Under the assumptions in this article, Dubsado has the lower estimated total cost: a wedding planner billing $150,000 per year on comparable feature tiers (HoneyBook Essentials versus Dubsado Premier) comes to roughly $4,331 with HoneyBook versus $3,298 with Dubsado. The difference is driven mainly by the assumed payment mix and Dubsado's $5 maximum on US ACH fees, so your result may differ. HoneyBook emphasizes a polished client experience and broad HoneyBook AI assistance, while Dubsado emphasizes deep customization, flexible workflows, and international reach. This guide compares both—and adds Maroo where its payment and contractor workflows are relevant.
Prices checked July 23, 2026. Verify current rates at honeybook.com/pricing and dubsado.com/pricing.
| HoneyBook Starter | HoneyBook Essentials | HoneyBook Premium | Dubsado Starter | Dubsado Premier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual billing | $29/mo ($348/yr) | $49/mo ($588/yr) | $109/mo ($1,308/yr) | ~$28/mo ($335/yr) | ~$44/mo ($525/yr) |
| Monthly billing | $36/mo | $59/mo | $129/mo | $35/mo | $55/mo |
| Free trial | 30-day trial | 30-day trial | 30-day trial | 21-day trial (Premier access) | 21-day trial |
| Automations | |||||
| Built-in scheduler | |||||
| Zapier |
Dubsado raised prices for new subscribers in December 2025. Existing subscribers may retain prior rates. (Dubsado official LLM info page)
For a feature-tier comparison that includes automation and scheduling, this article uses HoneyBook Essentials ($588/year) and Dubsado Premier ($525/year), a $63 annual subscription difference. That is an illustrative comparison rather than a recommendation for every planner; payment volume and workflow requirements usually have more impact on the decision.
| Feature | HoneyBook | Dubsado | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contracts with e-signature | Both included on paid plans | ||
| Invoicing with payment links | — | ||
| Client portal | (optional) | Dubsado's is optional; HoneyBook requires client login | |
| Proposal → contract → invoice flow | Smart Files | (via Flows) | HoneyBook's single-document Smart Files are faster to set up |
| Workflow automations | Essentials+ | Premier only | Dubsado's Flows are more customizable; HoneyBook added conditional logic in 2025 |
| Built-in scheduler | Essentials+ | Premier only | Both sync to Google/Apple Calendar |
| AI-assisted email drafting | ✓ All plans | Email-thread summaries; no drafting listed | HoneyBook offers drafting; Dubsado offers AI-generated email-thread summaries |
| SMS payment reminders | Essentials+ | HoneyBook advantage | |
| QuickBooks Online integration | Essentials+ | Premier only | — |
| Zapier integration | Premium only | Premier only | — |
| Custom CSS forms | Dubsado advantage for brand-heavy planners | ||
| Multiple brands | Premium only | +$10/mo per brand | Compare HoneyBook Premium with Dubsado's per-brand add-on |
| Team members (included) | 2 (Essentials) / unlimited (Premium) | Up to 3 additional users on either plan | Compare team size with plan and add-on rules |
| Global availability | Localized availability; verify by country | International; payment options vary | Check supported currencies and payment rails for your location |
| Template library | Extensive, polished | Growing | HoneyBook advantage |
| Guided setup | Self-guided + support resources | HoneyBook emphasizes guided setup; Dubsado 3.0 adds migration and onboarding resources | |
| Contractor payouts + 1099-NEC | Payroll sunset; no new onboarding | Core platform does not bundle this workflow | Maroo adds a connected contractor-payment and W-9/1099 workflow |
| Mobile app quality | iOS and Android app | iOS and Android app | Test the specific mobile workflows your team uses |
Official sources checked July 23, 2026: the HoneyBook and Dubsado plan pages linked above, plus Dubsado's official product reference. Third-party comparison posts were removed from the evidence chain.
Recurring invoicing: HoneyBook supports weekly, monthly, or custom recurring schedules, while Dubsado can generate invoices at configurable intervals with optional autopay. Compare the current HoneyBook recurring-invoice workflow and Dubsado recurring-invoice workflow against the billing cadence and editing controls you need.
Payment structure is a consequential difference for planners with meaningful invoice volume. Both platforms charge processing fees, but HoneyBook uses a manual invoice line item for fee recovery where permitted, while Dubsado offers a native surcharge for eligible credit-card payments in supported US and Canadian regions.
| HoneyBook | Dubsado | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment processor | HoneyBook Payments | Dubsado Payments (powered by Stripe) |
| US card (cardholder-entered) | 2.9% + $0.25 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Card-on-file / autopay | 3.4% + $0.09 | 2.9% + $0.30 for US-based cards |
| ACH bank transfer | 1.5% of total; official table lists no maximum | 0.8%, capped at $5 |
| Pass fees to clients? | Manual invoice line item where permitted; no built-in surcharge | Eligible credit-card surcharge in the US and Canada; regional limits apply |
| Instant payout fee | +1% | +1% |
| ACH on $5,000 payment | $75 | $5 |
| ACH on $10,000 payment | $150 | $5 |
Official sources checked July 23, 2026: HoneyBook's invoice and processing-fee guidance, Dubsado Payments processing fees, and Dubsado's current surcharge guidance.
Dubsado's US ACH maximum can materially reduce fees on larger payments. At any payment above $625, Dubsado's listed 0.8% fee reaches its $5 maximum, while HoneyBook's published ACH fee remains 1.5% of the payment total and its current official table does not list a maximum. On a $10,000 payment, the listed fees are $5 and $150 respectively.
Surcharging: Dubsado can add a surcharge to eligible credit-card payments for businesses in supported US and Canadian regions. It can offset some or most of the processing cost, but it does not eliminate the underlying processing fee; debit cards and ACH payments are not surcharged. HoneyBook has no built-in surcharge and instead documents a manual invoice line item where legally permitted.
| Annual revenue | HB subscription | HB processing | HB total | Dub subscription | Dub processing | Dub total | HB vs Dub savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $588 | ~$1,248 | ~$1,836 | $525 | ~$924 | ~$1,450 | ~$386 |
| $150,000 | $588 | ~$3,743 | ~$4,331 | $525 | ~$2,774 | ~$3,298 | ~$1,033 |
| $300,000 | $588 | ~$7,485 | ~$8,073 | $525 | ~$5,547 | ~$6,072 | ~$2,001 |
Estimates use published US rates checked July 23, 2026 and a $2,000 average transaction size. Actual fees vary by payment mix, card type, transaction count, country, payment currency, and any legally permitted fee-recovery policy. Dubsado ACH is modeled at its $5 maximum per $2,000 transaction; HoneyBook ACH is modeled at 1.5% of payment total.
If you enable Dubsado's surcharge for eligible credit-card payments, the amount collected from clients may offset some or most of the card processing cost. The underlying processing fee is still assessed, and the recovered amount can be lower or higher depending on the transaction and applicable cap, so the base table above does not assume surcharge recovery.
HoneyBook Payroll was sunset in 2026 and is no longer onboarding new members, while Dubsado's current core platform materials focus on client-facing payments rather than a connected contractor-payment and tax workflow. Planners who regularly pay vendors can evaluate Maroo's connected contractor-payment workflow, which brings B2B ACH, W-9 collection and reporting, and current 1099-NEC filing and download tools into the same operating system.
If payment fees and contractor management are primary concerns, add Maroo to the evaluation. Its invoicing platform supports configured fee-passing at checkout where permitted, including both card and ACH scenarios, while its contractor-payment workflow connects vendor payments and tax-document operations.
Maroo's payment fee structure (maroo.us/pricing, checked July 23, 2026):
| Maroo Starter (Free) | Maroo Business ($50/mo) | |
|---|---|---|
| Client ACH fee | 1.5% (passable to client) | 1.25% (passable to client) |
| Client card fee | 3.5% (passable to client) | 3.4% (passable to client) |
| Contractor ACH (B2B) | Free | Free |
| Contractor payments included | 3/mo, then $1 | 10/mo, then $1 |
| 1099-NEC e-filing | $5/form | $3/form |
| Contracts included | $5 each | 20/mo |
Maroo started as an invoicing and payments platform for wedding and event businesses and is rapidly expanding its connected CRM and workflow capabilities. Current tools include reusable questionnaires, contracts and contract addendums, recurring invoices, contractor payments, and W-9/1099 operations. Dubsado retains deeper conditional automation and dedicated scheduling for teams that prioritize those workflows, while Maroo offers a focused path for teams that want financial operations and an expanding client workflow in one system.
Recurring billing: Maroo's current invoice resources cover recurring invoices alongside custom payment schedules, payment methods, reminders, and invoice-status controls. Evaluate recurring billing separately from one-project installment plans because the two workflows solve different needs.
For a practical trial, map one real lead-to-payment workflow and test the steps your team repeats most: inquiry capture, questionnaire responses, contract changes, recurring or milestone billing, client payment, and contractor payout.
There is no universal winner: the better fit depends on workflow depth, setup preferences, country and payment rails, and invoice volume. HoneyBook emphasizes polished templates, AI tools, and a guided experience. Dubsado emphasizes highly customizable workflows, a $5 maximum on US ACH fees, international reach, and eligible credit-card surcharging. Build the comparison around the workflows your team will actually use rather than an assumed event count.
In the article's illustrative US model, Dubsado Premier totals approximately $3,298 versus HoneyBook Essentials at approximately $4,331—a $1,033 annual difference using a 60% card / 40% ACH mix and a $2,000 average transaction. Subscription-only, the annual plans differ by $63 ($525 versus $588). Your result may change materially with card mix, transaction count, country, currency, and any permitted surcharge or manual fee-recovery policy.
Yes. HoneyBook lists card fees starting at 2.9% + $0.25 and ACH at 1.5% of the payment total; its current table does not state an ACH maximum. Dubsado lists 2.9% + $0.30 for US-based cards and 0.8% for US ACH, up to a $5 maximum. HoneyBook documents a manual invoice line item where legally permitted, while Dubsado offers native surcharging for eligible credit-card transactions in supported regions.
Maroo offers another payment model: configured card and ACH fees can be passed to clients at checkout where permitted, and its contractor-payment workflow includes free B2B ACH plus connected W-9 and 1099-NEC operations. Maroo is also releasing workflow improvements at a fast pace, including questionnaires, contracts and addendums, recurring invoices, and CRM capabilities. Teams that prioritize the deepest conditional automation or dedicated scheduling should compare those workflows directly with Dubsado and HoneyBook during a trial.
Yes. The effort depends on your number of active clients, templates, contracts, forms, invoices, and workflows. Dubsado's current migration roadmap recommends importing contacts, creating projects, uploading signed contracts and forms as PDFs, rebuilding templates, and re-creating invoices that need balance tracking. Test both systems with representative records, document what must be recreated, and keep the prior system available until active workflows and payment records are verified.
