Choose HoneyBook if…
- You want one system for leads, scheduling, brochures, questionnaires, and email automations
- You run meeting-heavy services (events, photography with bookings) where scheduling is core
- You want a large template marketplace and a long-established product
Choose North if…
- The part you dread is scoping and pricing the work — you want the proposal drafted from your notes, with the math shown
- You want value-based pricing options, not just a smart-file with a number in it
- You want your invoices paid on your own Stripe account, with no per-payment cut to your tools
- You want an AI partner that drafts and watches, while every client-facing send stays yours
HoneyBook pricing, verified
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/mo | billed yearly |
| Essentials | $49/mo | billed yearly (~$59 billed monthly) |
| Premium | $109/mo | billed yearly (~$129 billed monthly) |
| Payment fees | 2.7% + 10¢ cards · 1.5% ACH | on money you collect through HoneyBook |
HoneyBook figures from its official pricing page as of mid-2026 (it raised prices in February 2025); check current pricing before deciding. North: Free ($0 — clients, projects, contracts with e-signing, invoices, full export, and 3 AI proposals a month, uncapped during the open beta) and Pro ($20/month for unlimited AI proposals; subscribe during the beta and $20 stays your price). When a client pays an invoice by card, the money moves through the freelancer's own Stripe account — North takes no cut.
Different centers of gravity
HoneyBook grew from client management outward: its core is the pipeline — inquiries, scheduling, files, automations — with proposals as one file type among many. North grew from the deal inward: the center is the moment between 'great call' and 'signed, scheduled, and invoiced' — the scoping, the pricing you can defend, the proposal a visual freelancer is proud to send, the contract that arrives with it. North doesn't do lead capture, scheduling, or marketing automations, and doesn't currently try to.
The automation philosophy is genuinely different
HoneyBook's automations can send emails and files to clients on triggers you configure. North's line is different: it drafts everything, watches everything (view, sign, pay, overdue), and sends nothing to a client without your explicit go — no auto-sequences, ever. Which philosophy you prefer is a real fork: hands-off convenience versus your-voice-always. North is built for people who feel the second one.
What the money costs
HoneyBook charges $29–109/month plus 2.7% + 10¢ on card payments it processes. North charges $0 or $20/month, and card payments go through your own Stripe account — Stripe's standard processing fees apply, but North adds nothing on top and never touches the money. On $60,000/year of card volume, a 2.7% platform fee is about $1,620; that math is worth doing for your own mix.
Common questions
- Is North a HoneyBook alternative?
- For the proposal-contract-invoice spine of freelance work, yes — with an AI partner drafting it. For full CRM features (lead pipelines, scheduling, marketing automations), no: HoneyBook does much more of that, and North deliberately focuses on the deal itself.
- Which is cheaper, North or HoneyBook?
- As of mid-2026: HoneyBook runs $29–109/month (billed yearly) plus 2.7% + 10¢ on card payments it processes. North is free (3 AI proposals/month, uncapped during the beta) or $20/month for unlimited, and takes no cut of payments — clients pay into your own Stripe account.
- Can North replace my CRM?
- North isn't a CRM and doesn't pretend to be — no lead scoring, no pipelines, no marketing automation. It keeps your clients, deals, documents, and money-status in one place; if you need true pipeline management, you'd keep a CRM alongside it.