Helpful Willa Review will be described in this article. Content creators can earn up to $50,000 per year from their online content thanks to the expanding creator economy.
Although this is fantastic news for existing and aspiring content providers, there are still challenges that these internet business owners must overcome. Yes, as you might have guessed, we’re discussing getting paid. Surprisingly, up to 87% of creators have experienced late or nonexistent payments from clients.
The bottom line: Chasing client payments, including sponsorships and brand endorsements, continues to be very difficult. Willa is an app that assists independent contractors in streamlining their financial operations.
We’ll examine Willa’s features, functionality, and suitability for your needs in this section. There is a lot to discuss, so let’s get started.
Willa Review: How Willa works
Willa provides dependable means for freelancers and online creators to track client payments, as was hinted at in the introduction.
With offices in Los Angeles and Stockholm, Willa was established in 2019.
They quickly received backing from the venture capital firm EQT Ventures, which assisted them in establishing themselves in the fintech industry.
Since then, the business has received attention from publications like the Los Angeles Business Journal, Medium, and Business Wire, and it is now well known as a promising finance platform.
Currently, the Apple App Store offers the Willa app for download.
Unfortunately, Android is not currently supported.
Only iOS devices, such as iPhones and iPads, can access it.
How Willa Functions: A Review
Download the smartphone app, then register for an account to begin using Willa.
Willa is only now accessible in the United States.
You require a permanent US address, US bank account, and US phone number in order to open an account.
If you do, here is a brief explanation of Willa’s functionality:
Set up your profile:
Your Willa dashboard is where you can access your business profile.
You can enter your account information, including tax and business information, here.
If you don’t have a business registration, you can still create an account using your social security number.
Request Payments from clients:
You may find a “Request” button and your balance on the app’s home screen.
Request generates an invoice with your billing details, which you can send to customers.
Taking Payments:
On the customer’s end, they may view the balance owing, pick their chosen form of payment, and deposit the money into your Willa account.
Willa also follows up with the client on your behalf until the payment is received, as opposed to you personally pursuing unpaid invoices.
Thus, you will never need to contact a client again!
It’s important to note that your customers can pay using the Willa invoice you provide them instead of downloading the app.
Additionally, using Willa is free for your client (besides what they owe you).
Withdrawals: After a client makes a payment, your Willa account balance immediately adjusts to reflect your revenues.
The money can then be electronically sent to a bank or PayPal account.
Willa Review: Willa’s Core Features
Let’s look at the additional features you might anticipate now that we’ve covered the fundamentals of utilising Willa.
Early withdrawal
Let’s imagine you have a trustworthy client who you know will pay you after the assignment is finished.
Normally, you can’t access money until the customer has paid the bill.
However, Willa’s early cash-out provision allows you to request payment in advance.
Then, how does this operate?
In essence, it’s comparable to a cash advance.
Willa pays the sum you’ll receive from an invoice before the client has paid it with the early cash-out feature.
For a tiny variable upfront cost that Willa determines at its discretion, you can select any amount from the total balance owed.
It goes without stating that this is a great way to guarantee consistent cash flow.
There aren’t any credit checks necessary to use this tool.
Instead, they determine and apply a fee based on how long you have had your Willa account as well as other variables, such as the likelihood that you will receive payment for the anticipated invoice.
Express Withdrawal
You can also use Willa’s Express Withdrawl if you require your money right away.
With express withdrawals, you can avoid the typical waiting period that banks occasionally impose on their transfers.
For instance, before transferring money from one account to another, some banks hold funds for one to five days.
In contrast, you don’t have to wait around for your money to arrive in your bank account when you take money from your Willa account.
Willa assesses a 1.75% Express withdrawal fee in exchange.
Security
The security measures used by Willa to safeguard your account and payments are summarised below:
Encryption: Willa protects customer data and personal information using 365-Bit encryption as a standard.
Fraud prevention: Willa actively searches for fraudulent activity and has the authority to lock accounts pending review in the case that there is any indication of fraudulent conduct.
Identity verification: Willa performs a number of security checks, such as two-step verification and client screening, such as know-your-customer checks and business ID checks, to prevent unauthorised access to accounts.
Compliance: All payments and data are in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission, California Consumer Privacy Act, and Payment Card Industry.
Willa Review: Willa’s Customer Service
The app allows you to communicate with Willa’s support staff.
Simply select the “contact us” link to open a website where you can send them an SMS or email.
As an alternative, you can contact Willa’s staff by going to her website and sending them an email or using the live chat feature.
Here, help is available to both artists and customers.
Additionally, Willa provides a help website where you can access commonly asked questions.
The cat climbing a ladder picture is at the very top.
Willa Review: Willa’s Pricing
There are no setup or monthly expenses, and the Willa app can be downloaded for free.
Free access to the following is among them:
Account opening Customer service
Creation of invoices
Features for managing payments and collecting them
Withdrawals from Willa to a bank account or PayPal are considered standard fund withdrawals.
When using Willa, you simply have to be aware of two fees:
The express withdrawal cost of 1.75%
The fluctuating early cash withdrawal fee
But let’s say you’re a brand manager or agency looking for additional in-depth financial features.
If so, Willa’s platform also offers an Enterprise version that enables you to automate payouts and receive assistance with invoicing, payments, and compliance.
The API for Willa is also available to you.
So that Willa integrates easily with your current tech stack, you can design bespoke integrations.
To have Willa’s engineers assist you in integrating this into your present workflow, please get in touch with them.
You must contact Willa directly for an estimate because it does not post the pricing of its Enterprise package.
Willa Review: Willa’s Pros and Cons
Here is a quick pro-con list to assist us summarise what we’ve learnt now that we’ve covered the most of what Willa has to offer:
Pros
- Downloading and using Willa are both free.
- You can send payment requests and withdraw money with Willa (with no charge).
- Willa pursues unpaid invoices.
- Willa has a good level of security.
- You can get cash from unpaid bills using the early cash-out feature.
Cons
- Outside of the US, Willa is not offered.
- Android and desktop devices do not support Willa.
- Willa does not indicate its early cash-out fees.
Willa Review: FAQs
You could still have questions about Willa even though we’ve covered a lot of territory.
By responding to some of the most often asked questions concerning this invoicing software, we thought we’d try to anticipate your questions.
What’s the Difference Between Willa and the Likes of Paypal?
What distinguishes Willa from PayPal, which is frequently used by independent contractors and content producers to receive and manage payments?
There are a few salient variations:
In contrast to Willa, PayPal does not assist you in collecting payments.
When using Paypal, you are often responsible for issuing invoices and following up on late payments.
Willa, however, differs from other providers in that they handle this task on your behalf.
Willa does not impose high transaction costs.
Paypal, in contrast, levies a number of fees.
For instance, you must pay to withdraw, transfer, and even receive donations if you are a merchant on Paypal.
The early cash-out feature allows you to ask for payment advances on Willa.
In contrast, PayPal does not provide this.
What if I’m Not a US Resident or My Client Isn’t?
Unfortunately, if you don’t have a US address, as we’ve already said, you can’t use Willa’s services.
You can still use Willa to seek payments even if your client is headquartered outside of the US and you are.
Willa Review: Our Final Verdict
What do we think, then?
Willa does a fantastic job of making it simple for content creators and freelancers to get compensated for their work, in our opinion.
There are no additional costs, and it efficiently automates a number of tedious procedures related to billing and collecting payments from customers.
Another noteworthy feature is early cash-out.
It’s a major benefit if you require money quickly, possibly to work on other projects or to keep doing what you love.
Even better would be if Willa made clear how much this service costs, although we understand why they don’t.
Variable prices make reasonable because it seems sense that different accounts will have varying risks.
However, aside from that, Willa appears to be extremely forward about their prices and fees.
The self-help materials on their website could, however, be a little bit more in-depth.
It would be wonderful if their website offered a help centre with more in-depth instructions on how to utilise Willa, even if they already have a blog, FAQs, and contact information available.
To sum up, we believe Willa is a fantastic option for US-based freelancers and content creators searching for a simple and reasonable way to submit invoices, follow up on client payments, and withdraw money into their bank or PayPal account.
