What is 17hats?
17hats is a client management software that has online scheduling, online payments and invoicing, lead capture forms, simple workflows with email automations, and more. 17hats continues to differentiate itself through its robust workflows and automations that enables business owners to simplify their work.
What is HoneyBook?
HoneyBook is a project-based CRM that was originally designed for wedding photographers to manage their business. Now it offers invoicing, expense management, profit and loss reports, client management, automated workflows, templates, scheduling, and more. HoneyBook caters towards small business owners and freelancers who work with clients.
Honeybook vs 17hats: Main features
Online scheduling
HoneyBook comes with robust scheduling for all business owners through its integrations with Google, AOL, Yahoo, and Apple iCloud. It has simple features like setting buffers, minimum booking periods, reminders, and customizable availabilities. But, it can also get more professional with its advanced features like customizable colors, restrictions on cancellations/reschedules, and a customizable confirmation page.
17hats connects only to Google Calendar, but you can also create a native 17hats calendar that can be shared with other platforms, like Apple iCloud Calendar. The 17hats scheduling experience is comparable to HoneyBook’s, featuring reminders, buffers, availabilities, customizable confirmation and cancellation emails.
Questionnaires and templates
HoneyBook has made a name for itself with its wide range of templates – invoices, proposals, contracts, questionnaires, and much more. You’re able to search HoneyBook’s template gallery by industry and type to find the best version of what you’re looking for. HoneyBook also has beautiful questionnaires and contact forms that you can link to, from your website, or use for lead capture.
17hats comes with basic templates to help you get started in some areas of the platform, but not everywhere. The questionnaires inside of 17hats rival the functionality of HoneyBook. They come with customizable colors, customizable confirmation pages, and you can embed them on your website to collect questions and leads.
Payments and invoicing
Payments through HoneyBook are processed through Stripe, but you can also connect your QuickBooks Online account for invoices and expenses tracking. One thing to note is if you’re looking to track expenses inside of HoneyBook, you will have to add them in manually.
17hats also connects to Stripe for payment processing, and connects to QuickBooks Online for invoicing and expenses tracking. The big differentiator is that 17hats is able to connect to your bank account so that you can automatically import your expenses, which can be a lengthy process for a busy business owner. Also 17hats comes with templates for invoices, to make the process even easier.
Pricing and fees
HoneyBook and 17hats both come with a free trial. HoneyBook has a 7-day free trial, whereas 17hats offers your first 3 projects for free. Neither require a credit card to get started.
HoneyBook has monthly and annual plans available. The monthly plan is $39/mo. and the annual plan is $390/yr. (a 17% savings). Both plans come with access to all of the features, so the only difference between the plans is the pricing.
17hats has three plans available — the Essentials Package, the Standard Package, and the Premier Package. The Essentials is $15/mo., the Standard is $30/mo., and the Premier is $60/mo. The various packages allow you to scale up and access more of 17hats’ more complex features, such as automations, as your business needs it.
{{mid-cta}}
So what are the key differences between Honeybook and 17hats?
Time and Expense Tracking
17hats and HoneyBook both connect to QuickBooks Online which enables expenses tracking — an important feature for those active business owners. But, 17hats has automated expenses tracking, whereas it is manual inside HoneyBook.
Client portal
17Hats has a client portal but it’s only available in the Premier Package, so if you’d like to have a central location for all of your clients' stuff, you’ll have to upgrade for that. The Client Portal serves as a place to store documents (i.e. quotes, contracts, and invoices), other details, and write a welcome message, but you cannot chat with your clients through the portal.
HoneyBook does not have a client portal.
Integrations
By no means is HoneyBook lacking in integrations, especially when it comes to the major ones, like QuickBooks, Zoom, Zapier, and Google, Outlook, and Apple. On the other hand, 17hats features a whole host of integrations.
17hats is able to connect to Google, QuickBooks, Zapier, N-VU, Fundy, ProSelect, and ShootProof. Something to be aware of is that 17hats only connects to Google for calendar, but that withstanding, 17hats is truly built for the business owner who is looking to scale and connect all of their tools.
Usability/User-Friendliness
17hats is very robust, and is built for businesses who are going for scale, but it definitely has a steeper learning curve than HoneyBook. HoneyBook does an incredible job of keeping it simple while still including all of the functionality you need to run your business.
Availability Worldwide
17hats works across the world to support businesses from everywhere, especially through their comprehensive list of currencies. Conversely, HoneyBook is only available in the US and Canada so keep that in mind if you’re not in these countries.
What’s the best CRM?
If you’re looking for a CRM that you’re able to get started with quickly through countless templates, your core integrations, and easy user-experience, then HoneyBook is your best choice.
Comparatively, if scaling and automating your business is your primary objective and you’re willing to endure a steeper learning curve, then 17Hats is everything you need.
If neither of these feel quite right, and you want great design and more flexibility on how to bill your clients — think payment plans, packages, coupon codes, etc. Then Practice, the client management software for businesses of one, might be the best fit for you.
You can try Practice out for free for 7 days.
