We've all been here: a client with a vague brief, a "simple" project that balloons, an invoice that goes unpaid for months.
The freelance industry has spent 15 years building trust infrastructure pointing in exactly one direction — at us. Toptal's 5-step screening. Upwork's skill verification. Expert-vetted badges. All of it answers the client's question: "can I trust this freelancer?"
Nobody ever built the reverse. No one answers our question: "can I trust this client?"
So I'm building it. Vettly lets you search a client before you accept — payment reliability, scope-creep reports from other freelancers, and an AI analysis of their brief that flags risk signals (unrealistic budget, vague scope, the patterns that predict a nightmare).
It works on day one even without reviews, because the brief analysis is pure signal.
I'm validating demand before building the full thing. If you've ever been burned by a client, the waitlist is here: https://vettly-waitlist.netlify.app
And I genuinely want to know in the comments: what's the earliest red flag you've learned to spot in a bad client?