COMPARE
Dubsado vs HoneyBook
Dubsado vs HoneyBook, in short: HoneyBook asks for less setup and puts the proposal, contract and payment in one file. Dubsado costs a little less, adds another business for $10 a month and does more with forms and automated workflows, once you have built them. Here is how they compare on price, fees, features and switching.
CQ
Christian Quiver
Written October 10, 2026
SHORT ANSWER
Pick HoneyBook if you run one business and want to look professional fast: clients book, sign and pay from one file, every plan includes a scheduler and AI, and the trial runs 30 days. Pick Dubsado if you will put in setup time for detailed forms and automated workflows (Flows), or want to pay less: each plan costs a little less, three extra users are included, bank transfer fees stop at $5, and another brand is $10 a month, where HoneyBook needs Premium ($129 a month billed monthly, as of October 10, 2026). If you run several businesses and want drafts that wait for your approval, Aventide is a third option, covered at the end.
Which one should you pick?
Pick HoneyBook for one business, little setup and the longest trial. Pick Dubsado for detailed forms and workflows, a lower price, a small team or more than one brand. Prices are as of October 10, 2026, and the lists below show which detail tips it for you.
Pick HoneyBook if
You run one business and want clients to book, sign and pay from one file.
You want AI on every plan, plus HoneyBook's ChatGPT app.
You want time to decide: a 30-day trial with no card, then a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Your clients pay by card from other countries: HoneyBook says it adds no international fees.
Pick Dubsado if
You will build detailed forms and automated workflows yourself, or pay a specialist to.
You want to pay a little less at each plan level.
You have a small team: three users besides you are included on both plans.
You run more than one brand: $10 a month each, on either plan.
Clients pay large invoices by bank transfer: Dubsado Payments stops at $5.
We make Aventide. Prices checked on October 10, 2026 from each company's own site.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Why do people leave HoneyBook or Dubsado?
For HoneyBook, the reasons people give are the February 2025 price rise, AI they didn't ask for in the price, support that starts with a bot, an export that stops at contacts and a portal that does little for clients. For Dubsado, it's the setup time, features still missing after the 3.0 rebuild and paying for each extra brand.
HoneyBook
The February 2025 price rise
HoneyBook's current prices took effect on February 4, 2025. Existing members got 20% off the new rate for one year (HoneyBook help). HoneyBook says it changed its pricing "to better reflect the value of the tools and features available to independent businesses."
"You doubled the price of my subscription, and no additional value was added."
Michael, Trustpilot review of HoneyBook, September 13, 2025, link.
"I would 100% be switching platforms due to the increase."
Summer Roden, HoneyBook community, May 16, 2025, link.
AI in the price
HoneyBook AI (AI chat, email drafts, a meeting notetaker, follow-up suggestions) is on every plan, and an AI tool that builds automations is on Essentials and Premium (pricing). You can turn HoneyBook AI off in your settings (HoneyBook AI), but it comes with every plan. Some owners like it. Others feel they are paying for it.
"Significantly increased prices on small businesses, tried to justify with AI features that I don't want."
Katy, Trustpilot review of HoneyBook, October 12, 2025, link.
"The new ai integrations are super helpful to access information quickly and improve the user experience."
Didi Sultan, Trustpilot review of HoneyBook, June 16, 2026, link.
Support that starts with a bot
HoneyBook lists email and live chat support seven days a week, with priority support on Premium (pricing). Some owners say they reach a bot before a person.
"you're always speaking to a bot until you get through to a human."
Samuel Schuder, Trustpilot review of HoneyBook, August 21, 2026, link.
An export that stops at contacts
HoneyBook's help center describes one export: your contacts list as a spreadsheet, with each contact's name, email, phone, address, notes and the date added (HoneyBook help). We found no bulk export of projects, files, invoices or contracts.
"they have NO way for me to export my data en masse."
Austin Pierce, Trustpilot review of HoneyBook, September 25, 2025, link.
"considering it's SO difficult to transfer from HB to another CRM."
Summer Roden, HoneyBook community, May 16, 2025, link.
A portal that does little for clients
Every HoneyBook plan has a client portal, described as "a dedicated page to access files and project details" (pricing). Owners in HoneyBook's own community say their clients want more from it, such as booking the next appointment there.
"my biggest problem is the client-side portal isn't evolving with our needs."
Byron Honea, HoneyBook community, April 30, 2026, link.
"I don't see anywhere to actually make an appointment."
Byron Honea, quoting his client, HoneyBook community, May 1, 2026, link.
Dubsado
Setup time and the learning curve
Dubsado is built to be set up by you: forms, workflows and templates. Its own information page lists setup guides, videos, live workshops and office hours, and says "Dubsado certified specialists are also available for hire as independent business owners, not employees of Dubsado" (Dubsado). Reviews on G2 and Capterra describe a steep learning curve. We couldn't open those sites, so this comes from search summaries, not quotes.
Features missing after 3.0
Dubsado 3.0, a full redesign, launched in November 2025, and Dubsado 2.0 "will be sunset sometime in 2026" (Dubsado). A Dubsado specialist wrote this at launch:
"There are features I've been begging for (LOUDLY) for years… and none of them made it into 3.0."
Colie James, Dubsado specialist, about November 2025, link.
"You still can't book a client with a scheduler + contract."
Colie James, same post, link.
$10 a month for each extra brand
Each extra business (a "brand", called a "workspace" in 3.0) costs $10 a month, billed monthly even on a yearly plan, and runs on the same plan as your main one (Dubsado help). Three brands on Premier come to $75 a month, billed monthly, as of October 10, 2026. Dubsado also raised its prices for new subscribers on December 1, 2025.
WHAT IT COSTS
How much do Dubsado and HoneyBook cost?
Dubsado costs a little less than HoneyBook for one business and much less for several. As of October 10, 2026, billed monthly, Dubsado is $35 or $55 a month and HoneyBook $36, $59 or $129. A second business is $10 a month on Dubsado; on HoneyBook it means moving to Premium.
HoneyBook, as of October 10, 2026: Starter $36 a month, Essentials $59 and Premium $129, billed monthly; or $29, $49 and $109 a month billed yearly, which is $348, $588 and $1,308 a year (pricing). These prices date from February 4, 2025. There is no charge per lead, project or client. Starter has no team members, automations or QuickBooks; Essentials adds up to two team members; Premium adds unlimited team members (a May 2026 help article says up to 10) and multiple companies.
Dubsado, as of October 10, 2026: Starter $35 a month or $335 a year; Premier $55 a month or $525 a year (pricing). These are the rates for anyone who subscribed from December 1, 2025; if you joined before then, you keep your earlier price (Dubsado). Both plans include three users besides you; more cost $25 a month for 4 to 10 users, $45 for 11 to 20 and $60 for 21 to 30. Starter leaves out scheduling, Flows, public proposals, Zapier and QuickBooks.
Three businesses, billed monthly: Dubsado Starter $55 a month ($35 plus two brands at $10), Dubsado Premier $75 and HoneyBook Premium $129. Billed yearly: $575, $765 and $1,308 a year. Dubsado bills each extra brand monthly, even on a yearly plan. In HoneyBook, each company has its own settings, bank accounts and integrations, while the login, the subscription's payment method and your calendar availability are shared (HoneyBook help). Splitting one off later, to sell it for example, isn't simple:
"it becomes a bit trickier when splitting up a multi-brand company."
Monica R, HoneyBook community team, June 12, 2025, link.
PAYMENTS AND FEES
What do they charge on client payments?
HoneyBook processes client payments itself. Dubsado sends them through Dubsado Payments (built on Stripe), Square or PayPal. On US card payments the two cost about the same; on bank transfers they don't. A $5,000 invoice paid by bank transfer costs $75 in HoneyBook fees (1.5%) and $5 with Dubsado Payments (0.8%, capped at $5).
HoneyBook, as of October 10, 2026: its pricing page shows card fees that "start at 2.7% + 10¢" in one place and "starting at 2.9% + 25¢" in its plan table. Bank transfers are 1.5%, with no cap stated, and instant deposit is 1%. It says there are no "international fees, or premium card brand fees" (pricing). Premium accounts processing over $500,000 a year may qualify for lower card fees.
Dubsado Payments, as of October 10, 2026: US cards 2.9% + 30¢, international cards 4.4% + 30¢, bank transfers (ACH) 0.8% up to $5, and instant payouts 1% (Dubsado help). Dubsado doesn't state a fee of its own on top. Square and PayPal charge their own rates.
On a $5,000 card payment from a US client, that's $145.25 at HoneyBook's 2.9% + 25¢ ($135.10 at its 2.7% + 10¢ rate) and $145.30 with Dubsado Payments. If the client pays with a card from abroad, HoneyBook comes out ahead: Dubsado Payments would take $220.30.
How are Dubsado and HoneyBook different?
Both do proposals, contracts with e-signature, invoices, online payments, a scheduler, a client portal and a phone app. They differ on setup, forms and workflows, which plan has the scheduler, team size, AI and support. HoneyBook's lowest plan includes a scheduler and AI. Dubsado's includes three extra users and gives you more to build.
Setup, forms and workflows
Dubsado has form templates on both plans, one active lead capture form on Starter and unlimited on Premier, and on Premier, Flows that run the steps of your process when clients act (pricing, Dubsado). HoneyBook keeps the proposal, contract and payment in one file that clients book, sign and pay from. Starter allows two live lead forms, automations start on Essentials, and Essentials and Premium include an AI tool that builds a workflow from your description (pricing).
Scheduler
HoneyBook has a scheduler on every plan, and clients can book and pay in one go. Starter allows one scheduler session; its pricing page says "unlimited sessions" on Essentials and Premium, and its help center says up to 50. Dubsado's scheduler is on Premier only, with an option to require payment to book (Dubsado).
Team
HoneyBook: no team members on Starter, up to two on Essentials and unlimited on Premium, per its pricing page (a May 2026 help article says up to 10). Dubsado: three users besides you on both plans, then $25 to $60 a month by team size, as of October 10, 2026.
AI
HoneyBook AI is on every plan: AI chat, email drafts, a meeting notetaker, meeting prep, follow-up suggestions and project recaps. Since September 9, 2026, HoneyBook also works inside ChatGPT, where it can draft replies, proposals and invoices that wait for your approval (HoneyBook). Dubsado summarizes email threads and has a Notetaker that records, transcribes and summarizes calls; its site doesn't say which plans include them (Dubsado).
Support
Both offer email and live chat. HoneyBook lists it seven days a week and adds priority support and one-on-one setup help for your first 90 days on Premium. Dubsado adds a help center, videos, live workshops and office hours, and points to independent certified specialists you can hire for setup.
Where HoneyBook works
HoneyBook is available only to businesses in the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia (pricing).
FEATURE BY FEATURE
Dubsado vs HoneyBook, feature by feature
A tick means the job is covered on the plan priced above. A circled dash means it is partly covered, on a higher plan or with a workaround. A cross means it is not available. Where a cell has words instead of a mark, the words say what you get. Partial marks are explained in the note under each feature.
THE OTHER SIDE
Should you stay with the one you have?
Stay put if it works and the price is fine. Moving means rebuilding templates, forms and automations by hand: neither help center shows an export beyond contacts. The clearest case for moving is cost: adding a second business means $129 a month on HoneyBook Premium, against $65 on Dubsado Premier (billed monthly, as of October 10, 2026).
Stay with HoneyBook if you run one business, your clients like booking, signing and paying in one place, and you use its AI or its ChatGPT app. Some owners chose to stay when the price rise was announced:
"I still plan to stick with them."
Cabin Mae, brand and website designer, January 26, 2025, link.
"It covers everything I need as a small creative business owner."
Didi Sultan, Trustpilot review of HoneyBook, June 16, 2026, link.
Stay with Dubsado if your forms and Flows are built and doing their job, or if you subscribed before December 1, 2025 and still pay the earlier rate. If you're on Dubsado 2.0, the move to 3.0 comes in 2026 either way, so plan it for a quiet month.
"If it's your busy season, do NOT force the transition."
Business-First Creatives podcast, November 19, 2025, link.
METHOD
How we checked
We read each company's own pricing page and help center. Prices, fees and plan limits are as of October 10, 2026, and we recheck them on the day we publish and every month after. Where a company's own pages disagree, as HoneyBook's do on card fees, Premium team size and scheduler limits, we say so.
Quotes come from public reviews and community threads, word for word, with the name, date and link. We couldn't open G2 or Capterra, so what reviewers say there comes from search summaries and is labeled that way. Fee examples use each company's published rates; your own rates can differ. We tested HoneyBook with demo businesses and haven't run a business on either tool.
Dubsado and HoneyBook are trademarks of their owners. This page isn't affiliated with or endorsed by either company.
NEXT STEP
Can you switch between Dubsado and HoneyBook?
Yes, in either direction, but only your contact list moves by file. HoneyBook exports contacts as a spreadsheet that Dubsado can import as a CSV, and Dubsado exports a CSV that HoneyBook can import. Projects, templates, forms and workflows are rebuilt by hand, though Dubsado offers people switching a free migration of up to 10 forms.
From HoneyBook to Dubsado
In HoneyBook, go to Clients, then Contacts, open the three-dot menu and choose Download spreadsheet. You get each contact's name, email, phone, address, notes and the date added (HoneyBook help).
In Dubsado (a paid plan or the trial), import the file from Contacts. It has to be a CSV with an email column, under 8 MB, with no cap on the number of contacts (Dubsado help).
Ask Dubsado about its free migration of up to 10 forms and its bulk client data migration (Dubsado).
Before you cancel HoneyBook, collect or close open invoices and download the signed contracts you want to keep.
People do move this way:
"every client I have hates the format so I'm switching over to dubasado."
Abbey Sawyer, Trustpilot review of HoneyBook, May 28, 2026, link.
From Dubsado to HoneyBook
In Dubsado, open Contacts and click Export CSV, then choose the fields, including custom ones (Dubsado help).
In HoneyBook, go to Contacts, then Create new, then Import spreadsheet. It takes CSV or Excel files, up to 500 contacts and 2 MB per import, with an email for each contact (HoneyBook help).
On Premium, HoneyBook includes one-on-one setup help for your first 90 days (pricing).
Before you cancel Dubsado, collect or close open invoices and download the signed contracts you want to keep.
QUESTIONS
