It’s the Ultimate Question – HoneyBook vs Dubsado?

You may already be convinced: “I get it, Lauren. I need a CRM system, but I don’t know which one to pick.” Today we’re going to talk about two of the top CRM picks for creative entrepreneurs right now in 2022: HoneyBook vs Dubsado. 

I’m Lauren with The Smarter Creative. I’m a HoneyBook educator, as well as a Dubsado Certified Specialist. Both HoneyBook and Dubsado have wonderful benefits to them, but there are a few things you should know about each of them.  We’re going to talk about which one is going to be better for you and your business. 

I have done some in-depth side-by-side comparisons if you want to see what they look like behind the scenes. You can view that video here:

Which Should I Choose?

Sometimes you just want someone to put it to you straight up: “Lauren, which one should I choose?!” 

Ultimately, I will always recommend getting a free trial of both. Take time to play around with them both and familiarize yourself with each program. Which program do you resonate with better? They are both very similar, with similar costs, but there are some critical differences between the two.

Key Differences

One of the key differences is that HoneyBook is thinking for you. I like to think of HoneyBook as an Apple product. It’s going to tell you where you have to put apps, you can’t overly customize it, everything has to be lined up, etc.

On the other hand, Dubsado is more like a forbidden Android device. By this, I mean you have a lot more flexibility with how it’s set up and what the design looks like. You can put things in different places, you can float things – there’s so much more customization with how the program looks inside if you have an Android phone.

Now, what I’m not saying is that Dubsado isn’t as user-friendly as an Android can be versus an Apple product. I’m just saying HoneyBook limits you like an iPhone can sometimes limit you, and Dubsado gives you a lot more to play around with how you want everything to look. 

Here are a few specific Honeybook vs Dubsado differences I’ll break down for you.

Personalization

You can personalize Dubsado a TON. Inside your forms, proposals, and questionnaires in Dubsado you can drop in code, HTML, JavaScript, embed photos, and more to personalize them. I love to embed Loom videos in my questionnaires and onboarding documents. 

However, you cannot do that in HoneyBook – it’s more limited in what you’re able to put into it and personalize. Now, you can drop photos into your HoneyBook forms, but only Dubsado allows you to embed video. Again, you can see the side-by-side video I created on this here:

For me, this is a big problem since I like customizing my fonts and colors and just playing around with what my forms can look like. Dubsado has some affiliate companies that have helped to make beautiful forms with responsive designs, conditional formatting, and other super cool features. With HoneyBook, you are limited on what their proposals look like. They are fine and beautiful in their way, however, they are limited. 

Personalization winner: Dubsado

Emails

When considering sending emails in HoneyBook vs Dubsado, Dubsado wins 1,000% in my opinion. With HoneyBook, you are forced into a box with questionnaires and forms. You can’t change where buttons live in a form, while Dubsado is so flexible with what the emails can be and look like.

For me, Dubsado wins hands down when it comes to the functionality of emails and how customized they can be for your client. 

Email winner: Dubsado

Automation and Workflows 

Another thing that Dubsado wins out on is the automation side of things with their workflows and triggers that are available. 

HoneyBook is about to launch its flows feature, which they say is going to be super competitive with what Dubsado currently offers. However, those features are not out yet at the time of the writing of this blog. I plan to do an updated video of the pros and cons of HoneyBook flows to Dubsado automation when it’s out, but it’s not out to the public yet. so I will not show that off but it is coming in. 

Automation winner: Dubsado

App Available

If you’re counting, Dubsado is 3 for 3 right now compared to HoneyBook. However, something that HoneyBook has that Dubsado does not yet have is an app. As you know, a lot of business is done on the go. HoneyBook has an app where you can do almost everything that you can do on the desktop, but not everything.

Dubsado does not have an app, however, they do have a team on staff at Dubsado building an app. It’s not here yet, but as soon as it is I will be reviewing it so you can see what it’s like.

I don’t have an issue using Dubsado on my phone. I use landscape mode to see more of the screen when needed since portrait mode can cause me to lose a lot of different options and buttons from view on the main screen. But, I can do everything in Dubsado on my phone that I can on my computer, which is great.

Apps make everything easier though, don’t they? 

App winner: HoneyBook

White Labeling

One of the things that Dubsado does well that HoneyBook says they do well (but don’t really) is white labeling. White labeling is when you’re able to use software that makes it looks like it’s your custom-made software and nobody knows you’re using HoneyBook or Dubsado when it’s fully white labeled.

Dubsado does this really, really well. If you put it in your DNS settings for your URL, you drop in whatever you want it to be (Dubsado walks you through what that is), then every time someone sees your Dubsado, it’s your customized URL. It’s wonderful when it’s set up right – your portal, your schedulers, your forms, your proposals – everything is your URL. HoneyBook says they do that, but it’s only for forms. If you send a scheduler to a client, it still says HoneyBook and not your customized URL. 

White labeling winner: Dubsado

The Learning Curve

When it comes to HoneyBook vs Dubsado and their learning curves—they both have them.

That’s just the name of the game when you start using a new CRM system. There IS a learning curve: you don’t speak it natively, you have to learn the terminology and the menus where things live. I find them both pretty easy to use, but it does take time to figure out the language and feel of them both.

HoneyBook and Dubsado both have wonderful education available including classes you can take and pros to help you build out your system if you don’t want to do it yourself. The build-out of both can be a little complicated, but that is the case with building out any CRM, especially if you’re starting from scratch or moving from one CRM to another. 

However, you can hire a pro to complete your build-out for you or Dubsado does provide a free service where they will take some of your PDF onboarding forms and bring them over into your Dubsado for you.

There is a 6-week wait period for the free service since it’s so popular. So, if you have time to wait for it and want a free option, this would be a good choice.

You can hire someone to build out your CRM for you, or you can build it out yourself! Doing it yourself is going to be the BEST way to understand your HoneyBook vs Dubsado – to personally get inside it and play around with the features available.

Overall, HoneyBook’s software is easier to learn because it doesn’t do as much as Dubsados, and there aren’t as many “Oooo I didn’t know it could do that!” moments that Dubsado has.

Learning Curve winner: Honeybook

When to Make the Decision – HoneyBook vs Dubsado

If you are in the middle of trying to make a decision about which CRM is best for you, I would encourage you to wait until you are in a slower season of your business. So, if you are a wedding photographer in the middle of wedding season, now is not necessarily the time to DIY the move of your CRM system. (That sounds like a major headache!) 

You certainly can hire somebody out. I can provide a full build in two weeks which would get you all set up and running, though it does cost some money to do that. But – it’s done for you! If you’re in the middle of your busy season, this is huge because this is when you need your systems running properly, your questionnaires being sent out, checklists of everything you have to remember, etc. I know you’re busy, stressed out, and in need of a better organizational system. Either HoneyBook or Dubsado is going to get you there, just play around with them both and see what you think. 

HoneyBook offers a 7-day free trial, and Dubsado has a lifetime free trial, but you’re limited to three clients. So start a trial, play around with both programs and make a decision when you feel you’re ready.

You can sign up via my affiliate links for a discount off both HoneyBook or Dubsado.

Side note

I will say, HoneyBook has a very nice affiliate program. They take care of people who recommend their software to others. So sometimes I see some bigger names recommending HoneyBook and I wonder “Are they actually using this service? Or are they just recommending it for an affiliate?” Dubsado also has an affiliate program, but it goes towards your subscription, so hopefully, that will get better in the future.

However, I truly recommend Dubsado because I love it and it has been life-changing for my business.

Get Dubsado Support

If you’ve been walking through your free trials and exploring HoneyBook and Dubsado for yourself, you may have already chosen the CRM that’s the best fit for you. If you’ve chosen Dubsado and need help setting it up, I provide free 30-minute Clarity Calls. This allows you to have a quick chat with me to see if I’m a good fit for you and your business so you know who you’ll be working with if you hire me. 

I provide a limited amount of setups and VIP days a month, so if you think this is something that would benefit your business, schedule your call with me today here: https://www.thesmartercreative.com/call

I am here for the busy creative entrepreneur – helping you work smarter in your business, not harder. If you are interested in working with me, schedule that free 30-minute clarity call today and let’s get to work! 

Or if you want to DIY – I have an awesome dashboard for you to buy! Check it out HERE!