Assembly vs Dubsado
We give Assembly a 2.2 GPA and Dubsado a 2.4, out of 4.0. Dubsado grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Assembly
Client portal and CRM for service firms, with an AI app builder
Dubsado
Client management, contracts and invoicing for service businesses
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAssemblyFair | 2.4GPADubsadoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against its own alternatives. Starter is $29 a month billed yearly ($49 monthly) for 1 user and 50 active contacts, level with HoneyBook's $29 and well above Moxie's $10. Your own domain, the API and no badge need Professional at $99 for up to 3 users. | CStarter is $335 a year, or $35 monthly, for the whole account with three extra team members included, which is middling against HoneyBook and the others it lists as rivals. The parts people actually come for, the scheduler and the Flows automations, wait for Premier at $525 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for good, and the apps you publish are live for clients. But it's 5 active contacts, 1 user and 3 apps, with Assembly branding, so a firm with real clients will hit the wall quickly. | CNo free plan. You do get a 21-day trial with full access to Premier and no card, which is longer than most here. After that it's $335 a year or $35 a month. |
| Features | CIt does the client side fully: a branded portal, messaging, files, contracts, forms, invoices and subscriptions, 30+ ready-made apps and an AI app builder. That's a client portal more than a sales CRM, though, and the automation builder waits for Professional. | CProposals that carry the contract and the invoice, e-signatures, payment plans with autopay, lead capture forms, branded client portals, a scheduler and multi-step Flows. It does the client-management job completely, and that is a smaller job than a CRM's: Dubsado says itself it isn't for sales pipelines. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. There's a portal to brand, apps to install or describe and contacts to bring in, and the AI builder runs on monthly credits. | B4.83 from about 570 App Store ratings, a fine score from too few people for an A. Both plans come with form and email templates, so you aren't writing every contract from a blank page. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with desktop apps for Mac and Windows, plus Zapier, Make and an API from Professional. There's no phone app, so clients use the portal in a mobile browser. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with no desktop app. Payments run through Stripe, PayPal or Square and it works with Gmail and Google Calendar. QuickBooks Online, Xero and Zapier are there too, but only on Premier, and no API is listed. |
| Best for | branded client portals for service firms | creative freelancers who book and bill clients |
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: Assembly and Dubsado. How we grade
Price against what you get
Assembly starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Dubsado starts at $27.92 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
Dubsado scores higher and starts $1.08 a month lower. Of the other CRM tools on the chart, 24 score higher than Assembly for less, and 6 score higher than Dubsado 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
- Assembly starts at $29 per month for 1 user, billed annually ($49 billed monthly). Dubsado starts at $335 / year for Starter ($35 billed monthly).
- Assembly has a free plan. Dubsado does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Assembly lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Only Dubsado lists iOS and Android apps.
- Assembly also covers app builder, no-code and file sharing.
- Dubsado also covers templates, booking links, workflow automation, time tracking and reports.
At a glance
| Assembly | Dubsado | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per month for 1 user, billed annually ($49 billed monthly) | $335 / year for Starter ($35 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 5 active contacts, 1 internal user, 3 apps and 75 build credits a month, with community support and Assembly branding. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 21-day free trial with full access to the Premier plan, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Copilot Platforms Inc. | Dubsado |
| Price read from | assembly.com | dubsado.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Assembly
- Accounting, legal and consulting firms that want one portal for client files, contracts and payments
- Agencies that want a white-label client experience on their own domain
- Firms that want custom client tools without hiring developers
Dubsado
- Photographers, planners, designers, coaches and similar service providers
- Solo operators and small teams who want detailed, customizable automation
- Owners running more than one brand from a single account
Worth knowing
Assembly
- Build credits past the monthly allowance cost $0.60 each, extra apps $5 a month each, and Starter cannot add internal users.
- Payments carry fees on every plan: cards 2.9% + $0.30 and ACH 1%, plus a store fee from 2.0% on Free to 0.7% on Advanced and extra on invoices and subscriptions.
- API access, Zapier, Make, custom domains and removing the Assembly badge start at Professional; HIPAA with a BAA and enforced MFA at Advanced.
- There is no native mobile app; clients use the portal in a mobile browser, and the desktop apps are for Mac and Windows only.
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.
Key features
Assembly
- Branded client portal
- Clients sign in on your domain to message the team, share files, sign contracts, fill in intake forms, see tasks and pay, without a separate login per tool.
- CRM for clients and companies
- Contacts and companies live in one CRM that feeds the portal and every app; Professional adds multi-company contacts and an automation builder.
- 30+ ready-made apps
- Install apps for onboarding, proposals, payments, document collection and project tracking from the library, then adjust them to fit.
- AI app builder
- Describe an app, approve the plan and Assembly builds it into the workspace with sign-in, permissions and branding in place. Builds use monthly credits.
- Billing and payments
- Send invoices, run recurring subscriptions and sell productized services from a storefront, with card and ACH payments collected in the portal.
- Messaging and team inbox
- Client conversations land in a shared team inbox, with desktop apps for Mac and Windows that deliver messages and notifications.
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.
Plans
Assembly
Free$0
For your first clients: 5 active contacts, 1 internal user, 3 apps and 75 build credits a month.
Starter$29
per month for 1 user, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
For solo owners: 50 active contacts, 5 apps, 200 build credits a month, add-on credits and email support.
Professional$99
per month for up to 3 users, billed annually ($139 billed monthly)
500 active contacts, custom domains, API, Zapier and Make, the automation builder and no Assembly badge. Extra users $29 a month billed annually.
Advanced$499
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($599 billed monthly)
Unlimited active contacts, audit log, client access permissions, enforced MFA, HIPAA with a BAA and call support. Extra users $59 a month billed annually.
Enterprise$2,000
per month and up
Unlimited users and contacts, custom build credits, custom SSO, a sandbox workspace and a dedicated success manager, through sales.
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.
Ways to pay less
Assembly
- Annual discount
Lower prices with yearly billing
Starter is $29 a month billed annually against $49 monthly, Professional $99 against $139 and Advanced $499 against $599.
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.
