HoneyBook vs Dubsado: pricing, features and which to pick

Both tools price per plan, not per client. HoneyBook has three plans: Starter at $36 a month, Essentials at $59 and Premium at $129, or $29, $49 and $109 a month billed yearly. Dubsado has two: Starter at $35 and Premier at $55, or $335 and $525 a year, about $27.92 and $43.75 a month. Payment processing fees come on top with both.

For one person, the entry plans are a dollar apart: $36 for HoneyBook Starter and $35 for Dubsado Starter. Neither entry plan includes automations or a scheduler, which are the main reasons most owners buy these tools. With them, it's $59 on HoneyBook Essentials against $55 on Dubsado Premier, a $4 gap, or $48 a year on monthly billing. HoneyBook Starter also keeps the 'Powered by HoneyBook' line on what clients see.

At three people the gap opens. Dubsado includes 3 additional users free, so a 3-person team still pays $35 on Starter or $55 on Premier. HoneyBook's Essentials allows up to 2 team members, and its pricing page doesn't say whether the account owner counts as one of them. If the owner doesn't count, three people fit Essentials at $59. If the owner does count, you need Premium at $129, which is $74 a month more than Dubsado Premier, or $888 a year.

Past that, Dubsado charges $25 a month for 4 to 10 users, so a 5-person team on Premier pays $80. HoneyBook Premium stays at $129 with unlimited team members, but Dubsado is still cheaper at 15 people, at $100 on Premier with the $45 tier. Dubsado adds $10 a month for each extra brand, and HoneyBook includes multiple companies on Premium.

HoneyBook names photo and video, events, marketing, professional services and personal services among its audiences, and it's available to businesses in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. It's also plain about what it isn't for: e-commerce, subscription billing, payroll, inventory or internal work with no client attached. Its sweet spot is a solo owner who sells, books and bills, and wants the software to suggest the next step.

Dubsado, founded in 2015 and based in Burbank, California, is aimed at solo service businesses and small teams with contract-heavy onboarding. Its strengths matter most when every new client goes through the same intake: forms, proposals, contracts, payment plans and workflows. Extra brands at $10 a month each suit owners running more than one business from one account.

Neither is a request portal. Once a client is signed and paid, ongoing asks, revisions and approvals mostly move back to email in both tools.

Both put a branded portal on the entry plan. HoneyBook's homepage shows a portal for each project with an overview, activity, tasks, files, payments and notes alongside messages. You can apply your brand colors, fonts and logo, and client links use a custom subdomain. A full custom domain isn't stated on its pricing page, and the pages we checked don't say how clients sign in.

Dubsado's portals are branded and password-protected, and every client-facing document carries your branding. You can connect a custom domain so clients see your address instead of Dubsado's, though the pricing page doesn't say which plan includes it. Clients need a password to sign in.

In both, the portal is where clients find what they've signed, paid and been sent, and it's strongest at the start of a project. Neither is built around a client sending a steady stream of requests and approving deliverables, so mid-project revisions tend to happen over email. Use the trials to see the portal from a client's side before you commit.

Automation is a big reason to buy either tool, and both keep it off the entry plan. HoneyBook's automations start on Essentials at $59, along with the scheduler, SMS reminders and QuickBooks Online. Dubsado's workflows, scheduling, Zapier and QuickBooks Online start on Premier at $55.

Dubsado's workflows are multi-step sequences triggered by what clients do, such as sending a contract once a questionnaire is submitted, and they come with templates. Smart fields fill client and project details into forms and documents, so one template works for every client. This depth is why Dubsado suits owners who like to build their own process.

HoneyBook pairs its automations with HoneyBook AI, which includes an AI automations builder and follow-up suggestions, so you can start from a description instead of building every step. Its scheduler and SMS appointment reminders come on Essentials. Dubsado's scheduling on Premier adds custom availability and two-way calendar sync.

Both connect proposals, contracts and invoices so a client can review, sign and pay in one sequence. Dubsado's proposals can bundle a contract, invoice and payment plan into one link, and public proposals are a Premier feature. HoneyBook includes proposals, contracts, invoices and payments from Starter, and each client engagement keeps the contract, invoice, payment and project together.

Forms favor Dubsado: questionnaires, intake forms and lead capture forms you can embed on your site, with optional CSS for styling. The catch is that Starter allows only 1 active lead capture form, while Premier is unlimited. HoneyBook allows 2 live lead forms on Starter, 10 on Essentials and unlimited on Premium, and includes questionnaires and a CRM pipeline on every plan.

On payments, HoneyBook publishes its fees: cards from 2.7% plus 10 cents and ACH at 1.5%, with Apple Pay, Google Pay and optional tips on its payment screen. Dubsado Payments, powered by Stripe, takes cards, ACH, Klarna, Affirm and Tap to Pay, with optional surcharging, and PayPal and Square can connect too. Dubsado also supports payment plans, recurring invoices and autopay, while HoneyBook says it isn't designed for subscription billing.

HoneyBook is the easier start. Its setup is more guided, and HoneyBook AI comes on every plan: chat, an automations builder, email drafts, a meeting notetaker, meeting prep, follow-up suggestions, project recaps, business trends and lead enrichment. Premium adds priority support.

Dubsado takes longer to learn. The company says most users are set up within a week or two, and it backs that with a free 10-form migration, guides, workshops, independent Certified Specialists, a paid member community and free email and live chat support from Starter. Its AI is narrower: email thread summaries and a meeting notetaker, with no plan listed for the notetaker.

Both have iOS and Android apps, and Dubsado describes its apps as a companion, with full features on the web. The trials are the best test: 30 days on HoneyBook and 21 days with full Premier access on Dubsado, neither needing a card. Set up one real client's onboarding in each and you'll know which way of working suits you.