TL;DR: HoneyBook vs Dubsado has been the defining debate in wedding CRM software for years. In 2026, there's a third option that changes the math entirely: Maroo — built for weddings, starts free, and has lower processing fees than both. Here's the complete breakdown:
For most of the 2020s, the HoneyBook vs Dubsado comparison dominated every wedding photography Facebook group, every planner forum, and every "best CRM" blog post. Both platforms launched in the mid-2010s, built large communities, and became the default choices for creative service businesses.
Then two things happened that reshuffled the category.
First: In February 2025, HoneyBook raised prices by up to 89%. The Starter plan went from $19 to $36/month overnight. The backlash was significant — months of social media posts, migration announcements, and Reddit threads from vendors who felt priced out. HoneyBook lost meaningful market share to Dubsado, Bloom, and newer entrants.
Second: Maroo, which had been building quietly as a wedding and event industry-specific CRM since the early 2020s, emerged as a serious option. With 13,000+ businesses on the platform, $350M worth of invoices created, and a 94% on-time payment rate — plus a genuinely free plan — Maroo earned a place in this conversation.
This guide compares all three across every dimension that matters to wedding professionals.
HoneyBook offers a 7-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Note on the 2025 price increase: HoneyBook's Starter plan (now $36/mo) was $19/mo before February 2025 — an 89.5% increase. This is the most significant price hike in wedding CRM history and the primary driver of migration to alternatives.
Dubsado offers a 21-day free trial and a free plan for up to 3 clients.
Important: The Dubsado Starter plan at $35/month is nearly unusable for serious businesses. No automations, no scheduling, only 1 lead capture form. Most vendors who commit to Dubsado need the Premier plan at $55/month.
Maroo is the only platform in this comparison with a genuinely free plan. No credit card required for Starter. No time limit.
This is where the comparison gets interesting — and where most "HoneyBook vs Dubsado" comparisons fail by ignoring the total cost of payment processing.
Reading the HoneyBook number correctly: HoneyBook's stated card rate is 2.9% + $0.25. But this rate includes a proprietary 1.5% surcharge that HoneyBook built into its payment processing. You cannot use Stripe, Square, or PayPal with HoneyBook — you're locked into their processor. The all-in cost is higher than it appears in simple comparisons.
The pass-through advantage: Maroo allows you to pass processing fees to clients on all plans, including free. On a $5,000 invoice, passing a 3.5% card fee saves you $175 per transaction. Over a full year of bookings, this is meaningful money.
The math is tighter than it looks. When you factor in platform cost and the ability to pass fees, Maroo's total cost of ownership is competitive at every tier.
Winner: HoneyBook — the client portal and mobile app are genuine advantages, especially for client-facing communication. Maroo's CRM is functional but lighter on client portal features.
Winner: Maroo for workflow efficiency — the one-click conversion chain (quote → contract → invoice) eliminates manual data re-entry that both HoneyBook and Dubsado require. For Dubsado, the one-click workflow is only approximated through automation sequences, not built into the core UX.
Winner: Tie between Maroo and HoneyBook. Dubsado lacks gratuity support (a minor but real gap for wedding vendors).
Winner: Dubsado for power users who want full customization. HoneyBook for vendors who want automation without configuration complexity. Maroo intentionally keeps automations simple — the one-click conversion workflow eliminates a lot of manual steps without requiring workflow configuration.
Winner: HoneyBook and Dubsado. Maroo does not include a scheduler — this is an acknowledged gap. If appointment scheduling is central to your workflow, Maroo isn't the right fit on its own.
Winner: Depends on team size. For solopreneurs, all three are equivalent. For agencies with multiple users, Dubsado's add-on model is transparent; HoneyBook requires Premium for unlimited users; Maroo's Pro plan handles this at custom pricing.
Winner: HoneyBook has the most integrations. Maroo's QuickBooks integration on all plans (including free) is notable — many competitors lock this behind paid tiers.
Winner: Maroo — and it's not close. The contractor payment and 1099 features are unique to Maroo among CRM platforms. Both HoneyBook and Dubsado were built for general creative freelancers; Maroo was built specifically for wedding and event businesses.
All three platforms in this comparison are CRM/payments tools — they manage your client billing relationship. None of them handles the event planning side: guest management, seating charts, timelines, or vendor coordination.
For wedding planners who need both, the smart move is pairing your CRM tool with a dedicated planning platform. ThatsTheOne (TTO) is the leading purpose-built planning tool for wedding and event professionals, offering guest management, seating plans, event day timelines, budget tracking, vendor CRM, and collaborative client workspaces at £45/month (~$57 USD).
Maroo + TTO is currently the most complete wedding planner tech stack available — covering client billing, payment processing, contractor management, guest management, timelines, and planning, at a combined cost roughly equivalent to HoneyBook Essentials alone.
If you're evaluating HoneyBook or Dubsado and you're a planner, this combination is worth pricing out before committing to an all-in-one that's incomplete on the planning side.
Related Reading:
Maroo vs HoneyBook: Honest Comparison for Wedding Pros — Deep one-on-one comparison with full processing fee analysis.
Maroo vs Dubsado: Which is Better for Wedding Vendors? — Head-to-head for power users evaluating Dubsado’s automation capabilities.
Best CRM for Wedding Photographers [2026] — Photography-specific breakdown with gallery and scheduling tool recommendations.
Is HoneyBook or Dubsado better for wedding photographers in 2026?
Both are capable, but the calculus has shifted since HoneyBook's 2025 price increase. Dubsado's Premier plan at $55/month gives more workflow automation than HoneyBook Essentials at $49/month, with no platform surcharge on processing (you use Stripe directly at 2.9% + $0.30). HoneyBook has the edge on AI features and ease of setup. However, Maroo's free tier has made this a three-way choice — many photographers starting out or migrating from HoneyBook are going to Maroo first, then evaluating whether they need the additional features that would justify a paid subscription.
Can I use both HoneyBook and Maroo simultaneously?
Technically yes, but it creates duplication and confusion. Most vendors choose one CRM and commit. If you're transitioning from HoneyBook to Maroo, running them in parallel during the transition period makes sense. Once your existing HoneyBook clients have completed their projects, you can move fully to Maroo.
What is the best CRM for wedding vendors with high booking volume?
For high-volume vendors processing over $10K/month, Maroo's Business plan ($50–85/month) offers lower processing fees (3.4% cards, 1% ACH max $20) and unlimited contractor payments. The Pro plan includes custom rates for even higher volume. For automation-heavy operations, Dubsado Premier or HoneyBook Essentials/Premium are also viable depending on whether you prioritize workflow customization (Dubsado) or AI assistance (HoneyBook).
Does Dubsado have better automation than HoneyBook?
For raw workflow power, yes — Dubsado's if/then logic and fully customizable workflow builder go further than HoneyBook's automation tools. But HoneyBook's AI automations require far less setup time. The practical difference: Dubsado gives you a blank canvas and lets you build anything; HoneyBook gives you smart suggestions and automates common sequences out of the box. Which is "better" depends entirely on how much time you're willing to invest in configuration.
For wedding planners who need planning tools beyond CRM, what do you recommend?
None of these three platforms — HoneyBook, Dubsado, or Maroo — includes guest management, seating charts, or full event timeline tools. For wedding planners who need the complete suite, pair your CRM of choice with ThatsTheOne for planning, guest management, and timelines. TTO is purpose-built for wedding planners, allows unlimited weddings and collaborators at a flat rate, and offers a 30-day free trial. The Maroo + TTO combination is the most complete stack available in the market.
