HoneyBook Alternatives: Quick, Accurate, and Automated Solutions

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Summary: Finding an automated solution for estimating and invoicing could be a daunting task, but with this article, it’s no more a headache. Get the best alternative to honeybook in minutes.

Are you looking for a HoneyBook alternative?

Then, you have landed on the right page.

The need to find an alternative arises because HoneyBook charges a hefty amount for the services that are offered at a lower price by its competitors. Small businesses or freelancers must look for a substitute to save money.

This article is all about introducing you to different alternatives to HoneyBook. Some are quite affordable, while some are easy to access. Some are feature-packed, while some are made specifically for a fixed audience.

How to select one? Which one is the right pick for you? After completing this article, you would be able to choose one for your growing business. 

So let’s start with their pricing plans.

Most Reviewed
start4.3

Dubsado

dubsado

100% customizable

Accounting features

Manage multiple brands

Appointment scheduling

Good customer support

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Editor’s Pick
star5

InvoiceOwl

invoiceowl

Editable estimates

Custom invoices

Digital signatures

Online payments

Free trial availabe

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Premium Pick
star4.3

Bonsai

bonsai

Client communication

Time tracking

Project management

Contract templates

Custom forms

Read More

Give it a Try Without Spending a Single Penny!

Everything About HoneyBook Alternatives

1. InvoiceOwl

 

Positioning InvoiceOwl first is considered after reviewing all other HoneyBook alternatives. There are criteria through which every alternative has to go through, and the most easy-to-use automated solution pop-out of all was InvoiceOwl. It could be a not-to-miss-opportunity because of multiple reasons.

Let’s discuss those reasons, shall we?

Why is it better than HoneyBook?

  • First and foremost, InvoiceOwl offers the solution almost at 1/4th the price at which HoneyBook offers the solution.
  • Another benefit where InvoiceOwl stands ahead of HoneyBook is the free trial. InvoiceOwl offers free trial for you to explore the software, whereas Honeybooks offer 7 days only. This means InvoiceOwl gives you 2X the number of free trial days 1/4th of the price.
  • Above all, the learning curve is quite easy for InvoiceOwl as compared to HoneyBook. It means even a 5th-grader would easily hover over the mobile or web app.

pricing range

What is missing in Invoiceowl?

When comparing InvoiceOwl to HoneyBook, it would only be that HoneyBook helps you book appointments. But if you are looking for a solution for streamlining your estimates and invoices, you would not need appointment scheduling. right?

Why choose it?

Switching tabs would take a fraction of second and preparing invoices or estimates would be a task of minutes. And not only you can use templates but also can customize them as per your requirements. Besides, you can even add new clients, and create credit memos and purchase orders.

This is not the end; generating reports is no longer a traditional kind of old-school task. With this automated software, it’s just a click away. So no more piling up of files in your cupboard or shelves.

Lastly, InvoiceOwl helps you in getting your payment faster, not only the current ones but also the overdue ones. Forget the hassles of following ups via emails or calling your client to check for invoices or estimates received.

So these were the benefits you would be able to reap. Now let’s look at the features you get to explore:

Top features

  • eSign your estimates and invoices
  • Can go through the reviews given by your customers
  • Track invoices and estimates
  • Client management
  • Connect your payment method and get it directly

For small businesses’ convenience, InvoiceOwl offers two different pricing plans:

To support your growth, it has “Plan-Growth” that lets you create uncountable estimates and invoices.

Another plan is for the champion hidden inside you. Many contractors use this plan since it has no limits for creating invoices or estimates. Your duty is to get as maximum contracts as you can, and this, your personal assistant (InvoiceOwl), would do all the needful.

So what are you waiting for? Get your HoneyBook free alternative web app now.

Pros
  • Document tracking notifications
  • Gives you half month of free version
  • Easy-to-use and understand
  • Budget-friendly software
  • Agile customer support
  • Offers templates & lets you customize
Cons
  • Not for project management

2. Dubsado

dubsado

Another effective yet quite expensive business management solution for freelancers and solopreneurs is Dubsado on the list. It lets you create invoices, and track payments, and workflows.

What is better than Honeybook?

Besides, the software shows a detailed report of sales, income, expenses, and net profits. Having this information would help you in the decision-making process and also contribute to an increase in your profits.

Dubsado also offers client management features, contract and tailor-made contract creation, and workflow automation in half the time. Besides, Dubsado would also help you schedule payments, track clients, book appointments, keep you updated on finances, and generate leads.

What is missing?

The one thing that Dubsado lacks is a mobile app. Yes, the Dubsado neither has an app on the Play store, nor on the App store.

Key features

One of the benefits of using Dubsado is it lets you customize as per your client’s requirement.  It lets you tweak colors, reports, invoices, fonts, and forms. The good point about Dubsado is it offers a time-tracking feature that HoneyBook misses out on. That software requires filling out entries manually.

Dubsado also allows you to manage multiple businesses or brands by charging $10/month/brand.

Talking about the pricing plan, Dubsado is budget-friendly when it comes to the annual pricing plan. When comparing it with HoneyBook, it saves you $50 annually since its annual rate is $400, while Dubsado is available at only $350.

Pros
  • Unlimited free plan for up to 3 projects
  • Slightly cheaper than HoneyBook
  • Good customer service
  • Contains all accounting related key features
  • Manages multiple brands/businesses
Cons
  • Charges extra for every brand addition
  • Difficult learning curve
  • Mobile app not available

3. Bonsai

bonsai

Firstly, the 200k freelancers and agencies associated with Hello Bonsai is something that grabbed our attention when picking HoneyBook alternatives. Using this mobile + web app helps you run marketing, designing, development, writing, and other businesses smoothly.

What Is Better than Honeybook?

It handles all kinds of tasks in half the time that usually takes hours to accomplish. One of which is creating invoices, and administrative tasks, preparing advanced tax reporting, client communication, sales automation, and payment processing.

This project management software has a presence in over 180 countries including most of the developed nations like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Apart from this, you can manage taxes and accounting data with the help of rate calculators.

What is missing?

According to reviews by users, its costly pricing led them to use other options. Thus, you might need to push your budget for employing the Bonsai.

Key features

The pricing plan starts from $19/month that includes the following things:

  • Access to unlimited clients and projects
  • Creating proposals and contracts
  • Time tracking
  • Invoicing and payment processing
  • Project management
  • Client CRM

Plus, the automated solution is available on the following platforms:

  • iOS
  • Android
  • MAC
  • Chrome

And the software is integrated with PayPal and Stripe for online payments. Both the payment automatically marked as paid once your customer pays, which means it rules out the ones that are paid.

Overall, Hello Bonsai is an excellent CRM software that focuses more on offering benefits to freelancers.

Pros
  • Offers support globally
  • Build for all work types
  • Ideal for freelancers
Cons
  • Limit on contract creation

4. 17hats

17hats

17hats is specifically made for the service-based freelance business that struggles to succeed.  With more than seven years of presence in the market, 17hats know what small businesses require to streamline their business management.

The cloud-based platform stores every single piece of information, so you remain worry-free from piling up a stack of files. Trusted by more than 25000+ small businesses, 17hats dedicates themselves to innovating and making tasks easier.

What is better than Honeybook?

With the help of the 15 different tools, you would be able to accomplish your business goals.  From creating quotes to invoices and offering templates to creating forms, 17hats is the one-stop solution for solopreneurs and budding entrepreneurs. Apart from this, the project management platform also manages leads, client information, and manages contacts.

17hats supports Paypal, Stripe, Square, and Authorize.net. The software also includes to-do items and a list, so that you can be updated with what is left and what is done. Besides, there is a client portal as well to keep your clients updated about their work.

What is missing?

Being such a comprehensive solution, it has many tools and features that need to be learned by the users and it takes time and practice. Especially, it does not provide one-to-one training. You have to watch videos and learn by yourself.

Key features

As mentioned, 17hats is integrated with 15 different tools to simplify your business requirements. It is categorized into 4 sub-types:

  • Calendar management
  • Communication
  • Photography
  • Automation

17hats offers services to its customers via three pricing options:

  • Monthly: $45/month
  • Yearly: $295/year, i.e., $25/month
  • Bi-Yearly: $395/year, i.e., $17/month

It is quite expensive than HoneyBook, so if you are a startup or don’t want to initially plow in too many funds, you must look for other available best alternatives to HoneyBook.

Pros
  • Everything in one software
  • Manage multiple projects
Cons
  • Steep learning curve for small businesses
  • Expensive than HoneyBooks

5. Plutio

plutio

Plutio is a business management solution built specifically for freelancer solopreneurs. Since this group of people needs to pitch every time, this marketing automation software has all the features it requires in the process of pitching clients.

What is better than HoneyBook?

Plutio also allows you to send invoices and receive payments through Paypal and Stripe. These two platforms are widely acceptable, and it is not integrated into HoneyBook.  This is one of the reasons to choose Plutio over HoneyBook.

Another reason to consider Plutio as a HoneyBook alternative is the all-in-one platform is available in 25 different languages.  Plus, you can even accept multiple currencies, create invoices in your native language, and accept payments.

What is missing?

While researching the reviews, the most common issue that users were facing was the lag during screen refreshing.

Key features

  • Multiple project handling 
  • Proposal creation 
  • Drag and drop tool
  • Proposal tracking

Besides, it is even integrated with the time-tracking and expense-tracking features. You can monitor it from anywhere, anytime.  The pain point is you might have to add it manually.

Considering all these features, it is an ideal software for all freelancers that aren’t English natives and want a tool to work in their language.

Pros
  • Competitive pricing
  • Agile CRM and client portal
  • Access to all essential features
Cons
  • Require inserting time manually
  • Too complicated software

6. Monday

monday

Monday blues would not be the same with Monday.com — the processes management tool.  The great thing about Monday.com is it offers an unlimited number of templates that are sufficient enough for new, budding entrepreneurs and small businesses to pitch, create, or send invoices/estimates.

What is better than HoneyBook?

Monday is ahead of its competitor (HoneyBook) in terms of offering free-trial days. Another reason to opt for Monday is it has a more than 80% of retention ratio. It also means Monday is able to match their customers’ demand and maintain good customer relationships.

The software is designed in such a way that the tasks like sending follow-up emails, managing recurring invoices, streamlining business processes, and maintaining customer support are automatically done.

What is missing?

Not only the software is made to save time but also to complete to-do lists on time. The only pain point about monday.com is, unlike other alternatives, this one requires a minimum of 3 seats to get registered.

Key features

  • Advertising Management
  • Activity Tracking
  • Asset Categorization
  • Budgeting/Forecasting
Pros
  • Multiple templates at a click
  • Free for individuals
  • Eliminate repetitive tasks
  • Real-time insights
Cons
  • Requires minimum members for registration
  • Not ideal for small business
  • Steep learning curve

7. Bloom

bloom

If you are a photographer or involved in a creative business, there’s no better scheduling software than Bloom. It is one of the best CRM systems that big brands like Red Bull and Joel Grimes use.

What is better than HoneyBook?

What makes Bloom a great alternative to HoneyBook is automated forms, questionnaires, and scheduling. Bloom offers 3x more freemium periods. Now that’s something huge.  You can consider Bloom if you are a freelance photographer or kind of indulged in creative work.

What is missing?

Bloom is still in a growing stage so it is not that popular yet. Not many business owners have reviewed it.

Key features

The ability to streamline all the repeatable sales processes this customer management tool has is commendable. Not only this, there are other such reasons that make Bloom the perfect HoneyBook alternative.

Firstly, let’s discuss powerful automated workflows. Since every task is necessary and crucial, completing it on time is also important. Unlike the other CRM software, Bloom is highly-advanced and category-based software that ensures all your tasks are timely completed.

Another great feature is powerful invoicing that helps you enhance the billing experience through easy online payment integration. It processes credit card payments and is integrated with multiple payment options, such as Square and Stripe.

Pros
  • Makes business activities a cakewalk
  • Great for photographers
  • Accepts payments through different channels
Cons
  • Quite expensive than HoneyBook

So, these are the best HoneyBook alternatives that you may ponder upon and decide on one that meets your business requirements. Still, have doubts or questions? Go through our next section to get them answered.

Frequently Asked Questions
  1. How to pick HoneyBook Alternative?

    Since HoneyBook is a pricey estimating and invoicing software, it is a must to find an alternative that charges less and offers more. It means the one you are selecting should offer at least 1/3rd of the price that HoneyBook of. Another major factor to consider is the learning curve. No matter how reasonable the software is, if it has a steep learning curve, then it’s of no use. Therefore, when you pick an alternative to HoneyBook, consider these two points as a priority.


  2. Which is the best HoneyBook Alternative?

    InvoiceOwl is the best alternative to HoneyBook. Along with an easy learning curve, the end goal to get paid faster is what makes invoice oil ahead of its competitors.


  3. How are alternatives to HoneyBook superior?

    HoneyBook alternatives are superior because they tend to offer more free trial periods, meaning more time to explore the web app. When talking about the pricing, the prices of the best HoneyBook alternatives are quite budget-friendly, which is another benefit when it comes to looking for an alternative.


  4. Is HoneyBook for small business owners?

    Yes, HoneyBook is designed for small businesses but the pricing plan doesn’t meet the budding entrepreneurs’ budget. Also, there is a steep learning curve, which is another obstacle when it comes to managing a business and streamlining its processes.


  5. What is HoneyBook used for?

    The primary use of HoneyBook for appointment booking software solutions. It extends a helping hand to small business owners and freelancers to manage leads, and clients and automate workflows. It even has integrated payment gateways to accept payments.


  6. Why is Dubsado better than HoneyBook?

    Dubsado is an easy-to-use software that saves half of your time handling and managing tasks through automation processes. Other than that, Dubsado offers its services at a lower price than that of HoneyBook.


  7. Can you use HoneyBook for free?

    Yes, HoneyBook offers a free trial of 7 days. So, you can use HoneyBook for 7 days without paying the fees.

Win more jobs and Get Paid!

InvoiceOwl helps you create, manage, and send accounting documents like estimates, invoices and streamlines your workflow.

Conclusion

When it comes to picking up the best HoneyBook alternative, we would suggest . The easy-to-understand learning curve is the primary reason to recommend this web app.

Since you have just started a business or are slowly putting your foot into the market, InvoiceOwl has kept its pricing plan quite affordable. If you are a small business owner, entrepreneur, or freelancer, you must not look for other alternative estimating and invoicing software.

Author Bio
Jeel Patel
Jeel Patel
Founder

Jeel Patel is the founder of InvoiceOwl, a top-rated estimating and invoicing software that simplifies the invoicing and estimating processes for contractor businesses. Jeel holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Toronto, which has provided him with a strong foundation in business principles and practices. With understanding of the challenges faced by contractors, he conducted extensive research and developed a tool to streamline the invoicing and estimating processes for contractors. Read More

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