17hats vs Iris Works (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, 17hats grades higher than Iris Works: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
17hats grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
17hats
CRM and small business manager with invoicing, booking and texting
Iris Works
Client management and booking software for photographers
Which one is for you
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 Iris Works if
- Fits if you are a photographer who wants booking and contracts at a flat monthly price
- Works for studios that already use ShootProof or Pic-Time
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you pick Starter: workflows and lead pages need Basic at $29.95
- Pricey if you want booking and email together, which needs Pro Plus at $49.95
- Watch out: Square, Stripe and PayPal charge their own fees on payments
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as none is listed
How we grade them
| 2.4GPA17hatsFair | 2.2GPAIris WorksFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$60 a month ($600 a year) sits in the dearer quarter of CRM tools, which start at $49, against a $25 middle. It is one price for the account. | CStarter is $14.95 a month, but workflows, lead pages and invoices with quotes start at Basic, $29.95, which is the category middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 7-day free trial with every feature and no card needed. No free plan after it. | C14-day free trial with no card required. There is no free plan after it. |
| Features | BClient and lead management, contracts, quotes, invoices, pipelines, scheduling, SMS and bookkeeping. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | COnline booking, contracts, invoices, quotes, workflows, lead pages and email marketing. Pro includes booking or email marketing, and both together need Pro Plus. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Templates, pipelines and workflows have to be built. | CNo store rating on record. A web app where you build your booking pages and workflows. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Stripe, Square, QuickBooks, Zapier, Zoom and Google Calendar connections. | BWeb, with Square, Stripe, PayPal, QuickBooks, ShootProof, Pic-Time and Google Calendar. No phone app is listed. |
| Best for | a small-business manager with invoicing and booking | booking and client management for photographers |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: 17hats and Iris Works. How we grade
Price against what you get
17hats starts at $60 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Iris Works starts at $14.95 a month and scores 2.3.
17hats scores higher, and starts $45.05 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other CRM tools on the chart, 8 score higher than 17hats for less, and 14 score higher than Iris Works for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- 17hats also covers sales pipeline and sMS marketing.
- Iris Works also covers email campaigns.
At a glance
| 17hats | Iris Works | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $60 per month, billed monthly ($600 billed yearly) | $14.95 per month for Starter, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial with access to all features, no credit card required; the trial can be restarted once it ends. | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | 17hats | Iris Works |
| Price read from | 17hats.com | iris-works.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Iris Works
- Workflows, lead pages and invoices with quotes start at Basic, not Starter.
- Pro includes either online booking or email marketing; both together need Pro Plus.
- Payments run through Square, Stripe or PayPal, which charge their own fees.
- The pages read list no mobile apps.
Key features
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.
Iris Works
- Online booking
- Session-specific booking pages with real-time availability, buffer times, cancellation windows and a booking, contract and payment flow in one pass.
- Contracts, invoices and quotes
- Photography contract templates with auto-filled variables, invoices and quotes, and questionnaires with conditional questions.
- Workflows
- Attach automated questionnaires, reminders and follow-ups to booking calendars, with different workflows per session type.
- Lead pages
- A custom lead page integrated with the CRM to capture inquiries from a studio website.
- Email marketing
- Templates, segmentation, scheduled sends and opt-in forms; the vendor says it does not use complex event-based automation.
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.
Iris Works
Starter$14.95
per month, billed monthly ($149 per year)
Online booking, booking website, online payment processing, e-contracts and invoice templates on booking.
Basic$29.95
per month, billed monthly ($299 per year)
Adds workflows and automation, a custom lead page, free contract templates, invoices and quotes, and locations.
Pro$39.95
per month, billed monthly ($399 per year)
Basic plus free account setup, with a choice of online booking or email marketing, not both.
Pro Plus$49.95
per month, billed monthly ($499 per year)
Pro with both online booking and email marketing.
Ways to pay less
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.
Iris Works
- Annual discount
Yearly plans cost less than 12 months
The pricing page lists a yearly price per tier: $149 Starter, $299 Basic, $399 Pro and $499 Pro Plus.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, 17hats or Iris Works?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Iris Works is cheaper to start with: $14.95 a month, against $60 a month for 17hats. 17hats starts at $60 per month, billed monthly ($600 billed yearly), and Iris Works starts at $14.95 per month for Starter, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, 17hats or Iris Works?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither 17hats nor Iris Works has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.