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It's a split decision.
HoneyBook and Hourly solve different jobs, so neither is a straight replacement. Choose HoneyBook for client inquiries, projects, proposals, contracts, invoices and payments; annual billing starts at $29/month ($36 monthly). Choose Hourly for payroll, time tracking, HR and workers’ comp, starting at $80/month plus $12 per active employee on Gold. Neither lists a free plan. Compare total costs carefully: Hourly’s per-employee fee is on top of its base charge, and workers’ comp pricing is not published.
01Side by side
| HoneyBook | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/month annually; $36 monthly. | $80/month plus $12 per active employee. |
| Free plan | No free plan listed. | No free plan listed. |
| Best for | Small businesses managing clients and projects. | Businesses with hourly teams. |
| Core strength | Client CRM, proposals, contracts, invoicing and payments. | Payroll, time tracking, HR and workers’ comp. |
| Learning curve | Not published. | Not published. |
| Integrations and data | QuickBooks Online integration on Essentials; other integrations not listed. | Real-time hours, task and location data; integrations not listed. |
| Team and seat costs | Essentials: up to 2 team members; Premium: unlimited. | $12 or $16 per active employee monthly, plus base price. |
| Support | Priority support on Premium; Hourly support terms not published. | Support terms not published. |
HoneyBook Choose HoneyBook if
- Choose HoneyBook if you manage client projects, proposals, contracts and invoices.
- Choose HoneyBook if you want lead forms and client scheduling tools.
- Choose HoneyBook if your workflow does not need payroll or workers’ comp.
Hourly Choose Hourly if
- Choose Hourly if you run hourly teams and need payroll plus time tracking.
- Choose Hourly if you want workers’ comp linked to payroll.
- Choose Hourly if you need employee-level wage, task and location tracking.
02Pricing compared
HoneyBook is cheaper at the entry point: Starter is $29/month with annual billing or $36 month to month, according to its pricing page. Essentials is $49/month annually or $59 monthly; Premium is $109 annually or $129 monthly. HoneyBook says annual billing saves up to 35%. Payment processing fees start at 2.9% + $0.25, and the page also lists a 1.5% processing fee, so confirm which rate applies to your account.
Hourly Gold starts at $80/month plus $12 per active employee per month. Platinum is $120/month plus $16 per active employee; Platinum+ pricing is not published. Workers’ comp is pay-as-you-go, but its price is not published. Neither product lists a free plan, and a free trial is not listed on the vendor's site. Compare your expected employee and coverage costs before choosing Hourly.
03Features and depth
These products cover different workflows, not competing versions of the same tool. HoneyBook is built around winning and managing client work: it lists lead forms, client and project tracking, a client portal, proposals, contracts, invoicing, payments and scheduling. Starter includes up to two live lead forms; Essentials allows up to 10 and adds scheduling and automations. Premium includes unlimited live lead forms and team members. HoneyBook also lists AI features for drafting emails, recapping projects, surfacing business trends and taking meeting notes.
Hourly centers on paying and managing an hourly workforce. Its listed tools include payroll, time and task tracking, location data, HR and workers’ comp integration. The company says real-time wage data helps keep workers’ comp premiums accurate and supports pay-as-you-go coverage. Gold and Platinum both list unlimited payroll runs and automated tax payments and filing; Platinum adds next-day direct deposit after eight qualifying payroll runs and credit approval. If you need client proposals and invoices, HoneyBook fits the job. If you need payroll and workers’ comp, Hourly does.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The available review scores put HoneyBook’s ease of use at 7/10 and Hourly’s at 6/10, but those scores do not establish how either product will fit your workflows. The published product information does not detail onboarding time or training requirements.
A practical way to assess the learning curve is to start with the work each system is meant to organize. HoneyBook brings leads, projects, booking documents and payments together, with automations and scheduling on Essentials and above. Hourly combines time data, payroll, HR and workers’ comp. That may mean a different setup conversation: employee and payroll details for Hourly, versus client processes and lead-form limits for HoneyBook. Check the plan caps and required workflows before switching; neither product is a like-for-like replacement for the other.
Questions people ask
Can HoneyBook replace Hourly?
Not for the core functions described here. HoneyBook focuses on client and project management, proposals, contracts, invoicing and payments. Hourly covers payroll, time tracking, HR and workers’ comp. Choose based on the work you need handled; the published feature lists do not show either as a direct replacement for the other.
Can Hourly replace HoneyBook?
Not if you need HoneyBook’s listed client workflow, including lead forms, project tracking, proposals, contracts, invoices and payments. Hourly is positioned around hourly-team payroll, time tracking, HR and workers’ comp. The two products solve different operational problems, so compare them against your actual workflow rather than feature count.
How much does Hourly cost per employee?
Hourly Gold lists a base price of $80/month plus $12 per active employee per month. Platinum is $120/month plus $16 per active employee. Hourly defines an active user as someone who records at least one shift or gets paid at least once per month. Workers’ comp pricing is not published.
Does HoneyBook or Hourly have a free plan?
Neither product lists a free plan in the published pricing information. A free trial is also not listed there. HoneyBook starts at $29/month with annual billing or $36 month to month. Hourly Gold starts at $80/month, plus $12 per active employee each month.