HoneyBook vs Bloom: Which Is Better?
Client management platforms for photographers and creative professionals compared.
Tom Bradley
2026-02-27
HoneyBook and Bloom are two all-in-one business management platforms aimed at independent service providers and freelancers, but they diverge meaningfully in depth, pricing structure, and target audience. Here's how they stack up.
Quick Comparison
| HoneyBook | Bloom | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/month (annual) | Free plan available |
| Free tier | Free trial only | Yes (3 active projects) |
| Best for | Broad service businesses | Creatives, photographers |
| Client portal | Yes | Yes |
| Contracts | Yes | Yes |
| Automation | Essentials plan+ | Paid plans |
| Team members | Up to 2 (Essentials) | Paid plans |
| AI features | Yes (all plans) | No |
| Client galleries | No | Yes |
| Payment integrations | Credit card, ACH | Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, ACH |
HoneyBook
HoneyBook is the more established of the two, with over 100,000 small businesses on the platform. It positions itself as a full CRM replacement — not just an invoicing tool — covering lead capture, project pipeline, contracts, proposals, invoices, and client communication in one workflow.
Pricing: - Starter: $29/month (annual) / $36/month (monthly) — unlimited clients and projects, invoices, contracts, proposals, client portal, 2 lead forms, HoneyBook AI - Essentials: $36.75/month (annual) / $44.25/month (monthly) — adds scheduler, automations, QuickBooks Online integration, up to 2 team members, SMS reminders, removes HoneyBook branding, 10 lead forms - Premium: $81.75/month (annual) / $96.75/month (monthly) — unlimited team members, priority support, multiple companies, advanced reporting, unlimited lead forms
The Starter plan is genuinely useful — you get a client portal, contracts, proposals, and AI-assisted email drafts from day one. Automations, which are arguably HoneyBook's most powerful feature for solo businesses, are gated behind Essentials.
Notable features: - HoneyBook AI ships on all plans and handles email drafting, meeting notes, project recaps, and business trend insights - Lead forms and pipeline give you a structured way to track prospects from inquiry to booked client - Scheduler (Essentials+) integrates with your calendar for booking without back-and-forth - QuickBooks Online integration keeps your books in sync without manual exports - SMS reminders for clients reduce no-shows and late payments
HoneyBook covers a wide range of service types — event businesses, marketing consultants, designers, coaches, home services — and its template library is extensive. The platform's weakness is that it lacks creative-specific tools like image galleries, and its per-seat pricing jumps considerably at the Premium tier.
Bloom
Bloom targets professional creatives more specifically — photographers, videographers, designers, and similar service providers. It's built around the same core workflow (leads → booking → contracts → invoices → delivery) but adds capabilities that visual creatives actually need, particularly image delivery and client galleries.
Pricing: Bloom offers a free starter plan limited to 3 active projects, 1 workflow, 1 package/add-on, and 1 automation, with a 1.5% platform fee on digital payments. Paid plans remove these limits and the platform fee. Annual billing saves up to 30% versus monthly. Specific dollar amounts for paid tiers aren't prominently published, but a 7-day free trial is available on all plans.
Notable features: - Client galleries with layout control, proofing, download permissions, and feedback — a genuine differentiator for photographers - Payment flexibility that's rare in this category: Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, and PayPal are all supported alongside standard credit card and ACH - ACH pricing at 0.8% capped at $5 per transaction, which is significantly cheaper than the standard 2.9% card rate - Tip collection lets clients add gratuity directly on invoices — useful for personal service providers - Deposit + auto-balance withdrawal automates split payment schedules - Website portfolio builder lets you build a public-facing portfolio and booking page in one place - Instant booking packages with add-ons embedded directly in the booking flow - Live messenger widget for real-time client communication
Bloom's free plan is a real starting point for new freelancers, though the 3-project limit and automation restrictions mean you'll hit its ceiling quickly once you're booking regularly.
When to Choose HoneyBook
HoneyBook makes sense if you run a service business that doesn't revolve around delivering visual assets. It's the stronger choice for:
- Consultants, coaches, and agencies who need a full CRM with pipeline tracking
- Businesses with growing teams — the team member and multi-company features at the Premium tier are designed for this
- Anyone who wants automation without complexity — HoneyBook's workflow automations are polished and relatively easy to set up
- QuickBooks users who need clean accounting integration
- Businesses that handle high inquiry volume and need structured lead capture forms
The 60-day money-back guarantee also makes it lower-risk to commit.
When to Choose Bloom
Bloom is the better fit if your work produces deliverables that clients need to view, approve, and download — or if you want more payment flexibility:
- Photographers and videographers who need gallery delivery alongside booking and invoicing
- Freelancers who want a free starting point before paying for software
- Creators with clients who prefer Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle — HoneyBook doesn't support these
- Cost-conscious freelancers who process large payments via bank transfer and want the 0.8% ACH cap
- Solo creatives who want a portfolio website, booking page, and CRM in one tool
Bottom Line
HoneyBook is the more mature, broader platform — it's been built out to cover nearly every touchpoint in a client relationship, with AI features and strong automation. It costs more than Bloom's entry tier but delivers a more complete experience for most non-creative service businesses.
Bloom wins on payment flexibility (no other tool in this category supports Cash App and Venmo natively), gallery delivery, and price accessibility with a functional free plan. It's the practical choice for photographers and visual creatives who need industry-specific tools.
If you're a photographer or deliver visual work: start with Bloom's free plan and upgrade as you grow. If you're a consultant, coach, marketer, or event professional: HoneyBook's Starter plan at $29/month delivers more CRM depth from day one.