Cheaper HoneyBook Alternatives in 2026: Yearly Cost
Studio Ninja's Starter plan is the lowest annual price of the six tools below that cover all five features a solo service business needs: proposals or quotes, contracts, invoices with online payments, a scheduler and a client portal. It costs $160 a year billed yearly. HoneyBook's Essentials plan, the cheapest HoneyBook plan with a scheduler, costs $588 a year at its offer price of $49 a month billed yearly. Plutio Core, Clientjoy, Bonsai Essentials, Moxie Pro and Dubsado Premier follow in price order.
Cheaper does not have to mean fewer features. In this list the saving comes mostly from how each vendor structures its price, and the real trade-off is the cap each cheaper plan puts on jobs, clients or users. 17hats, Pixieset, Tave, Indy and Paperbell are not in the table. 17hats lists its yearly plan at $600, above HoneyBook's $588 Essentials, although its first-year offer is $300.
Four of the six tools in the table cost $230 a year or less on their annual option, and all six cost less than HoneyBook's $588 Essentials.
Annual prices below are as of October 2026, billed yearly, for one user unless noted.
| Tool | Billed yearly | Saving vs HoneyBook Essentials | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio Ninja Starter | $160 a year | $428 (73%) | 1 user, 5 active jobs at a time |
| Plutio Core | $190 a year | $398 (68%) | 9 active clients at a time |
| Clientjoy | $199 a year per user | $389 (66%) | Priced per team member |
| Bonsai Essentials | $228 a year per user | $360 (61%) | Priced per user, plus payment processing fees |
| Moxie Pro | $240 a year | $348 (59%) | Client portal starts at Pro |
| Dubsado Premier | $525 a year | $63 (11%) | Contracts appear in product copy, not the plan table |
Studio Ninja Starter: the lowest annual price, capped at five active jobs
Studio Ninja's pricing page lists quotes, invoices, contracts, appointment booking, a client portal and online payments on its Starter plan, at $160 a year billed yearly as of October 2026 (studioninja.co/pricing). That is $428 a year less than HoneyBook's Essentials, or 73%.
The limits matter more than the price. Starter allows one user and one brand, and the plan table caps active jobs at five. A solo photographer or consultant with five or fewer open projects at a time fits it. The next plan, Pro, is $270 a year billed yearly and lifts the job cap, with three users included.
Plutio Core: $190 a year for solo work
Plutio's pricing page prints Core at $190 a year, which is $15.83 a month, billed annually, and $19 a month billed monthly, as of October 2026 (plutio.com/pricing). Core carries projects, invoices, proposals, contracts, scheduling, forms and time tracking, and the page places a client portal on the plan as well.
The catch is the cap: nine active clients at a time, with no additional contributors. A solo freelancer whose open client list stays under nine gets a full client-management setup for $190 a year, the second-lowest price in this table. The saving against HoneyBook's Essentials is $398 a year, or 68%.
Clientjoy: one plan, $199 a year per user
Clientjoy's pricing page says: "One plan with every feature: $19 per user per month, or $199 per user per year when you pay yearly." That is as of October 2026, on clientjoy.io/pricing. The feature list names a meeting scheduler, a client portal, invoices, and proposals and contracts with e-signatures. The same page's FAQ says clients use the portal free, and only team members who log in count as users. On monthly billing it adds: "Go yearly to save $29 per user."
That makes Clientjoy a simple choice for a freelancer who wants every feature on one plan without picking tiers. Each extra team member adds $199 a year, so three users come to $597 a year. The saving against HoneyBook's Essentials is $389 a year, or 66%.
Bonsai Essentials: $228 a year per user, with time and expense tracking
Bonsai's Essentials plan is $19 per user a month billed annually, which is $228 a year for one user, or $25 a month billed monthly, as of October 2026 (hellobonsai.com/pricing). It adds invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, scheduling and a client portal to the Basic plan, and it lists expense and income tracking. Basic already includes time tracking, so Essentials suits a solo who bills by the hour as well as by the project.
Bonsai's FAQ says it charges processing fees on online payments, and that the fee varies by payment method such as credit card or ACH. Because the price is per user, three users come to $684 a year. The saving against HoneyBook's Essentials is $360 a year, or 61%.
Moxie Pro: $240 a year, with a white-label client portal
Moxie's Pro plan is $20 a month billed annually, which is $240 a year, or $25 a month billed monthly, as of October 2026 (withmoxie.com/pricing). Moxie's Starter plan, at $120 a year billed annually, lists invoicing and payments, proposals, quotes, contracts and meeting schedulers, but no client portal. The portal comes with Pro, along with workflow automations and a QuickBooks integration. That gap is why Moxie's Starter plan is not in the table.
Pro costs $120 a year more than Starter. It saves $348 a year against HoneyBook's Essentials, or 59%, and suits a solo who wants clients to log into a branded portal and wants automations running in the background.
Dubsado Premier: $525 a year, with scheduling and workflows
Dubsado's pricing page shows Premier at $525 a year and Starter at $335 a year, both as of October 2026 (dubsado.com/pricing). It says that you can "Choose annual and get 2 months worth of savings." Starter includes invoicing with payment plans and client portals, but no scheduling and no public proposals. Premier adds both, plus automated workflows, bookkeeping integration and a Zapier connection.
Premier's plan table lists scheduling, public proposals, workflows and bookkeeping. Contracts appear in Dubsado's product copy, which describes a way to "send and execute contracts," so anyone who depends on contracts should confirm they are included in Premier. The saving against HoneyBook's Essentials is $63 a year, or 11%, which makes Premier the pick for a solo who wants Dubsado's automation and bookkeeping links more than the price gap.
What HoneyBook charges for the same scope
HoneyBook's Starter plan is $29 a month billed yearly, which is $348 a year, as of October 2026 (honeybook.com/pricing). It includes invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, a calendar and a client portal. The scheduler sits on Essentials, so Starter does not cover all five features in this list.
Essentials is $49 a month billed yearly, which is $588 a year. The page strikes through $59 beside it under a "25% off" badge. The step from $59 to $49 is 17%, not 25%. Essentials allows two team members.
Premium is $109 a month billed yearly, or $1,308 a year, with a struck-through $129 under the same badge. Its plan lists unlimited team members. As of October 2026, the pricing page prints card fees starting at 2.9% + 25¢, and a 1.5% processing fee.
Three users change the order
Essentials covers two team members, so a three-person studio on HoneyBook needs Premium at $1,308 a year. The lowest option for three people among the prices on this page is Studio Ninja's Pro plan, which lists three users and unlimited jobs at $270 a year billed yearly. Moxie's Teams plan lists up to five team members with the Pro features at $385 a year billed annually. Clientjoy comes to $597 a year for three users, and Bonsai Essentials to $684 a year.
Questions readers ask
Which of these six is cheapest for one user?
Among the six tools here, Studio Ninja Starter is the lowest at $160 a year billed yearly, with one user and five active jobs at a time. Moxie's Starter plan costs $120 a year, but it has no client portal, so it does not meet the scenario. Plutio Core is next at $190 a year, capped at nine active clients.
How much does HoneyBook cost per year?
Starter is $348 a year billed yearly, but it has no scheduler. Essentials is $49 a month billed yearly, or $588 a year, with a crossed-out $59 beside it. Premium is $109 a month billed yearly, or $1,308 a year.
Do the cheaper tools cover the same five features?
Each pick's pricing page lists the five features on the plan named, with two exceptions: Dubsado describes contracts in its product copy rather than in the plan table, and Clientjoy's pricing page names invoices but not online payments. The trade-off sits in the limits, which are five active jobs on Studio Ninja, nine active clients on Plutio, and per-user pricing on Clientjoy and Bonsai.
Which of these offer a trial?
Studio Ninja offers a 7-day trial and Clientjoy a 14-day trial, both stated on their pricing pages. Bonsai and Moxie both offer a free trial on theirs, under "Try Bonsai for free" and "Try for free."
Are card fees added on top of the plan price?
HoneyBook's pricing page prints card fees starting at 2.9% plus 25 cents, and a 1.5% processing fee. Bonsai says its processing fees vary by payment method. Confirm the fee on each other vendor's checkout before you commit, since it depends on how much you collect by card.
Who each one fits
Studio Ninja Starter fits a solo photographer or consultant with five or fewer open jobs. Plutio Core fits a solo freelancer with nine or fewer active clients. Clientjoy suits anyone who wants every feature on one plan and does not mind paying per member. Bonsai Essentials fits a solo who bills hours and expenses. Moxie Pro fits a solo who wants a branded portal and automations. Dubsado Premier fits a solo who wants workflows and bookkeeping links and accepts a small saving. If one person runs the business and the work stays under those caps, Studio Ninja or Plutio is where the savings are largest, and HoneyBook's Essentials is hard to justify on price alone.
For the proposal side of the decision, the proposal software roundup covers tools built for proposals alone. For invoicing on its own, see the invoicing software roundup for freelancers, and for bookings, the appointment scheduling roundup. The CRM roundup for freelancers is the place to compare client tracking separately.
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