Billings Touch was Marketcircle’s early answer to a familiar freelance problem: finishing work away from a desk and forgetting to record it. The developer’s January 2010 announcement introduced an iPhone and iPod touch app that could operate independently or accompany Billings on the Mac. This article covers that original product, identified by the Billings Touch name in this historical link.
From a piece of work to an invoice
The useful idea was continuity. A client record, the project for that client and the work performed belonged together. Contemporary coverage describes timed and fixed work entries, mileage, reusable blueprints and emailed invoices. Those features addressed different parts of the same administrative task: remembering what happened, putting it against the right job and explaining the charge.
For a designer, a useful entry might describe a specific revision rather than simply say “design.” For a consultant, it might identify the meeting and its purpose. Recording that context while it is fresh makes the eventual invoice easier to check. A running timer alone cannot provide that explanation.
A sensible way to organize client work
Keep project names distinct enough to recognize on a small screen. Separate billable work from internal administration, and review entries before turning them into customer documents. If a timer continued through a break, correct the record rather than treating elapsed time as automatically billable. These are workflow principles, not claims that the old app makes those decisions for you.
The original launch used a free download with paid unlocking for sending invoices or Mac synchronization. That is historical context, not a current offer. It also explains why an old review of the free download may describe a different experience from a fully enabled installation.
Which Billings product does an old link describe?
Marketcircle later distinguished Billings and Billings Touch from the multiuser Billings Pro family. Do not assume instructions for one edition apply to another. Before replacing a working historical installation, identify its exact product name, preserve available records and ask the publisher about migration. This retrospective does not establish present App Store availability, compatibility or a supported transfer path.