HoneyBook Reviews

Pros

Easily sending out contracts and enabling the clients to sign them electronically

Cons

The cost of transitions when collecting online payments from clients

Alternatives Considered

DocuSign

Reasons for Choosing HoneyBook

We stopped using QuickBooks Online to send out invoices as we couldn't use it to sign documents electronically

Switched From

Quickbooks Online

Reasons for Switching to HoneyBook

We used DocuSign for some time and stopped because HoneyBook provides significantly more value

Pros

I love using Honeybook! I've tried a couple other CRM softwares, and this one is by far the easiest to deploy and keep me on track. It is logical and feels easy to use, which has kept me using it rather than reverting to inefficient paper tracking. The customer service has been great: always quick and friendly to answer questions and help me through something I didn't understand. I would highly recommend Honeybook to anyone.

Cons

The calendar sync is sometimes glitchy, but that could also be user error. One thing that would make it better would be an easy way to override when I am considered "busy" on my Google Calendar that syncs in. I'd also love to have SMS communication with my clients, but rumor has it they are working on this.

Alternatives Considered

17hats

Reasons for Choosing HoneyBook

Zoho was just too confusing - I love that it's one big suite to manage Social, and Website, and Accounting, and CRM, and washes my windows...but it was overwhelming, and to have someone help me set it up would require an additional subscription. Studio Cloud was just clunky. I may not have given it enough effort, but it just wasn't quite there for me.

Switched From

Zoho CRM

Pros

The look and feel of the app is very clean, love the ability to add images and customize the look and feel of contracts, flyers, brochures and more. Adding a custom form field to our website was easy to do. Automation feature seems nice, but we didn't really use it.

Cons

In contracts the most frustrating thing is that you can only add line items at the very bottom of the invoice. That means if you have a very long invoice and want to add a line to the top of the page, you have to add a line at the bottom and drag it all the way up to the top ( which is extremely tedious ). It wastes so much time that it made me wonder if we wasted more time trying to use this clunky app than just doing things the way we were used to in excel!

Pros

So for the planning, coordinating, and tracking aspects, Honeybook is awesome. Our business is presented well to our clientele.

Cons

The reason I didn't renew is the payment processing speed.

Pros

I moved away from Quickbooks online because they didn't have an easy way to send customers automatic recurring invoices. Honeybook had pre-built service agreements along with the automated recurring payments feature I needed for my business. It was appealing to work with them because set up was very easy to get what we needed up and running

Cons

After a client pays their invoice, it usually takes 12-24 hours for Honeybook to send me a confirmation email saying they've paid. This is (I don't use this word often) absurd. With Quickbooks, I know payment confirmation comes in within 10 minutes.

Especially if I am going to start work with a client right as they pay, this hurdle in their platform stops me from getting to work right away.

It usually leads to me emailing my customer "Did you pay the invoice?" then them replying "I did!" then me looking into Honeybook wondering why the heck it hasn't come in and making me look foolish to my client... Then I finally get the notification the next day.

It's the #1 feature request they need to get updated.

Alternatives Considered

Stripe and Quickbooks Online

Reasons for Switching to HoneyBook

Because they have online scheduling, and pre-built proposals/service agreements to use. More of an all-in-one platform.

Pros

Honeybook took my booking process to a massively higher level of success. My contracts are all signed, and invoices are paid before I even start designing. I walk my customers through the process and we discuss TAT and rates, next steps, and then I kick them over the Proposal with the same details we discussed during the sale.

With other software I've struggled to receive timely payments, or contract signatures.

Not anymore!

Cons

The contract templates are pretty limited to social media management and marketing ops. I think that every business needs their own contracts, period, but it would be nice to have a better starting place for other service providers.

Additionally, the emails that Honeybook kicks out for proposals, payments, contracts and the like have reportedly found their way to many of my customer's spam box. I just warn them ahead of time, but it's not super reassuring to some more leery customers.

Pros

I like that the interface is easy to use and navigate and is visually appealing. I can track my leads and communicate with them and send emails and send updates and invoices, contracts, and receive payments all in one place. It keeps my business organized. I like the mobile app for business on the go. The customer support is helpful and responsive. Love the scheduling app! It has replaced my previous scheduler.

Cons

I want more email customization - better html features - add photo to my signature, add gifs, rename buttons and add them wherever I want in the email.
I'd like it to manage my items better - have a place where I can update item pricing and descriptions and archive old items.
I'd like better customization around the contact forms. Be able to match the text and font and fields closely to my website so that it integrates better onto my design. Be able to change colors of text and lines, and fonts and customize the lead contact form better.

Alternatives Considered

Dubsado

Reasons for Switching to HoneyBook

The other product had a high learning curve. I took training courses to get started and it was still confusing. The interface wasn't that pretty or easy to navigate. The scheduling app was ugly. Even though it allows for more customization than Honeybook, I chose Honeybook because the entry level price matched my business and I like the clean look of the interface and easy to use navigation and the mobile app is great!

Pros

One, they created flexibility with pricing; for someone who wants to use the platform but uses a different checkout option, there is a very affordable tier. That tier is also fantastic for those just getting started. I've always found it crazy that more platforms don't carry an option like this for beginners.

Since I've been with Honeybook, they have been improving the software; they recently just came out with a fantastic feature to take your lead or on a streamlined journey.

Cons

I hope they allow us to ACTUALLY customize our project pipeline at some point.

Not everyone has the same process, and there is stuff I can't take off because it's default.

I also wish there was an easier way to just send someone to the item to be sold page rather than taking them to a pipeline, we all get leads differently, and I'd like to skip a step for some people.

Pros

HoneyBook is its all-in-one functionality. The platform provides users with a range of tools and features that can help them manage their business operations from a single dashboard. This includes tools for managing leads, creating and sending contracts and invoices, and tracking payments and expenses.Another advantage of HoneyBook is its user-friendly interface. The platform is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, with a range of templates and pre-built workflows that can be customized to fit your specific needs. Additionally, HoneyBook provides users with access to a dedicated customer support team, as well as a range of online resources and tutorials to help them get the most out of the platform.

Cons

HoneyBook offers a range of pricing plans that are designed to be accessible to businesses of all sizes, the cost can add up quickly if you require a large number of features or have a high volume of transactions.Another potential issue with HoneyBook is its limited customization options. While the platform does provide users with a range of templates and pre-built workflows, some users may find that these are not customizable enough to fit their specific needs.

Pros

popular business tools, including Google Calendar, Zapier, and Quickbooks. These integrations make it easy for businesses to connect their various tools and streamline their operations.

Cons

that it may not be the best fit for larger businesses with more complex operations.

Pros

User friendly for both myself and my clients, ease of set up (love that they do most of the upload work & it’s easily changeable!), the community it’s created, & the “opportunities” section.

Cons

1. I wish there was more internal automation, like the workflow applied just sent out the emails and not prompted me to act.
2. While “linked” with Calendly, it’s not linked in the correct way. I wish when someone signed up for a slot in Calendly, it could generate an automatic proposal that I could look over before sending, or sent automatically. When adding my “Calendly link” to a honeybook email, the link always fails. I don’t use Calendly enough to have this be a major issue, just a nuisance.
3. More flexibility in personal branding & branding the contact form. I don’t currently use the form on my site because of this.

Pros

Running my own business where clients contract via email and forms through my website can get overwhelming when trying to keep track of small but important details. Invoicing, payment processing, contracts, client communication, client surveys and now they have a feature where you can connect with other local professionals on projects. Very useful.

Cons

I wish it was a little more upscale looking on fonts, colors and the user experience. My brand is more of a luxury brand so I want customers to feel like when they're being transferred to the contract or payment portion of our interactions that they're still receiving a luxury experience.

Alternatives Considered

17hats

Reasons for Switching to HoneyBook

The pricing at the time was really affordable to get into. I did the one time purchase instead of a monthly fee. They were super helpful and explained they would put all my company details in for me as well as add my email templates and my collection pricing for invoicing. They did this and it was a breeze to answer right into. Also, they have their mobile app so I can reply, invoice and book clients on the go from the convenience of my phone.

Pros

When singing up with Honeybook they took my exhausting contracts, forms, questionnaires and placed them into their system. This saved me so much time switching from DIY client management to this online resource.

Cons

When responding to an email through the software, it makes a new email. Some clients have more questions and I’d like a way to organize with in a project the emails.

Alternatives Considered

17hats, DocuSign and Adobe PDF Library

Reasons for Choosing HoneyBook

I did a trail run of both 17hats and Honeybook. Honeybook put my documents into the system and the customer service help to learn their system was stellar. It made me more confident that if I had trouble in the future, someone would answer.

Switched From

17hats

Reasons for Switching to HoneyBook

See above. It applies to all the potential products used

Pros

The best part about HoneyBook is that I'm able to fully customize everything to match my brand's visuals. Everything about this CRM is easy to use. The support team is always incredible if you need help - they're seriously the best around. The community around HB is also amazing. I love how easy it is to go from an inquiry to a booked project with my automated workflows! The newer client portal feature is always a client favorite, too!

Cons

I would love to see a more flexible method for viewing pipelines and tasks. I prefer to view a Kanban-type of pipeline/workflow and tasks. I'd like to be able to click on a workflow and see how many clients/projects I have under it.

I also don't like that I can't charge for certain appointment types. I would love to use the scheduling feature for booking mini sessions or other items that I would charge for outside of weddings/brand sessions. It would also be great if certain appointment types could work as lead capture forms (i.e.: when an appointment is booked, a new inquiry is created).

For financial tracking, it would be nice to be able to create a recurring expense.

Alternatives Considered

Dubsado

Reasons for Choosing HoneyBook

HoneyBook was offering a lifetime membership at the time and I loved their user interface!

Switched From

17hats

Reasons for Switching to HoneyBook

The community and support team.

Pros

Very user friendly, they offer so much! I love being able to track my expenses and schedule clients. I love the workflow feature, it’s so helpful. I REALLY love the fact that clients can pay you through the HB invoice. That’s probably the best part. Its awesome that they added a COVID-19 tool kit that shows you which clients are most likely to be affected. And then they have email templates that are COVID related. So many resources are provided, it’s like they actually care about us 🥺 💕 haha.
Highly recommend

Cons

The only thing that’s a little slow is the payment actually getting to my bank account. I’m not even sure if HB has anything to do with the time it takes, but I do wish it didn’t take 2 days to finally show up in my account. I wish there was an option to “instantly” transfer the funds for like a 1% fee. Like Venmo! That way if someone needs the money ASAP, they can instantly get it OR they can choose to wait the 1-2 business days to get the full payment. That would AMAZING

Pros

I really like how seamless, intuitive, and robust honeybook is. I like how it keeps me on track and integrates with calendars, emails, and helps my clients stay organized.

Cons

Some of the features I would like to see in the future would be the ability to integrate a "store"-like function directly into the crm. I would like my clients to be able to choose from options that I offer and those choices to become a proposal or invoice.

Alternatives Considered

Dubsado

Reasons for Choosing HoneyBook

Dj Event Planner was clunky and bloated with features that I never used.

Reasons for Switching to HoneyBook

I liked Honeybook's interface more.

Pros

Booking clients and communicating with them throughout the planning stages of their project has become seamless. I have all emails and files in one place. I can easily make changes to their upcoming appointment, reschedule make suggestions on another location. I am able to send all documents in one proposal email. and get their signature on everything at once. Payments go through easily and client payment reminders have been very helpful.

Cons

I am a new user and it's a little difficult to set up to how I do business. It's taking me a lot longer than I would like to get things just how I want them. There are things I want to change such as the flow of automatic emails. I am having a hard time figuring out exactly where to change those settings.

Pros

HoneyBook has the features I need to run my small digital agency. I shopped around and paid too much for other systems which was frustrating. HoneyBook fits perfectly with my agency's sales flow.

Cons

Because I was migrating from another system with many existing clients, onboarding was challenging. I would like to have had a personal and live onboarding session with specific advice on how best to set things up. It took a while to find the optimal use for brochures, proposals, invoices etc...

Alternatives Considered

monday.com, Asana and HubSpot CRM

Reasons for Choosing HoneyBook

HubSpot is expensive. It did work well, but they don't offer a price point for small businesses. A friend recommended

Switched From

HubSpot CRM

Reasons for Switching to HoneyBook

The value. Great features at the right price for my agency.

Pros

I love that everything I need to run my business is in one place, and that I can customize just about everything to create brand cohesive experiences for my clients.

Cons

Couple little things here and there, like a box won't move where I want it to in Flows, but they are always tweaking and adding new features. The customer service is also stellar so if anything goes wrong I know someone will be able to help me right away!

Alternatives Considered

Dubsado

Reasons for Switching to HoneyBook

Honeybook felt more fun and personal, while Dubsado felt so professional that it felt sterile and like it would be hard to figure out.

Pros

Honeybook is essential to running my business and now that I've been a user for more than 2 years, I can't imagine not using it. As a photographer, it is important for me to keep all of my scheduling, contracting, payments, and details as organized as possible so that I don't miss a meeting, or special detail for a wedding or photo session. Every part of my business is streamlined now that I use Honeybook. Reporting on Honeybook is made very easy from being able to see what % I've booked based on the number of signed contracts, where most of my clients find me, and how much money in taxes I need to pay for the quarter. Additionally, Honeybook has an opportunity board where creatives can post about need for associates, styled photo sessions. Finally, if you refer 2 people per year to Honeybook, your cost for the entire year is covered.. can't beat that!

Cons

There are times when I donate photo sessions to non-profits and want to be able to send an invoice showing how much the session would have cost, then adding a discount to show a $0 invoice but there is not a way to send that without charging the invoice and refunding. I wish that I could do more on the mobile app, but new features are being added frequently.

Pros

I have been with HoneyBook since it’s inception, I was fortunate enough to be one of the founding fathers. In the beginning, what attracted me about the platform was the ability to focus on getting my clients booked quickly by keeping everything in one spot through the iOS app or web-based interface and it has been relatively easy for them to use as well. They were already an amazing company with an outstanding product, and with each update they release, they continue to exceed my expectations and help me run my business on the go by making the complicated tasks seem quick and easy. BEST INVESTMENT EVER!! Thank you so much for bringing me and my entertainment company to the 21st century!!!

Cons

Definitely Would like to see a review questionnaire or rating system with an HTML generator plugin that could be used to post on my website or google ad. Updated training videos for the new features.

Pros

That everything is at my fingertips no matter where I am. I also like that I can track a clients contract, contact info, entire email exchange, invoicing at once. I like the reports and data that I can access easily. I like the ease of seeing the pipeline and where I'm at with my bookings. I like the daily reminders to follow up on my clients.

Cons

I would like the ability to look up a clients files by date - the calendar only shows bookings that have a retainer paid. I'd like to search by date and find prospectives. I'd like to search by category - for instance school dances versus weddings versus company parties. And, I'd like to see reports of how many of each type of gig we do each year.

Pros

I love the pre made templates, it makes answering emails and creating files for my clients extremely easy and cuts my time down. Before using HoneyBook, I was going crazy managing all my weddings and searching for certain correspondence from a certain bride, I was sometimes mixing up dates and losing certain files all together. I love being able to pull up my bride’s file and having all of our correspondence in one place, along with all of my files for them.

Cons

I wish there were more options for the pre made templates, that we can title and choose from. For now, I can only make the one follow up email. There are others that I would like to make. Also, I wish I could change the body of the email and it would save it to how I would like to word it. For now, I have to change some wording around every time I send out files to my potential clients. I also really would like to be able to make a timeline through HoneyBook. For now I have to create it in another space and email it separately to my client. It would be nice to have it all under the same file, especially with handling so many brides and weddings.

Pros

Honeybook does a great job about giving you the ability to customize your proposals, brochures, invoices and more. The calendar being linked to google is AWESOME and not having to track down late payments is great so I can focus on my client's and their goals.
They're constantly updating, adding and expanding the services which is nice as our business grows too.

Cons

There are some kinks, especially if trying to work it with a team of employees that are not the best and if you aren't careful can result in double coverage or gaps.
The timeline feature is helpful when it's not constantly freezing or crashing and is basic but when workings awesome!

Quickbook link - doesn't completely speak with Quickbooks so if you also link a bank account it will result in double entries and occasional mis-logs. For us it was easier to disconnect, fix the past and just compare moving forward.

Pros

Honeybook has everything we need to run our two companies (and we use it for both). Support has been absolutely excellent, and we love how they're constantly adding new features and templates. HoneyBook is easy to use and they take security seriously, which we value.

Cons

They're stuck in the Stripe system for payments with zero other options. We run our businesses using PayPal and the lack of paymention options pales in comparison to a couple of the CRM competitors out there. The app could use with a UX/UI redesign for the new decade. It's easy to use, but could be much better.