Profit protection for client-service teams
Protect the margin on every client project.
Scope-change and margin-protection software for creative agencies and client-service teams.
Turn extra client requests into clear commercial decisions before your team does unpaid work. MarginFence is built for 2–20 person agencies, design studios, video producers and web development firms working on fixed fees and retainers.
No credit card required to set up your workspace. Your team categorizes each request; MarginFence does the money math.
Worked example
A client asks for one more revision round on a fixed-fee project. Choose what happens next.
- Project fee
- $12,000.00
- Planned cost
- $7,680.00
- Extra work
- 7.5 h × $80.00 = $600.00
- Margin before the request
- 36.00%
Margin after the decision
31.00%
−5.00 percentage points against the starting margin
The extra hours are paid for out of your own margin, and the drop is recorded against the project.
Fictional figures shown for illustration. The percentages are calculated from the numbers above.
The margin leaks in small requests
An extra concept here, a fourth revision there, a re-cut that was never quoted. Each one feels too small to invoice, and together they turn a profitable project into break-even work. MarginFence makes each request visible, priced and decided in writing.
- Every extra ask is logged against the project it affects.
- The margin impact is calculated before anyone starts the work.
- The client sees a plain-English change order, not an awkward email.
- Protected Revenue shows what the discipline earned you.
How MarginFence works
1. Set the baseline
Record the contract amount, estimated hours, internal cost rate, billable rate and target margin for each project. That baseline never changes.
2. Log the extra request
Anyone on the team logs the request in under a minute: what the client asked for, why it sits outside scope, extra hours and any direct costs.
3. See the margin impact
MarginFence shows the internal cost, a recommended quote, and what happens to your margin if you absorb the work versus charge for it.
4. Decide and get it approved
Comp, Decline, Trade, Charge Recommended or Charge Custom. Charged work becomes a change order your client approves with one click.
Honest reporting, not vanity numbers
- Protected Revenue counts only approved, charged change orders — never drafts, pending proposals, declines, comps or trades.
- Collected money is tracked separately from approved value, using receipts you record yourself.
- Complimentary work is reported at retail value and at the cost you absorbed, so goodwill is visible.
- The baseline margin stays intact; the revised margin derives only from decisions you accepted.
Protected Revenue
$4,275.00
Collected
$2,150.00
Pending proposals
$1,125.00
Complimentary (retail)
$900.00
| Change | Decision | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Extra homepage concept | Charged | $1,125.00 |
| Fourth logo revision | Comped | $450.00 |
| Added reel edit | Pending | $1,125.00 |
Built for client-service teams that quote a price up front
If you sell fixed fees or monthly retainers, extra requests come out of your margin rather than your invoice. MarginFence is designed for the teams that feel that first.
- Creative and branding agencies
- Design and web studios
- Video production companies
- Social and marketing agencies
- Boutique development firms
- Independent consultancies
Simple, transparent pricing
Choose monthly or annual billing. Cancel whenever you like.
Starter
$490.00/year
$490.00 billed once a year · Equivalent to $40.83 per month
Solo operators protecting their first fixed-fee projects.
- 1 seat
- 10 active projects
- Scope baselines and change log
- Margin impact calculator
- Client approval links
Studio
$990.00/year
$990.00 billed once a year · Equivalent to $82.50 per month
Small studios with a producer and a few delivery leads.
- 5 seats
- 30 active projects
- Everything in Starter
- Per-client and per-project rollups
- CSV export
Agency
$1,790.00/year
$1,790.00 billed once a year · Equivalent to $149.17 per month
Agencies running many retainers and fixed-fee engagements.
- 20 seats
- 100 active projects
- Everything in Studio
- Roles for owner, admin and member
- Full audit history
All plans include the full workflow: baselines, decisions, change orders and reporting.
Frequently asked questions
Stop absorbing work you never quoted
Set a baseline on your next project and price the next request before your team starts it.