Milestone payments with the contract baked in

Your money.
Kept.

Agree the rules once. Clients fund one milestone at a time. Scope changes get flagged before they derail the project. Approved work releases automatically. No chasing. No chargebacks. No leverage lost.

New project Client wants a full rebrand. Agrees on $2,000.
Week 1 You deliver first concepts. Client loves them.
Week 3 Final files sent. “Invoice is on the way!”
Week 5 “Hey, just following up on payment...”
Week 8 Ghosted. $2,000 gone. Work already in use.
With Kept Money was in escrow from day one. You got paid per milestone.
Estimated annual loss per freelancer
$ 0

Scope creep, ghosted invoices, and late payments. Every year.
Based on industry surveys by Payoneer, AND CO, and Bonsai.

The reality
0

of freelancers experience scope creep regularly. Only 1% successfully bill for all out-of-scope work.

0

of freelancers have invoices paid late. 21% experience late payments more often than on-time.

$ 0 +

reported lost per freelancer to chargebacks on completed work. Platforms provide zero seller protection.

Sources: Payoneer Global Freelancer Survey, AND CO/Fiverr Freelance Economy Report, Bonsai Freelance Statistics.

How it works

Escrow-backed milestones.
Four steps. Zero trust required.

01

Define scope & milestones

Set deliverables, revision limits, and payment amounts per milestone. The contract is the system.

02

Client funds one milestone

Only the next milestone gets funded, not the whole project. Money goes to Escrow.com - not us, not you. Secured by a licensed escrow service. Client can’t pull it back.

03

Deliver & get approved

Upload files per milestone. Client reviews and approves. Funds release instantly to your account.

04

Dispute? Escrow resolves it.

Not a 50/50 split. Not $350 arbitration. A licensed third party evaluates and decides. Files stay locked until it’s resolved.

AC
Brand Identity Package Acme Corp
Secured
Project total
$4,200.00
Milestones
Concepts
$1,400 Paid
Revisions
$1,400 Paid
Final Files
$1,400 In review
Escrow status
$4,200 held
AI-powered

Not a chatbot.
A system that reads your contract and enforces it.

kept.ai - scope monitor
Hey, can you also do the social media assets? Just a few templates.
Scope alert Social media assets aren't included in the current milestone agreement. This would be additional work.
Suggested action I've drafted a change order for $400 covering 5 social templates. The client can approve it to add a new milestone.
Scope protected. No awkward conversation needed.

Scope guard

AI monitors every client message against the agreed milestones. Out-of-scope requests get flagged instantly with a suggested change order - no more "just one more thing" turning into 23 hours unpaid.

Dispute prevention

Before a disagreement escalates to formal arbitration, AI mediates. It references the contract, compares deliverables, and proposes a resolution both sides can accept.

Smart pricing

Not sure how to split milestones or what to charge? AI suggests milestone breakdowns and pricing based on project type, complexity, and market rates.

The difference
Without Kept
× Send files over email. Hope they pay.
× "Just one more thing" becomes 23 hours unpaid.
× Client ghosts. No leverage. No recourse.
× Platform takes 20%, then sides with the client.
× Chargeback 540 days later. Money vanishes.
With Kept
Files locked until payment confirms.
Scope defined. Extras require a change order.
Clients fund one milestone at a time, not the whole project.
3.5% flat fee. No subscription. No platform lock-in.
Dispute? Licensed escrow service resolves it.
From Reddit

Real posts. Real losses.

“I built the project and only got $50 advance. The client is saying he can’t afford the rest.”

r/webdev · 185 upvotes · 187 comments

Top comment (860 upvotes): “50% upfront 50% on delivery. Period.”

“$6,400 clawed back via chargeback. No warning. Upwork provides zero protection for fixed-price.”

r/Upwork · 14 upvotes · 38 comments

“Made $54K on Fiverr. Paid $12K+ in fees. No seller protection. A client can leave a negative review on a fully refunded order.”

r/Fiverr · 78 upvotes · 53 comments
How we compare

Not all platforms
are built for freelancers.

Kept Fiverr Upwork Freelancer
Platform fee 3.5% 20% 10-20% 10%
Escrow protection Licensed escrow None Partial Partial
Scope creep protection AI scope guard None None None
Dispute resolution Licensed arbitration Platform decides Platform decides Platform decides
Chargeback protection Full None None None
AI features Scope, pricing, disputes None None None
Own your client relationship Yes No No No
Pricing
3.5% per transaction, paid by the freelancer.

No subscription. No monthly fee. No tiers. You only pay when you use it. Escrow.com processing (0.89–3.25%) is separate and configurable - client pays, you pay, or split.

The math on a $5,000 project
Kept (3.5% + escrow processing)
$220–$338
Fiverr (20%)
$1,000
Upwork (10–20%)
$500–$1,000
You save $162–$780

On $50K/yr revenue: you pay ~$2,200–$3,375 total. Fiverr would take $10,000. Upwork $5,000+.

Early access

Your earnings,
kept safe.

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