17hats vs Dubsado (2026): which should you pick?

Pick 17hats if

• Fits if you are a freelancer or small studio who wants leads, contracts and invoices in one place
• Works for service businesses that book clients online

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you are solo: $60 a month is above most CRM tools
• Watch out: the pricing page also shows a comparison grid with three older plan levels that conflicts with the single plan
• Watch out: bank connect is $5 a month extra, and extra users and brands are bought separately
• Watch out: payments run through Stripe or Square only, and a 50% first-purchase discount is a sale banner

Pick Dubsado if

• Fits if every job means a proposal, a contract and an invoice, like shoots, weddings and coaching
• Works for studios of up to four people, since both plans include three extra team members

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you sell to other companies and need a sales pipeline, which Dubsado says it isn't built for
• Pricey if you want the scheduler, automations, Zapier or QuickBooks and Xero sync, as all need Premier at $525 a year
• Not for you if you want a free plan, because after 21 days it's $335 a year or $35 a month
• Tight if your team grows past 3 extra users, which costs $25 to $60 a month more
• Watch out: Starter allows 1 active lead capture form, and there's no desktop app or API listed

17hats

• The pricing page also shows a comparison grid with three older plan levels, which conflicts with the single plan shown above it; confirm the plan before buying.
• Bank connect is an extra $5 a month, and extra users and brands are bought separately.
• Payments run through Stripe or Square only.
• The pricing page shows a 50% discount on a first yearly or two-year purchase, which is a sale banner and may change.

Dubsado

• There is no free plan: after the 21-day trial, Starter costs $335 a year or $35 a month.
• Scheduling, Flows automation, public proposals, Zapier and the QuickBooks and Xero integrations are only on Premier.
• The vendor describes it as client management for service businesses, not a CRM for B2B sales pipelines or prospecting.
• Teams with more than 3 additional users pay $25 to $60 a month extra, depending on size.

17hats

Client and lead management

Contacts, projects, tags and custom fields, with lead capture forms and an auto-responder for new leads.

Contracts, quotes and invoices

Documents with e-signature, payment schedules and saved cards, paid through Stripe or Square.

Pipelines and workflows

Visual pipelines and automated workflows that trigger tasks and emails across a client's journey.

Online scheduling

Clients pick a service, date and time, with Zoom links and payment at booking on the advanced version.

SMS texting

Text clients from inside the CRM, which the vendor lists as a built-in feature.

Bookkeeping and reports

Transaction categorizing plus sales tax, profit and loss, and receivables reports.

Dubsado

Proposal, contract and invoice in one

A single proposal can carry the contract and the invoice, so a client picks a package, signs with a legally binding e-signature and pays from one link.

Invoicing and payment plans

Invoices support packages, discounts, payment plans, recurring billing and autopay, with automatic reminders. Payments run through Dubsado Payments (powered by Stripe), PayPal or Square.

Flows automation

Multi-step workflows start on events such as a submitted form, signed contract, payment or booked appointment, then send emails, forms and invoices. Premier plan only.

Scheduler

Scheduling templates offer bookable times from custom availability windows, with two-way calendar sync and reminder emails. The scheduler is part of the Premier plan.

Lead capture forms and client portals

Embeddable lead capture forms bring in new inquiries, and each client gets a branded, password-protected portal. Starter allows 1 active lead capture form.

Multiple brands and team members

One account can run several businesses with separate branding at $10 a month per extra brand. Three additional users are free; larger teams pay from $25 a month.

17hats

• Monthly$60

  per month, billed monthly

  The one all-inclusive plan, billed every month. Bank connect costs $5 a month extra.

• Yearly$600

  per year

  Same plan billed yearly, which works out to $50 a month. The page also shows a first-purchase price of $300.

• Bi-Yearly$800

  for 2 years, billed every two years

  Same plan billed every two years, which works out to about $33 a month. The page also shows a first-purchase price of $400.

Dubsado

• Starter$335

  per year ($35 billed monthly)

  Unlimited projects and clients, invoicing and payment plans, form and email templates, client portals, 1 active lead capture form and 3 extra users.

• Premier$525

  per year ($55 billed monthly)

  Adds the scheduler, automated workflows (Flows), public proposals, unlimited lead capture forms, QuickBooks and Xero sync and Zapier.

17hats

• Annual discount

  Yearly and two-year billing

  The pricing page lists $600 a year or $800 for two years, against $60 a month.

• Other savings

  50% off a first purchase

  A sale on the pricing page shows a first yearly plan for $300 or a first two-year plan for $400, with no end date stated and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Dubsado

• Annual discount

  About 2 months free with annual billing

  The pricing page says annual billing gives 2 months' worth of savings: Starter is $335 a year against $35 a month, and Premier is $525 a year against $55 a month.