By Lee, founder of leodesign
Short answer: HoneyBook is a polished all-in-one client platform with proposals, scheduling, automations, AI tools and built-in card and bank payments, but its own pricing page says it currently supports business owners only in the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia. If you are a designer in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, mainland China or elsewhere in Asia, Leostu is a practical alternative: contracts and invoices from one order, signed on the client's phone with no account, with your own local payment details on the invoice, at a much lower price.
The first question: can you use HoneyBook where you live?
When I opened HoneyBook's pricing page on 2 Nov 2026, it asked whether I was based in the U.S., Canada, UK or Australia and stated: "Currently, HoneyBook only supports professionals located in these countries." For everyone else it offers a waitlist form.
That matters more than any feature table. If you work from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Shenzhen or Taipei, check HoneyBook's current availability for your country before you plan around it.
What each tool is built for
HoneyBook is client relationship software for creatives, consultants, marketers and event professionals. Its pricing page lists a CRM with pipelines and lead forms, proposals that let clients "book, sign, and pay from a single file", contracts with eSignatures, invoices and payments (cards, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, autopay, payment plans, late fees), a scheduler, automations, a client portal, HoneyBook AI, phone and SMS, and HoneyBook Finance (a business account, tax hub, cash-flow planning). Team members are included from the Essentials plan up.
Leostu is a much narrower tool: an order desk for independent designers and small studios. You create an order, and Leostu generates the contract and the invoice. The client gets one link and an access code, reads the contract and signs by hand on their phone. Leostu then tracks deposit and balance, keeps an outstanding "who owes you" list, and gives you ready-to-send payment reminders.
Pricing, as listed on 2 Nov 2026
As listed on honeybook.com (U.S. version) on 2 Nov 2026, billed yearly:
- Starter: $29/month
- Essentials: $49/month (shown as 25% off $59 during a limited-time offer)
- Premium: $109/month (shown as 25% off $129 during a limited-time offer)
The page says all plans start with a free trial (its FAQ describes 30 days, no credit card) and mentions a 60-day money-back guarantee. Card processing fees start at 2.7% + 10¢ and ACH bank transfers are 1.5%, per the same page. Monthly-billing prices are behind a toggle I could not read, so check honeybook.com/pricing for those and for current promotions.
Leostu has a free forever plan with up to 3 active orders at a time (fully paid orders don't count), a small "Made with Leostu" line, and no API. Pro is $3.75/month, billed yearly at $45 (25% less than monthly), with a 14-day trial and no card required. You can pay by card, or one-off by Alipay or WeChat Pay, and prices are also shown in HKD, CNY, MYR and SGD. See Leostu pricing.
Side-by-side comparison
| Leostu | HoneyBook | |
|---|---|---|
| Supported countries / local pricing | Prices shown in USD, HKD, CNY, MYR, SGD | Supports U.S., Canada, UK, Australia only (per its pricing page) |
| Entry paid plan | $3.75/mo billed yearly ($45) | Starter $29/mo billed yearly |
| Free option | Free forever, 3 active orders at a time | Free trial |
| Online payment processing | No: client pays you directly | Yes: cards from 2.7% + 10¢, ACH 1.5% |
| Local Asian payment methods on invoice | Bank, WeChat Pay, Alipay, DuitNow, PayNow, PayPal and more, with QR codes | Cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay |
| Contract in English and Chinese | Yes, same order | Not listed on pricing page |
| Client signs without an account | Yes, link + access code | Check HoneyBook's site |
| Proposals, CRM, scheduler, automations | No | Yes |
| Team members | No | Up to 2 (Essentials), unlimited (Premium) |
| Finance/tax tools | No; CSV export | HoneyBook Finance, tax hub |
Where HoneyBook is genuinely stronger
If you are in one of its supported countries, HoneyBook does a lot that Leostu doesn't:
- Payments collected for you, including autopay, payment plans, late fees, tipping and instant deposit.
- Proposals that combine booking, signing and paying in a single file.
- A real CRM and scheduler, with lead forms, pipelines, meeting reminders and automations.
- Team features, with roles and permissions on higher plans.
- Finance tooling aimed at its markets, such as a business account and a tax hub.
For a U.S. or UK photographer, planner or studio that wants one system for leads, bookings and payments, HoneyBook is a strong choice.
Where Leostu fits better
- It works with how clients in Asia pay. Leostu puts your own bank details and QR codes for WeChat Pay, Alipay, DuitNow, PayNow, PayPal and more on the invoice. The money goes straight to you and never passes through Leostu.
- Bilingual contracts. Generate the same order's contract in English and Chinese. RMB documents show the amount in Chinese words too.
- Deposit and balance as separate invoices. Pick a 30%, 40%, 50% or 60% deposit, or payment in full. Reminders for deposit, balance and a thank-you note come in polite or direct tone, in the document's language, and show how many days have passed.
- No-account signing. The client opens a link on their phone, enters an access code, reads, and signs by hand. Access codes lock after repeated wrong tries.
- A clear signing record. Name, hand-drawn signature, time, IP, contract fingerprint, plus a flag if the contract is edited after signing.
- Price. Leostu Pro for a year costs less than two months of HoneyBook Starter at its listed yearly rate.
Be clear on the limits: Leostu does not process payments, has no proposals, CRM pipeline or scheduler, and has no team features. Its signature is not a CA-certified e-signature; its legal weight depends on your jurisdiction, and this is not legal advice.
Leostu's AI plan (new in November 2026)
Leostu now has an AI plan with Leo, an assistant built for the order desk. You drag in up to four client chat screenshots or quote photos, and Leo drafts the order: client, line items, amount, deposit and due date. If the screenshot has no price, it asks you rather than making one up. Anything that changes your data (a new order, an edit, a payment) appears as a card first, and nothing is saved until you confirm. You can also ask it "who still owes me?" or "what came in this month?".
The AI plan is US$9 a month billed yearly ($108), or $12 month to month, and includes everything in Pro, with 600 messages a month. The Pro trial includes 30 AI messages. AI can misread a screenshot, so check amounts and dates before confirming. See pricing.
Who should pick which
Pick HoneyBook if you are based in the U.S., Canada, UK or Australia, you want proposals, scheduling, automations and card payments in one place, and you may add team members.
Pick Leostu if you are an independent designer in Asia (or anywhere HoneyBook doesn't serve you yet), your clients pay by bank transfer or a local QR wallet, you want contracts in English and Chinese, and you mostly need signed terms and collected balances.
To see the documents before signing up, try the free design contract generator and the designer invoice generator; both run in your browser with no account. When you're ready, start on Leostu's free plan.