Compare project workflowsDealokr, invoices and bank transfers

Dealokr or invoice and bank transfer: choose the workflow for your project.

An invoice documents the transaction, a bank transfer moves money and Dealokr organises the project steps. Choose from the scope, review and handoff you need, rather than expecting one tool to replace every other part of your work.

Compare the workflows

You can organise a project with a clear agreement, an invoice and a bank transfer. You can also choose Dealokr to connect the scope, upfront payment, preview and handoff within the same project. The useful question is which arrangement helps you follow the work and decisions with your client.

To place the comparison within the product’s full project journey, explore how Dealokr works. You can then choose what suits your activity without confusing an invoicing document, a payment method and a project workflow.

Apply the same criteria to both arrangements: when production begins, which version is reviewed, how a decision is confirmed and when deliverables are handed over. A simple process can work well; an integrated workflow becomes useful when you want to connect those reference points more easily.

Keep three roles separate.

An invoice is a commercial and accounting document for the transaction.
A bank transfer is a payment method; it can be agreed before work starts.
Dealokr connects the agreement, upfront payment, preview, feedback and hosted final-file access.
The right choice depends on your projects, organisation and the workflow your client understands.

01 · Compare the same needs

Distinguish the document, payment and project workflow.

An invoice, a bank transfer and Dealokr serve different purposes. The invoice documents the transaction, the transfer handles payment and Dealokr organises a project workflow. To choose, consider what each brings to your work, then how you connect the agreement, decisions and deliverables, rather than expecting one document or service to do everything on its own.

A professional reviews documents gathered on a desk.

Start by comparing their roles

Element	Main role	How it fits the project
Invoice	Document the transaction and invoiced amounts.	Relate it to the commercial agreement and payment.
Bank transfer	Move money to the beneficiary’s account.	Organise it under agreed conditions and match it to the project.
Dealokr	Connect the agreement, payment, review and handoff within the project.	Use it alongside invoicing and deliverables appropriate to your activity.

The invoice keeps its commercial and accounting role when you use Dealokr. Project tracking, a payment status or access to a file does not replace your invoicing and accounting obligations. You can organise those elements together without treating them as equivalents.

Look carefully at your current arrangement

A signed agreement, well-named folders and clear exchanges can already provide a solid framework. Using a bank transfer does not inevitably scatter information. What matters is whether you can find the relevant references when you need to work.

Dealokr provides a place to follow the workflow and its context. Its value depends on the connections you want to simplify: agreement and project, preview and feedback, transfer and handoff. If those links are already easy for you and your client to follow, use that as your starting point for comparison.

02 · Agree when work begins

Arrange payment before starting in either workflow.

Payment before production is not exclusive to Dealokr: you can also agree it with a client who pays by bank transfer. In either case, the useful step is to clarify the price, expected result and start condition before work. You can then check the relevant payment and begin with an arrangement that both parties understand.

Interface sketches and pencils outline the deliverables for a digital project.

With an agreement and a bank transfer

Define the deliverables, dates and order of steps with your client. If payment is due before production, explain how it will be requested and confirmed. Match the payment actually received to the relevant documents and project, rather than relying only on a stated intention to transfer or a screenshot.

This can be very clear when you both know the process and the references are unambiguous. The work involves coordinating the documents, bank information and conversations. That can be straightforward for an occasional project with few stages.

With Dealokr’s fixed-price workflow

You prepare the agreement, price, deliverables and review conditions. After signature, the client pays 100% of the fixed price upfront through Stripe Connect. Funds are collected in the platform’s Stripe balance before transfer to the freelancer’s connected account; you follow the project from that initial funding.

The difference is the organisation of the workflow and its statuses, rather than an exclusive ability to be paid before working. Choose from what you and your client need to see and follow, then explain clearly which step allows production to begin.

03 · Give feedback a framework

Organise a clear review around identifiable material.

A sound agreement can set review criteria, a decision-maker and revisions, whether or not you use Dealokr. The choice then concerns how you present a version and find the response later. In Dealokr, the preview, revision requests and recorded project events give you shared context for following that part of the work together with your client.

A professional joins a video conversation on a laptop.

A manual process can be well organised

You can send a named version, ask a precise question and request consolidated feedback from the agreed person. A written response and an organised folder help you retrieve the decision. What matters is knowing which material you are discussing, which criteria apply and what still needs changing.

For example, presentation v02 may receive two specific corrections before v03 is ready for another review. This works when both parties can find the same reference and understand the request. No product replaces precise feedback or a decision between conflicting opinions.

Connect review to the project in Dealokr

In the client portal, the preview is there for examining the work; the client can approve it or request a revision. Conversations and available history help you return to the context. You can relate what was shown, the response and the next version without treating each step as a separate conversation.

Approval concerns the work presented. It is not another client payment or an automatically executed transfer. When choosing your arrangement, ask where you will find the version and decision at the next review, and whether your client will know what to do.

04 · Prepare deliverable access

Connect final handoff to the agreed conditions.

Handoff needs its own framework: which files will be provided, when and with what access? With a manual arrangement, you coordinate these points with the agreed payment. In Dealokr, hosted final files follow the confirmed-transfer workflow. In either case, the package needs to be ready, identifiable and consistent with what was agreed between you and your client.

Hands prepare a set of blank materials on a light table.

Organise an understandable manual handoff

Prepare an inventory of the deliverables, formats and accepted version. Explain where the client can retrieve each item and any requirements for using it. If file handoff depends on a payment stage, plan and explain that arrangement; do not change existing terms at the moment of delivery.

For a shared folder or external creation tool, check permissions, invitations and the ability to retrieve the files. You can accompany handoff with a recap. The bank transfer deals with payment; your organisation connects that payment to the right package.

Follow confirmation before hosted final-file access

In Dealokr, following review, the freelancer requests the transfer under the project conditions. Confirmation enables access to hosted final files under the applicable workflow. Approval alone or a deadline passing does not automatically execute the transfer; bank arrival remains a separate step.

Protection concerns hosted files. Permissions for a Drive, Figma or other external link remain with that provider. A visible preview can also be captured or copied. The benefit is distinguishing what supports review from what will be handed over, with an order the client can understand.

05 · Compare the whole arrangement

Consider service costs alongside the work of coordination.

Compare costs over the same scope: documents, payment, feedback and handoff. A bank transfer follows your bank’s terms; Dealokr has a plan model and separate payment fees. For a representative project, consider the displayed amounts alongside the coordination time and the kind of follow-up you and your client want throughout the work, from agreement to handoff.

A professional checks a computer before choosing a way to organise the work.

Consider what you actually use

If you already have an invoicing tool, file space and approval method that work, account for that existing setup. Adding a product should address an identifiable need: simplifying exchanges, making stages easier to follow or helping you find the context more readily.

For a very simple project, your current process may be sufficient. If you frequently move between a payment, a file folder and several conversations to find a decision, a connected workflow can be useful. Compare using a representative project, rather than only an exceptional case.

Separate the amounts and responsibilities

With Dealokr, distinguish the plan cost, any applicable commission and the service or payment fees presented to your client. Read the total and operation conditions before confirmation. A 0% commission does not automatically mean that every other fee disappears.

For a bank transfer, consult your bank’s terms and those of the relevant payment. Then consider the actual displayed costs alongside the follow-up you need: finding documents, requesting confirmations and organising handoff. You can choose a suitable arrangement without confusing that workflow with payment insurance or a regulated escrow service.

06 · Choose for your next project

Choose from a concrete working scenario.

The best workflow is one you can explain to your client and follow throughout the project. Take actual work and consider its versions, expected decisions and planned handoff. You can then compare your current arrangement with Dealokr using those needs, choosing a workflow that fits the way you both work and make decisions together.

A graphic designer works on a project layout at a creative workstation.

A simple project with a familiar client

You are producing a well-defined deliverable, the client knows your process and you both know where to confirm the final version. A clear agreement, appropriate invoicing and bank transfer under the agreed conditions may be enough. Keep the references and make sure payment and handoff are connected to that particular project.

Production with several reviews and a handoff to coordinate

You want one place for the signed scope, initial funding, previews and feedback. Dealokr lets you follow those elements within the project, then connects hosted final-file access to transfer confirmation. It is a useful choice if that workflow makes the steps easier for you and your client to understand.

An existing project or an older invoice

Start from the existing terms and payments before changing methods. A new workflow does not retrospectively turn an unpaid invoice into a funded project or replace resolving the current situation. For the next project, you can decide the order of steps and the tool supporting them earlier.

Before starting, ask three questions: does the client understand when to pay, know which version to review and see how to retrieve the deliverables? Clear answers make the choice practical. Dealokr becomes useful when you want to connect those reference points in a project you can follow together.

Invoices, bank transfers and Dealokr have different roles. Keep invoicing appropriate to your activity, agree on payment and review before production, then choose how to connect those steps to the deliverables. The right workflow is one you and your client can follow clearly.

Back to the criteria

Sources and verification

Service Public Entreprendre — Invoices and the role of the document
Banque de France — SEPA bank transfers
Dealokr — Agreement, initial payment and project review
Dealokr — Confirmed transfers and hosted final files
Dealokr — Plans and separate payment fees

The Dealokr workflow described concerns fixed-price projects. An agreement, invoice and bank-transfer process can also provide for payment before production and a review. Dealokr complements that operational framework without replacing invoicing or accounting obligations; each service’s fees and conditions remain separate.