The best invoicing and payment software for wedding planners in 2026 is one that handles deposits, milestone schedules, and automatic reminders — while keeping processing fees from eating your margins. For most planners, Maroo leads on payment economics (zero-fee ACH/debit via pass-through, free contractor ACH), HoneyBook leads on polish and template depth, and Dubsado stands out for its ACH fee cap of $5 per transaction. The right choice depends on your billing volume, whether you absorb or pass processing fees, and how much you pay subcontractors.
Wedding planners have billing patterns that are unlike most service businesses. You need deposit collection at booking, milestone payments spaced months apart, automatic reminders so you are not chasing clients, and a clean way to pay second coordinators or day-of assistants at year-end with 1099s.
A generic invoicing tool covers the basics. A platform built for your industry handles the full lifecycle: proposal → e-signature → invoice → payment schedule → contractor payouts — all under one login.
The six criteria that matter most:
Maroo (maroo.us) is purpose-built for wedding and event professionals. Its core payment differentiator is a transparent fee-passing model: ACH and card processing fees are charged to the platform at 1.5%/3.5% (Starter) or 1.25%/3.4% (Business), but planners can pass those fees directly to clients at checkout, bringing the planner's net processing cost to $0 on any plan (maroo.us/pricing, June 2026).
Be aware: Maroo's fee pass-through is not permitted in Connecticut or Massachusetts, per maroo.us/pricing. In those states, planners absorb standard card rates (3.5% on Starter). The free Starter plan caps monthly invoicing at $5,000; the Business plan removes that cap for $50/month.
Verified trust signals: 13,000+ businesses; $350M+ in invoices processed — confirm latest figures at maroo.us.
HoneyBook (honeybook.com) is the market-share leader for US creative freelancers and planners. Its client-facing experience is polished, its template marketplace is deep, and its pipeline view makes it easy to see every lead and project at a glance.
The uncapped 1.5% ACH fee is a real cost on large invoices. A $10,000 final payment via ACH costs $150; a $150,000/year planner collecting all ACH payments pays ~$2,250 in ACH fees alone, before card fees.
Be aware: HoneyBook does not natively support contractor payouts or 1099-NEC filing. Its strength is client-facing workflow; subcontractor payment management requires external tools.
Dubsado (dubsado.com) is a client management platform popular with photographers and planners. Its standout payment feature is an ACH fee of 0.8%, capped at $5 per transaction — making it exceptionally cheap for planners whose clients consistently pay by bank transfer.
The ACH cap means a $10,000 invoice via ACH costs $5, not $80. If clients pay exclusively via ACH and the planner absorbs the fee, Dubsado's ACH cost is very low at scale. However, a $5,000 invoice paid by card still costs $145.30 — per the Maroo vs Dubsado comparison at maroo.us/blogs/maroo-vs-dubsado.
Be aware: Dubsado does not support contractor payouts or 1099-NEC filing natively. Automation and scheduling tools are Premier-only.
Harpsen (harpsen.com) is a wedding-and-event-specific CRM with proposals, contracts, invoices, payment plans, and vendor coordination built in. At $12/month (or ~$100/year on annual billing), it is the lowest-cost purpose-built option for solo planners (capterra.com/p/264744/Harpsen, June 2026).
Payments go through Stripe; standard Stripe rates apply (2.9% + $0.30 for cards; ACH at 0.8% capped at $5). Harpsen does not add its own transaction fee on top. It does not offer native contractor payouts or 1099-NEC e-filing.
Plutio (plutio.com) is a general-purpose business management platform that works for planners who want project management, proposals, contracts, invoicing, and client portals in one system. It explicitly charges no transaction fees on invoices — you connect your own Stripe or PayPal and pay their standard rates (plutio.com/pricing, June 2026).
Pricing: Core $19/month; Pro $49/month; Max $199/month.
It is not wedding-industry-specific; it lacks milestone templates, vendor payment tracking, and 1099 support. Best for planners who also run corporate or non-wedding events and need broader project tooling.
Square Invoices (squareup.com) is a strong standalone option if you already use Square POS or want to start without a monthly subscription. The free plan charges 3.3% + $0.30 for card-paid invoices and 1% (min $1) for ACH transfers (squareup.com, June 2026). The Invoices Plus plan ($20/month) reduces card rates to 2.9% + $0.30 and caps ACH at $10.
Square does not offer event-planning features (milestone schedules, contracts, CRM), 1099 support, or contractor payouts. It is a payment tool, not a planner platform.
FreshBooks (freshbooks.com) is an accounting-first invoicing platform. It handles recurring invoices, expense tracking, and double-entry accounting alongside standard invoice delivery. Processing fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per card transaction; 1% for ACH bank transfers (freshbooks.com/accept-payments, June 2026).
Pricing: Plans range from approximately $19–$65/month (monthly billing); current promotional pricing may differ — verify at freshbooks.com/pricing.
FreshBooks is not wedding-industry-specific. It has no milestone payment templates, vendor coordination, or 1099 support. Best for planners who primarily need accounting with invoicing attached.
| Feature | Maroo | HoneyBook | Dubsado | Harpsen | Plutio | Square Invoices | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription (entry) | Free / $50 | $29 | ~$28 | $12 | $19 | Free / $20 | ~$19 |
| ACH fee | 1.5% (passable to client) | 1.5% (no cap) | 0.8%, $5 cap | 0.8%, $5 cap (Stripe) | Stripe/PP rates | 1% ($1 min) | 1% |
| Card fee | 3.5% (passable to client) | 2.7%+$0.10 | 2.9%+$0.30 | 2.9%+$0.30 (Stripe) | Stripe/PP rates | 3.3%+$0.30 | 2.9%+$0.30 |
| Fee pass-through to client | (all plans) | native | (surcharging) | ||||
| Free B2B contractor ACH | (all plans) | ||||||
| 1099-NEC e-filing | |||||||
| Milestone payment schedules | Limited | Limited | |||||
| Contracts + e-signature | |||||||
| Automatic payment reminders | |||||||
| Book Now, Pay Later | |||||||
| Wedding-industry-specific | Partial | Partial |
Sources: maroo.us/pricing; honeybook.com/pricing; help.dubsado.com; capterra.com/p/264744/Harpsen; plutio.com/pricing; squareup.com/help; freshbooks.com/accept-payments. All figures as of June 2026 — verify on source sites before purchase.
This table models annual fees for a planner billing $150,000/year in client invoices. Two payment mix scenarios are shown: (A) 50% ACH / 50% card — the planner absorbs all processing fees; and (B) 100% pass-through — fees charged directly to clients so the planner's net cost is $0.
| Platform | Annual Subscription | ACH Fees on $75k | Card Fees on $75k | Total Annual Cost (Scenario A) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maroo Business | $600 | $0 (passed to client) | $0 (passed to client) | $600 |
| Maroo Starter | $0 | $0 (passed to client) | $0 (passed to client) | $0 |
| HoneyBook Essentials | $588 | $1,125 (1.5%) | $2,025 (2.7%) | $3,738 |
| Dubsado Premier | $525 | $375 (~$5 cap × 75 txns)* | $2,175 (2.9%) | $3,075 |
| Harpsen | $144 | $375 (0.8% Stripe, $5 cap)* | $2,175 (2.9% Stripe) | $2,694 |
| Plutio Core | $228 | ~$938 (Stripe 0.8% no cap assumption) | $2,175 (2.9% Stripe) | $3,341 |
| Square Free | $0 | $750 (1%) | $2,475 (3.3%) | $3,225 |
| FreshBooks Plus | ~$396 | $750 (1%) | $2,175 (2.9%) | $3,321 |
| Platform | Annual Subscription | Net Processing Cost to Planner | Total Annual Cost | Annual Savings vs. HoneyBook Essentials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maroo Starter | $0 | $0 | $0 | $3,738 |
| Maroo Business | $600 | $0 | $600 | $3,138 |
Dubsado ACH cap modeled at avg. $5/transaction across 75 ACH transactions of ~$1,000 each. Actual savings vary with transaction size. On large single transactions (e.g., $10,000 final payment), Dubsado's ACH fee is only $5. Sources: maroo.us/pricing; help.dubsado.com/en/articles/8901346-dubsado-payments-processing-fees; honeybook.com/pricing; squareup.com/help; freshbooks.com/accept-payments. These are approximations — actual costs depend on transaction size and mix.
Key takeaway: A planner billing $150,000/year who passes fees to clients on Maroo Business saves approximately $3,138/year compared to HoneyBook Essentials (absorbing fees). Even on Maroo Starter with fee pass-through, the total annual platform cost is $0.
Most wedding planning contracts are structured as a sequence: a retainer at signing (typically 25–50%), one or more milestone payments during the planning period, and a final balance due 14–30 days before the event.
The best invoicing tools for planners let you build this schedule once and automate reminders:
A solo planner billing $150,000/year typically pays 4–8 subcontractors per year — second coordinators, day-of assistants, or specialty consultants. Paying these via Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal Business creates tax compliance gaps and lacks a paper trail for 1099 filings.
Maroo is the only platform in this comparison that includes free B2B ACH transfers for contractor payouts plus integrated W-9 collection and 1099-NEC e-filing (maroo.us/pricing). On the Business plan, 10 contractor payouts per month are included; additional payouts are $1 each. 1099-NEC e-filing and mailing is $3/form on Business.
For a planner filing 1099s for six contractors annually, the all-in cost on Maroo Business is: $600/year subscription + ~$18 in 1099 forms = $618/year total, with zero processing cost on client invoices if fees are passed through.
If you are billing under $5,000/month and want to test zero-fee ACH with contractor payouts and 1099 support, Maroo's Starter plan costs nothing to start. No credit card required.
Get started at maroo.us — or see the full feature breakdown at maroo.us/pricing.
The most cost-effective method is ACH bank transfer passed to the client. On platforms like Maroo, you can route the processing fee to the client transparently at checkout, so your business absorbs nothing. For planners in states that do not allow surcharging (Connecticut and Massachusetts), ACH at a low or capped rate — such as Dubsado's 0.8% capped at $5 — keeps per-transaction costs minimal. Avoid platforms that charge uncapped ACH fees (like HoneyBook's 1.5%) if you collect large individual payments.
Any of the platforms in this guide support online deposits. Send a proposal or invoice with a deposit amount, and clients pay via a secure payment link — no app download required on most platforms. Maroo, HoneyBook, and Dubsado all support automated deposit reminders. Maroo also offers Book Now, Pay Later, which lets clients finance the deposit while you receive the full amount within about one business day.
Yes, in most US states. Fee pass-through (surcharging) lets you add the processing fee to the client's invoice total, so the card fee shows as a line item for the client rather than a cost you absorb. Maroo supports this natively on all plans. Dubsado supports surcharging at 3% for US users. Note: surcharging is prohibited in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Offering ACH as a payment option is an effective alternative — at Dubsado's $5 cap or with Maroo's fee passed to the client, the cost to either party is very low on large invoices.
Maroo, HoneyBook, Dubsado, and Harpsen all support milestone payment schedules directly on invoices. Maroo additionally offers Book Now, Pay Later, which is a client-facing financing option where clients pay monthly installments but the planner receives the full amount upfront. Plutio and FreshBooks support recurring or custom invoices but are not specifically designed for the wedding milestone billing model.
Among the platforms in this guide, only Maroo handles 1099-NEC e-filing natively. It stores W-9s, prepares 1099-NECs, e-files to the IRS, and mails copies to contractors — at $3/form on the Business plan. HoneyBook, Dubsado, Harpsen, Plutio, Square, and FreshBooks do not offer 1099 filing. Planners using those tools need a separate accountant or a standalone service like Tax1099 or Track1099 at year-end.
Maroo's Starter plan is permanently free for planners invoicing under $5,000/month — not a trial. It includes CRM, proposals, contracts, invoicing, ACH and card payment processing, milestone schedules, automatic reminders, and contractor payouts. Square Invoices has a free plan (no monthly fee) but charges 3.3% + $0.30 per card invoice and 1% for ACH, with no event-industry features. Dubsado's free plan is capped at three active clients.
