17hats vs HoneyBook (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 HoneyBook if

• Fits if every job means a proposal, a contract and an invoice, like weddings, shoots and events
• Works for small studios that want one account price, as Premium is $109 for the whole team

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if your business is outside the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, because you can't sign up
• Pricey if you're solo and want automations: Starter has none, so it's Essentials at $49 a month yearly
• Not for you if you'd rather keep your own card processor, as HoneyBook takes 2.9% + 25¢ a card payment itself
• Tight if you have a team: Starter allows none and Essentials stops at 2, so more means Premium at $109
• Watch out: the phone app can't issue refunds, change settings or reach lead forms, and no API is mentioned

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.

HoneyBook

• Available only to businesses in the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia.
• Starter has no automations or team members, includes 1 scheduler session, and integrates only with email, calendar and Pic-Time.
• Team members are capped at 2 on Essentials; unlimited members, multiple companies and priority support need Premium at $109 a month.
• Payments cost extra: card fees from 2.7% + 10 cents or 2.9% + 25 cents (the page gives both), plus 1.5% for ACH. A business phone line with 300 texts a month is $8 extra.

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.

HoneyBook

Project pipeline and client records

Leads and projects move through a customizable pipeline, and each client record holds contacts, conversations, files, notes and payments. Clients and projects are unlimited on every plan.

Proposals, contracts and invoices

Interactive files let a client choose services, sign a contract by eSignature and pay from a single document. A gallery of professionally designed file templates is included.

Online payments

Accepts cards, ACH bank transfers, Apple Pay and Google Pay, with payment plans, autopay, reminders and late fees. Processing fees are charged on each transaction.

Scheduler and lead forms

Clients book sessions from shared availability and can pay while booking. Starter includes 1 session and 2 live lead forms; Essentials has unlimited sessions and 10 forms.

Automations

Workflows send messages, follow-ups, files and tasks on triggers, and an AI builder drafts a workflow from a description of your process. Both start on Essentials.

HoneyBook AI

AI drafts email replies, recaps projects before meetings, takes meeting notes and flags high-value leads. HoneyBook AI is listed on all three plans.

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.

HoneyBook

• Starter$29

  per month, billed yearly ($36 billed monthly)

  Unlimited clients and projects, invoices, payments, proposals, contracts, client portal, basic reports, 1 scheduler session and up to 2 live lead forms.

• Essentials$49

  per month, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly)

  Adds unlimited scheduler sessions, automations, QuickBooks Online and Zapier integrations, up to 2 team members, 10 lead forms and SMS reminders.

• Premium$109

  per month, billed yearly ($129 billed monthly)

  Unlimited team members and lead forms, multiple companies under one account, advanced reports and priority support.

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.

HoneyBook

• Annual discount

  Lower monthly price with yearly billing

  Billed yearly, Starter is $29 a month against $36 monthly, Essentials $49 against $59 and Premium $109 against $129. The page labels this as saving up to 35%.