HoneyBook Just Raised Prices 89% — 7 Free & Cheaper Alternatives for Freelancers

In early 2025, HoneyBook raised its Starter plan from $19/month to $36/month — an 89% price increase. Their Essentials plan went from $39 to $79/month. For freelancers already watching every dollar, that's a hard pill to swallow. If you're one of the thousands of freelancers shopping for alternatives, here are 7 options that give you invoicing, contracts, and client management for less — including several that are completely free.

Why So Many Freelancers Are Leaving HoneyBook

HoneyBook built a loyal following by offering an all-in-one client management platform: proposals, contracts, invoices, and payments in one place. But the 2025 pricing changes blindsided users. The original $19 Starter plan was genuinely good value. At $36/month — or $432/year — many freelancers are doing the math and realizing they're paying for features they don't use. If you mainly need invoicing and contracts, you don't need to pay $432/year for it.

The 7 Best HoneyBook Alternatives in 2025

1. Wave — Best Free Alternative for Invoicing

Wave is completely free for invoicing and accounting. You can send unlimited invoices, connect your bank for automatic expense tracking, and see your income vs. expenses in a clean dashboard — all at $0/month. Wave charges a small payment processing fee (2.9% + $0.60) only when clients pay online, but using it for invoicing and bookkeeping costs nothing.

What Wave doesn't do: contracts, e-signatures, proposals, or CRM pipeline. If you need those features, keep reading. But if your main pain point was paying $36/month just to send invoices, Wave solves that immediately.

Best for: Freelancers who need invoicing + bookkeeping and don't need contract management.

2. LancerCalc Invoice Generator — Best Free Quick Invoice Tool

For freelancers who need to send professional invoices instantly — without creating an account, entering a credit card, or signing up for anything — LancerCalc's free invoice generator is the fastest option. Add your client info, line items, and payment terms, then download or print a PDF. It takes 60 seconds and it's free forever.

Best for: Freelancers who want to send one-off invoices fast without any platform commitment.

3. Bonsai — Best Paid Alternative with Full CRM

Bonsai starts at $15/month and includes contracts with e-signatures, proposals, invoicing, and time tracking. It's the closest structural comparison to HoneyBook. However, be aware that Bonsai has its own pricing complaints — tax tracking is a paid add-on ($8/month more), and many users report the platform has had very few meaningful updates in recent years.

Best for: Freelancers who want an all-in-one platform and don't mind $15–25/month.

4. FreshBooks — Best for Accounting + Invoicing Combined

FreshBooks starts at $17/month and gives you professional invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking, and basic reporting. It's more accounting-focused than HoneyBook — better for freelancers who want to replace their bookkeeper, not their CRM. FreshBooks also has strong integrations with Stripe, PayPal, and Shopify.

Best for: Freelancers who care more about accounting accuracy than proposal/contract workflows.

5. Dubsado — Best for Service Businesses and Custom Workflows

Dubsado is a direct HoneyBook competitor with a stronger focus on custom client workflows and automations. The Starter plan is $20/month (billed monthly) or $16/month (billed annually) — meaningfully cheaper than HoneyBook's new pricing. Dubsado has a steeper learning curve than HoneyBook, but once set up, its automation can run your entire client onboarding on autopilot.

Best for: Photographers, designers, consultants, and coaches who want automated client workflows.

6. 17hats — Best Budget All-in-One

17hats starts at around $15/month and covers contracts, invoices, questionnaires, scheduling, and bookkeeping. It's less polished than HoneyBook but more affordable and has been around since 2014. A solid choice for budget-conscious freelancers who want everything under one roof.

Best for: Freelancers who want the all-in-one experience without paying HoneyBook's new prices.

7. Free Combo: Google Docs + DocuSign + Wave

The truly free route: use Google Docs to write proposals and contracts, DocuSign's free tier (3 envelopes/month) for e-signatures, and Wave for invoicing and accounting. It's more manual than HoneyBook, but if you're sending fewer than 5 contracts per month, this combination is 100% free.

Best for: New or occasional freelancers who want professional workflows without any subscription cost.

Quick Comparison: HoneyBook vs Alternatives

What Should You Do Right Now?

If HoneyBook's price increase has you reconsidering, the first question to ask yourself is: what am I actually using it for? If 90% of your HoneyBook usage is sending invoices and collecting payments, Wave or LancerCalc's free invoice generator covers that at zero cost. If you rely heavily on contracts and proposals, Dubsado at $16/month is a comparable experience at less than half the price.

The freelance tools market is competitive, and HoneyBook's price hike has created a real opening for alternatives. Don't stay on a platform out of inertia — a few hours of migration can save you $300–$500/year.