HoneyBook Pricing (2026): Plans, Fees & Real Cost for Freelancers

Short answer: HoneyBook costs $36, $59 or $129 per month (Starter, Essentials, Premium), or $29, $49 or $109 per month billed yearly. On top of that you pay payment processing fees from 2.9% + 25¢ per card payment and 1.5% per bank transfer (ACH). Most solo freelancers should start on Starter; upgrade to Essentials when you want automations, a scheduler or to remove the “Powered by HoneyBook” label.

HoneyBook plans at a glance

	Starter	Essentials	Premium
Monthly billing	$36/mo	$59/mo	$129/mo
Yearly billing	$29/mo ($348/yr)	$49/mo ($588/yr)	$109/mo ($1,308/yr)
Team members	Just you	Up to 2	Unlimited
Live lead forms	2	10	Unlimited
Scheduler & automations	—	✓	✓
SMS reminders	—	✓	✓
QuickBooks Online sync	—	✓	✓
Remove “Powered by HoneyBook”	—	✓	✓
Reports	Basic	Standard	Advanced
Priority support & multiple companies	—	—	✓

Every plan includes unlimited clients and projects, invoices and payments, proposals and contracts with e-signatures, the client portal, all professional templates and HoneyBook AI.

Starter: $36/month ($29 billed yearly)

Starter is the plan for a one-person business that mainly needs to send proposals, contracts and invoices and get paid online. The two limits you will notice first are that only you can use the account and that every email, form and client portal shows a small “Powered by HoneyBook” label.

Essentials: $59/month ($49 billed yearly)

Essentials is HoneyBook’s most popular plan. It adds a scheduler so clients can book calls, workflow automations, SMS reminders, a QuickBooks Online integration, up to two team members and removes the HoneyBook branding. If you send more than a handful of proposals a month, the automations alone usually justify the extra $20.

Premium: $129/month ($109 billed yearly)

Premium is built for teams and agencies: unlimited team members, priority support, multiple companies (useful if you run more than one brand) and advanced reports. For a solo freelancer it is rarely worth it.

Payment processing fees

HoneyBook’s subscription is only part of the cost. When clients pay you through HoneyBook, processing fees apply on every plan:

• Card payments: from 2.9% + 25¢ per transaction.
• ACH bank transfers: 1.5% per transaction.
• Instant deposit (optional): an extra 1% to get your money faster, subject to eligibility.

Example: a $2,400 website paid by card costs you about $70 in fees (2.9% + 25¢). The same invoice paid by ACH costs $36. If your clients are happy to pay by bank transfer, nudging them toward ACH saves real money on larger projects.

Real yearly cost for a freelancer

Here is what a typical solo freelancer would pay in a year, assuming $40,000 of client payments processed through HoneyBook:

Scenario	Subscription (yearly billing)	Fees on $40,000	Total per year
Starter, clients pay by card	$348	~$1,160 + 25¢ per payment	~$1,520
Starter, clients pay by ACH	$348	$600	~$948
Essentials, clients pay by card	$588	~$1,160 + 25¢ per payment	~$1,760
Essentials, clients pay by ACH	$588	$600	~$1,188

Card fee estimate uses 2.9% of $40,000 plus 25¢ per payment, assuming around 40 payments a year. Your actual fees depend on how many invoices you send and how clients pay.

Monthly or yearly billing?

Paying yearly saves between $84 (Starter) and $240 (Premium) a year, about 18%. Use the free trial and, if you are still unsure, one month on monthly billing first. HoneyBook also offers a 60-day money-back guarantee, which takes most of the risk out of paying yearly.

Is there a free plan or free trial?

There is no free-forever plan. All plans start with a free trial that does not require a credit card, and paid plans are covered by the 60-day money-back guarantee.

Which HoneyBook plan should you choose?

• Choose Starter if you work alone, send fewer than ~5 proposals a month and don’t mind the HoneyBook label.
• Choose Essentials if you want automations and a booking calendar, work with a part-time helper, or want your client-facing documents fully branded.
• Choose Premium only if you have 3+ people on the team or manage several brands.

Cheaper HoneyBook alternatives

If HoneyBook feels expensive, Bonsai starts at $25 per user per month ($19 billed yearly) for invoices, proposals and contracts, and includes time tracking. Because Bonsai charges per user, it is cheapest for solo freelancers and gets more expensive as your team grows.

Frequently asked questions

How much does HoneyBook cost per month?

HoneyBook costs $36/month for Starter, $59/month for Essentials and $129/month for Premium on monthly billing, or $29, $49 and $109 per month when billed yearly (prices checked October 2026).

Does HoneyBook charge transaction fees?

Yes. Card payments start at 2.9% + 25¢ and ACH bank transfers cost 1.5% per transaction, on every plan.

Can I remove “Powered by HoneyBook”?

Yes, on the Essentials and Premium plans. It is not available on Starter.

How many users can I add to HoneyBook?

Starter is for one user, Essentials includes up to 2 team members and Premium includes unlimited team members.

Is HoneyBook worth it for freelancers?

It is worth it if you want proposals, contracts, invoices and payments in one place and your clients pay online. If you mostly bill by the hour, a tool with built-in time tracking may be a better fit.