HONEST COMPARISON
HoneyBook vs Dubsado: which one fits a photography studio in 2026?
Short answer: HoneyBook is the easier, more guided setup and, since August 2026, offers a paid phone and text add-on for members in the US and Canada. Dubsado is the more customisable one, with deeper workflows and multi-brand support, but it doesn’t list a phone line or built-in texting. Both are built for small teams. If your studio has several staff answering one phone, read the last section.
Allio is $297 per month. Card required. AI and phone usage is billed at cost, on top of the $297.
HoneyBook and Dubsado, side by side
| HoneyBook | Dubsado | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Starter $29, Essentials $49, Premium $109 a month, billed yearly | Starter $35/month or $335/year; Premier $55/month or $525/year | honeybook.com/pricing; dubsado.com/llm-info, both checked 2026-10-22 |
| Team members | Starter has no team members; Essentials up to 2; Premium unlimited | 3 additional users included on both plans; more cost $25 to $60/month | honeybook.com/pricing; dubsado.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Automations | Automations from Essentials ($49/month billed yearly) | Workflows (Flows) are Premier only | honeybook.com/pricing; dubsado.com/llm-info, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Scheduling | Scheduler from Essentials | Scheduler is Premier only | honeybook.com/pricing; dubsado.com/llm-info, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Text reminders | SMS reminders listed on Essentials | Email reminders only; SMS reminders not available | honeybook.com/pricing; help.dubsado.com, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Phone line | Business Phone and SMS add-on from $8/month: one 800-style number shared by the team, calls forward to the account holder’s phone, members in the US and Canada only, tied to one brand | Not listed | help.honeybook.com article 15123809; GlobeNewswire, 31 Aug 2026; dubsado.com/llm-info, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Multiple brands | Multiple companies on Premium; the phone add-on is tied to the one brand it’s bought for | Extra brands $10/month each | help.honeybook.com article 15123809; dubsado.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Trial | 30 days, no card required | 21 days, full Premier access, no card | honeybook.com/pricing; dubsado.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-22 |
What HoneyBook’s phone add-on does, and doesn’t, do
HoneyBook launched Business Phone and SMS on 31 August 2026. According to its help centre, the add-on gives your account an 800-style business number, with plans of $8 a month for 300 texts, $15 for 700 and $20 for 1,000, counting messages in both directions. It’s tied to the one brand it’s bought for. Incoming calls forward to the account holder’s own phone. For outgoing calls, HoneyBook rings you first and then connects the client. Incoming calls from known contacts are recorded and summarised. The whole team shares one number, it’s available to members in the US and Canada, it texts US, Puerto Rico and Canadian numbers only, picture messages aren’t supported, and you can’t bring your existing number across yet. Calls work as soon as you register; texting waits for carrier approval, which HoneyBook says can take up to 10 business days.
That’s a real step forward for HoneyBook, and a sensible fit for a solo photographer who wants texts and calls kept off a personal mobile. It isn’t built as a front desk phone system. Calls forward to one person’s phone rather than ringing a team, the number is an 800-style number rather than a local one, and the help article doesn’t describe a call menu or voicemail routing.
Sources: help.honeybook.com/en/articles/15123809; GlobeNewswire release, 31 August 2026; honeybook.com/product/business-messaging. All checked 2026-10-22.
Where each one genuinely wins
HoneyBook wins on a guided setup, templates that get a new business sending proposals in an afternoon, and now a phone and text add-on that costs little for a solo photographer.
Dubsado wins on customisation. Branded portals, custom domains, custom CSS on forms, multiple brands under one login, and a workflow builder that can run the whole client journey by email. Three extra users are included on both plans, which is generous at this price.
Which one you should pick
Choose HoneyBook if
you work alone or with one assistant in the US or Canada, you want the quickest setup, and a shared 800-style number that forwards to your mobile covers your phone needs.
Choose Dubsado if
you want every client touchpoint branded and customised, you run more than one brand, and nearly all your enquiries arrive by email.
Choose Allio if
your studio has staff, the phone rings all day, and you need calls to ring your team, be recorded where you’ve set up consent, and land on the client record next to every text, email and Instagram message. One plan at $297 a month, with no per seat fee. AI and phone usage is billed at cost, on top of the $297, and email at wholesale rates.
See the full comparisons: Allio vs HoneyBook and Allio vs Dubsado.
HoneyBook vs Dubsado questions
Is HoneyBook or Dubsado cheaper?
On annual billing they’re close: HoneyBook Starter is $29 a month billed yearly, about $348 a year, and Dubsado Starter is $335 a year. HoneyBook Starter includes no team members while Dubsado includes three additional users, so for a small team Dubsado usually costs less. Sources: honeybook.com/pricing and dubsado.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-22.
Does HoneyBook have a phone number now?
Yes. Since 31 August 2026, HoneyBook offers a Business Phone and SMS add-on for members in the US and Canada, from $8 a month. It provides one 800-style number shared by the team, tied to the one brand it’s bought for. Incoming calls forward to the account holder’s phone, and existing numbers can’t be moved across yet.
Does Dubsado have texting?
No. Dubsado’s scheduler sends email reminders only. Texting needs a separate SMS tool connected through Zapier on the Premier plan.
Which is better for photographers, HoneyBook or Dubsado?
For a solo photographer who wants a fast setup, HoneyBook. For a photographer who wants deep customisation and multiple brands, Dubsado. For a studio with staff that books by phone, neither was built around a front desk, which is the gap Allio fills.
Can several staff answer calls in HoneyBook?
HoneyBook’s help centre says incoming calls forward to the account holder’s phone and the team shares one number. It doesn’t describe ringing several team members at once.
Sources
- HoneyBook pricing: honeybook.com/pricing (Starter $29, Essentials $49, Premium $109 a month billed yearly; Starter no team members, Essentials up to 2 and SMS reminders, Premium unlimited; checked 2026-10-22, team limits and trial from the 2026-08-21 capture)
- HoneyBook help centre, Business Phone and SMS: help.honeybook.com/en/articles/15123809 (add-on prices, 800-style number, forwarding to the account holder, recording and summaries of known-contact calls, US and Canada members, one brand only, no MMS, no porting yet, texting approval up to 10 business days; article showed “Updated today” on 2026-10-22)
- HoneyBook launch release, GlobeNewswire, published 31 August 2026: globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/08/31/3353349/0/en/honeybook-launches-business-phone-sms-for-independent-businesses.html
- HoneyBook product page: honeybook.com/product/business-messaging
- Dubsado pricing: dubsado.com/pricing
- Dubsado official product information: dubsado.com/llm-info
- Dubsado help centre, scheduling: help.dubsado.com/en/articles/15546565
Running a studio with staff? See what a front desk phone system looks like.
The trial is seven days, card required, and you can be in within minutes.
Want the story first? Read who built Allio and why, or see what a call about Allio covers.
$297 per month. Card required. AI and phone usage is billed at cost, on top of the $297.