GigSafe

Escrow protection for small gigs at ultra-low fees—no more payment disputes.

Score: 7.7/10Saudi ArabiaMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

High Stripe fees erode freelancer profits on small gigs, with no viable low-cost alternatives for international clients.

Solution

GigSafe holds client payments in Wise escrow until you confirm delivery, then instant release to you. Perfect for building trust on international $20-200 gigs without Stripe's cuts or disputes. Dashboard manages milestones, releases, and savings tracking.

Target Audience

Freelancers delivering small gigs ($20-200) to international clients

Differentiator

Low-fee escrow using Wise holds + milestone releases, specialized for micro-gigs.

Brand Voice

supportive

Features

Escrow Setup

must-have25h

Create protected gig with payment hold.

Milestone Management

must-have20h

Define delivery steps for partial releases.

Client Portal

must-have18h

Shareable link for clients to pay/confirm.

Auto-Release

must-have15h

Funds transfer on confirmation.

Dispute Logger

must-have12h

Simple evidence upload for issues.

Safe Dashboard

must-have15h

Overview held funds, history.

Custom Contracts

nice-to-have10h

Embed terms in invoices.

Repeat Client

nice-to-have8h

Fast escrow for known clients.

Savings Tracker

nice-to-have12h

Compare to Stripe fees.

Team Access

future20h

Collaborators on gigs.

Total Build Time: 155 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
wise_escrow_idtextYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • gigs.user_id -> users.id

gigs

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
client_emailtextNo
escrow_amountintNo
statustextNo
wise_hold_idtextYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • user_id -> users.id
  • milestones.gig_id -> gigs.id

milestones

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
gig_iduuidNo
descriptiontextNo
amountintNo
completedboolNo

Relationships:

  • gig_id -> gigs.id

disputes

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
gig_iduuidNo
evidence_urltextYes
statustextNo

Relationships:

  • gig_id -> gigs.id

API Endpoints

POST
/api/gigs

Create escrow gig

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/gigs/:id/release

Trigger release

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/gigs

List user gigs

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/webhooks/wise

Escrow hold updates

POST
/api/disputes

Log dispute

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui
Backend
Next.js API routes + Supabase Edge Functions
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Wise API (holds) + Stripe (subscriptions)
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Resend (notifications)Supabase Storage (evidence)

Build Timeline

Week 1: Core setup

40h
  • Auth/DB
  • Dashboard
  • Gig form

Week 2: Escrow flows

45h
  • Milestone mgmt
  • Client portal UI

Week 3: Wise escrow

50h
  • Hold creation
  • Release logic

Week 4: Disputes + track

40h
  • Dispute system
  • Status sync

Week 5: UI + emails

35h
  • Polish
  • Notifications

Week 6: Test/launch prep

30h
  • Tests
  • Landing page
Total Timeline: 6 weeks • 260 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No milestones

  • 3 escrows/mo
  • Basic holds

Pro

$37/mo
  • Unlimited
  • Milestones
  • Disputes
  • Portal

Enterprise

$97/mo
  • All Pro
  • Priority disputes
  • API
  • Multi-user

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 1903%$100$1,200
Month 67506%$1,665$19,980

Unit Economics

$30
CAC
$340
LTV
6%
Churn
88%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 11.3xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Gig Payments Secured, Fees Slashed

Escrow trust for international small gigs—hold until delivered, pay <1% fees.

Feature Highlights

Milestone releases
Client portal easy
Dispute-proof
Wise low fees

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"No more chargebacks! - Tom, Artist"
"Trust booster for new clients. - Lena, VA"

First Three Customers

Email Upwork/Fiverr freelancer groups with escrow pain survey, interview 15, give lifetime Pro to first 3 for testimonials.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/forhireIndie Hackersr/freelanceFreelancer forums

SEO Keywords

escrow small gigsfreelance escrow low feesecure international payments gigsgig dispute protectioncheap escrow freelancers

Competitive Analysis

Escrow.com

escrow.com
3.25% min $25
Strength

Trusted

Weakness

Too expensive for small gigs

Our Advantage

<1% + gig focus

Upwork Escrow

upwork.com
Platform fees
Strength

Integrated

Weakness

Gig limits

Our Advantage

Standalone low-fee

🏰 Moat Strategy

Escrow transaction data for risk scoring, user reviews network effect for trust.

⏰ Why Now?

Rise in freelance disputes with global clients, Wise escrow features new, trust key in remote economy.

Risks & Mitigation

legalhigh severity

Escrow regulations

Mitigation

Partner with Wise, legal review

technicalmedium severity

Fund hold failures

Mitigation

Redundant checks

marketmedium severity

Clients resist escrow

Mitigation

Free for clients

financiallow severity

Hold fund float costs

Mitigation

Short holds only

Validation Roadmap

pre-build10 days

Interview 20 freelancers on disputes

Success: 10 want escrow

mvp14 days

Manual beta 10 gigs

Success: 100% completion

launch7 days

Forum posts

Success: 30 signups

Pivot Options

  • No-escrow invoicing
  • Agency focus
  • Crypto escrow

Quick Stats

Build Time
260h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$5,000
Market Size
$5000.0M
Features
10
Database Tables
4
API Endpoints
5