HoneyBook vs Dubsado pricing breakdown
Running a professional service business on either platform requires a consistent investment of $40-50 per month for full feature access, but the value you get for that investment differs between HoneyBook and Dubsado.
HoneyBook Pricing (2026)
- Starter: $29/month (annual) or $36/month (monthly). Includes Smart Files, basic automation, and basic time tracking. Zero team access at this tier.
- Essentials: $36.75/month (annual) or $44.25/month (monthly). Adds two team members, more automation triggers, and priority email support.
- Premium: $52.50/month (annual) or $66/month (monthly). Unlimited team members, priority phone support, and 1:1 onboarding.
Dubsado Pricing (2026)
- Starter: $20/month (annual) or $25/month (monthly). Limited to three active projects and basic Flows. Good for testing, but most businesses hit the limits within weeks.
- Premier: $40/month (annual) or $50/month (monthly). Unlimited projects, full Flows automation, CSS customization, and team access. Most serious Dubsado users land on Premier.
The real cost: what users actually pay
The sticker price is only part of the story. Since neither tool handles the full workflow, most users add supplementary apps:
- Project management: Trello Free or Asana Starter ($0-$11/month)
- Time tracking: Toggl Track or Clockify ($0-$9/month per user)
- Advanced invoicing: FreshBooks or Wave ($0-$17/month)
A typical four-tool stack runs $60-100 per month, plus the hidden cost of copying data between apps (2-3 hours per week for most users). All-in-one platforms like Plutio start at $19/month for solo users with no feature gating: proposals, contracts, projects, time tracking, and invoicing in one subscription.
The verdict: HoneyBook's Starter tier includes time tracking that Dubsado's Starter lacks. At the full-featured level, Dubsado Premier ($40/month) costs less than HoneyBook Premium ($52.50/month) but lacks time tracking entirely. If you add supplementary tools to fill the gaps in either platform, the total cost often exceeds what an all-in-one platform charges.
Which tool is better for your business type?
Choosing between HoneyBook and Dubsado comes down to a fundamental trade-off: do you need setup done in 48 hours at the cost of customization, or are you willing to spend weeks configuring for CSS-level form control?
Event-based businesses (wedding photographers, planners, florists)
Both tools started with wedding professionals, and it shows. Both focus on the single-transaction booking flow: inquiry comes in, proposal goes out, contract gets signed, deposit gets paid. HoneyBook's Smart Files handle this in one scrollable document. Dubsado's Flows let you automate the sequence with conditional logic. The limitation appears when events require complex coordination over 6-12 months. Neither has timeline views or milestone dependencies that help you see what happens when one deliverable slips.
Retainer-based businesses (consultants, coaches, agencies)
Monthly retainers expose gaps in both platforms. Neither HoneyBook nor Dubsado has automatic subscription billing. You can set up recurring invoices, but clients have to manually pay each one. Hourly consulting work is harder in Dubsado since there is no time tracking at all. HoneyBook has a stopwatch, but it tracks at the project level only, so you cannot see which specific tasks consumed your hours. Platforms with task-level time tracking that flows directly into invoices handle this workflow better.
Creative agencies with teams
Both tools show their solo-freelancer origins when teams get involved. HoneyBook allows 2 team members on Essentials and unlimited on Premium, but permission controls are basic. Dubsado Premier includes team access, but there are no role-based permissions or contractor-specific access. Neither integrates with tools like Slack or has real project collaboration features. Agencies managing multiple team members typically need dedicated project management alongside either platform.
International businesses
Payment processing narrows the choice. HoneyBook's payment processing requires a US or Canadian bank account. If you are based elsewhere, it will not work for you. Dubsado lets you connect your own Stripe, Square, or PayPal account, so it works globally. If you are outside North America, Dubsado is your only option between these two.
Brand-conscious creatives (designers, luxury services)
Dubsado has CSS form control here. Forms can use custom fonts, exact spacing, and embedded elements, but CSS knowledge is required and setup takes longer. HoneyBook templates are pre-built and cannot achieve the same level of control. HoneyBook sets up faster, but forms look generic and carry HoneyBook branding.
What both tools are missing
HoneyBook and Dubsado cover the client intake phase. Proposals, contracts, and payments work in both. But once the signature lands, most users find themselves opening three or four other apps to manage the actual delivery work.
Project management stops at checklists
Both tools give you basic task lists with due dates. Both stop there. Neither has Kanban boards for visual workflow, Gantt charts for timeline planning, subtasks with nesting, or task dependencies that automatically shift dates when something slips. For a simple one-week project, this is fine. For a 3-month website build or 12-month brand identity project, you need Trello, Asana, or Monday.com running alongside, and now you are copying project details between systems.
Time tracking that does not connect
HoneyBook added basic time tracking in 2024: a stopwatch on mobile and manual entry on desktop. You can generate invoices from time logs. But tracking happens at the project level only. You cannot see which specific tasks consumed your hours, set different rates for different work types, or run reports by task category. Dubsado has no time tracking at all. If you bill hourly for any portion of your services, you are opening Toggl or Harvest, then manually transferring hours to your invoices. Roughly 30-45 minutes per week for most consultants.
Client portals show their brand, not yours
Neither tool offers true white-labeling. HoneyBook portals display HoneyBook branding on a honeybook.com URL. Your clients see who built the software, not just your business. Dubsado offers subdomain customization and CSS control on forms, but the portal itself still shows Dubsado elements. For premium agencies whose brand experience is part of the service, this undercuts the positioning. Platforms like Plutio support fully branded portals where clients see only your business.
No automatic subscription billing
Retainer clients paying monthly are common in consulting, coaching, and agency work. Neither HoneyBook nor Dubsado has automatic recurring charges. You can create recurring invoices that send on a schedule, but clients have to manually pay each one. Missing automatic billing means chasing payments, tracking who paid, and dealing with lapses. Stripe subscriptions can fill this gap, but then you are managing billing outside your main system. Platforms with built-in subscription billing handle automatic charges, payment recovery, and revenue recognition in one place.
Team permissions are basic
Both tools allow team access on higher plans, but neither has granular role-based permissions. You cannot give a contractor access to just their assigned projects, or let a bookkeeper see invoices without seeing proposals. HoneyBook is slightly better here with some role options, but nothing compared to platforms built for agency collaboration. If your team includes contractors, assistants, and specialists with different access needs, both tools will frustrate you.
What users do when neither tool is enough
When HoneyBook or Dubsado cannot handle the full workflow alone, users take one of two paths: build a multi-tool stack and accept the overhead, or switch to a platform designed for the complete client lifecycle.
The typical workaround stack
Most users end up assembling something like this:
- HoneyBook or Dubsado for intake, proposals, and contracts ($40-50/month)
- Trello, Asana, or Monday.com for project management ($0-25/month)
- Toggl, Clockify, or Harvest for time tracking ($0-12/month per user)
- FreshBooks, Wave, or QuickBooks for complex invoicing ($0-25/month)
- Google Drive or Dropbox for file sharing ($0-15/month)
The total: four or five subscriptions totaling $60-130 per month, four or five logins to manage, and constant manual data transfer between each tool.
The hidden cost: time spent on handoffs
The subscription cost is the visible expense. The hidden cost is the workflow friction. When a client signs a contract in Dubsado, someone has to manually create a project in Trello, set up a Toggl project for time tracking, then copy completed hours into FreshBooks when it is time to invoice. Each handoff takes 5-15 minutes. Across 20 clients per year, that is 30+ hours annually spent on data transfer that software should handle automatically.
The one-platform alternative
All-in-one platforms exist that handle intake, project management, time tracking, and invoicing in a single system. The trade-off is learning a new interface versus maintaining your existing multi-tool setup. For users who have invested heavily in Dubsado Flows or HoneyBook templates, the migration feels daunting. For users drowning in tool-juggling, switching to one platform can recover 2-5 hours per week.
What one platform looks like in practice
If you are curious: Plutio is one platform that covers the complete workflow. Client inquiries flow into proposals and contracts. Signed contracts automatically create projects with Kanban boards. Time tracking happens at the task level and flows directly into invoices. Clients access a portal on your domain, not the software vendor's. The comparison table below shows exactly where Plutio fills the gaps that HoneyBook and Dubsado leave open, and where each tool has coverage. The goal is not to push you toward Plutio specifically, but to show what a unified workflow can look like versus the multi-tool approach.
Final verdict: HoneyBook vs Dubsado
HoneyBook and Dubsado both handle client intake. Proposals, contracts, and payments work in both. The differences emerge in how you get there and what happens after the booking.
HoneyBook trade-offs:
- Setup takes 1-2 days with pre-built templates, but customization control is limited and all client-facing documents carry HoneyBook branding with no custom domain option
- Includes a stopwatch and manual time entry, but lacks task-level tracking so hourly billing still needs workarounds
- Has a mobile app for on-location bookings, but Dubsado lacks a comparable mobile experience so the comparison only applies if mobile is a factor
- Automations 2.0 uses AI to suggest workflows, but automation still stops after the booking stage with no project management triggers
- Payments require a North American bank account, so freelancers outside the US and Canada cannot process payments through HoneyBook
The cost: Client-facing documents display HoneyBook branding with no way to remove it. Brand experience is not customizable.
Dubsado trade-offs:
- Forms support CSS-level customization, but require coding knowledge and significantly more setup time than HoneyBook's templates
- Connects to Stripe or PayPal directly so international freelancers can process payments, but the platform has no time tracking at all
- The Flows workflow builder handles multi-step intake automation, but automation stops after booking with no project management stage
- CSS-level form control requires weeks of setup before the first proposal goes out, compared to 1-2 days on HoneyBook
The cost: Setup takes 1-2 weeks instead of 1-2 days. There is no time tracking at all, so hourly work requires a separate app. The interface is busier and the learning curve is steeper.
Consider switching to one platform if:
- You already juggle three or more tools to run your client workflow. Intake in one app, projects in another, time in a third, invoicing in a fourth
- Manual data transfer between apps is eating 2-5 hours of your week
- Your projects are complex enough to need Kanban boards, timelines, or task dependencies, not just checklists
- Your brand requires clients to see your domain, not your software vendor's domain
- You bill hourly and need time tracking that connects directly to tasks and invoices
But know that: Switching means learning a new system and migrating existing data. For most users, this takes a focused weekend. The ongoing time savings typically recover that investment within a month.
The bottom line: HoneyBook sets up in 1-2 days, but locks documents to their branding and has no real project management. Dubsado has CSS form control, but takes weeks to configure and has no time tracking. Both handle client intake but stop there. Project management, time tracking, and white-labeled portals require other apps. If your workflow already spans multiple tools and you are tired of the handoffs, the comparison table below shows how all-in-one platforms like Plutio stack up against both.
Research & Sources
The comparison is based on direct hands-on testing, official documentation review, and analysis of user feedback across major review platforms. All data was verified in January 2026.
Research methodology
Each tool was evaluated through active trial accounts, official feature documentation, and analysis of 500+ user reviews across G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius. The focus was on common pain points that appeared in 3-star and below reviews, where users share honest limitations rather than promotional praise.
Platform ratings (January 2026)
- HoneyBook: 4.5/5 on G2 (2,100+ reviews), praised for ease of use, criticized for limited customization and branding
- Dubsado: 4.3/5 on G2 (140+ reviews), praised for CSS control and Flows, criticized for learning curve and no time tracking
- Plutio: 4.6/5 on G2 (200+ reviews), praised for all-in-one coverage and white-labeling
Common user complaints (from 1-3 star reviews)
HoneyBook users frequently mention: "No real project management," "Cannot remove HoneyBook branding," "Time tracking is too basic," "Customization is limited"
Dubsado users frequently mention: "Took weeks to set up," "No time tracking at all," "Interface is overwhelming," "Mobile experience is poor"
Pricing sources (verified January 2026)
- HoneyBook: Official pricing page
- Dubsado: Official pricing page
- Plutio: Official pricing page
Feature verification
- HoneyBook G2 reviews (2,100+ reviews)
- Dubsado G2 reviews (140+ reviews)
- HoneyBook Help Center
- Dubsado Knowledge Base
If you find any inaccuracies or outdated information, please let us know so we can investigate and update.
