TL;DR: HoneyBook, Dubsado, and Maroo serve overlapping but different operating styles. HoneyBook emphasizes polished client workflows and AI assistance; Dubsado emphasizes deep customization; Maroo started as an invoicing and payments platform for wedding and event businesses and is rapidly adding capabilities across CRM, questionnaires, contracts, recurring billing, and contractor operations.
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: HoneyBook changed its pricing in 2025, which prompted many businesses to re-evaluate the plan level, payment costs, and workflow features they actually needed. Pricing alone does not determine the better fit, so the comparison below separates subscription, processing, and operating-workflow considerations.
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 over 15,000 successful businesses using the platform, $450M worth of invoices created, and 94% paid on time — plus a free Starter plan for businesses invoicing under $5,000 per month — Maroo earned a place in this conversation.
This guide compares all three across the workflows that matter to wedding professionals. Official pricing and product sources checked July 23, 2026: HoneyBook pricing, Dubsado pricing, and Maroo pricing.
HoneyBook currently offers a 30-day trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Note on the 2025 price change: HoneyBook Starter moved from $19 to $36 per month on monthly billing. Compare the current plan features and annual billing option before choosing solely from the percentage change.
Dubsado currently offers a 21-day Premier trial with no credit card required. Starter is $35 monthly or $335 annually; Premier is $55 monthly or $525 annually.
Plan distinction: Dubsado Starter covers unlimited projects and clients, invoicing, payment plans, templates, and client portals. Premier adds scheduling, automated workflows, public proposals, multiple lead captures, and Zapier.
Maroo Starter has no monthly subscription for businesses invoicing under $5,000 per month. Business is $50 per month and adds higher limits, advanced features, reporting, and enhanced workflows.
Subscription price is only one part of total cost. Compare payment mix, transaction count, card type, ACH rules, who absorbs each fee, and what fee recovery is permitted for the business.
HoneyBook lists cardholder-entered Visa and Mastercard payments at 2.9% + $0.25, with other card scenarios at higher published rates, and ACH at 1.5% of payment total. HoneyBook does not add a surcharge automatically; its guidance describes a manual invoice fee line item where legally permitted.
Maroo can disclose and pass configured processing fees to clients at checkout where permitted. That can reduce the business's absorbed processing cost, but it does not make the underlying fee disappear and should be modeled only after confirming applicable rules and client policy.
This illustration assumes two $2,000 U.S.-card payments per booking (60 payments; $120,000 total). Maroo uses Business, not the volume-limited Starter plan; HoneyBook uses manually entered Visa/Mastercard payments. Subscription costs are $600 over 12 Maroo monthly payments, $588 for HoneyBook Essentials annual billing, and $525 for Dubsado Premier annual billing.
The model is a qualified estimate, not a quote. Recalculate it with your actual plan, payment mix, transaction count, card types, jurisdiction, and fee policy before choosing a platform.
HoneyBook combines a mature client portal and mobile app with lead management. Maroo's CRM and lead management is expanding alongside reusable questionnaires, payments, and documents, while Dubsado offers established client portals and highly configurable forms.
A Maroo Project keeps a client’s contacts, documents, files and notes together. Start from scratch or create it from one eligible existing lead, quote, contract or invoice, then connect other records as needed. Watch the Maroo Projects walkthrough. You can also connect your Gmail account and send and receive client and contractor emails from a Project, a Lead, or the Emails tab, with replies kept alongside the project.
Maroo connects quote, contract and invoice workflows so teams can keep payment terms and client records aligned. HoneyBook and Dubsado remain strong choices for teams that prioritize their document templates and broader automation systems.
All three support invoices and payment schedules. Maroo also supports recurring invoices and connected contractor operations; compare itemized-invoice, reminder, autopay, and editing controls against the exact billing pattern you use.
In Maroo, mark one enabled payment method as Preferred to highlight it for clients while keeping other available methods open. The tag appears when that method is available for the invoice.
Dubsado remains the strongest fit for teams prioritizing deep conditional automation, while HoneyBook emphasizes guided workflows and AI assistance. Maroo began with invoicing and payments and is rapidly adding capabilities across the connected event-business workflow without positioning every task as a complex automation.
HoneyBook Starter includes one scheduler session type, with greater capacity on higher plans; Dubsado scheduling is on Premier. Maroo is releasing workflow improvements at a fast pace and can be paired with a dedicated scheduling tool today when appointment booking is central to the business.
Maroo’s Zoom meeting notes use transcripts from meetings you host and record to the cloud. An eligible paid Zoom account with transcription is required; you can edit the summary and file it with a client project.
Team fit depends on seats, permissions, brands, and support needs. HoneyBook bundles unlimited users with Premium, Dubsado includes three additional users and sells larger-team add-ons, and Maroo supports role presets and module-level permissions; confirm current plan limits for your team.
For shared work, review team roles and permissions: Admin, Member and View Only provide starting presets, with view and create/edit access configurable for supported modules.
HoneyBook currently lists the broadest built-in integration set in this comparison. Dubsado adds Zapier and accounting connections on Premier, while Maroo is expanding its QuickBooks, Zapier, Make, API, and connected-workflow options.
Maroo's wedding-focused differentiation is its contractor-payment workflow, which connects B2B ACH with W-9 and 1099-NEC operations. HoneyBook and Dubsado emphasize broader client-CRM workflows, so the better fit depends on whether contractor operations belong inside the same system.
These platforms focus primarily on client management, documents, billing, and payments. Wedding planners who also need guest management, seating plans, timelines, accommodation, and vendor coordination can pair their CRM/payment system with a dedicated planning platform.
One option is That's The One, a purpose-built planning platform for wedding and event professionals. Compare its current planning, collaboration, and pricing details directly with the CRM/payment workflow you choose.
Pairing Maroo with a dedicated planning tool can connect billing, contracts, contractor operations, guest management, and event execution without forcing one product to cover every workflow.
If you are evaluating HoneyBook, Dubsado, or Maroo as a planner, price the complete operating stack and test how client, payment, and planning records move between tools before committing.
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? HoneyBook emphasizes polished client workflows, scheduling, and AI assistance. Dubsado Premier emphasizes deeper workflow customization at $55 monthly or $525 annually. Maroo adds a third model centered on wedding-focused financial operations and an expanding client workflow. Test the specific forms, contracts, billing, automation, and client experience you rely on.
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? Compare the workflow, payment mix, and team size rather than booking count alone. Maroo Business is $50 per month and lists 3.4% cards and 1.25% client ACH; HoneyBook and Dubsado may be stronger when mature scheduling or conditional automation is the deciding requirement.
Does Dubsado have better automation than HoneyBook? Dubsado is designed for highly configurable workflows, while HoneyBook combines automation with guided setup and AI assistance. “Better” depends on whether the team wants a blank canvas or a more opinionated workflow.
What about planning tools beyond CRM? Pair the chosen CRM/payment platform with a dedicated planning product when guest management, seating plans, timelines, accommodation, or deeper event collaboration are required. Verify the planning product's current capabilities and price directly rather than assuming one universal stack.
