If you searched "17hats alternative," you already know the problem: $60 a month for one plan, with time tracking, bank connections, extra users, and multiple brands each tacked on as a $5 to $10 add-on. For a solo freelancer sending a handful of invoices a month, that math stops making sense fast.
17hats built its reputation as an all-in-one CRM for photographers and event pros: contracts, questionnaires, scheduling, invoicing, all bundled together. But most freelancers don't need a CRM. They need two things done well: send a proposal, get paid. Everything else is overhead you're paying for and never opening.
Here's an honest look at what freelancers are actually switching to in 2026, and how to think about the decision.
What 17hats actually costs
17hats charges one flat rate, roughly $60/month billed monthly, with discounts if you commit annually or bi-annually. The catch is the feature set doesn't change between plans, because there is only one plan. Want time tracking? That's extra. Need a second brand or a team member? Extra again. For a single freelancer with a simple invoice and proposal workflow, you're paying full CRM pricing for a fraction of the CRM.
What to look for in a 17hats alternative
Before comparing tools, get clear on what you actually use. Most freelancers who leave 17hats say the same three things drove the switch:
They never touched the scheduling or questionnaire features. They wanted invoices and proposals to look professional and get paid faster, not a full client relationship suite. They wanted the price to match a solo operation, not an agency.
If that sounds like you, here's what's worth comparing.
The main 17hats alternatives in 2026
HoneyBook is the closest like-for-like swap: contracts, invoicing, client portals, scheduling. But HoneyBook raised prices sharply in 2025, and its Essentials tier now runs around $49/month, more than 17hats in some cases. You're trading one expensive all-in-one suite for another.
Dubsado rolled out a major update in late 2025 with a node-based automation builder, which makes it more capable but also steeper to learn. Pricing lands around $28 to $44/month on annual billing, and the setup time is real. Freelancers report spending 30 to 40 hours configuring workflows before sending their first invoice.
Bonsai bundles invoicing, contracts, and basic bookkeeping starting around $9 to $19/user/month on annual billing. It's a reasonable middle ground if you want some accounting features without the full CRM weight.
Plutio starts near $19/month and covers proposals, contracts, projects, invoicing, and time tracking. It's built more for small teams managing multiple client projects than for a solo freelancer who wants speed.
Nvoyce takes a different angle: instead of trying to be a CRM, it's built for one flow, proposal to invoice to paid, with AI writing the first draft and automated follow-ups chasing the payment for you. Solo is $19.99/month with unlimited documents and every feature included, no add-on pricing for the things you'll actually use. There's a 7-day free trial with no credit card required, so you can see the real workflow before you commit.
The real question to ask
The tool that's right for you depends on how much of your business actually needs a CRM. If you're managing complex client relationships with questionnaires, scheduling, and multi-stage workflows, a heavier platform like HoneyBook or Dubsado might earn its price. If your business is really "I send a proposal, the client accepts, I invoice them, I get paid," you're paying for a lot of software you'll never open.
The follow-up piece matters more than most freelancers expect going in. 17hats sends reminders, but so does almost every tool on this list now. What separates them is whether the reminder feels automatic or whether you still have to remember to check who's overdue. That's the actual daily cost of the wrong tool: not the subscription price, but the hours you spend chasing.
For more on what a full proposal-to-payment workflow should look like, see our breakdown of the best freelance software that handles the whole flow, and if you're specifically comparing HoneyBook's new pricing, we cover that in our HoneyBook price hike piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 17hats worth $60 a month for a solo freelancer?
Only if you're actively using the scheduling, questionnaire, and client portal features. If you're just sending invoices and proposals, you're paying CRM pricing for a fraction of the CRM.
What's the cheapest real alternative to 17hats?
Plutio and Bonsai both start under $20/month. Nvoyce's Solo plan is $19.99/month with unlimited documents and no add-on fees for features you'd otherwise pay extra for elsewhere.
Does 17hats have a free trial?
17hats offers a limited free trial, but most of its useful automation features are gated behind the paid plan, so it's hard to evaluate the real workflow before paying.
Can I export my data if I switch away from 17hats?
Do I need a full CRM as a freelancer?
Most solo freelancers don't. A CRM earns its cost when you're managing dozens of active client relationships with multi-step workflows. If your business is proposal, invoice, payment, a purpose-built tool is usually faster and cheaper.
How do I know if a tool will actually reduce my admin time?
Look for automated payment follow-ups specifically. According to the Freelancers Union, late payment is one of the most common problems independent workers report, and the admin time spent chasing invoices is the biggest hidden cost of freelancing, more than any software subscription.
Ready to stop paying for CRM features you never open? Start your 7-day free trial of Nvoyce, no credit card required.