HoneyBook is a CRM, booking system, and invoicing tool rolled into one at $36-129/month. For freelancers who just need to send invoices and get paid, that's a lot of money for features you won't use.
Professional invoicing at a price that makes sense
HoneyBook has raised prices multiple times. At $36-129/month, you're paying for CRM, booking, and portal features that many freelancers never touch.
HoneyBook pricing history and reviews
HoneyBook's UX is optimized for photographers, event planners, and wedding vendors. Consultants, writers, and developers often find the workflow doesn't fit.
Target market analysis
Creating an invoice means navigating through projects, clients, and workflows. For simple freelance work, that's unnecessary friction.
UX workflow comparison
| Feature | QuidbillSimple | HoneyBookComplex |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $29/month | $36-129/month |
| Annual Price | $290/year | $360-1,548/year |
| Time to First Invoice | 30 seconds | 10-15 minutes |
| Client Limits | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| CRM Features | Basic client list | Full CRM |
| Booking/Scheduling | ||
| Client Portal | ||
| Contracts | ||
| Payment Processing | Yes (2.9% + 30¢) | Yes (3% + 30¢) |
| Learning Curve | None | Steep |
| Target User | All freelancers | Event professionals |
The Bottom LineHoneyBook is excellent for photographers, wedding planners, and event professionals who need CRM, booking, and client management. For freelancers who just need fast invoicing, it's expensive overkill.
HoneyBook started as a tool for wedding professionals. It's excellent at what it does:
But here's the thing: most freelancers don't need all that.
HoneyBook is genuinely great for:
For most freelancers, HoneyBook is overkill:
If your workflow is "do work → send invoice → get paid," you don't need a CRM or booking system.
| HoneyBook | Quidbill + Calendly | |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ (Quidbill) |
| Scheduling | ✓ | ✓ (Calendly free) |
| Monthly Cost | $36-129 | $29 |
| Annual Savings | - | $84-1,200 |
| Focused Tools | No | Yes |
For most freelancers, specialized tools work better than all-in-one suites.
To be honest—if these apply to you, HoneyBook might be worth the price:
But if you're just using HoneyBook for invoicing, you're leaving money on the table.
Keep the invoicing, lose the complexity
Go to HoneyBook → Contacts → Export. Download as CSV.
No credit card required. Just email and business name.
Upload your CSV. Quidbill handles the mapping.
Cancel HoneyBook or downgrade. Use those savings for marketing or coffee.
$29/month • Cancel anytime • 30-day money-back guarantee
Quidbill doesn't include booking. For scheduling, I recommend Calendly (free tier available) or Cal.com (open source). They're better at scheduling than HoneyBook anyway, and using them with Quidbill is still cheaper than HoneyBook.
Not currently. If client portals are essential to your workflow, HoneyBook might be the right choice. For most freelancers, a simple invoice email works just as well—and your clients probably prefer it to logging into another portal.
Quidbill is great for photographers who want simple invoicing. If you need galleries, client proofing, and complex packages, a photography-specific tool might be better. But if you just need to invoice clients for shoots, Quidbill works great.
Absolutely! Many freelancers use Calendly for booking and Quidbill for invoicing. Together, they're cheaper than HoneyBook and better at their respective functions.
HoneyBook is built for event professionals. If you just need invoicing, Quidbill is faster, simpler, and $7-100/month cheaper.