Bloom Reviews

Pros

Has a beautifully designed interface and covers most of what solopreneurs and small creative teams need to keep client communication in one place.

Cons

It does offer project management features but without a true task management system it feels more like project tracking than full project management.

Pros

Right away it felt simple to use with a clean and easy layout for the most part. It keeps the invoicing process fairly organized which makes handling client billing much more convenient.

Cons

There were still a few moments where it felt a little complicated. It took some time exploring and testing different parts of the platform before I fully understood how everything worked.

Pros

The platform feels very user friendly for both me and my clients and everything is simple to figure out.

Cons

At the beginning it felt a little overwhelming and for a small business that's just getting started it seemed a bit more strong than necessary.

Pros

Having everything I need in one place really suits the way I work especially because if something is out of sight it tends to disappear from my mind. Tools like this are exactly what I gravitate toward and the automations are a big reason why. I can't really compare it much with other options since there still aren't many products that properly work in the UK. The only other one I've used is Zoho and that felt more complicated and honestly a bit unattractive to use.

Cons

Kind of frustrating that the calendar availability seems to need manual updating unless I'm just missing how to set it up properly. It's a little annoying but not anywhere near serious enough to be a real issue. More than anything I probably just need to stay on top of updating it.

Pros

Everything in one place is a big advantage for me. It really feels like a one stop solution because it includes all the features I need.

Cons

I just wish it supported more payment options beyond Stripe and Square.

Pros

Using the payment features is simple and the backend layout is effortless to work with.

Cons

Honestly there isn't much to dislike other than the subscription price.

Pros

Sending invoices to clients is really easy and it also does a solid job of helping me keep my workflows organized and manageable.

Cons

I wish the platform included more options and flexibility for building out a website.

Pros

Works really well as an all in one platform that connects the full workflow from one stage to the next. That setup makes automation possible and also helps with collecting client feedback. It honestly feels like I've only scratched the surface of everything it's capable of doing.

Cons

May have overlooked it but a guided series divided into sections with highlights based on each user's interests would be helpful for learning the specific capabilities they want to explore.

Pros

The free website hosting is a real plus. As I mentioned in the part about the downsides most of the photography work I'm doing right now is volunteer based. I'm hoping to get back to earning money from photography again but that's not where things are at the moment. Because of that I really can't justify paying a monthly fee just to keep a website running. Being able to host a professional-looking site at no cost is definitely a valuable benefit.

Cons

Right now my photography work is mostly volunteer work so I was genuinely happy to see that they had free accounts. I was looking forward to using it to send photos to the organisation I volunteer with. The disappointing part was that it wasn't made clear that the free plan comes with a lifetime cap of 6 projects. It's not 6 active projects at one time like some other CRM platforms have done but 6 total forever. On top of that when I tried adding photos from another event into a gallery I had already set up for one organisation it wasn't obvious how to move between galleries or albums.

Pros

It has been great for handling client work. The interface is clean, the tools are useful and everything feels very user friendly. It's especially helpful for remote work because it makes managing clients and getting paid on time much easier. I've been really pleased with the service and have already recommended it to several people and they've ended up loving it too.

Cons

The pricing on the paid plans can feel a little high especially for a freelancer who's just getting started. Still the free plan includes a lot of genuinely useful features so it's possible to begin using the platform right away and upgrade later when the time makes sense.

Pros

Comes with some really solid features if you're trying to make your operations more efficient. It feels especially well suited for freelancers and people working in creative fields.

Cons

One thing it is missing is a reliable way to fully and accurately visualize sales and revenue data. It also doesn't appear to offer a customer filtering system which would make it easier to qualify leads and bring more value to each one.

Pros

Putting together invoices and billing clients is simple. It also comes with several automation features that save a lot of time which is especially helpful when you're busy juggling freelance work.

Cons

It doesn't really support billing in multiple currencies yet although that probably won't matter to a large portion of its typical users.

Pros

Having everything in one place with this level of automation has been such a relief. I'm still getting all of my systems fully set up but I'm already really enjoying using it. It's the first CMS I've used that actually feels built for creatives and the admin side of our work.

Cons

I'd love to see more brand customization options especially for things like fonts and primary or secondary colors. It would also help a lot if clients could review all of their form responses on one final page and make edits before submitting since many of them send forms by accident and can't go back.

Pros

Keeping projects organized has been really helpful and I love how simply it connects with my invoicing. Another big plus is customer service. When I reached out they responded pretty quickly.

Cons

This is more on me than on the software but I definitely need to watch a tutorial video so I can learn how to use everything to its fullest.

Pros

Getting started felt very simple because it walks you through things step by step. I love having one dedicated place where my photography clients can view and download their images and it also helps me stay on top of projects, send invoices and manage everything in one space.

Cons

At this point I really haven't run into any issues. It's been a very positive experience overall.

Pros

Has really simplified the way I handle my client workflow and on top of that it makes all of my communication look much more professional.

Cons

It has honestly spoiled me so much that I just wish moving my Squarespace site over was a simpler process.

Pros

The questionnaires have been incredibly helpful. They let me gather all the important details for a shoot, keep both me and my clients on the same page and also show clients that their preferences and vision for the session really matter.

Cons

One thing that's frustrating is that I can't easily locate a questionnaire later unless it was created as a lead. Sometimes I only need the information and don't want that person set up as a lead but I still need to be able to reference those details afterward. Because of that I've had to adjust the way I use this feature.

Pros

It comes with some standout features especially the website builder and form builder and it also offers dedicated customer support geared toward business needs.

Cons

Years ago when I first began using the software it could be pretty glitchy although it has improved more and more over time.

Pros

The project management tabs are built in a way that really works for visual thinkers and they make it simple to see exactly which stage every project is in. The automated touchpoints have been an absolute lifesaver for me.

Cons

Setting up everything takes quite a bit of effort but once it's in place the time spent on the pocess definitely pays off.

Pros

Creating a project is really easy and adding updates or completed work to it is just as simple. The client portal is also one of my favorite features and my clients enjoy using it too.

Cons

One thing that's frustrating is not being able to duplicate workspaces. There are times when I want four identical workspaces with different names or titles but instead I have to copy everything manually which takes a lot of time.