Client Management App: 12 Compared With 2026 Prices

The best client management app for a service business depends on the job you need it to do. If clients need a portal, contracts and invoices, look at HoneyBook, Dubsado, Bonsai, Moxie or SuiteDash. If you mainly track leads and deals, use HubSpot, Pipedrive or Bigin. If you are an accountant, lawyer or coach, start with TaxDome, Karbon, Clio or Paperbell. Every price below comes from the vendor’s own US pricing page, read on 1 November 2026. They range from $0 (HubSpot’s free tools for up to 2 users) to $1,200 per seat per year (TaxDome Business).

There are three kinds of app here, and mixing them up is the most expensive buying mistake. CRM-type apps track leads, deals and follow-ups before the client signs. Client portal apps run the work after the yes: proposal, contract, invoice, scheduling and a login where the client sees it all. Vertical apps do the same for one profession, with things like IRS transcript downloads or legal trust accounting built in.

Client management apps compared: prices, free plans and mobile apps

Entry prices assume annual billing unless noted. “Per seat” means you pay for each user. Mobile availability comes from each app’s own listing in the Apple App Store and Google Play, checked on 1 November 2026.

Sources: HubSpot pricing, Pipedrive pricing, Bigin pricing, Dubsado pricing, HoneyBook pricing, Bonsai pricing, SuiteDash pricing, Moxie pricing, TaxDome pricing, Karbon pricing, Clio pricing and Paperbell pricing.

Which client management app fits your business

Find your row, then check the plan in the “start on” column. That plan is the cheapest one that includes the feature the row depends on.

CRM apps for client management: HubSpot, Pipedrive, Bigin

Pick a CRM-type app if your clients do not need to log in to anything and your real problem is leads going cold. None of these three is built to send proposals, collect signatures and run a client portal the way the portal apps below do.

HubSpot

HubSpot’s free tools cover up to 2 users with no credit card. The third user pushes you to Starter. The CRM pricing page shows Starter at $7 per seat per month billed annually or $10 monthly, both marked against a $20 list price. Budget at $20 if you plan to stay past the promotion. Our HubSpot alternatives comparison covers what the paid hubs cost at 3 seats.

Pipedrive

Pipedrive bills per seat, annually: Lite $14, Growth $39, Premium $59, Ultimate $79 (one payment of $468 per seat per year on Growth). Growth is the plan that automates emails and follow-ups and lets a prospect pick a meeting time. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial with no card required.

Bigin by Zoho

Bigin is Zoho’s simpler CRM. The free plan allows 1 user and 500 records. Express costs $7 per user per month billed yearly ($9 monthly) and holds 50,000 records. Premier costs $12 ($15 monthly) and holds 100,000. Bigin 360 costs $18 ($21) and holds 1 million. Bigin’s FAQ says paid plans have no user limit, and that if you do not upgrade after the trial you drop to the free plan rather than being charged. If you are choosing a first CRM for a young company, the CRM for startups guide compares these by growth stage.

Client portal apps: Dubsado, HoneyBook, Bonsai, SuiteDash, Moxie

These apps run the client after the sale: a proposal they can accept, a contract they sign, an invoice they pay and a portal where all of it lives. They differ mostly in how they charge for team members.

Dubsado

Starter costs $335 a year ($35 monthly). It includes unlimited projects and clients, invoicing with payment plans, client portals, a mobile app and 1 active lead capture form. Premier costs $525 a year ($55 monthly) and adds scheduling, automated workflows, public proposals, a bookkeeping integration and Zapier. On team pricing, the pricing page says the first 3 additional users are free, then 4 to 10 users cost $25 a month and 11 to 20 users cost $45 a month. Each extra brand is $10 a month. The trial lasts 21 days on full Premier with no card.

HoneyBook

Starter is $29 a month billed yearly. It includes unlimited clients and projects, invoices, proposals and contracts, a client portal and up to 2 live lead forms. Essentials is $49 billed yearly, shown against a struck-through $59. It adds the scheduler, automations, a QuickBooks Online integration, SMS reminders and up to 2 team members. Premium is $109 billed yearly (struck-through $129) and allows unlimited team members. Two details are easy to miss on the pricing page. HoneyBook’s team will turn your existing contracts, questionnaires and open invoices into templates for free once you subscribe. And there is a 60-day full refund on top of the 30-day trial.

Bonsai

Bonsai charges per seat. Basic is $9 a month annually ($15 monthly) and covers time tracking, tasks, projects and CRM, but no invoicing. Essentials is $19 ($25) and adds invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, forms, scheduling and the client portal. Premium is $29 ($39) and adds a deals pipeline, client tasks and messaging, profitability reports and integrations with QuickBooks, Xero and Zapier. Elite is $49 ($59) with a 3-user minimum. The plan table marks custom domains as a feature “expected to be released in 2026”, so do not buy Bonsai for a branded portal URL yet. Retainer and subscription invoices are listed, which makes Bonsai a good fit for billing and scope control on monthly engagements.

SuiteDash

SuiteDash charges one price per account, not per user. Start is $180 a year or $19 monthly. Thrive is $480 a year or $49 monthly and adds proposals, drip email, deal pipelines and client-side live chat. Pinnacle is $960 a year or $99 monthly and adds the full automation toolkit, onboarding flows, a learning management system and support tickets. Every plan includes unlimited clients, staff and portals, white labeling and a custom-branded mobile app. That flat pricing is why SuiteDash wins the cheap client portal question for any team over two people.

Moxie

Moxie is the cheapest complete setup for one person. Starter is $10 a month ($120 charged annually, $12 monthly) and covers proposals, contracts, invoicing, time tracking, a sales pipeline, forms and meeting schedulers. Pro is $20 a month ($240 a year, $25 monthly) and adds the white-label client portal, custom domain, workflow automation, a QuickBooks integration and Zapier/Make/API access. Teams is $385 a year ($40 monthly) for up to five team members. The pricing FAQ separates two kinds of people. Team members get full workspace access. Project collaborators can only track time and edit deliverables on one project, and they are unlimited on Pro.

Professional services client management software: accountants, lawyers, coaches

If your profession has its own compliance rules, a vertical app usually beats a general one, because the regulated parts are already built in.

TaxDome (accounting and tax)

TaxDome bills per seat per year, and you pay less if you commit for longer. Essentials is $800 on a 1-year term, $750 on 2 years and $700 on 3 years, and it is for solo users only. Pro is $1,000, $950 or $900. Business is $1,200, $1,150 or $1,100. All plans include a client portal and mobile app, unlimited e-signatures and intake forms. Pro adds an IRS transcript integration and account roles. Firms on a yearly Pro plan can add seasonal staff seats at $100 per seat per month, according to the TaxDome pricing page. If you are setting up intake, our client questionnaire template for tax planning firms compares the questionnaire tools in TaxDome, Karbon and Canopy.

Karbon (accounting)

Team is $59 per user per month billed annually or $79 monthly. Business is $89 or $99. Enterprise is priced on request. Monthly billing is available only for teams of 4 or more. Client management, the client portal, and billing and payments are on all plans, and the plan comparison lists web, iOS and Android apps. E-signature is bought separately in credit bundles: 100 credits cost $100 and 1,000 cost $800. One request uses one credit, or two with knowledge-based authentication.

Clio (legal)

The Clio pricing page says plans start at $49 USD per user per month. That price is Starter, which covers matters, contacts, documents, time tracking, online payments and trust reconciliation. Core, Signature and Elite are priced on request. The client portal, where clients message, pay and track their matter, starts on Core. The iOS and Android apps are on every plan.

Paperbell (coaching)

One plan: $97 a month or $970 a year. It includes unlimited clients, sessions and packages, scheduling, payments, contract signing, intake forms and an automatic client portal where clients book sessions and buy more. Paperbell says it charges no transaction fee of its own. You can build your site free and pay when you launch, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.

What a client management app costs at 1, 3 and 10 users

Sticker prices hide the real cost driver, which is how the vendor counts users. The table shows one year on annual billing for the cheapest plan that covers each team size and the app’s core job. All figures are the vendor’s published price multiplied out. No discounts beyond those shown on the pricing pages.

A worked example. A 3-person marketing agency that wants a branded client portal pays $180 a year on SuiteDash Start, $684 on Bonsai Essentials and $1,308 on HoneyBook Premium. That is a $1,128 gap between the cheapest and the dearest for the same headcount. At 10 people the gap widens: Dubsado Premier is $825 a year while Bonsai Essentials is $2,280. The per-seat apps catch up only if you need features the flat-price apps lack, such as the utilization and profitability reports Bonsai lists in its plan table.

One caveat on HoneyBook. Essentials lists “up to 2 team members”. If that means you plus two others, a 3-person team pays $588, not $1,308. Ask HoneyBook support before you commit to Premium.

Must-have features checklist, with pass/fail rules

Run this during the trial with one real client project. A “fail” on anything you need is a reason to drop the app, however good the demo looked.

My rule: if an app fails two of the first five rows on the plan you can afford, skip it, even if the next plan up passes. You will hit the upgrade within a year anyway, so compare on the price of the plan that actually passes.

Client management app free options and trials

Only four apps here have something free you can keep using. HubSpot’s free tools work for up to 2 users. Bigin’s free plan covers 1 user and 500 records. Paperbell lets you build your site free and pay at launch. SuiteDash, Dubsado and HoneyBook are paid only. For a wider list of free tools you can pair with a client app, such as forms, email and analytics, see our roundup of free marketing tools.

Trials, from the pricing pages:

• HoneyBook: 30 days, no credit card, plus a 60-day refund after you subscribe
• Dubsado: 21 days of the full Premier plan, no credit card
• Bigin: 15 days; if you do not upgrade, you move to the free plan instead of being charged
• Pipedrive, Moxie and SuiteDash: 14 days (Pipedrive states no card is required)
• Bonsai: 7 days, then you choose a plan and enter a card
• Paperbell: free to build, and a 30-day money-back guarantee once you pay

Managing clients from your phone: what the app stores show

Ten of the twelve apps have their own listing in both stores. Two do not. Paperbell’s help center says there is no Paperbell mobile app and tells coaches to save the login page to the home screen instead. SuiteDash’s pricing page promises a custom-branded mobile app on every plan, but an App Store search on 1 November 2026 found no standard SuiteDash listing. Ask SuiteDash how your branded app gets delivered before you promise one to clients.

The listings to look for, so you install the vendor’s app and not a lookalike:

• HubSpot: “HubSpot” on the App Store and Google Play
• Pipedrive: “Pipedrive Sales CRM” from Pipedrive Inc on the App Store and Google Play
• Bigin: “Bigin by Zoho CRM” on the App Store and Google Play
• Dubsado: “Dubsado” on the App Store and Google Play
• HoneyBook: “HoneyBook Small Business CRM” on the App Store and Google Play
• Bonsai: “Bonsai by Zoom” on the App Store and Google Play
• Moxie: “Moxie, Built for freelancers” on the App Store and Google Play
• TaxDome: two apps, “TaxDome” for the firm (App Store, Google Play) and “TaxDome Client Portal” for clients (App Store, Google Play)
• Karbon: “Karbon Practice Management” on the App Store and Google Play
• Clio: “Clio for Law Firms and Lawyers” on the App Store and Google Play, plus “Clio for Clients” on the App Store

Data security: what each vendor says on its own trust page

If you hold client tax returns, legal files or health details, ask for the SOC 2 report itself, not the badge. The claims below are quoted only from each vendor’s own security or trust pages.

A missing SOC 2 report does not mean an app is unsafe. It means you have no independent audit to show your own clients or your insurer, so get the vendor’s security answers in writing.

Switching client management apps: a migration checklist

1. Export everything from the old app before you sign up for the new one: contacts, projects, open invoices, and signed contracts as PDFs. Signed contracts are the item people lose most often when an old account closes.
2. Clean the contact file in a spreadsheet first: one row per client, one email per row, duplicates merged.
3. Ask what migration help comes with your plan. HoneyBook’s team converts your existing files and open invoices into templates for free. Clio advertises data migration. TaxDome Business includes client import assistance. Bonsai’s Elite plan includes custom data import.
4. Import contacts first, then only your active projects. Leave closed projects as an archive export.
5. Rebuild your onboarding sequence in the new app (contract, invoice, welcome email, questionnaire) and test it on a colleague posing as a client. Our customer onboarding guide lays out the stages to copy.
6. Run both apps side by side for one billing cycle. New clients go into the new app; existing invoices finish in the old one.
7. Email clients the new portal login once, with a one-line explanation, and update the links in your email signature and website.
8. Cancel the old subscription only after the last open invoice is paid and you have downloaded the final export.

If you want a second opinion on which app fits the way you deliver, and how to wire its automations, you can book a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best app for client management?

It depends on the job. For a client portal with contracts and invoices, Moxie Pro ($240 a year) suits a solo freelancer, HoneyBook suits booking-style studios and SuiteDash ($180 a year, unlimited users) suits teams. For lead and deal tracking, HubSpot is free for up to 2 users and Pipedrive Growth is $39 per seat per month. Accountants, lawyers and coaches should start with TaxDome or Karbon, Clio, or Paperbell.

Is there a free client management app?

Yes, with limits. HubSpot's free tools cover up to 2 users with no credit card. Bigin by Zoho has a free plan for 1 user and 500 records. Paperbell lets coaches build a site free and pay at launch. Dubsado, HoneyBook, Bonsai, Moxie and SuiteDash are paid only, with trials from 7 days (Bonsai) to 30 days (HoneyBook).

What is the cheapest client portal app?

For a team, SuiteDash Start is the cheapest we found at $180 a year, because it charges one flat price with unlimited staff, contacts and portals. For one person, Moxie Pro includes a white-label client portal for $240 a year. Dubsado Starter ($335 a year) and HoneyBook Starter ($29 a month billed yearly) also include a client portal.

What is the difference between a client management app and a CRM?

A CRM such as HubSpot, Pipedrive or Bigin tracks leads, deals and follow-ups before a client signs. A client management app such as Dubsado, HoneyBook or Moxie runs the work after the sale: the proposal, contract, invoice, scheduling and a portal where the client logs in. Many service businesses only need the second kind.

Which client management apps have iOS and Android apps?

HubSpot, Pipedrive, Bigin, Dubsado, HoneyBook, Bonsai (listed as Bonsai by Zoom), Moxie, TaxDome, Karbon and Clio all have their own listings in the App Store and Google Play. Paperbell has no native app and says to use the mobile browser. SuiteDash promises a custom-branded app on every plan, but we found no standard store listing.

How much does client management software cost for a small team?

For 3 users on annual billing, a year costs $180 on SuiteDash Start, $252 on HubSpot Starter at the new-customer rate, $385 on Moxie Teams, $525 on Dubsado Premier, $684 on Bonsai Essentials and $1,404 on Pipedrive Growth. Vertical tools cost more: Karbon Team is $2,124 and TaxDome Pro is $3,000 for 3 seats.

What is the best client management software for consultants?

A solo consultant who sends proposals and invoices is best served by Moxie Pro or Bonsai Essentials, both of which include contracts, invoicing, scheduling and a client portal. If your bottleneck is winning work rather than delivering it, a CRM such as Pipedrive Growth, with automated follow-ups and a meeting scheduler, does more for you.