Outlaw Design Blog

If you have been a long time reader of Outlaw Design Blog, or even a reader of my stuff on GraphicRIver, you may have noticed that I have a thing for apps. I love them. If I had a dime for every demo I have ever downloaded I would be rich. On top of having a fetish for anything with the word “app” in the title, I also like things that help keep me organized. I am lucky enough to have so many clients and paying jobs that it is hard to keep track of all the paid and unpaid invoices. It’s a horrible problem to have, I know.

As a result of the need for a good invoicing system I have downloaded and tried just about every invoicing app out there. (See my https://outlawdesignblog.com/2008/freshbooks-review/) From online only programs to desktop apps, I have used them all. While I am a big fan of Freshbooks, a new invoicing app is really starting to grow on me, it is called Ronin.

What I like About Ronin

One thing that immediately impressed me with the Ronin app was the design and layout of the user interface. Not only is it easy and intuitive for me to use, but it is also very client friendly should you give your clients login access. On top of that, the developer is constantly striving to improve both the design and functionality of the application. The design almost seems Apple inspired with its very monotone color scheme and subtle use of icons.

The other nice feature I really appreciate is the “at a glance” feature in the design. At the top of the dashboard and invoice page you get a quick view of important totals, such as YTD payments and invoices sent, hours spent working, and other stats you would want close at hand.

I also really enjoy the well thought out use of Javascript to help make the application run smoother and keep the style and layout as clean as possible.

What the Ronin App Does

The Ronin app has all the basic features you would expect to have in a good invoicing system. For example, the app allows you to send and create invoices, send and create estimates, track time per project, and set up reoccurring payments. Aside from the main functions, the Ronin app also has some other smaller features that make invoicing easy like the ability to setup commonly used products, allowing client access to their invoices, and the ability to add your own logo just to name a few.

As one would expect, the Ronin app has the ability to let you accept online payment methods such as Paypal. In addition to PayPal, Ronin also accepts Authorize.net payments. On that note, I would like to see the ability to accept Google payments as well.

Although I rarely have any use for the time tracking feature, the implementation of the feature on Ronin seems to be very useful and straight forward if you have the need.

I mostly use the invoicing feature of Ronin over the rest of its features. Because many of my jobs and projects use the same “products” time and time again, it is nice that Ronin allows you to create commonly used products. This way I don’t have to manually add the product to every invoice. I can simply select the product from a drop down menu and then it fills out the entire line on the invoice or estimate.