Dubsado
From $20/mo (paid annually), free 3-client trial with no time limit
The most direct HoneyBook replacement: contracts, invoicing, scheduling, and workflow automation in one place, at a lower entry price. Steeper learning curve to set up.
Updated September 2026
Best HoneyBook Alternatives, Compared on Price & Features
HoneyBook's 2025 price hikes — and the loyalty discount that expired in early 2026 — pushed a lot of wedding and event pros from "which CRM should I use" to "is it actually time to leave." Here's a plain-numbers look at where the money and the features land if you do.
Why this guide exists
HoneyBook got a lot more expensive, and fast
In February 2025, HoneyBook restructured pricing across its tiers — and by most vendor accounts, the increase wasn't small. Starter-tier users reported jumps from roughly $19/mo to $36/mo; Essentials from around $39 to $59; Premium from about $79 to $129. On top of that, many longtime users were on a legacy loyalty discount that quietly expired in February 2026, meaning a second jump landed on renewal for people who thought their price was locked in.
That's not us editorializing — it's the numbers vendors themselves have been posting in Trustpilot reviews and wedding-industry Facebook groups since the change: "Used to pay $35/month, now it's $129." "HoneyBook frequently raises rates under the guise of adding new features I don't actually use." The complaint pattern is consistent enough that "HoneyBook alternatives" has become one of the most common threads in wedding-photography and event-planning groups this year.
Before you do anything: log into your own HoneyBook account and check your actual current and upcoming renewal price under Settings → Billing. Published tier pricing and what any individual account is grandfathered into can differ — don't switch based on a number you saw in a Facebook post, switch based on your own invoice.
The short version
Quick verdict: who should switch where
If you only read one section, read this one. Full detail on each vendor is below.
17hats
From around $15–$60/mo depending on plan
Simpler and cheaper if you're a one-person operation and don't need deep automation. Less polished client-facing experience than HoneyBook or Dubsado.
Stay on HoneyBook, downgrade tier
Starter tier, reassessed
If your workflows are already built out in HoneyBook, migrating has a real cost. Check whether a lower tier or annual billing gets you back to a price you're okay with before you rebuild everything elsewhere.
Side by side
Price & feature comparison
Entry-tier pricing shown is commonly reported as of September 2026. CRM pricing changes often — confirm current numbers on each vendor's site before you commit.
| Feature | HoneyBook | Dubsado | 17hats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price (monthly billing) | ~$36/mo (Starter) | ~$20/mo (paid annually) | ~$15–$30/mo |
| Free trial | Yes, 7 days | Yes — 3 clients, no time limit | Yes, 30 days (varies by promo) |
| Contracts & e-signatures | Included | Included | Included |
| Online invoicing & payments | Included | Included | Included |
| Client scheduling | Included | Included | Included |
| Multi-step workflow automation | Strong | Strongest — most granular trigger logic | Basic |
| Client portal polish | Strongest — brand-forward, client-facing | Good, more configurable | Functional, dated UI |
| Lead capture forms | Included | Included | Included |
| Mobile app | iOS & Android | Mobile web only | iOS & Android |
| Built-in payment processing fee | ~3% + card fees | Stripe/Square pass-through, ~2.9% | Stripe pass-through, ~2.9% |
| Learning curve to set up | Low | Higher — powerful but takes setup time | Low–medium |
Figures compiled from vendor pricing pages and industry write-ups as of September 2026. Payment processing fees, feature availability, and tier structure change — verify against the current pricing page before switching.
The deep dive
HoneyBook alternatives, in detail
What each one actually does well, where it falls short, and who it's a good fit for.
Dubsado
From ~$20/mo (annual) · free 3-client trialDubsado is the closest like-for-like replacement for HoneyBook's core workflow: lead capture, proposals, contracts, invoicing, scheduling, and automated client workflows in one system. Its automation engine ("workflows") is more granular than HoneyBook's — you can branch logic on form responses, payment status, or tags — which is why a lot of vendors switching from HoneyBook land here rather than on a stripped-down tool.
Where it wins
- Lower entry price than HoneyBook's current tiers
- Free trial has no time limit — just a 3-client cap, so you can build real workflows before paying
- Deeper automation branching than HoneyBook
- Highly configurable client portal and forms
Where it falls short
- No native mobile app — mobile web only
- Steeper setup curve; expect a real onboarding project, not a weekend
- Client-facing polish is good but not as immediately "wow" as HoneyBook's
Affiliate link — see disclosure below. It costs you nothing extra and may earn us a commission if you subscribe.
17hats
From ~$15–$30/mo · trial available17hats leans toward simplicity: it bundles CRM, invoicing, contracts, and basic project tracking at a lower price point than either HoneyBook or Dubsado, aimed squarely at solo operators who don't need heavy automation. It won't out-automate Dubsado and its interface shows its age next to HoneyBook's newer design, but for a one-person shop running a moderate volume of events, it's often more than enough — and meaningfully cheaper.
Where it wins
- Lowest cost of the three at entry tier
- Native mobile apps (iOS + Android)
- Simple enough to set up in a day or two
- Handles the basics — contracts, invoicing, scheduling — reliably
Where it falls short
- Limited multi-step automation compared to Dubsado or HoneyBook
- Client portal and forms feel dated next to HoneyBook
- Less suited to teams or agencies handling high volume
Affiliate link — see disclosure below. It costs you nothing extra and may earn us a commission if you subscribe.
Staying on HoneyBook
Starter tier, or annual billingHoneyBook is still a genuinely good product — the client-facing experience, mobile app, and lead-to-booking flow are the best-polished of the three. If your business already has HoneyBook workflows built out, the real cost of switching isn't just the new subscription — it's the hours spent rebuilding contracts, automations, and templates in a new system, in whatever's left of your off-season. Before you migrate, it's worth checking:
- Whether switching to annual billing brings the effective monthly price down meaningfully
- Whether a lower tier still covers what you actually use day to day (not what you signed up thinking you'd use)
- Whether HoneyBook has restored or offered a new loyalty rate — pricing changes have moved more than once in the past year, so it's worth asking support directly
Affiliate link — see disclosure below.
Other options worth knowing about
A few other tools come up often in vendor discussions, without (yet) being ones we can point you to through a tracked link — we're listing them for completeness, not because we're paid to:
- Bonsai — broader freelancer-focused toolkit (contracts, invoicing, time tracking, taxes) that extends beyond just event/wedding vendor use cases.
- Aisle Planner — built specifically for wedding planners, with stronger design-board and seating-chart tooling than any CRM-first tool on this list.
- Táve — long-standing studio-management tool popular with photographers specifically, with strong job-costing features.
Free resource
The switching checklist
Whatever you land on, do the migration in this order so nothing falls through during a live booking season.
- Export your HoneyBook contacts to CSV (Settings → Contacts → Export) before canceling anything
- Download PDFs of every signed contract for active and recent clients — don't rely on being able to re-access them post-cancellation
- Screenshot or export your automated workflow steps so you have a reference to rebuild from
- Set up your new CRM's contract templates and e-signature flow first, and send a test contract to yourself
- Rebuild your invoicing/payment setup and confirm a test payment actually lands in your bank account
- Migrate clients in batches, starting with upcoming (not past) events — don't touch anything for a client whose event is in the next 30 days until after their event
- Keep your old HoneyBook account active (even on a lower tier) for one full booking cycle before fully canceling, in case you need to reference old client history
- Update your public booking link / inquiry form on your website and social bios only after the new system is fully tested
Do this in your slowest month, not your busiest one. A CRM migration mid-wedding-season is how double-bookings happen.
Questions people ask
FAQ
Is HoneyBook getting more expensive?
Yes. HoneyBook restructured its pricing in February 2025, and many existing users on legacy loyalty pricing saw that discount expire in early 2026, pushing their renewal price up sharply. Vendors on the Starter and Essentials tiers report the steepest percentage increases. Always check your own account's current renewal price — HoneyBook's published tiers change, and your grandfathered rate may differ from what's advertised today.
Is Dubsado cheaper than HoneyBook?
Dubsado's entry tier is generally priced below HoneyBook's post-2025 rates, and Dubsado offers an unlimited-time free tier (capped at 3 clients) to trial the full product before paying. Exact savings depend on which HoneyBook tier you're currently on — check current pricing on both vendors' sites before switching, since both change tiers periodically.
Can I export my HoneyBook data before switching?
Yes. HoneyBook allows CSV export of contacts and basic project data from account settings. Contracts, invoices, and workflow templates generally need to be manually rebuilt in the new platform, since CRMs don't share a common export/import format. Budget several hours of admin time for a full migration, done in your off-season if possible.
Is 17hats good for wedding photographers?
17hats is popular with solo wedding and event vendors who want lower monthly cost and simpler workflows than Dubsado or HoneyBook, at the cost of less workflow-automation depth. It's a reasonable fit if your business is mostly one person handling a moderate client volume and you don't need heavy multi-step automation.
The fine print
How this site makes money
Some links on this page are affiliate links to Dubsado, 17hats, and HoneyBook. If you sign up through one of them, we may earn a commission — at no extra cost to you. We only link to tools we've researched in depth and would genuinely suggest a vendor evaluate; the comparison table and pros/cons above aren't rewritten to favor whichever program pays more. This site doesn't accept payment for placement, and nothing here is sponsored content.