Dubsado vs Iris Works (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dubsado grades higher than Iris Works: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
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.
Dubsado
Client management, contracts and invoicing for service businesses
Iris Works
Client management and booking software for photographers
Which one is for you
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
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
| 2.4GPADubsadoFair | 2.2GPAIris WorksFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | 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 | 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. | C14-day free trial with no card required. There is no free plan after it. |
| Features | 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 covers the client-management job, and that is a smaller job than a CRM's: Dubsado says itself it isn't for sales pipelines. | 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 | B4.83 from about 570 App Store ratings, too few ratings for an A. Both plans come with form and email templates, so you aren't writing every contract from a blank page. | CNo store rating on record. A web app where you build your booking pages and workflows. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, with Square, Stripe, PayPal, QuickBooks, ShootProof, Pic-Time and Google Calendar. No phone app is listed. |
| Best for | creative freelancers who book and bill clients | 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: Dubsado and Iris Works. How we grade
Price against what you get
Dubsado starts at $27.92 a month when paid by the year 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.
Dubsado scores higher, and starts $12.97 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other CRM tools on the chart, 6 score higher than Dubsado 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
- Dubsado also covers templates, booking links, time tracking and reports.
- Iris Works also covers email campaigns, quotes and estimates and appointment booking.
At a glance
| Dubsado | Iris Works | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $335 / year for Starter ($35 billed monthly) | $14.95 per month for Starter, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 21-day free trial with full access to the Premier plan, no credit card required | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Dubsado | Iris Works |
| Price read from | dubsado.com | iris-works.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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, Dubsado or Iris Works?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Iris Works is cheaper to start with: $14.95 a month, against $27.92 a month when paid by the year for Dubsado. Dubsado starts at $335 / year for Starter ($35 billed monthly), and Iris Works starts at $14.95 per month for Starter, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Dubsado or Iris Works?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Dubsado nor Iris Works has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Dubsado and Iris Works run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Dubsado lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.