“What is the best CRM for freelancers?” This is a common question among freelance business owners and entrepreneurs that want to organize their business better and make it more efficient. Many are struggling with time crunch and organization, which includes sending out proposals, follow-up emails, invoices, etc. – the daily nightmare of every entrepreneur, you likely know that struggle. 

Naturally, you may start looking for solutions and programs among the thousand there are available – because that’s what everyone tells you to do, right? Such programs are called Customer Relationship Management or short CRM. 

Essentially, it helps you keep track of a multitude of client-related items such as:

• Invoices 
• Client data
• Overall projects & the details

..and so much more.

Now that you know what a CRM is, the next main question you face is “What the heck should I use?” It’s a valid question, but it can be extremely frustrating to figure out – after all, there are so many options. 

I get it – here:

I compare the three most popular programs for you: Dubsado, Honeybook, and a newcomer Practice Better.

Now, the first tip and possibly the most important tip is that the CRM you use is really going to depend on what you do and what you need your CRM to do. 

Starting With The most popular CRM – Dubsado, is this the best CRM for freelancers though?

Dubsado is an extremely popular CRM – for good reason, let me explain. Dubsado was made with everyone in mind – making it to be one of the best project management tools as well. Their primary target audience is everyone and they are not industry-specific, meaning that they welcome any type of business and business owner. 

Whether you are a legal professional, marketer, writer, or a florist, they got you covered. 

Dubsado has 2 plans that both come with a monthly and annual payment option, unfortunately though they don’t offer a free plan:

Starter Plan

On the Starter Plan, you will either pay $200 annually or $20 monthly (which comes out to $240 annually). 

Premier Plan

Their second plan called Premier has an annual payment of $400 and a monthly payment of $40 (which comes out to $480 annually). 

Though this isn’t the cheapest CRM (especially per user), they are definitely not the most expensive and are reasonably priced, compared to what you get in return in terms of features.

Another reason why Dubsado is so popular is that it comes with a free trial period that never ends. Yup you heard that right! There is no time limit. With that said, there is a catch. On the trial option, you are limited to only 3 clients per account. So this is a great option for newer business owners starting out and just figuring out what they need from their CRM. 

Moving on to features, both the Starter and Premier plans have the following feature:

• Email integration
• Unlimited projects & clients
• Invoicing & payment plans
• Form & email templates
• Client portals
• Bookkeeping integration
• Calendar connection
• Active lead capture forms
  • Limited to 1

Additional features for the Premier plan include:

• Active lead capture forms
  • unlimited
• Scheduling
• Automated workflows
• Public proposals
• Zapier integration

Along with these features, Dubsado also has the option to pay for add-ons that can help your business as it grows. These Add-On features include Branding, where you can manage separate businesses with separate branding for an additional $10 per month – attractive for Multipreneurs!

The second Add-On they offer is adding additional team members with customizable account access for each user. Prices will vary based on the number of additional users as follows:

• 3 additional users -free
• 4-10 users – $25/month
• 11-20 users – $45/month
• 21-30 users – $60/month

As you can see Dubsado is jam-packed with features that help business owners keep their businesses organized and running smoothly.

Let’s move on to HoneyBook and whether this may just be the best CRM for freelancers

HoneyBook is another popular CRM solution. It has grown in popularity among Tiktokers and social media platforms, and for good reason – it is amazing!

Let me explain…

Honeybook’s main target audience is small businesses – of any kind. This could mean either self-employed, freelancers, or businesses with small teams. 

Just like Dubsado, HoneyBook also has a 7 day free trial (sadly, it’s only for 7 days) and 2 main plans:

Honeybook’s Plans

The 2 plans are called the Unlimited Monthly and the Unlimited Annual. The only difference between them is that the Unlimited Monthly plan is a monthly payment plan of $39/month (which comes out to $468) and the Unlimited Annual plan is $390/ per year.

HoneyBook is slightly more expensive than Dubsado. However, one significant difference between HoneyBook’s plans is that, unlike Dubsado, where each plan has different features, both HoneyBook plans have access to all features. Both plans also have:

• No transaction limit 
• An unlimited number of team members 
• And unlimited concierge support.

Therefore, if you are looking to dip your toes in the water before making the full commitment to the yearly plan then the monthly plan is a great option. It will allow you to essentially experience all that HoneyBook has to offer without the full annual commitment. 

Curious about whether Honeybook is the best CRM for freelancers like you? Check my discounted price link here!

Just don’t wait too long before making a decision or you risk losing out on some serious savings by switching to the annual plan option.

With that said let’s get to the juicy details and talk about the features. All HoneyBook plans have all of the following features:

• All-in-one solutions, such as no switching tools for tasks, keeping all client communication, documents, payments, scheduling, etc… in one place
• Proposals 
• Online payments 
• Client portal software 
• Lead and project Tracking 
• contracts 
• Automation 
• Payment reminders 
• Invoices
• Scheduling
• Free account migration
• Mobile app 

HoneyBook has many features that can help any small business owner keep their clients and business organized, making it one of the most popular options out there.

Last, But Not Least, Let’s Discuss Practice Better As An CRM Option For Your Freelance Business

Practice Better out of the three CRM is perhaps the most different. For one, Practice Better’s main target audience is Health and Wellness Practices. With this in mind, Practice Better will work best for those in this field because it has features that would benefit health and wellness professionals. This CRM not only handles business-related operations, but also includes features made specifically for patients, such as tracking diets, supplements, medications, and lifestyle habits.

Practice Better also comes with 5 different plan options.

When it comes to plan options Practice Better definitely outranks Dubsado and Honeybook. Practice Better also has the most plan options that can fit a wide range of budgets. Which for most business owners is always a key factor when considering CRMs. 

The key differences between the plans are the number of clients and admins permitted per account and the differences in the features they offer. 

Practice Better is definitely more specific than Dubsado and HoneyBook when it comes to what features are included in what plan. This is likely due to the fact that there are 5 plan options instead of 2. For a full breakdown of what features are included in each plan follow this link for more information. 

A key thing to note is that Practice Better essentially includes the same if not similar features as both HoneyBook and Dubsado, but because Practice Better’s main target audience is Health and Wellness Practices, it does have features that are specifically designed for this type of industry. These features include:

• HIPAA/PIPEDA/GDPR compliance
• Limited # of Practitioners 
• Scheduling appointment options for patients
• Multiple office locations for support
• Session notes, documents, and protocols 
• Session reminders
• Client accountability where task, responsibilities, weight, water intake, and so on can be tracked
• Mobile App

These key features make this the best CRM for freelancers, specifically health professionals and health related freelancers (incl. coaches!)

Photo_ JESHOOTS from Pexels Via Canva

Key Differences Between These CRM & Which One Is The Best CRM For Your Business

Target Audiences

As you can see, there are vast differences among these CRM systems, such as their target demographic. Here you can see them in an overview again:

Dubsado

Dubsado’s main target audience is everyone in any industry. It’s a party where everyone is welcomed. 

Honeybook

Honeybook on the other hand focuses more on general small businesses.  

Better Practice

Meanwhile, Practice Better really niches down and targets Health and Wellness Practices. 

Plan Options

Another key difference is the number of plans and price ranges that each platform offers. Both Dubsado and HoneyBook only offer 2 plans, while Practice Better offers 5 plans. Dubsado is also the only plan to offer add-ons. 

It’s also important to note that each CRM does have free options. As business owners, everyone loves the word free. Both Practice Better and Dubsado have either a free trial or plan that lasts indefinitely, while Honeybook only has a free 7-day trial. 

Payment Processing

A key element that distinguishes the differences between Dubsado, Honeybook, and Practices Better is that of payment processing. 

Dubsado allows you to connect with your Stripe, Square, or Paypal. While Honeybook accepts all major debit/credit cards and bank transfers for a flat 3% fee. Lastly, Practice Better accepts payments with Square and Strip and only allows deposits and recurring payments in the Professional Plan and up.

Features

Now, when talking about features, this is where the differences between these 3 CRMs are really highlighted. All 3 CRMs have similar features when it comes to business organization and tasks. 

But, because Practice Better’s target audience is Health and Wellness Practices it has features that are specifically designed for health practitioners and patients. These features include things that would be important for both patients and practitioners to have access to, such as session notes, documents, and prescriptions.

Another huge difference that was briefly discussed is that Honeybook and Practice Better both have Mobile Apps, while Dubsado does not. However, not to be outshined, Dubsado has announced that they are currently working on an app, but no release date has been set. If you’ve been in need of an app for your freelance business, then this these will be the best CRM’s for freelancers like you!

The last feature that is significant to note is that both HoneyBook and Practice Better have the option to sync with Google Calendar, while Dubsado does not. Depending on how you run your business this may be something to take into serious consideration. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, all three CRM softwares are brilliant and have distinct advantages and disadvantages that, as you can see, may benefit one small business more than another, making it difficult to determine which is the best CRM for freelancers.

Another important question to consider is what kind of freelancer you are and your business type. 

Your requirements will differ depending on whether you are one of the freelance writers, do social media marketing, a sales and lead generation professional, or any of the other types of freelancers. Depending on your freelance business, you may believe that one of the CRM tools is worth the extra cost per user, while you may suspect that the plan costs for a lack of customer support are prohibitively expensive.

I recommend making a list of the exact CRM tools you require in your freelance business, as well as how many team members you have and what they require, and then going through the list of CRMs again to find the best CRM for your freelance business.

Which one do you like the most for your business?

XO,

Anna <3

P.S. Curious to become a social media manger freelancer? Check out my article on it here!

Anna

Anna is a traveler, blogger, and entrepreneur who can’t keep herself still. She’s always on the move, whether working hard on a new passion project or exploring a new city as a part-time digital nomad. Dare to keep up? Check out The Tatted Nomad for everything digital nomad, social media marketing, mental health, and travel (and to see her latest addition, Novah, her service dog and travel companion). As a psychotherapist (to be) she also offers insights about your mental health related questions – anything you see that isn’t covered but you have questions about? Let her know!

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