For one person, the two entry plans sit $1.08 a month apart, billed yearly: Dubsado Starter at $27.92/mo read 2026-10-28 and HoneyBook Starter at $29/mo read 2026-10-28. Neither entry plan can run the whole test client, though. Step 2 needs an automatic reply and a booking link. On HoneyBook that means Essentials at $49/mo read 2026-10-28. On Dubsado it means Premier at $43.75/mo read 2026-10-28.
Side by side, from the vendors’ own pages
| For one person | HoneyBook | Dubsado |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan, billed yearly | Starter $29/mo read 2026-10-28 | Starter $27.92/mo read 2026-10-28 |
| Entry plan, billed monthly | $36/mo read 2026-10-28 | $35/mo read 2026-10-28 |
| Plan with automations and a scheduler | Essentials $49/mo read 2026-10-28 | Premier $43.75/mo read 2026-10-28 |
| Same plan, per year | $588/yr read 2026-10-28 | $525/yr read 2026-10-28 |
| Live lead forms on the entry plan | 2 read 2026-10-28 | 1 read 2026-10-28 |
| Scheduler | 1 session on Starter in the compare grid; unlimited from Essentials read 2026-10-28 | Premier only read 2026-10-28 |
| Automations | From Essentials read 2026-10-28 | Premier only read 2026-10-28 |
| Proposals | On Starter read 2026-10-28 | On Starter inside a project; public, shareable proposals need Premier read 2026-10-28 |
| Contracts with e-signature | On Starter read 2026-10-28 | On Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| Payment plans and autopay | On Starter read 2026-10-28 | On Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| Seats included | Owner only on Starter; owner + 2 on Essentials | Owner + 3 on both plans |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card | 21 days, no card |
What one $2,400 job costs in fees
The test client pays two $1,200 invoices. Here is what each processor’s published rate takes, worked out from the fees on each vendor’s page:
| Two $1,200 payments | HoneyBook | Dubsado Payments |
|---|---|---|
| By US card | $70.10 | $70.20 |
| By bank transfer (ACH) | $36.00 | $10.00 |
HoneyBook: cards from 2.9% + 25¢, ACH 1.5% read 2026-10-28. Dubsado: US cards 2.9% + $0.30, ACH 0.8% capped at $5 read 2026-10-28. HoneyBook’s own pricing page also quotes 2.7% + 10¢. Its payments page explains that this is the tap-to-pay rate, so the card row uses 2.9% + 25¢.
The test client, step by step, on paper
The plan each of the eight steps needs on each CRM, from the vendors’ own plan pages:
| Step | HoneyBook | Dubsado |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Inquiry | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 02 Reply and booking | Essentials read 2026-10-28 | Premier read 2026-10-28 |
| 03 Proposal | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 04 Contract | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 05 Deposit | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 06 Kickoff | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 07 Final invoice | Starter read 2026-10-28 | Starter read 2026-10-28 |
| 08 Close-out | Needs a hands-on run | Needs a hands-on run |
Both entry plans cover the inquiry, proposal, contract, deposit, client portal and final invoice. Both need one upgrade for step 2’s automatic reply: Essentials on HoneyBook, Premier on Dubsado.
Price at 1, 3 and 5 seats
| Plan | 1 seat | 3 seats | 5 seats | What this plan gates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29$36 monthly | not on this plan | not on this plan |
| read 2026-10-28 |
| Essentials | $49$59 monthly | $49$59 monthly | not on this plan |
| read 2026-10-28 |
| Premium | $109$129 monthly | $109$129 monthly | $109$129 monthly |
| read 2026-10-28 |
- Trial
- 30 days, no card read 2026-10-28
- Add-ons
- Instant deposit: 1% fee (pending eligibility) read 2026-10-28
- Card fees
- Cards from 2.9% + 25¢; tap to pay 2.7% + 10¢; ACH bank transfer 1.5%. Instant deposit +1%. read 2026-10-28
| Plan | 1 seat | 3 seats | 5 seats | What this plan gates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $27.92$35 monthly | $27.92$35 monthly | $52.92$60 monthly |
| read 2026-10-28 |
| Premier | $43.75$55 monthly | $43.75$55 monthly | $68.75$80 monthly |
| read 2026-10-28 |
- Trial
- 21 days, no card read 2026-10-28
- Add-ons
- Additional brand: $10/mo per additional brand read 2026-10-28
- Additional users (tiered): 3 free; 4–10 users $25/mo; 11–20 $45/mo; 21–30 $60/mo; 30+ contact read 2026-10-28
- Card fees
- Dubsado Payments (Stripe-powered), US: US cards 2.9% + $0.30; international cards 4.4% + $0.30; ACH 0.8% capped at $5. Dubsado adds no fee of its own per its help center. Square and PayPal charge their own rates. read 2026-10-28
HoneyBook’s seat limits come from its plan structure: Starter holds the owner only, Essentials holds the owner plus two, and Premium has no seat limit. Dubsado charges no extra for up to four users. At five users, the next flat band adds $25 a month.
Where each one stops
HoneyBook. It serves the US, Canada, the UK and Australia only read 2026-10-28. Starter has no team members and no automations. QuickBooks Online and SMS reminders start at Essentials.
Dubsado. Starter has one active lead form, sends proposals only inside a project, and has no scheduler, so step 2 needs Premier or a separate booking tool. QuickBooks, Xero and Zapier are Premier-only read 2026-10-28. Dubsado’s prices apply to subscribers from December 1, 2025; earlier accounts keep their old pricing.
Scorecards
| Criterion | Weight | Score /10 | Points | Measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inquiry to proposal to contract | 25% | — | — | Needs a hands-on run |
| Payments and invoicing | 20% | — | — | Needs a hands-on run |
| Price at 1, 3 and 5 seats | 20% | — | — | Needs the plan a hands-on run completes on |
| Setup time | 15% | — | — | Needs a hands-on run |
| Client experience (portal, forms, emails) | 10% | — | — | Needs a hands-on run |
| Support and docs | 10% | — | — | Needs a hands-on run |
| Overall | 100% | — | No overall score until a hands-on run measures every criterion. Nothing is estimated. | |
| Criterion | Weight | Score /10 | Points | Measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inquiry to proposal to contract | 25% | — | — | Needs a hands-on run |
| Payments and invoicing | 20% | — | — | Needs a hands-on run |
| Price at 1, 3 and 5 seats | 20% | — | — | Needs the plan a hands-on run completes on |
| Setup time | 15% | — | — | Needs a hands-on run |
| Client experience (portal, forms, emails) | 10% | — | — | Needs a hands-on run |
| Support and docs | 10% | — | — | Needs a hands-on run |
| Overall | 100% | — | No overall score until a hands-on run measures every criterion. Nothing is estimated. | |
Which one for a one-person business
On the vendors’ own numbers: if you reply to inquiries yourself and don’t need a booking link, the entry plans cover the other steps, and Dubsado Starter is $1.08 a month cheaper billed yearly. Dubsado also includes three more users at no charge if you hire later.
If you work alone and want automatic replies and a booking link, the plans to compare are HoneyBook Essentials and Dubsado Premier. Billed yearly, Premier costs less ($525/yr read 2026-10-28 against $588/yr read 2026-10-28). It also takes less per bank transfer.