Agency Hub Co vs HoneyBook: which is right for running an agency?
Agency Hub Co Team, updated , 9 minutes
HoneyBook is the closest thing on this list to a direct competitor, and it's worth taking seriously as one. It's a genuinely strong, well-built client-management platform with native billing, contracts, and a client portal. The distinction that matters is who each tool is built for: HoneyBook is designed around a single provider (or a very small team) booking individual clients one at a time. Agency Hub Co is designed around a team running many client accounts at once, with internal task management and team chat as part of the same system.
Key takeaways
- HoneyBook natively handles proposals, contracts, invoicing, payments, and a client portal, more native client-facing coverage than any other tool in this comparison set.
- HoneyBook has no real internal task or project management, and no native team chat, both of which matter more as a team grows past one or two people.
- HoneyBook raised prices significantly in February 2025 (roughly 68 to 89 percent depending on plan), which is worth knowing if you're comparing costs against older information.
- Agency Hub Co adds the internal-operations side, task management and team chat, that HoneyBook doesn't cover, while matching its native billing, contracts, and portal.
HoneyBook vs Agency Hub Co, feature by feature
| HoneyBook | Agency Hub Co | |
|---|---|---|
| Client billing & invoicing | Native, and a core strength: invoicing, payments, and automated reminders built in from day one. | Native, Stripe-backed invoicing and recurring billing. |
| Payments | Native card and ACH processing, plus Tap to Pay (using a phone as a card reader). Transaction fees apply (around 2.9% + 25 cents per card payment). | Native, Stripe Connect-based payment processing. |
| Proposals & contracts | Native, with e-signatures and a library of templates, one of HoneyBook's strongest areas. | Native document sending: proposals, contracts, and questionnaires bundled together. |
| Client-facing portal | Native, branded client portal, built specifically around the individual client-booking experience. | Native, branded client portal, built around ongoing multi-person account management. |
| Task & project management | Basic pipeline and milestone tracking. Not a full project-management system. | Native, full task management (kanban and list views, checklists, recurring tasks) tied to the client. |
| Team chat | Limited. Primarily client-facing communication threads rather than internal team chat. | Native internal team chat, alongside client chat, in the same system. |
| Client-facing chat | Partial, through client communication threads inside the portal, with two-way SMS recently announced as a paid add-on. | Native, built into the client portal. |
| AI features | HoneyBook AI drafts client emails in your tone, summarizes meetings, and flags high-value leads. A genuinely useful, actively expanding feature set. | AI drafting built from the client's actual strategy documents and feedback history, across proposals, contracts, and content. |
| Templates | Extensive library across proposals, contracts, and invoices. | Contract, proposal, and questionnaire templates built around agency onboarding. |
| Mobile app | Native iOS and Android apps, but vendor-only, meaning clients access the portal through mobile web rather than an app of their own. | Portal and workflows accessible on mobile for both team and clients. |
| Support | Live chat and email support seven days a week, with priority support and dedicated onboarding at the top tier. No general phone support. | Direct support built around a focused product. |
| Pricing | Flat, per-account pricing (not per-seat): roughly $29/month (Starter), $49/month (Essentials), $109/month (Premium), all billed annually, plus payment processing fees on top. Raised significantly in February 2025. | Studio at $99/month (10 clients, 5 members) and Agency at $299/month (25 clients, 15 members), scaled for a team rather than a single provider. |
HoneyBook overview
Built for the solo provider booking clients one at a time. HoneyBook's entire flow, inquiry to proposal to contract to invoice to payment, is designed around a single service provider or a very small team managing individual client bookings. For photographers, planners, and similar businesses, this is a genuinely well-built, complete system.
Real strength in billing and documents. HoneyBook's proposals, contracts, and invoicing are mature, well-templated, and easy for a non-technical business owner to use without help. Its AI features, drafting client emails in your voice and summarizing meetings, are a real, actively developing advantage.
Not built for a team running ongoing accounts. HoneyBook's task tracking is basic, there's no real internal team chat, and its mobile app is vendor-only, meaning your clients can't get an app of their own, only mobile web access. For a single provider, none of this matters much. For an agency with a team working several client accounts at once over months or years, the lack of internal task management and team communication becomes a real gap, one most agencies end up filling with a second tool.
Agency Hub Co overview
Everything HoneyBook does for the client relationship, plus what it doesn't do for the team. Agency Hub Co matches HoneyBook's native billing, contracts, and portal, and adds the internal side, task management and team chat, that a growing agency actually needs day to day.
Built for ongoing accounts, not one-time bookings. Where HoneyBook's portal is shaped around a single booking, Agency Hub Co's portal is built for an ongoing relationship: recurring deliverables, a team of people working the account, and daily activity, not a one-time transaction.
Proven on a real agency's daily operations. RAE Business Management runs entirely on Agency Hub Co, with real paying clients using the portal every day, not a demo environment.
Other tools worth knowing about
Agencies sometimes also look at Dubsado and 17hats, two other client-management platforms in HoneyBook's category. Both share HoneyBook's basic shape (proposals, contracts, invoicing, a portal) and its basic limitation: built around individual client bookings rather than an ongoing, team-based agency operation.
What to consider when choosing
- How many people are actually doing the work? If it's just you or one other person, HoneyBook's flow may be all you need. If you're coordinating a team across multiple accounts, the lack of native task management and team chat is worth weighing seriously.
- Is the relationship a one-time booking or an ongoing account? HoneyBook was built around the former. Agencies running long-term retainers may find its portal doesn't quite fit an ongoing relationship.
- Do payment processing fees change the real cost? HoneyBook's card processing fees are separate from its subscription price and worth adding into any total-cost comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Is HoneyBook good for agencies?
HoneyBook works well for solo providers and very small teams managing individual client bookings. Agencies with a team working ongoing accounts often find its lack of task management and internal team chat becomes a real limitation as they grow.
Did HoneyBook's pricing change recently?
Yes. HoneyBook raised prices significantly in February 2025, with its Starter plan roughly doubling. Anyone comparing costs against older information should check current pricing directly.
Does HoneyBook have a mobile app for clients?
HoneyBook's mobile app is for the business owner, not the client. Clients access their portal through mobile web rather than a dedicated app.
What's a HoneyBook alternative built for teams, not just solo providers?
Agency Hub Co matches HoneyBook's native billing and portal, and adds task management and team chat for agencies running client work as a team.