Cradled has two kinds of clients. Understanding the difference is the single most important concept in the product.
Connected clients
A connected client is a family using the Cradled mobile app. They have their own login, they can do daily check-ins, request help from their village, complete care plans, sign contracts in-app, and pay invoices from their home screen.
When a client is connected:
- Their wellbeing data flows into your dashboard automatically (within the limits they've set).
- They can book appointments with you from the app.
- Plans and templates you assign appear in their Care tab for them to fill out.
- Contracts you send open in an in-app signing modal.
- Invoices show up on their home screen with a pay button.
A connected client appears with a green Connected badge in your client list.
Managed clients
A managed client is someone you add manually — they don't have (or haven't yet created) a Cradled account. Maybe they don't want to use the app, maybe they just inquired about your services, or maybe you want to keep records for a client you worked with before Cradled existed.
With a managed client, you can:
- Log visits and notes on their profile.
- Track their due date, birth date, and birth outcomes.
- Send them invoices via email (with a public payment link).
- Send them contracts via email (with a public signing link).
- Store internal notes.
You cannot see their wellbeing, check-ins, village activity, appointment notes, or plan responses — because there's no client app side generating that data.
A managed client appears with an amber Managed badge.
When a managed client becomes connected
A managed client converts to connected when they sign your contract — either through the signing link you sent, or by signing up in the app with the same email you have on file and having a signed contract with you. A matching email alone isn't enough; there has to be a signed contract tying them to you.
When the merge happens, all their history carries over to the connected profile — visits, contracts, invoices, payment plans, appointments, assigned plans, notes, expenses, shared files, standard-steps progress, and on-call assignments.
Billing implications
Both managed and connected clients count toward your active-client limit. On the Free plan that's one active client total, so archive inquiries you're not actively serving until you're ready to upgrade.