HoneyBook vs Dubsado (2026): Price, Setup and Which to Choose

Pick HoneyBook if you want your client flow up and running quickly, with unlimited scheduling and automations on the middle plan and your files turned into templates for you. Pick Dubsado if you want control over forms, branding and multi-step workflows, and you are willing to spend a week or two setting it up. Billed annually, Dubsado also costs less on every comparable plan, and it includes 3 users besides the account owner, which matters more the bigger your team gets.

	HoneyBook	Dubsado
Best for	Getting a polished client flow running quickly	Building custom forms, branding and multi-step workflows
Entry plan, billed annually	Starter, $29 a month ($348 a year)	Starter, $335 a year
Scheduler and automations	Unlimited scheduler and automations from Essentials, $49 a month billed annually ($588 a year). Starter’s scheduler allows one session type.	Premier only, $525 a year
Team	Up to 2 team members on Essentials (HoneyBook doesn’t say whether that counts the account owner), unlimited on Premium ($109 a month billed annually)	3 users besides the account owner included on Starter and Premier, then a $25-a-month tier covers 4 to 10 additional users
Payments	Built-in processing, card and bank transfer	Dubsado Payments (built on Stripe), Square or PayPal
Where it’s available	US, Canada, UK and Australia	Internationally, payment options vary by region
Setup, by the vendor’s estimate	About 30 to 60 minutes for basic setup, free file setup	A week or two for core templates and workflows, free migration of 10 forms
Meeting notetaker	Yes, HoneyBook AI (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams)	Yes, launched June 2026 in Dubsado Labs
Free trial	30 days, no card	21 days with Premier features, no card

Prices are in US dollars, excluding tax, and were checked on each vendor’s own site on November 10, 2026. Both charge per account rather than per user, with the plan setting how many users you get, and both cost more if you pay monthly. These are list prices, and both vendors sometimes run first-year discounts.

We build Dovio, a CRM with its own notetaker and e-signing. It fits some of the businesses that compare HoneyBook and Dubsado, and the section “If neither fits” says which. Want to see a client call written up for you? Try Dovio free. It’s a 14-day free trial, no card required.

What HoneyBook and Dubsado have in common

Both are built for independent service providers and small teams who book a client, send a proposal and a contract, and get paid. On every plan, both give you contracts with e-signatures, invoices and online payments, forms, and a client portal. Both also offer a meeting notetaker.

So the choice comes down to setup time, team pricing and which plan includes the scheduler and automations.

Price, and what it costs for a team

Billed annually, Dubsado is cheaper at both levels:

Starter plans. HoneyBook Starter is $29 a month billed annually, or $348 a year. Dubsado Starter is $335 a year.
With unlimited scheduling and automations. HoneyBook puts them on Essentials, $49 a month billed annually, or $588 a year. Dubsado puts them on Premier, $525 a year.

Billed monthly, Dubsado is $35 a month for Starter and $55 for Premier. HoneyBook’s monthly prices are also higher than its annual ones, so if you plan to stay a year, compare the annual prices.

Team size is where the two split. Dubsado includes 3 users besides the account owner on Starter and Premier at no extra cost, and a $25-a-month tier covers 4 to 10 additional users. HoneyBook includes up to 2 team members on Essentials. Beyond that you need Premium, at $109 a month billed annually, or $1,308 a year, with unlimited team members.

For a business of four people that wants the scheduler and automations, that is $525 a year on Dubsado Premier against $1,308 on HoneyBook Premium. For a solo business on those plans, the difference is $63 a year.

Setup and day-to-day use

This is the trade-off the two tools are known for, and their own estimates back it up.

HoneyBook says most basic account setup takes about 30 to 60 minutes. It also offers free file setup: you upload your existing contracts, invoices, pricing lists and questionnaires, and its team turns them into HoneyBook templates.

Dubsado says most users are up and running with their core templates and workflows within a week or two. It migrates 10 of your forms for free, offers setup guides and walk-through videos, and certified Dubsado specialists can be hired to build the rest for you. In return you can style forms with your own CSS, connect your own domain to the client portal so clients see your address rather than Dubsado’s, and brand every client-facing document.

If you would rather be sending proposals this week, HoneyBook is the easier start. If you know exactly how you want your client flow to look and want to build it once, Dubsado gives you more to build with.

Automations and workflows

Dubsado’s automations are called Flows. Dubsado describes them as multi-step automations triggered by what the client does, such as submitting a form, signing a contract or paying. They are on Premier only, together with the scheduler, public proposals, Zapier and the QuickBooks and Xero integrations.

HoneyBook Starter includes a scheduler limited to one session type. Unlimited session types, automations and the QuickBooks Online integration start on Essentials. HoneyBook’s AI features also include an automations builder, where you describe your process and the AI builds the workflow.

If automations are why you are choosing, Premier and Essentials are the plans to compare.

Payments and where you can use them

HoneyBook has its own payment processing for cards and bank transfers. Dubsado connects to Dubsado Payments, which runs on Stripe, or to Square, and you can add PayPal next to either one.

Where you’re based used to decide this. Older comparisons say HoneyBook only works in the US and Canada. That is out of date: HoneyBook lists the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, and in the UK and Australia your subscription is priced in GBP or AUD. Dubsado says it serves business owners internationally, with currency and payment options that vary by region. If you are outside those four countries, Dubsado is the one to check first.

Meetings and notes

Both tools now have a meeting notetaker, and most comparisons leave it out.

HoneyBook’s notetaker is part of HoneyBook AI. It works on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, asks to join eligible meetings, and writes a transcript, summary notes and action items. A meeting is eligible if it’s a video call booked through HoneyBook’s scheduler or Calendly and linked to a HoneyBook project, or a video call on your Google Calendar.

Dubsado’s Notetaker launched in June 2026 in Dubsado Labs, its space for experimental features. It joins meetings booked through your Dubsado scheduler or any call you paste a link to, on Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex, GoTo or Slack huddles. You get the video, a transcript with speakers and a summary. Video recordings are deleted after 90 days.

Whichever you use, ask your clients to agree to the recording before the call.

If neither fits

Both tools price the whole account and are built around booking and getting paid. If your business doesn’t work that way, two other options are worth a look. For a longer list, see our guide to HoneyBook alternatives.

Bonsai, if you want per-user pricing and time tracking

Bonsai prices each user rather than the account, and it adds time tracking and projects. Invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, scheduling and the client portal start on Essentials, at $19 per user per month billed annually or $25 monthly.

Dovio, if your work runs through client meetings and email

Dubsado says it isn’t built for B2B sales teams. Some service businesses look more like that: a consultancy or agency where several people talk to the same clients, the work is agreed in meetings and email threads, and invoices already go out from accounting software. Dovio is a CRM for that kind of business, EU-hosted, with its own notetaker and built-in e-signing.

The meeting is written up on the client’s record. Dovio’s notetaker joins your Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams call when you send it, or automatically if you set a rule. Afterwards you get a summary, suggested tasks and a follow-up email saved as a draft for you to review and send.
The client’s history is in one place. Emails, meetings, notes and tasks sit on the company and its contacts, and if you turn on automatic contacts, new ones are created from your email and calendar.
The contract comes from the record. You build a template once, and when you send it from a contact, the client’s details fill in. Each signer shows as sent, opened, started, signed or declined.

Starter costs $19 per user per month billed monthly, or about $16 per user per month billed annually, and Pro costs $49 per user per month. Dovio charges per user, unlike HoneyBook and Dubsado. Starter includes five hours of AI meeting time per user a month, and Pro includes thirty. Contracts and e-signing are included on both plans.

Dovio does not send invoices, take payments, book appointments or give clients a portal. If your clients find you through a form, book a slot and pay a deposit, stay with HoneyBook or Dubsado. See what happens after a meeting and how contracts work in Dovio, or compare plans on the pricing page.

How to choose

You want to be up and running this week, and you need no more than 2 team members. HoneyBook Essentials.
You want custom forms, your own domain on the client portal, and workflows that run on what the client does. Dubsado Premier, and set aside the time to build it.
You are a team of four or more and price matters. Dubsado, since its plans include 3 users besides the account owner.
You work outside the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. Check Dubsado first.

Both have a free trial with no card, 30 days for HoneyBook and 21 for Dubsado. Run one real client through each before you move your templates.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, HoneyBook or Dubsado?

HoneyBook is the better pick if you want your client flow up and running quickly, with unlimited scheduling and automations on its middle plan and a free service that turns your existing files into templates. Dubsado is the better pick if you want control over forms, branding and multi-step workflows and can spend a week or two setting it up. Both cover contracts, invoices, payments and a client portal, so try each with a real client before you move your templates.

Is Dubsado cheaper than HoneyBook?

Yes, on every comparable plan, if you pay annually. Dubsado Starter is $335 a year against $348 for HoneyBook Starter ($29 a month billed annually). With unlimited scheduling and automations, Dubsado Premier is $525 a year against $588 for HoneyBook Essentials ($49 a month billed annually). The gap grows with team size: Dubsado includes 3 users besides the account owner on Starter and Premier, while HoneyBook Essentials includes up to 2 team members and unlimited team members need Premium at $1,308 a year. Checked on both vendors’ sites in November 2026.

Which is easier to set up, HoneyBook or Dubsado?

By the vendors’ own estimates, HoneyBook. HoneyBook says most basic account setup takes about 30 to 60 minutes, and its team turns your existing contracts, invoices and questionnaires into templates for free. Dubsado says most users are up and running with their core templates and workflows within a week or two. Dubsado migrates 10 forms for free, and certified Dubsado specialists can be hired to help.

Can I use HoneyBook or Dubsado outside the US?

HoneyBook is available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. It launched in the UK and Australia in 2026, with subscriptions priced in GBP or AUD there. Dubsado says it serves business owners internationally, with currency and payment options that vary by region, and takes payments through Dubsado Payments (built on Stripe), Square or PayPal.

Do HoneyBook and Dubsado record meetings?

Both now have a meeting notetaker. HoneyBook’s, part of HoneyBook AI, works on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams and writes a transcript, summary notes and action items. Dubsado’s Notetaker records the call and gives you the video, a transcript and a summary. It launched in June 2026 in Dubsado Labs, Dubsado’s space for experimental features.

Is there an alternative to both HoneyBook and Dubsado?

Bonsai is the closest per-user alternative: Essentials, its cheapest plan with invoices, contracts, scheduling and a client portal, is $19 per user per month billed annually or $25 monthly. If your work runs through client meetings and email, and your invoices already go out from your accounting software, Dovio is a CRM with its own notetaker and e-signing. It does not send invoices or take payments. Dovio Starter is $19 per user per month billed monthly, or about $16 per user per month billed annually. Starter includes five hours of AI meeting time per user a month, and Pro includes thirty.

Sources

Every price and feature above was checked on the vendor’s own pages on November 10, 2026.