Event planners have several credible HoneyBook alternatives, but the right choice depends on workflow rather than one headline fee. Maroo combines a free Starter CRM and associated core features with client payments and contractor tools; Dubsado emphasizes customizable automation; Aisle Planner and Planning Pod focus on planning and operations; Harpsen is a planner-specific option to verify directly; Plutio serves mixed service businesses; and 17hats emphasizes a broad solopreneur toolkit. This guide uses official sources checked August 21, 2026.
HoneyBook’s current annual-billing plans are $29, $49, and $109 per month. Its payment-fee guide lists method-specific card prices and 1.5% ACH. A useful comparison therefore combines subscription, actual payment mix, automation, planning depth, and any contractor workflow the business needs.
For a planner billing $150,000 per year, processing cost can vary materially based on card-entry method, card type, bank-payment volume, and transaction count. The transparent model below states those assumptions instead of presenting one estimated total as universal.
Maroo is built for US wedding and event businesses. Its Starter CRM and associated core features are free within published plan limits, connecting leads, quotes, contracts, invoices, payments, and contractor workflows.
Maroo supports passing eligible processing fees under applicable rules. If a business on the optional Business plan passes every eligible processing fee and absorbs no other transaction fee, its business-side cost is the $50 monthly subscription, or $600 per year; clients pay the shifted eligible fees. Passing a fee shifts it to the client and does not eliminate it.
Maroo also offers Book Now, Pay Later for eligible transactions under current terms. That financing option is separate from ordinary installments, Autopay, and recurring invoices.
See current Maroo pricing and the payment workflow.
Best fit: Businesses that want the free Starter CRM/core workflow, client collection, free B2B ACH contractor payments within limits, and W-9/1099 support in one product.
HoneyBook can fit better when its particular clientflow, templates, scheduling, and automation match the team. Migration fit depends on which workflows and files must be rebuilt rather than on a universal interface ranking.
Dubsado offers proposals, contracts, invoices, forms, schedulers, and detailed workflows. Its current plans separate the Starter clientflow from Premier automation and scheduling.
Source: current Dubsado Payments fee schedule.
Best fit: Businesses that value Dubsado’s automation and can model payment processing separately. Its $5 ACH cap can be attractive for large, infrequent bank payments the business absorbs.
HoneyBook can fit better when a team prefers its specific clientflow and lower setup burden. The comparison is operational and subjective, so a trial with one real workflow is more useful than a categorical ease-of-use claim.
Aisle Planner is designed for wedding and event professionals. Its project plans combine sales tools with timelines, budgets, style guides, vendor records, guest tools, layouts, seating, and event websites.
The pricing page advertises 10% savings with annual billing.
Aisle Planner’s WedPay fee guide publishes 3.2% for US/Canadian cards and 1% for US ACH. It also explains options that may offset online-payment costs; confirm the exact account setup and rules before purchase.
Best fit: Full-service wedding planners who need event logistics and collaboration tools alongside sales and invoicing.
HoneyBook can fit better when a smaller team needs clientflow without Aisle Planner’s project-management depth. Compare the plan required for the actual number of active events.
Planning Pod combines event and venue operations with leads, bookings, proposals, contracts, invoices, installments, reminders, floor plans, BEOs, and catering tools.
The current official site no longer supports the older Capterra-based $74/$109/$159 planner table as confirmed-current pricing, so those figures are not used here.
Planning Pod includes integrated online payments, but its current public pages do not expose a stable method-by-method fee table or universal fee-pass rule. Confirm both in the quote.
Best fit: Event and venue operations that need deeper logistics and concurrent-event management.
HoneyBook can fit better when a solopreneur does not need venue, BEO, floor-plan, or catering operations and prefers a lower starting subscription.
Harpsen is a wedding and event planner CRM with proposals, contracts, invoicing, payment plans, vendor tools, and client workflows. Its current public landing page requires the app for plan detail, so older third-party pricing is not treated as confirmed-current.
Because current payment terms are not exposed in a stable public rate table, Harpsen is excluded from the arithmetic model rather than assigned assumed Stripe rates.
Best fit: Planners who want a planner-specific product and are comfortable validating the current commercial terms directly.
HoneyBook can fit better when its published plans, broader integrations, and clientflow are easier for the business to validate before purchase.
Plutio combines projects, proposals, contracts, invoicing, forms, scheduling, time tracking, and client portals across service categories. It is not wedding-specific, but every current plan includes the core feature set.
Annual billing is discounted; verify the exact checkout total for the chosen cycle.
Plutio accepts payments through connected processors and does not add its own invoice transaction fee. Processor fees still apply; the example below uses Stripe’s published US rates.
Best fit: Event planners who also run other service lines and prefer one general business-management platform.
HoneyBook can fit better when its creative-business clientflow and templates are more important than Plutio’s project-management breadth.
17hats combines contacts, projects, quotes, contracts, questionnaires, invoicing, scheduling, automation, and connected Stripe/Square payments. Review the current 17hats pricing page for plan detail and add-ons.
The site advertises promotional first-purchase discounts. Use the renewal price, not a temporary promotion, in long-term cost comparisons.
17hats connects Stripe and Square for payments. Payment schedules and recurring billing are distinct: the current page lists recurring billing as a separate module on eligible configurations, so verify the plan and add-on cost required.
Best fit: Solopreneurs who value a broad integrated business toolkit and predictable subscription options.
HoneyBook can fit better when its clientflow and included automation align more closely than 17hats plus any required modules.
| Tool | Subscription snapshot | Card pricing | Bank pricing | Eligible fee pass | Contractor workflow | Planner workflow note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maroo ★ | Starter free under $5K/month invoicing; Business $50/month | 3.5% Starter; 3.4% Business; 3.25% Pro | 1.5% / 1.25% / 1% | Supported under applicable rules | Free B2B ACH within limits; W-9 and 1099 support | Free Starter CRM/core features; Questionnaires and recurring invoices |
| HoneyBook | $29 / $49 / $109 monthly, billed yearly | 2.9% + $0.25 or 3.4% + $0.09 by method/card | ACH 1.5% | No built-in fee pass | Not the product focus | Broad clientflow and automation |
| Dubsado | $35 / $55 monthly or $335 / $525 yearly | 2.9% + $0.30; manual entry +0.5% | ACH 0.8%, $5 cap | Eligible card surcharging subject to rules | Separate workflow needed | Customizable forms and automation |
| Aisle Planner | $49.99 Sales Essentials; project plans from $69.99 | 3.2% | ACH 1% | Offset options; confirm setup/rules | Separate workflow needed | Wedding planning depth |
| Planning Pod | Volume-based; most single-location venues $199–$319 | Verify current quote | Verify current quote | Verify directly | Separate workflow needed | Event and venue operations |
| Harpsen | Verify current app/quote | Verify current processor | Verify current processor | Verify directly | Verify directly | Planner-specific CRM |
| Plutio | $19 / $49 / $199 monthly | Connected processor rates | Connected processor rates | Depends on processor/rules | No integrated W-9/1099 workflow shown | General project/business management |
| 17hats | $60 monthly; $600 yearly; $800/two years | Connected Stripe/Square rates | Connected processor rates | Depends on processor/rules | Separate workflow needed | Questionnaires; recurring billing may be an add-on |
Official sources checked August 21, 2026. Verify exact checkout and payment method.
Official sources linked throughout were checked August 21, 2026. Rates, promotions, and plan limits can change; verify the exact checkout and payment method before purchasing.
Scenario: $150,000 in annual client payments—$105,000 across 30 card payments and $45,000 across 15 ACH payments. Subscription costs use the stated annual or monthly-list assumption. The model separates fees absorbed by the business from fees passed to clients and is an example, not a quote.
| Platform and assumption | Annual subscription | Processing absorbed by business | Business total | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HoneyBook Essentials; manual Visa/MC | $588 | $3,727.50 | $4,315.50 | Different card methods change result |
| Maroo Business; every eligible modeled fee passed ★ | $600 | $0 | $600 | Clients pay shifted $4,132.50 |
| Maroo Business; business absorbs modeled fees | $600 | $4,132.50 | $4,732.50 | Uses 3.4% cards and 1.25% ACH |
| Dubsado Premier + Stripe | $525 | $3,129 | $3,654 | 15 ACH transactions reach $5 cap |
| Aisle Planner; up to 15 projects | $839.88 monthly-list total | $3,810 | $4,649.88 | Uses 3.2% cards and 1% ACH |
| Planning Pod | Current quote | Not modeled | Verify quote and rates | Public site gives venue range |
| Harpsen | Verify current price | Not modeled | Verify plan and processor | Older third-party price omitted |
| Plutio Core + Stripe | $228 monthly-list total | $3,129 | $3,357 | Core capacity may not fit |
| 17hats yearly + Stripe | $600 | $3,129 | $3,729 | Modules and processor setup may differ |
Example only: $105K across 30 card payments and $45K across 15 ACH payments. Promotions excluded.
Maroo Business costs the business $600 in this model only when every eligible modeled processing fee is passed and the business absorbs no other transaction fee; clients pay shifted eligible fees. Fee eligibility, disclosure, card-network rules, and applicable law still apply. Dubsado and Stripe ACH results depend on the 15-transaction assumption.
Maroo Starter is free for businesses invoicing under $5,000 per month. Its CRM and associated core features—including lead and client records, quotes, contracts, invoicing, payment collection, Questionnaires, and limited contractor workflows—do not require a subscription within published limits. Recurring invoices support genuinely recurring billing and are distinct from installments and Autopay. The current W-9 request flow supports individual and bulk contractor requests.
Maroo supports passing eligible processing fees subject to the payment method, disclosure, card-network rules, and applicable law. If a Business-plan user passes every eligible processing fee and absorbs no other transaction fee, its business-side cost is the $50 monthly subscription, or $600 per year; clients pay the shifted eligible fees. This does not make the transaction fee disappear.
Common comparisons include Dubsado for customizable automation, Aisle Planner for wedding-specific planning, Planning Pod for event or venue operations, and Maroo for a connected free Starter CRM/core workflow with payments and contractor administration. The right fit depends on plan limits, actual payment mix, event volume, and required operational tools.
HoneyBook data and template portability varies by record type. Before canceling, confirm available exports in the current account, save the records the business is entitled to retain, and test how the selected alternative handles client imports, templates, signed contracts, invoices, and active bookings. Migration assistance should be confirmed with the destination provider rather than assumed.
The lowest cost depends on whether monthly invoicing stays within Starter limits, which payment methods clients use, transaction count, and who absorbs eligible fees. Maroo Starter has no subscription within its under-$5,000 monthly invoicing limit. A higher-volume business on optional Business can pay only the $600 annual subscription when it passes every eligible processing fee and absorbs no other transaction fee; clients pay shifted eligible fees. Harpsen is excluded from a price ranking until its current terms are verified.
Dubsado publishes ACH at 0.8% with a $5 maximum per transaction. One $10,000 ACH payment reaches the $5 cap, while HoneyBook’s published 1.5% ACH price would be $150. Total annual cost still depends on how many separate transactions occur.
Maroo presents a connected wedding-contractor workflow that includes free B2B ACH transfers within plan limits, individual and bulk W-9 requests, payment records, and published 1099 preparation/e-filing/mailing options. Other platforms may support pieces of contractor administration through separate products or plans, so confirm the exact workflow rather than relying on an exclusivity claim.
