TL;DR: HoneyBook raised prices by up to 89% in February 2025, pushing many wedding and event professionals to look elsewhere. The best HoneyBook alternatives depend on your role: Maroo is the top pick for most wedding vendors (free CRM tier, purpose-built payments, zero-fee contractor payouts), ThatsTheOne wins for planners who need full event logistics, Dubsado is best for workflow automation power users, and Bloom is a strong budget pick for photographers. Full rankings below:
In February 2025, HoneyBook implemented the largest single price increase in its history. The Starter plan jumped from $19/month to $36/month — an 89.5% increase overnight. Essentials rose 51% (from $39 to $59/month), and Premium climbed 63% (from $79 to $129/month). Annual subscribers were not immune; the annual Starter rate went from $16/month to $29/month
The backlash was immediate and well-documented across wedding industry forums. For a solo wedding photographer or small planning firm, paying $348–$1,308 per year for CRM software is a meaningful business expense — especially when equally capable (or better) alternatives exist at a fraction of the cost, or even free.
The good news: 2025 and 2026 have seen genuine innovation from HoneyBook competitors. Whether you're a photographer, planner, florist, DJ, or venue, there's a better-fit tool for your business right now.
This guide ranks the 8 best HoneyBook alternatives for wedding pros based on pricing, feature depth, ease of use, and how well they fit the specific needs of wedding and event businesses. We've done the pricing research so you don't have to.
HoneyBook for reference: $36–$129/month ($29–$109/mo annual). Card processing: 2.9% + $0.25 + built-in 1.5% surcharge. ACH: 1.5%.
Maroo is purpose-built for wedding and event businesses — not adapted from a generic freelancer CRM. That difference shows in every feature. The platform handles the full business workflow from lead capture through contractor payment and tax filing, and it's the only platform in this category with a genuinely usable free tier.
Why Maroo beats HoneyBook for most wedding pros:
The pricing contrast is stark. HoneyBook charges $36/month just to get started. Maroo's Starter plan is completely free for vendors processing under $10,000/month — that covers most part-time photographers and early-stage planners entirely. When you scale past that threshold, Business pricing starts at $50–85/month, which is competitive with HoneyBook Essentials at $59/month but with meaningfully lower processing fees.
On processing fees, Maroo wins again. HoneyBook locks you into its proprietary payment processor and bakes in a 1.5% surcharge on top of standard card fees — so you're actually paying roughly 4.4% effective rate (2.9% + 0.25 + 1.5% surcharge) on credit card transactions. Maroo charges 3.5% for cards (3.25% on Pro) and 1% for ACH capped at $25 maximum — the cap alone can save you hundreds on large wedding contracts.
The workflow is genuinely fast. Maroo converts a lead into a quote in under two minutes, then turns that approved quote into a contract with one click, then converts the signed contract into an invoice with one click. There's no re-entering data between steps. Over a full wedding season, that efficiency compounds significantly.
For anyone who pays contractors or freelancers, Maroo's built-in B2B ACH is free on all plans. HoneyBook has no equivalent feature at all. Maroo also handles 1099-NEC preparation, e-filing, and physical mail to contractors — $5/form on Starter, $3/form on Business, included free on Pro. If you regularly hire second shooters, assistants, or coordinators, this alone can justify switching.
What Maroo doesn't have: No built-in scheduler, no client photo galleries, no workflow automations (beyond the one-click conversions), no website builder, and no time tracking. If those features are essential, read on.
The verdict: For the majority of wedding and event pros — especially those who process significant payment volume or pay contractors regularly — Maroo offers better value than HoneyBook at every price point. The free tier is real and functional, not a crippled teaser.
See the full head-to-head: https://www.maroo.us/blogs/maroo-vs-honeybook
Dubsado is HoneyBook's most direct feature competitor and the platform most HoneyBook refugees consider first. It's highly customizable, genuinely powerful, and doesn't add its own processing fee on top of Stripe/Square charges (so card fees stay at standard 2.9% + $0.30 rather than HoneyBook's inflated rate).
The honest assessment: Dubsado's automation capabilities are unmatched in this price range. You can build multi-step workflows that automatically send emails, generate proposals, request contract signatures, and fire payment reminders — all without touching a button. For photographers with a repeatable booking process, that can save 2–4 hours per booking.
The catch is a steep learning curve. Dubsado is notoriously complex to set up. Most new users spend their entire 21-day trial just configuring templates and workflows before they can use it productively. The platform isn't hard to learn — it just requires an upfront investment of time.
Critical limitation to know: The Dubsado Starter plan ($35/month) is severely restricted. You get no automations, no scheduling, and only one lead capture form. You're essentially paying $35/month for a client portal with invoicing. To get the platform's actual capabilities, you need the Premier plan at $55/month ($43.75/mo annual) budget accordingly.
See the full head-to-head: https://www.maroo.us/blogs/maroo-vs-dubsado
Bloom has emerged as a serious HoneyBook alternative, particularly among photographers who felt priced out after the February 2025 increases. At $7/month annually for a functional CRM with galleries and scheduling, it undercuts virtually every competitor.
The platform is visually modern, easy to set up, and supports Stripe, Square, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and bank transfers — far more payment method flexibility than HoneyBook's locked-in processor. There's no Bloom transaction fee on Standard and Plus plans; you just pay standard processor rates.
Watch out for the Starter plan: The $7/month annual tier limits you to 3 active projects, 1 workflow, 1 automation, and adds a 1.5% Bloom processing fee on every transaction. For any working photographer with more than 3 active clients, Standard ($17/month annual) is the practical minimum.
Bloom doesn't have built-in contractor payouts or 1099 filing — it's purely a client-side CRM and gallery tool. If you pay second shooters or editors, you'll need a separate solution.
For wedding planners who need full planning tools — guest management, seating charts, timelines, vendor CRM, budget tracking — ThatsTheOne (thatstheone.com) is the standout choice, and it pairs perfectly with Maroo for a complete business stack.
ThatsTheOne is purpose-built for planners specifically, not adapted from a general freelancer CRM. The platform handles everything the planning side of a wedding business requires: a full guest management system with RSVP collection and dietary tracking, drag-and-drop seating charts to scale that clients can interact with directly, event-day timelines, comprehensive budget tracking, vendor management, and wedding websites. It even offers a guest accommodation service that helps attendees book discounted hotel rates.
What sets TTO apart from competitors like Aisle Planner or Planning Pod is the collaborative model: couples and planners work in the same workspace, so there's no back-and-forth emailing of spreadsheets or PDFs. Unlimited collaborators are included at the flat monthly rate.
TTO doesn't process payments or handle invoicing — that's where Maroo steps in. The Maroo + TTO stack covers every aspect of a planning business:- Maroo handles lead capture, proposals, contracts, invoicing, payment processing, contractor payments, and 1099 filing- TTO handles guest management, seating, timelines, budget tracking, vendor CRM, and client collaboration
No single competitor offers this complete a solution. HoneyBook has some planning features, but nothing close to TTO's depth. Aisle Planner combines CRM and planning but at higher prices ($49.99–$229.99/month) with a steeper cost curve.
At ~$57/month for unlimited events and unlimited collaborators, TTO is well-priced for active planners running multiple concurrent events.
17hats is a mature platform with a loyal user base. It covers the standard CRM needs — lead capture, quotes, contracts, invoices, payments — and offers a notable free tier (unlimited contacts/projects; 4 invoices per quarter). The problem is that free tier isn't practically useful for any working professional.
The pricing structure is confusing: 17hats advertises a single plan but internally gates features in three tiers. The client portal — something basic platforms like Studio Ninja include at every level — is locked to the highest tier on 17hats. Add-on modules for QuickBooks integration ($5/month), scheduling ($5–$10/month), and time tracking ($5/month) can push total costs well above the base subscription.
No AI features, older UI, and no dedicated wedding industry positioning make this less compelling in 2026 than it was a few years ago. The 50% promotional pricing is what keeps it competitive.
Studio Ninja is entirely photography-focused — if you're a photographer, that's a strength; if you're any other type of wedding vendor, look elsewhere. The platform includes leads, quotes, invoices, contracts, questionnaires, appointment booking, and client portal access at every tier. Free 1-on-1 training and free data migration are included regardless of plan — a rare perk.
The Starter plan is limited (5 active jobs, 1 user, no online booking forms, no workflow automation), so most photographers will want the Pro plan at $22.50/month annually. At that price, Studio Ninja undercuts HoneyBook by over $25/month while offering similar functionality for photographers specifically.
No proprietary transaction fee; Stripe and PayPal rates apply directly. Integration with gallery platforms like ShootProof and Pic-Time keeps it well-connected to the photographer ecosystem.
Bonsai is not a wedding-industry tool, but it appears on lists because of its strong general-purpose CRM and time tracking capabilities. Proposals and contracts require at least the Essentials plan ($19/month annual). The platform includes automations, expense tracking, multi-currency billing, and QuickBooks/Zapier integrations at reasonable price points.
What Bonsai doesn't offer: any event-specific tools (no guest management, no timelines, no wedding-specific workflows), no client galleries, and no built-in contractor payouts. It's a competent general freelancer platform — just not optimized for the wedding industry.
The per-user pricing also scales quickly for small teams. Two users on annual Bonsai Essentials costs $38/month; Maroo's Business plan at $50–85/month includes up to 3 users with wedding-specific features
Formerly known as Táve, this platform was acquired by VSCO in May 2025 and relaunched as VSCO Workspace in August 2025. The core platform is unchanged — highly customizable CRM with workflows, automations, contracts, invoices, and multi-brand support — at Táve's original pricing.
The key appeal remains: no locked features across tiers ("no surprises"), workflows and automations on all plans, text messaging in US/Canada, and up to 10 users on the Studio plan. For studios with multiple photographers and multiple brand identities, the Boutique plan ($31.49/month annual) with 4 brands and 6 users is genuinely competitive.
The cautions: VSCO's long-term product roadmap for Workspace is still unknown, and the platform has historically had a steep learning curve. If you're new to this tool and not already familiar with Táve, the onboarding investment is real. Photography-only positioning means planners, florists, and other wedding vendors won't find the right fit here.
Choose Maroo if: You're a wedding or event professional of any type who wants zero-cost entry, fast setup, competitive processing fees, built-in contractor payments, and 1099 filing. Also ideal if you're scaling past $10K/month in processing volume and need a professional-grade system without HoneyBook's inflated fees.
Choose Dubsado if: Automated client workflows are essential to how your business operates and you're willing to invest 20+ hours upfront to configure the platform.
Choose Bloom if: You're a photographer primarily looking for galleries + CRM at the lowest possible monthly cost
Choose ThatsTheOne if: You're a wedding planner and need the full planning stack — guest lists, seating, timelines, vendor management — not just a CRM. Pair it with Maroo for complete business coverage.
Choose Studio Ninja if: You're a photographer who wants a clean, photography-focused tool with excellent support and free onboarding.
Yes. Maroo's Starter plan is free for vendors processing under $10,000/month. It includes lead capture, quotes, contracts, invoicing, and payment processing — not a crippled demo. Rock Paper Coin also has a free tier, but it's invoicing-only with no proposals or contracts. 17hats has a technically free plan, but 4 invoices per quarter makes it unusable for active professionals.
HoneyBook hasn't publicly detailed the business rationale beyond referencing ongoing product investment. The February 4, 2025 increase was the largest in company history — Starter rose 89.5%, Essentials 51%, Premium 63%. The pricing is now at or above most competitors in its category.
No — HoneyBook does not support surcharging or fee-passing. Maroo does, on all plans. If you want to keep 100% of your quoted price, Maroo is the better structural choice.
Most do. Dubsado, Studio Ninja, and Bloom all have mobile apps. Maroo is mobile-responsive but does not currently have a dedicated native app. HoneyBook's mobile app is one of its genuine strengths.
Maroo advertises 2-minute setup and genuinely delivers on it. Bloom and Rock Paper Coin are also fast to configure. Dubsado is the most capable but takes the most time to configure properly — expect a multi-day onboarding investment.
