The test client on this site is a creative job: three 30-second social edits for a bakery, $2,400, half up front. Swap the edits for a logo set or a photo session and the steps don’t change: inquiry, quote, signature, deposit, files, final invoice. A CRM that covers those steps in one plan runs a creative business from first message to final payment.
What a creative job needs from a CRM
Juniper Lane Bakery (fictional) · Launch package: three 30-second social videos for a second shop opening · $2,400, 50% deposit
Inquiry
Dana fills in the CRM's own web form: name, email, job, budget, deadline.
Pass The lead appears in the pipeline with all five fields, with no retyping.
Reply and booking
An automatic reply goes out with a booking link. Dana books a 20-minute call.
Pass Reply sent within 5 minutes, call booked through the CRM's own scheduler, and the call shows on the lead.
Proposal
Send the three-line proposal, $2,400, with the $150 cutdown as an optional item.
Pass Built from a saved template, and Dana can tick or untick the optional item herself.
Contract
Dana signs the contract on her phone.
Pass E-signature inside the CRM, with the signed copy saved to the lead.
Deposit
A 50% deposit invoice for $1,200 is paid by card in test mode.
Pass Invoice created from the accepted proposal, and the payment is recorded with no manual entry.
Kickoff
Turn the won deal into a project. Dana gets a link to upload footage and see the schedule.
Pass Project created from the deal without retyping. Dana gets in with no account, or one magic link.
Final invoice
The remaining $1,200 is invoiced on delivery and paid by card in test mode.
Pass Sent automatically or in one click from the payment schedule.
Close-out
Mark the deal won. Dana gets a receipt. Check the month's revenue report.
Pass Deal closed at $2,400, receipt sent, and the report shows both payments.
Three steps matter more for creative work than for most freelancing:
- Step 3, the quote. Line items per deliverable, plus an optional add-on the client can tick themselves without a second quote.
- Step 5, the deposit. Creative time is booked before the work starts, so the deposit has to land first.
- Step 6, the hand-off. The client needs one link for uploads, the schedule and every document. The portal is how the job looks from the client’s side.
The plan each step needs, CRM by CRM
From each vendor’s own plan pages:
| Step | Workspace369 | HoneyBook | Dubsado | Bonsai | Moxie | 17hats | HubSpot | HighLevel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Inquiry | Cadet read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Essentials read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | All Features read 2026-10-28 | Free read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 02 Reply and booking | Specialist read 2026-10-28 | Essentials read 2026-10-28 | Premier read 2026-10-28 | Premium read 2026-10-28 | Pro read 2026-10-28 | All Features read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 03 Proposal | Cadet read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Essentials read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | All Features read 2026-10-28 | Separate purchase (Revenue Hub Professional) read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 04 Contract | Cadet read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Essentials read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | All Features read 2026-10-28 | Separate purchase (Revenue Hub Professional) read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 05 Deposit | Cadet read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Essentials read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | All Features read 2026-10-28 | Free read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 06 Kickoff | Cadet read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Essentials read 2026-10-28 | Pro read 2026-10-28 | All Features read 2026-10-28 | Not listed on the pages read | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 07 Final invoice | Cadet read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Essentials read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 | All Features read 2026-10-28 | Free read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 08 Close-out | Needs a hands-on run | Needs a hands-on run | Needs a hands-on run | Needs a hands-on run | Needs a hands-on run | Needs a hands-on run | Needs a hands-on run | Needs a hands-on run |
Ranked by the scorecard
| # | CRM | Score | Plan with proposals, e-sign, invoices and payments | 1 seat, yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 17hats | Not scored | All Features | $50 read 2026-10-28 |
| — | Bonsai | Not scored | Essentials | $19 read 2026-10-28 |
| — | Dubsado | Not scored | Starter | $27.92 read 2026-10-28 |
| — | HighLevel | Not scored | Starter | $80.83 read 2026-10-28 |
| — | HoneyBook | Not scored | Starter | $29 read 2026-10-28 |
| — | HubSpot | Not scored | Not in one plan on the vendor's pages | — |
| — | Moxie | Not scored | Starter | $10 read 2026-10-28 |
| — | Workspace369Mark's pick | Not scored | Cadet | $23.25 read 2026-10-28 |
What each one costs a solo creative and a small studio
| CRM | Cheapest plan | With proposals, e-sign, invoices and payments | Checked | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 seat | 3 seats | 5 seats | 1 seat | 3 seats | 5 seats | ||
| Workspace369Mark's pick | $23.25Cadet | $69.25Voyager | $89.25Voyager | $23.25Cadet | $69.25Voyager | $89.25Voyager | read 2026-10-28 |
| HoneyBook | $29Starter | $49Essentials | $109Premium | $29Starter | $49Essentials | $109Premium | read 2026-10-28 |
| Dubsado | $27.92Starter | $27.92Starter | $52.92Starter | $27.92Starter | $27.92Starter | $52.92Starter | read 2026-10-28 |
| Bonsai | $9Basic | $27Basic | $45Basic | $19Essentials | $57Essentials | $95Essentials | read 2026-10-28 |
| Moxie | $10Starter | $32Teams | $32Teams | $10Starter | $32Teams | $32Teams | read 2026-10-28 |
| 17hats | $50All Features | $50All Features | $60All Features | $50All Features | $50All Features | $60All Features | read 2026-10-28 |
| HubSpot | $0Free | $60Starter | $100Starter | Not in one plan on the vendor's pages | read 2026-10-28 | ||
| HighLevel | $80.83Starter | $80.83Starter | $80.83Starter | $80.83Starter | $80.83Starter | $80.83Starter | read 2026-10-28 |
From the vendors’ own plan pages:
- Workspace369 has proposals with e-signature and deposits, invoices, Stripe payments and a branded client portal on Cadet, $23.25/mo read 2026-10-28. Its booking page and payment plans start on Specialist read 2026-10-28.
- HoneyBook has proposals, contracts, invoices, payment plans and a client portal on Starter. Automations and the full scheduler start on Essentials read 2026-10-28.
- Dubsado includes the owner plus three users on both plans. The scheduler and automated workflows are Premier-only read 2026-10-28.
- Bonsai starts proposals, contracts, invoices, payments and the client portal on Essentials, per user read 2026-10-28.
- Moxie has proposals, contracts, invoices, payments and a scheduler on Starter. The white-label client portal starts on Pro read 2026-10-28.
- 17hats sells one plan with every feature, including the owner plus two users read 2026-10-28.
- HubSpot can’t create quotes on Free or Starter for new accounts read 2026-10-28.
- HighLevel covers the whole job on Starter, and adds funnels, texting and sub-accounts a solo creative may not use read 2026-10-28.
What a CRM won’t do for a creative
It won’t take pinned or timecoded notes on a draft, and it won’t host your finals. Those belong in your review and delivery tools. The CRM’s job is to hold the links, so the client finds them in one place.
The pick for creative freelancers
No CRM here is ranked yet, because none has had its hands-on run. My own pick, Workspace369, is in the box near the top of this page, with my reasons. On the vendors’ own pages, the cheapest plans with proposals, e-signature, invoices and payments together are Moxie Starter ($10/mo read 2026-10-28), Bonsai Essentials ($19/mo read 2026-10-28 per user) and Workspace369 Cadet ($23.25/mo read 2026-10-28), all billed yearly.