HoneyBook vs Sprout Studio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HoneyBook grades higher than Sprout Studio: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
HoneyBook grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HoneyBook
Client management, contracts and payments for independents
Sprout Studio
Client management, galleries and invoicing for photographers
Which one is for you
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
Pick Sprout Studio if
- Fits if you are a photographer who wants CRM and galleries in one web app
- Works for studios that want a month to test before paying
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you pick Lite: 10 active shoots, 50GB and 3 users
- Pricey if you want unlimited shoots, which needs Pro at $51
- Watch out: unlimited storage, users and brands need Unlimited at $69
- Watch out: the page does not say whether its prices are monthly or yearly billing
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAHoneyBookGood | 2.0GPASprout StudioFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $29 a month on yearly billing for the whole account, not per person, mid-pack against the CRMs here. Automations wait for Essentials at $49, and card fees of about 2.9% come on top of everything. | C$19 a month for Lite, between the category's cheaper quarter at $15 and its middle at $29. The page does not say if that is monthly or annual billing, and the useful limits are on $36 to $69 plans. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's no free plan. You get 30 days to try it with no card, and a 60-day money-back guarantee once you've paid. After that the bill starts at $29 a month yearly or $36 monthly. | C30-day free trial of any plan, no card required. There is no free plan after it. |
| Features | BProposals, contracts clients sign on screen, invoices, payment plans, a scheduler, lead forms, a client portal and automations. That covers booking and billing clients, and payments run through HoneyBook itself. Starter goes without the automations and without team members. | CContacts, contracts, invoices and payments, galleries, album proofs, email automation and scheduling. Lite and Basic cap active shoots at 10 and 20. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 16,300 App Store ratings. There are hundreds of templates to start from, and once you've subscribed their team turns your old contracts and price lists into templates at no charge. | CNo store rating on record. A web app where you build your workflows, forms and galleries. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb, iPhone and Android, but you can only sign up if your business is in one of four countries. The phone app can't issue refunds or change settings, and the integrations page doesn't mention an API. | CWeb only, with Freedom Print Lab as the one integration listed. No phone app is listed. |
| Best for | one-person businesses that book and bill clients | client management and galleries 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: HoneyBook and Sprout Studio. How we grade
Price against what you get
HoneyBook starts at $29 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sprout Studio starts at $19 a month and scores 2.0.
HoneyBook scores higher, and starts $10 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other CRM tools on the chart, 2 score higher than HoneyBook for less, and 26 score higher than Sprout Studio 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
- HoneyBook also covers templates, booking links and sales pipeline.
- Sprout Studio also covers file sharing, email campaigns and appointment booking.
At a glance
| HoneyBook | Sprout Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 / month, billed yearly ($36 billed monthly) | $19 per month (Lite; billing period not stated) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required; 60-day money-back guarantee after subscribing | 30-day free trial of any plan, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | HoneyBook Inc. | Sprout Studio Inc. |
| Price read from | honeybook.com | getsproutstudio.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Sprout Studio
- Active shoots and galleries are capped at 10 on Lite and 20 on Basic, and storage ranges from 50GB to unlimited by plan.
- Lite, Basic and Pro include 3 users and 2 brands; unlimited users and brands need the Unlimited plan.
- The page lists USD and CAD prices side by side and does not say whether the monthly figure is for monthly or annual billing.
- Built for photographers rather than as a general-purpose CRM.
Key features
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.
Sprout Studio
- Photography CRM
- Keeps client records, bookings and shoots together, with hundreds of customizable templates for emails, contracts and questionnaires.
- Contracts, invoices and payments
- Sends contracts and invoices and collects payment, with the vendor stating it takes no commission.
- Online galleries
- Proofs, sells and delivers photos to clients from client galleries; photo storage depends on the plan.
- Album design proofs
- Clients can give feedback on album designs in a proofing tool.
- Email marketing and automation
- Designs email campaigns and automates follow-up with built-in workflows.
- Scheduling and questionnaires
- Clients book time without back-and-forth, and questionnaires collect information before a shoot.
Plans
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.
Sprout Studio
Lite$19
per month, billing basis not shown
10 active shoots and galleries, 50GB photo storage, 3 users and 2 brands.
Basic$36
per month, billing basis not shown
20 active shoots and galleries, 100GB photo storage, 3 users and 2 brands.
Pro$51
per month, billing basis not shown
Unlimited active shoots and galleries, 200GB photo storage, 3 users and 2 brands.
Unlimited$69
per month, billing basis not shown
Unlimited active shoots and galleries, unlimited photo storage, unlimited users and brands.
Ways to pay less
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%.
Sprout Studio
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HoneyBook or Sprout Studio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Sprout Studio is cheaper to start with: $19 a month, against $29 a month for HoneyBook. HoneyBook starts at $29 / month, billed yearly ($36 billed monthly), and Sprout Studio starts at $19 per month (Lite; billing period not stated).
Which has a free plan, HoneyBook or Sprout Studio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither HoneyBook nor Sprout Studio has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do HoneyBook and Sprout Studio run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only HoneyBook 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.