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
If a managed client later signs up for the Cradled app, their account auto-merges into your record as long as:
- They sign up with the same email you used on the managed client, or
- They sign up via a contract signing link you sent them
When the merge happens, their past visits, contracts, invoices, and payment plans carry over to the connected profile.
Billing implications
Managed clients do not count toward your paid-plan seat limits. Connected clients do. This makes managed clients useful for keeping inquiry records without burning seats.