Best CRM for Wedding & Event Planners in 2026 (Tested & Compared)

The best CRM for wedding and event planners in 2026 depends on what you actually manage. Maroo is the top pick for planners who prioritize payment management, contractor payouts, and low fees. Aisle Planner wins for full-service wedding planners who need timelines, style guides, and seating charts inside their CRM. Planning Pod leads for high-volume or corporate event operations. This guide breaks down seven platforms across the features that matter most to working planners: client management, contracts, invoicing, payment fees, and the ability to pay subcontractors.

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What Wedding and Event Planners Actually Need in a CRM

A general-purpose CRM like HubSpot is built around sales pipelines and contact records — useful for enterprise teams but misaligned with how planners work. Wedding and event planners need software that handles:

• Multiple concurrent events, each at a different stage (inquiry, booked, in-production, post-event)
• Deposits and milestone payment schedules, not one-time invoices
• Contracts with e-signatures that are linked to payment releases
• Subcontractor payments — paying second coordinators, assistants, rental vendors, and caterers
• Tax compliance — 1099-NEC filings for contractors paid $600+ per year

Most general CRMs force you to bolt on separate invoicing, payment, and tax tools. Platforms built for the events industry fold all of this together, which is where the real time savings come from.

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The 7 Best CRMs for Wedding & Event Planners

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1. Maroo — Best for Payments, Fees & Contractor Management

Maroo is an all-in-one business management and payments platform built specifically for US wedding and event professionals. It started with invoicing and payments and now brings leads and CRM, quotes and proposals, e-signature contracts, contractor payouts, and 1099-NEC e-filing into the same workflow.

What makes Maroo stand out among CRMs is the payment model. Every plan lets a business pass eligible card and ACH processing fees to clients where permitted. The cost example below models $0 in absorbed processing fees when a Maroo Business customer chooses that option.

Maroo also offers Book Now, Pay Later: clients split their payments over time, but the planner receives the full amount within approximately one business day. For planners whose clients ask about payment plans, this eliminates the cash-flow risk of installment billing.

For contractor management, Maroo brings free B2B ACH payouts, W-9 storage, and 1099-NEC e-filing into the same workflow.

Pricing (maroo.us/pricing, verified July 21, 2026):

• Starter: Free for businesses and freelancers invoicing under $5,000/month; contracts are $5/item; 3 contractor payouts/month included
• Business: $50/month; 20 contracts/month and 10 contractor payouts/month included, then $3/contract and $1/payout
• Pro: Custom pricing with unlimited contracts and contractor payouts

‍Processing fees:

• Cards: 3.5% (Starter), 3.4% (Business), 3.25% (Pro)
• Client ACH: 1.5% (Starter), 1.25% (Business), 1% (Pro)
• B2B ACH: Free on all plans
• Eligible client payment fees can be passed on where permitted; check local regulations or consult your CPA.

Current trust signals: Over 15,000 successful businesses; $450M worth of invoices created; 94% paid on time.

Best for: Wedding and event professionals — from solopreneurs on the free plan to established studios on Business or Pro — who want to protect their margins and manage contractors in the same platform.

How Maroo fits a planner’s workflow: Maroo continues to expand its client-management toolkit around its invoicing and payments foundation. It now supports reusable questionnaires with sharing, reminders, status, and response tracking, plus richer contract workflows with addendums, signer tracking, reminders, and linked invoices. Planners who also need built-in timelines, floorplans, or seating charts can pair Maroo with a planning-specific tool; Aisle Planner and Planning Pod remain stronger for native event logistics.

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2. HoneyBook — Best for AI Automations & Out-of-the-Box Templates

HoneyBook is the most established all-in-one platform in the US wedding industry, with a large template marketplace, AI-assisted workflow automations, and a polished client-facing experience (honeybook.com).

Pricing (honeybook.com/pricing, verified July 21, 2026):

• Starter: $29/month with annual billing
• Essentials: $49/month with annual billing — adds automations, scheduler, QuickBooks integration, and up to 2 team members
• Premium: $109/month with annual billing — adds unlimited team members and priority support

‍Processing fees:

• Visa and Mastercard: 2.9% + $0.25 per transaction
• American Express, Discover, and card-on-file payments: 3.4% + $0.09
• ACH bank transfer: 1.5% (uncapped)
• HoneyBook does not automate fee-passing; businesses can add a manual fee line item after checking applicable laws.

Best for: Planners who want a large library of pre-built templates and AI-assisted email sequences without manual setup time.

Best fit and tradeoff: HoneyBook offers a polished clientflow with proposals, contracts, invoices, and automation. Businesses with large ACH invoices or contractor workflows should account for the uncapped 1.5% ACH rate and the separate tools needed for contractor payouts and 1099 filing.

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3. Dubsado — Best for Customized Workflow Automation

Dubsado is a highly customizable client management platform with conditional workflows, public proposals, schedulers, and canned email sequences. It's the tool most often chosen by planners who want to automate every client touchpoint (dubsado.com).

Pricing (dubsado.com/pricing, verified July 21, 2026):

• Starter: $335/year (about $27.92/month) — core tools without automated workflows
• Premier: $525/year (about $43.75/month) — adds automated workflows and the full feature set

‍Processing fees (Dubsado Payments, via Stripe):

• US cards: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• ACH: 0.8% capped at $5 per transaction
• A 3% surcharge is available for eligible US credit-card payments; it is unavailable in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Puerto Rico, and does not apply to debit cards or ACH.

(Dubsado Help Center – payment processing, verified July 21, 2026)

Best for: Planners who invest time upfront to build complex automation sequences and want to minimize manual follow-up over hundreds of client interactions per year.

Best fit and tradeoff: Dubsado is strong for businesses that want deeply customized workflows and are comfortable investing time in setup. The Starter plan is the simpler option and does not include automated workflows.

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4. Aisle Planner — Best for Full-Service Wedding Planners

Aisle Planner is purpose-built for wedding planners and coordinators, combining CRM and business management with event production tools: timeline builders, style guides and color palettes, seating charts, guest management, and vendor portals (aisleplanner.com).

Pricing (aisleplanner.com/pricing, verified July 21, 2026):

• Sales Essentials: $49.99/month
• Up to 15 active projects: $69.99/month
• 16–25 active projects: $109.99/month
• 26–50 active projects: $164.99/month
• 51–100 active projects: $229.99/month

Annual billing saves 10%.

Processing fees: 3.2% for credit/debit and 1% for ACH through Aisle Planner Payments (Aisle Planner Help Center). Optional platform fees can be enabled for card or ACH/EFT payments.

Best for: Full-service wedding planners who manage the entire event production process and want their timelines, seating, and client communication all inside one tool.

Best fit and tradeoff: Aisle Planner is strongest when native event logistics are the priority. Pricing scales with active project volume, and optional platform fees can help offset processing; contractor payouts and 1099 filing remain separate workflows.

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5. Planning Pod — Best for Multi-Event & Corporate Operations

Planning Pod is an event-management platform built for planners managing many concurrent events, with task management, BEOs (Banquet Event Orders), attendee registration, event websites, and venue calendar management (planningpod.com).

Pricing (Planning Pod, verified July 21, 2026):

• Pricing is quote-based and scales with monthly event volume.
• Planning Pod says most single-location venues spend $199–$319/month.
• Annual plans are available.

Final pricing depends on event volume and the selected package; request a current quote for an exact total.

Processing fees: Payment options include Stripe, Square, PaySimple, and QuickBooks/Authorize.net, depending on the setup. Processing and fee-passing terms depend on the selected processor and account.

Best for: Venues and event businesses that need operational depth across bookings, event spaces, catering, communications, and multi-event logistics.

Honest limitation: More expensive than most alternatives in this category, and better suited to operational management than the boutique client-experience focus most wedding planners prioritize.

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6. Plutio — Best for Planners with a Multi-Service Practice

Plutio is a general-purpose business management platform covering projects, proposals, contracts, invoicing, and time tracking. It is broadly featured and competitive on price (plutio.com/pricing, verified July 21, 2026).

Pricing:

• Core: $19/month (up to 9 active clients; solo only)
• Pro: $49/month (unlimited clients; up to 30 team contributors)
• Max: $199/month (unlimited team; white-label)

Annual billing includes two months free.

Processing fees: Plutio accepts payments through Stripe, PayPal, and Square. Processing rates and any fee-passing options depend on the selected provider and account.

Best for: Event planners who also operate other service businesses (photography studios, styling, consulting) and want one platform for all of it.

Best fit and tradeoff: Plutio is well suited to broad service-business project management. Wedding-specific logistics, contractor payouts, and 1099 filing remain separate workflows.

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7. HubSpot (Free CRM) — Best for Lead Volume Management

HubSpot's free CRM is a contact and deal pipeline manager used widely in B2B sales. For planners handling high inquiry volume, its free tools include contact management, deal tracking, email tools, and reporting for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts (hubspot.com/products/crm).

Pricing: Free tools support up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts. Paid Starter products have a standard starting price of $20/month per seat, although promotional pricing can vary (HubSpot pricing).

Payments and billing: Revenue Hub supports quotes, contracts, invoices, subscriptions, and payment links. HubSpot Payments carries a 0.5% platform fee; connecting Stripe through HubSpot carries a 0.75% platform fee in addition to Stripe processing rates.

Best for: Larger planning agencies or studios with a dedicated sales and marketing team that needs sophisticated lead tracking, CRM reporting, and a configurable revenue stack.

Best fit and tradeoff: HubSpot can centralize sophisticated sales and revenue workflows, including contracts and billing through Revenue Hub. Event logistics, contractor payouts, and 1099 filing remain separate workflows, and the free tier has user and contact limits.

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Feature Comparison Table

Sources checked July 21, 2026: Maroo pricing; HoneyBook pricing; Dubsado pricing; Aisle Planner pricing; Planning Pod; Plutio pricing; and HubSpot CRM.‍

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Total Cost of Ownership: Annual Fee Comparison

This table models a planner billing $150,000/year in client revenue, with 70% paid by card and 30% by ACH. Where current public rates permit a comparable estimate, it combines annual subscription and absorbed processing costs. The Maroo Business row assumes the business passes eligible fees to clients where permitted; Aisle Planner is modeled without optional platform fees.

Assumptions: $150K client revenue; 70% card / 30% ACH; average transaction $3,500 (30 card and approximately 13 ACH payments). HoneyBook uses 2.9% + $0.25 for card and 1.5% for ACH. Dubsado uses 2.9% + $0.30 for card and the $5 ACH cap. Aisle Planner uses 3.2% card and 1% ACH. HubSpot is modeled with connected Stripe processing plus the 0.75% platform fee. Planning Pod and Plutio are not fully modeled because processor terms vary. Confirm rates and legal requirements before switching or enabling fee-passing.

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Top Picks by Planner Type

• Solo wedding planner, just starting out: Maroo free Starter — no monthly fee, CRM and invoicing included.
• Full-service wedding planner managing timelines and floorplans: Aisle Planner ($69.99/month for up to 15 active projects; $109.99 for 16–25) for logistics; add Maroo for payments and contractor payouts.
• High-volume planner paying multiple subcontractors: Maroo Business — contractor payouts, W-9 storage, and 1099-NEC e-filing in one place.
• Automation-focused planner who wants custom workflows: Dubsado Premier ($43.75/month equivalent, billed $525/year) — deep workflow customization.
• Venue or corporate event operation: Planning Pod — quote-based, with most single-location venues currently described at $199–$319/month.
• Planner running a multi-service studio: Plutio Pro ($40.83/month equivalent, billed $490/year) — covers broad service-business workflows.

Ready to Compare for Your Business?

If your biggest pain point is what you're paying in processing fees — or the headache of paying subcontractors and filing 1099s at year-end — Maroo is worth testing. The Starter plan is free with no expiration date for businesses and freelancers invoicing under $5,000/month; review the current plan details before choosing a tier.

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FAQ

What is the best CRM for a wedding planner?
‍For many wedding planners, Maroo is a strong all-in-one option because it combines client management, questionnaires, contracts, invoicing, payment processing with eligible fee-passing, and contractor payouts in one free-to-start platform. Planners who prioritize built-in timelines, floorplans, and seating should compare Aisle Planner or Planning Pod; planners who prioritize highly customized automations should evaluate Dubsado.

‍Do wedding planners need a CRM or just a spreadsheet?
A CRM becomes valuable as active client and inquiry volume grows. Spreadsheets do not natively send payment reminders, collect e-signatures, track lead status, or connect client records to payment processing. A CRM like Maroo or Dubsado automates repetitive follow-up, and free or low-cost starting tiers make it practical to test a structured workflow.

‍What is the cheapest CRM for event planners?
Maroo's Starter plan is free with no expiration for planners invoicing under $5,000/month (up to about $60,000/year). HubSpot's free tools support up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts. Harpsen Essentials is $15.83/month when billed yearly. Dubsado Starter is $335/year (about $27.92/month) and does not include automated workflows.

‍Which CRM handles client payments with no fees?
Maroo gives businesses the option to pass eligible card and ACH processing fees to clients at checkout on every plan, helping them protect their margins where local regulations permit. B2B ACH transfers to vendors and contractors are free on every plan. Check local rules or consult your CPA before enabling client fee-passing.

‍Is HubSpot good for wedding planners?
HubSpot can be a strong choice for managing inquiry volume and complex deal pipelines. Revenue Hub adds contracts, invoices, subscriptions, and payments, while event logistics, contractor payouts, and 1099 filing remain separate workflows. Compare the paid-seat and payment-platform costs with a wedding-focused platform before choosing the stack.