tax, legal or financial advice.
06 / PROTECT & MOVE
Own the recovery plan.
The working database stays on the device. Backups, exports and transfers happen only when you initiate them.
Create a complete encrypted copy
- Open Settings → Authenticated Encrypted Backup.
- Choose a strong password you can retain safely.
- Save the
.sideacefile somewhere you control. - Keep more than one tested copy on separate storage.
The backup contains the database, receipt images and custom logo.
Replace an installation safely
- Choose Restore from Backup.
- Select the intended
.sideacefile; legacy.solocraftfiles are also accepted. - Enter its password and let SideAce authenticate, validate and check the contents.
- Confirm the restored records before resuming work.
Restore replaces the current installation’s data; it does not merge two datasets.
Create files for use elsewhere
- Export proposal or invoice PDFs from their detail screens.
- Use Settings → Export CSV for Accountant for invoices, expenses, mileage and time.
- Review exported files before sharing.
- Protect or delete them outside SideAce when finished.
Exported PDFs and CSVs are not protected by App Lock or backup encryption.
Add a launch barrier
- Enable App Lock in Settings on a supported device.
- SideAce asks the operating system for biometric or device passcode authentication on launch.
- Keep the device account and operating system secured too.
App Lock is a local access deterrent; SideAce does not receive biometric templates.
Before an update or device move: create a fresh backup, confirm that you know the password, retain the original file, then test the restore on the destination before deleting anything from the source device.
07 / PRODUCT BOUNDARIES
What SideAce deliberately does not do.
Knowing the boundary is part of using a local-first recordkeeping tool safely.
No publisher cloud
No SideAce account, cloud backup, web access, multi-device sync, shared team workspace or dataset merge.
No connected money movement
No bank feed, payment processor, payment collection, reconciliation, refunds or automatic confirmation of payment.
No automatic delivery
SideAce creates proposal and invoice PDFs; you deliver them and update their workflow states yourself.
No automatic mileage
Trip distance, route context and business purpose are manual. SideAce does not use GPS tracking.
No professional advice
Tax, deduction, profitability, rate and scope outputs are record-based planning aids—not filings or accounting, tax, legal or financial advice.
Designed for solo work
SideAce is for independent operators, not team permissions, payroll, inventory, point of sale or regulated recordkeeping.
Documentation
The rest of the public record.
Use the feature guide for how the app works and these pages for support, privacy, data handling and purchase terms.
HELPSupport
Problem reports, backup help and safe support details.
DATAPrivacy noticeLocal records, device capabilities, website and store data handling.
SAFESecurityData-protection context and responsible vulnerability reporting.
USETermsLicence, product boundaries, responsibilities and updates.
BUYRefundsChannel-specific guidance for Apple and Microsoft Store purchases.
READY TO WORK
Choose SideAce for desktop
Start with one real workflow.
Add a gig, client and project. Track one piece of work, create a backup, then expand the system once you trust the routine.