Name: Portico
Author: Portico

Question 1

Can I move my HoneyBook onboarding workflows to Portico?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Portico's template builder lets you recreate your HoneyBook intake forms, contracts, and payment steps in minutes. Pick an industry template and customize, or build from scratch with drag-and-drop.

Question 2

Does Portico replace HoneyBook completely?

Accepted Answer

Portico replaces the client onboarding part of HoneyBook — intake forms, document collection, e-signatures, and payment collection. If you also use HoneyBook for proposals, project management, or scheduling, you'd keep those tools separately or use lighter alternatives. Most HoneyBook users rely on a fraction of its features anyway.

Question 3

Is Portico cheaper than HoneyBook?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Portico starts at $0/month (free tier, 3 onboardings/month). The Starter plan is $39/month with e-signatures, payments, and custom branding — all features that HoneyBook locks behind the $59/month Essentials tier. Plus, Portico includes unlimited team members on all plans.

Question 4

Does Portico work outside the US and Canada?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Portico is available worldwide. HoneyBook's full functionality — including payment processing and contracts — is limited to the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia (the UK and Australia launched in May 2026). If your business is outside those four countries, Portico works and HoneyBook does not.

Question 5

Can my clients use Portico without creating an account?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Clients access their onboarding via a magic link — no account, no password, no app download. They click the link from their email and complete everything in-browser.

Question 6

What about HoneyBook's CRM and invoicing features?

Accepted Answer

Portico is focused on onboarding, not CRM. If you need ongoing invoicing or lead management, pair Portico with a lightweight CRM or invoicing tool. Many users find they do not actually need a full CRM — the "CRM" they used in HoneyBook was really just client onboarding.

Question 7

Why did HoneyBook raise prices?

Accepted Answer

HoneyBook increased prices in February 2025 across all tiers. Starter jumped from $19 to $36/mo, an 89% increase. Essentials moved to $59/mo and Premium to $129/mo. The increase moved automations and the Scheduler tool behind the $59/mo Essentials plan. Some users reported the hike hit within days of paying annual fees with no pro-rated adjustment.

Question 8

Does HoneyBook charge a transaction fee?

Accepted Answer

HoneyBook processes payments at 2.9% + $0.25 for cardholder-entered payments, 3.4% + $0.09 for card-on-file, and 1.5% for ACH. That is the processing rate, not an extra platform markup on top of it. It is roughly comparable to Stripe’s standard rate (2.9% + $0.30), which is what Portico passes through from your own Stripe account. The bigger cost difference between Portico and HoneyBook is the subscription: HoneyBook gates automations and the Scheduler behind the $59/mo Essentials tier, while Portico includes automations and e-signatures from $39/mo.

Question 9

Is HoneyBook or Dubsado better?

Accepted Answer

HoneyBook is easier to set up (1 to 2 hours compared to 15 to 20 for Dubsado) and has a more polished interface. Dubsado is more customizable with deeper conditional workflows. After both raised prices in 2025, pricing is comparable: HoneyBook Starter $36/mo, Dubsado Starter $35/mo (or $28/mo billed annually). Neither excels at structured client onboarding or document collection. Both treat those as secondary features.

Question 10

What is the cheapest alternative to HoneyBook?

Accepted Answer

Dubsado Starter is $35/mo ($28/mo billed annually), with 3 team members included before tiered seat fees apply. Bonsai starts at $15/user/mo (adds up with teams). SuiteDash is $19/mo flat with unlimited users. Portico starts at $0/mo with a free tier (3 onboardings/month). The real comparison is total cost: most of these include automations and e-signatures at a price point where HoneyBook still requires its $59/mo Essentials tier.

Question 11

How long do HoneyBook payouts take?

Accepted Answer

HoneyBook card payouts deposit in about 2 business days (ACH takes longer). Instant deposit is available for an added fee. Processing directly through your own Stripe account, as Portico does, gives you the same standard schedule plus the option of instant payouts for a 1% fee. For cash-flow-sensitive service businesses, owning the Stripe relationship keeps payout timing in your control.

Question 12

What does HoneyBook do better than Portico?

Accepted Answer

HoneyBook is a full business management platform — proposals, invoicing, scheduling, project management, and client communication all in one tool. If you need an all-in-one solution and your business is US or Canada-based, HoneyBook covers more ground. Portico is focused specifically on the onboarding flow.

Feature	Portico	HoneyBook
Purpose-built client onboarding
Conditional intake forms		Essentials+ ($59/mo)
E-signatures
Payment collection
Automated reminders		Essentials+ ($59/mo)
Workflow automations		Essentials+ ($59/mo)
Magic-link client access		Link access
Document/file collection		Basic
Custom branding	$39/mo	$59/mo
Unlimited team members
Zapier / API	$79/mo	$59/mo
Per-field approve/reject
Audit trail	Hash-chained, tamper-proof
Setup time	~10 min	2 to 5 hours
Available worldwide		US, CA, UK, AU
Starting price	$0 (free tier)	$36/mo

Scenario	HoneyBook	Portico	You save
Solo, needs automations + e-signatures	$59/mo HoneyBook gates custom automations, conditional logic, and the Scheduler behind the Essentials tier	$39/mo	$20/mo ($240/yr)
Team needing unlimited members	$129/mo HoneyBook's unlimited team members require the Premium tier	$79/mo	$50/mo ($600/yr), unlimited members on every plan
Card processing on $10K/mo	2.9% + $0.25 HoneyBook's standard card rate through its built-in processor — no separate platform markup	2.9% + $0.30	Roughly even — but paid to your own Stripe account

You do not need another CRM. You need better client onboarding.

Why teams are leaving HoneyBook

89% price increase

Payments locked to HoneyBook's processor

Features locked behind higher tiers

Four countries only

See the difference

First-run experience

Dashboard

Project view

What Portico does instead

Conditional intake forms that adapt to each client type

Document collection with automatic reminders

E-signatures built into the onboarding flow

Payment collection via Stripe

Clients click one link — no account required

Portico vs HoneyBook

HoneyBook vs Portico: where the cost goes

Frequently Asked Questions