By Lee, founder of leodesign
Short answer: If HoneyBook is too expensive or isn't available where you live, the main budget alternatives for a solo designer are Moxie (closest all-in-one feel, from $10/month billed annually), Indy (a usable free plan for very low volume), Bonsai (contracts and invoices from $19/month billed annually, strong templates) and Leostu (my tool: contracts, invoices, deposits and balances from $3.75/month billed yearly, with a free plan, built for designers in Asia who get paid by bank transfer or local QR wallets). Pick by what you actually use, not by the longest feature list.
I build Leostu, so read its limits below as carefully as the others'. Competitor prices are as listed on each company's own pricing page on 2 Nov 2026; Leostu's on 3 Nov 2026. Prices change, so check before you buy.
Why designers look for a HoneyBook alternative
Two reasons come up again and again in freelancer threads. One is price: a recent r/freelancing post described what its author keeps hearing: "HoneyBook got too expensive and Dubsado is too complex to set up." The other is geography: when I opened HoneyBook's pricing page on 2 Nov 2026 it said, "Currently, HoneyBook only supports professionals located in these countries" (the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia), with a waitlist for everyone else.
HoneyBook, for reference
As listed on honeybook.com (U.S. version) on 2 Nov 2026, billed yearly: Starter $29/month, Essentials $49/month, Premium $109/month (the last two shown with a limited-time discount). It is strong at proposals that let clients "book, sign, and pay from a single file", scheduling, automations, card and bank payments, and team members from Essentials up.
The alternatives
Moxie
Price (2 Nov 2026): Starter $10/month billed annually ($12 month to month), Pro $20/month billed annually ($25), Teams $32/month billed annually ($40). Free trial; its FAQ mentions location-based and need-based scholarships. Best for: designers who want a HoneyBook-style all-in-one (projects, proposals, invoices, client portal) for less. Watch out for: more to set up than you may need if you only send contracts and invoices.
Indy
Price (2 Nov 2026): Free plan with 3 proposals, contracts and invoices and up to 3 clients per month (no rollover). Pro Bundle $12.50/month billed $300 every 2 years; other billing periods are listed on its page. 7-day trial. Best for: very occasional freelancers who can live inside the monthly free limits. Watch out for: the free limits count documents per month, so a busy month pushes you to pay.
Bonsai
Price (2 Nov 2026), per user: Basic $9/month billed annually ($15 monthly) without contracts or invoices; Essentials $19/month billed annually ($25 monthly) adds invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, scheduling and a client portal; Premium $29 ($39); Elite $49 ($59), 3 users minimum. 7-day trial; processing fees apply to online payments. Best for: solo freelancers who want polished contract templates, time tracking and built-in payments. Watch out for: the cheapest plan that includes contracts and invoices is Essentials, not Basic.
Leostu
Price (3 Nov 2026): Free forever with up to 3 active orders at a time (fully paid orders don't count). Pro $3.75/month billed yearly at $45 ($5 monthly), 14-day trial with no card. AI plan with the Leo assistant $9/month billed yearly at $108. Best for: independent designers who quote per project, take a deposit and chase a balance; whose clients pay by bank transfer, WeChat Pay, Alipay, DuitNow or PayNow; and who want contracts in English or Chinese. Clients sign by hand on their phone from one link, with no account. Watch out for: no proposals, CRM, scheduler, time tracking or team features; it does not process card payments; reminders are pre-written but you send them; the signature is a signing record, not a CA-certified e-signature (legal weight depends on your jurisdiction; not legal advice).
Quick comparison
| Cheapest plan with contracts + invoices | Free plan | Built-in card payments | Team plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HoneyBook | $29/mo, billed yearly | No | Yes | Yes |
| Moxie | $10/mo, billed annually | No (trial) | Yes | Yes |
| Indy | Free (3/month) | Yes | Check Indy | No |
| Bonsai | $19/mo, billed annually | No (trial) | Yes | Yes |
| Leostu | Free (3 active orders) / $3.75/mo yearly | Yes | No, client pays you directly | No |
How to choose
- You need proposals, scheduling and card payments, and you're in a supported country: stay with HoneyBook or move to Moxie.
- You send a handful of documents a month: start with Indy Free or Leostu Free and see which limit suits your rhythm (Indy counts documents per month; Leostu counts unpaid orders at once).
- You want templates and time tracking: Bonsai Essentials.
- You're a designer in Asia with local-wallet clients and bilingual contracts: Leostu.
Before deciding, you can see Leostu's documents with no account: the free design contract generator and designer invoice generator. For head-to-heads, see Leostu vs HoneyBook, Leostu vs Moxie, Leostu vs Indy and Leostu vs Bonsai, or read who Leostu is and isn't for.