TLDR (Summary)
HoneyBook raised prices across all plans in February 2025 and the Starter plan jumped 89% from $19 to $36/month. The platform handles proposals, contracts, and payments but stops once the project work begins, so project management, time tracking, and client communication still need separate tools on top. Plutio is a single platform where proposals, projects, time tracking, invoicing, and client portals are all connected. Plans start at $19/month with every feature included.
Project management that HoneyBook doesn't have
HoneyBook offers basic task tracking on the $59/month Essentials plan, but the platform has no Kanban boards, no Gantt charts, no task dependencies, and no timeline views. Plutio includes all four from the base plan.
HoneyBook functions as a CRM and booking tool, not a project management platform. Multi-phase projects like website builds, brand identities, or event productions need a separate tool on top. Most HoneyBook users add Asana or Monday at $11-27/month just to track deliverables after the contract is signed.
Plutio's project management starts with Kanban boards and adds Gantt timelines that show task dependencies, milestones that mark phase transitions, and templates that build entire project structures from a single click. A branding project can have discovery, design, and delivery phases where tasks unlock automatically as each phase finishes.
The difference shows up in how project work connects to the business side. In Plutio, time tracked on a task feeds into an invoice line item, a completed milestone triggers a client notification, and project status shows in the client portal without manual update emails.
Plutio's project management links tasks to time tracking, invoicing, and client portals, so the project work and the business operations run from one place.
Invoicing that connects to the work, not just the booking
HoneyBook has invoicing, but hourly billing requires manual line items every cycle because the platform's time tracking is disconnected from invoices. Plutio's invoicing pulls tracked hours into line items automatically.
HoneyBook added a mobile stopwatch, but the desktop version requires manual entry. Tracked hours don't flow into invoices, so freelancers billing hourly still export time from Toggl or Harvest and manually rebuild invoice entries each month.
In Plutio, invoices populate from a date range with every tracked hour, task name, and rate already filled in. Recurring invoices auto-send on schedule with late payment reminders built in. Payment processing through Stripe, PayPal, or bank transfer happens inside the platform, with multi-currency support for international clients.
HoneyBook also charges 2.9% + $0.25 per card transaction and limits payment processing to US and Canada. Ten $1,000 invoices per month adds $292.50 in processing fees on top of the subscription.
Plutio's invoicing turns tracked hours into paid invoices without copying numbers between apps or reconciling from memory.
Proposals and contracts that create projects automatically
HoneyBook has proposals and contracts, but the workflow ends at the signed document. In Plutio, a signed proposal creates the project, attaches the contract, and activates the client portal in one step.
HoneyBook's proposal and contract system works well for the intake side of the business. The gap appears after the signature. Once a client signs, the project scope needs manual recreation in a separate project management tool. Tasks go into Asana, files into Google Drive, and time tracking into Toggl.
Plutio's proposal builder includes drag-and-drop sections, pricing tables, and built-in e-signatures. When the signature goes through, Plutio creates the project with pre-configured tasks and deadlines based on the proposal scope. Contracts attach to the same record, and the first invoice can generate directly from the approved pricing.
The entire pre-project workflow happens in one sequence. No manual recreation, no switching tools, no risk of scope details getting lost between the signed proposal and the actual project setup.
In Plutio, a signed proposal becomes a live project with contracts, tasks, and client portal access, all from one signed document.
Time tracking built into every project
HoneyBook's time tracking is limited to a mobile stopwatch with no desktop timer and no connection to invoicing. Freelancers billing hourly need Toggl, Harvest, or Clockify on top, then manually create invoice line items each billing cycle.
Plutio's time tracking runs inside every project. A built-in timer starts from any task with one click, or hours get logged manually with notes and rates attached. Billable and non-billable hours stay separated so only client-facing work appears on the invoice.
At invoice time, tracked hours convert to line items with the task name, duration, and hourly rate already filled in. No guesswork, no reconciling spreadsheets, no copying from a separate time tracker at the end of the month.
Time reports break down hours by project, client, or date range. The data shows exactly where billable hours went and which projects ran over budget, all from the same place where the projects and invoices live.
Every hour tracked in Plutio feeds directly into invoices without manual entry or app switching.
Client portals that show project progress
HoneyBook's client-facing view handles booking and payment collection. Clients can't check project progress by task, upload files to specific deliverables, or track milestones through the portal. Plutio's portals give clients a branded workspace for the entire project.
One portal analysis called HoneyBook's client-facing view the platform's weakest feature. Once the work starts, status updates go out via email, and clients asking "where are we?" create back-and-forth threads that pile up between meetings.
Plutio's client portals are branded with a custom logo, colors, and domain. Clients log in and see project progress alongside milestones, shared files, outstanding invoices, and messages. Files upload directly to the project instead of arriving as email attachments, and clients approve deliverables and pay invoices from the same place.
The portal replaces the status update emails and the "just checking in" messages. Clients see what's happening without asking, and the email chains between meetings shrink to zero.
Plutio's client portals replace status update emails with a branded space where clients track progress, share files, and pay invoices.
With Plutio we don't jump between apps anymore! Everything from projects to invoicing is finally connected in one fully-branded app.
How to switch from HoneyBook to Plutio
Most freelancers switch between projects, finishing active work in HoneyBook while starting new clients on Plutio.
- Start a free trial: Plutio offers 14 days of full access with no credit card required. Every feature, including projects, invoicing, proposals, time tracking, and client portals, works from day one.
- Export client contacts: Download the client list from HoneyBook as a CSV. Contact names, emails, and details carry over into Plutio in minutes. Files and project data need to be downloaded individually since HoneyBook doesn't support bulk file export.
- Set up a project template: Create one project template with the standard task list, milestones, and deliverable structure. Every new project starts from the template instead of manual setup.
- Start new clients on Plutio: Send the next proposal from Plutio. When the client signs, the project creates automatically with the template structure, portal access, and contract attached.
- Finish HoneyBook projects where they are: Active work stays in HoneyBook until completion. Running both platforms in parallel avoids disrupting client relationships mid-project.
- Cancel HoneyBook: Once all active projects wrap up, downgrade or cancel the subscription. Export any remaining data as backup.
The hardest part of leaving HoneyBook isn't the data migration. The hardest part is HoneyBook's limited export, which means downloading project files one at a time. Starting the download process a week before the target switch date keeps the transition smooth.
The switch happens between projects, not mid-project. New clients start on Plutio while HoneyBook projects finish naturally.
