Dubsado raised prices in December 2025. As of mid-2026 the Starter plan lists at $35/month ($335 billed annually) and Premier at $55/month ($525 billed annually). Older review sites still quote $20 and $40, which no longer applies to new accounts. Check Dubsado’s pricing page before you decide, because these numbers move.
Short version: if you want proposals, contracts and a client portal connected to invoicing and bookkeeping in one subscription, ABsort covers that from $12/month billed annually. If you rely on Dubsado’s deep workflow builder and the setup is already done, staying is a reasonable call. The rest of this page helps you tell which of those you are.
Why people look for a Dubsado alternative
The plan you want costs more than the plan advertised
Starter includes invoicing, contracts, forms and a client portal. The scheduler, automated workflows and public proposals sit on Premier. Those are the features that save time every week, so many businesses end up on the $55 plan, or about $44/month if they pay annually.
Setup takes real work
Dubsado gives you building blocks, not a finished system. You write the forms, draft the contract templates and build the workflows yourself. If your process is very particular, that’s the point. If you just want to send a proposal and an invoice this week, it’s a long runway.
Growth adds line items
The plans include a few extra users. Beyond that, seats cost more, and each additional brand adds $10/month. A small studio with a couple of subcontractors can stay within the included seats, but the cost climbs as the team does.
It stops at the invoice
Dubsado handles invoicing and payment plans, with bookkeeping integrations on the higher plan. It isn’t where you track expenses, pull profit by client or prepare records for tax time, so most users keep separate accounting software.
The best Dubsado alternatives in 2026
1. ABsort: client workflow and bookkeeping in one place
Best for freelancers and small service businesses that want proposals, invoices and expenses working from one client record.
Starting price: $12/month billed annually, or $15/month billed monthly.
In ABsort a signed proposal turns into a project, and a finished project turns into an invoice, without retyping the client’s details. Pricing is flat, so it doesn’t change with the number of clients you bill.
What’s included for client-facing work:
- Proposal templates with e-signature contracts
- A client portal showing invoices and documents
- Payment links, including partial payment schedules
- Automatic reminders for overdue invoices
What goes beyond Dubsado:
- Expense tracking with receipt capture
- Revenue and cash flow reports
- Tax record exports formatted for IRS filing
- A full CRM with a sales pipeline
- Team members without a per-seat charge stacked on top of the plan
Where it isn’t the right fit: if you depend on Dubsado’s custom workflow builder or its self-booking scheduler, ABsort is lighter on that kind of automation. It focuses on moving a client from proposal to paid invoice with as little manual work as possible, not on building long multi-step sequences.
Get started with ABsort and see proposals, invoices and expenses working from the same client record, from $12/month billed annually.
2. HoneyBook: polished and easy, but not cheap
Best for photographers, planners and designers who want a clean, ready-made client workflow.
Starting price: about $29/month billed annually, or $36/month billed monthly. Essentials is around $59/month and the top plan around $129/month.
HoneyBook is faster to set up than Dubsado and its client-facing pages look good out of the box. The trade-offs are higher pricing, limited permission controls, and no bookkeeping beyond invoicing. We compare it in more detail in our HoneyBook alternatives guide.
3. Bonsai: lowest entry price, lighter portal
Best for solo freelancers who want contracts, proposals and invoicing at a low per-user price.
Starting price: from $9 per user per month on the Basic plan.
Bonsai’s low entry price is the draw. Reviews note a client portal with a fixed layout and limited branding, and fewer integrations and less automation than Dubsado. The per-user pricing also means the cost scales with your team.
4. 17hats: simple, with a high list price
Best for solo operators who want invoicing, contracts and a simple project view in one place.
Starting price: $60/month or $600/year at list price, with occasional first-year promotions.
17hats covers the basics and is easy to learn. It doesn’t offer team management or collaboration features, and branding customization is limited, so it fits a one-person business better than a growing one.
Side-by-side comparison
| ABsort | Dubsado | HoneyBook | Bonsai | 17hats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposals and contracts | Yes | Yes (public proposals on Premier) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client portal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, fixed layout | Yes |
| Invoicing and payments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Expense tracking | Yes | Limited | No | Yes | Limited |
| Tax-ready exports | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Workflow automation | Reminders and basics | Deep (Premier) | Yes (Essentials and up) | Limited | Limited |
| Team access | No per-seat add-on | Extra seats cost more | Top tier | Per user | Not supported |
| Starting price | $12/mo annual | $35/mo ($28 annual) | $29 to $36/mo | $9/user/mo | $60/mo list |
Prices change often. Confirm each vendor’s current page before you commit.
Should you leave Dubsado?
Stay if your automated workflows are built and working, you use the scheduler daily, and the price still makes sense next to what it saves you. Rebuilding that elsewhere costs time.
Look around if you’re paying for Premier mainly to unlock features you barely use, if you keep a second tool for bookkeeping, or if you started on the old pricing and plan to add a brand or more team members.
Moving off Dubsado without losing momentum
- Export your client list and invoice history before you change anything.
- Rebuild the two or three contracts and proposals you actually send most.
- Run both systems through one complete client cycle, from proposal to final payment.
- Cancel only after nothing is missing. Give it a full billing cycle.
If late payments are one reason you’re reevaluating, our post on getting clients to pay invoices on time covers what actually changes behavior. For a wider view of the category, see the best all-in-one platforms for freelancers.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Dubsado cost in 2026?
At the time of writing, Starter lists at $35/month or $335/year, and Premier at $55/month or $525/year. Scheduling, automated workflows and public proposals are on Premier. Extra users beyond the included seats and additional brands cost more.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Dubsado?
Bonsai starts lower per user, and ABsort starts at $12/month billed annually with no per-seat add-on. The right choice depends on whether you need Dubsado’s workflow depth or just a connected proposal, invoice and bookkeeping system.
Can ABsort replace Dubsado?
For most freelancers and small service businesses, yes: proposals, e-signature contracts, a client portal, invoicing and expense tracking all live in one account. If your process depends on long custom automation sequences or client self-booking, check that piece first.
Can I move my Dubsado data to another tool?
You can export client and invoice data as CSV from Dubsado. Templates and forms usually need to be recreated in the new tool, so start with the few you use most.
Get started with ABsort and see what proposals connected to real bookkeeping look like, from $12/month billed annually.