The Two Costs of HoneyBook
When people ask what HoneyBook costs, they usually mean the monthly subscription. But there are two costs, and the second one catches a lot of users off guard. First is the plan you pay for. Second is a payment processing fee taken out of every client payment you collect through HoneyBook. To know your real spend, you have to add both together.
HoneyBook Subscription Fees in 2026
HoneyBook sells three plans, and paying yearly is cheaper than paying month to month. As of 2026 the pricing looks roughly like this.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | about $36/month | about $29/month |
| Essentials | about $59/month | about $49/month |
| Premium | about $129/month | about $109/month |
It is worth knowing that these prices have gone up. The entry Starter plan rose from about $19 to about $36 a month, a jump of nearly 90 percent, when HoneyBook restructured its plans. So if your bill feels higher than you remember, you are right. Always check HoneyBook’s own pricing page for the current numbers, since they can change again.
The Fee People Forget: Payment Processing
Here is the cost that hides in plain sight. Every time a client pays you through HoneyBook, a payment processing fee comes out of that payment. The rates are broadly in line with standard card processing:
- Cards (Visa and Mastercard): about 2.9% plus $0.25 per transaction.
- Amex and card-on-file: a little higher, around 3.4% plus $0.09.
- Bank transfer (ACH): about 1.5%, which is much cheaper for larger invoices.
So on a $1,000 invoice, a card payment costs you roughly $29.25 in fees, while the same invoice paid by bank transfer costs about $15. These fees apply on every plan, including the top tier.
How Much Do the Fees Really Add Up To?
This is where it matters. Say you invoice $60,000 in a year and clients pay by card. At roughly 2.9 percent, that is about $1,740 in processing fees over the year, before the small per-transaction amounts. That is more than a full year of the Essentials plan on its own. For a lot of users, the processing fees quietly cost more than the subscription they were worried about in the first place.
Nudge clients toward bank transfer
On a big invoice, the gap between a card fee (about 2.9%) and a bank transfer (about 1.5%) is real money. Making bank transfer the easy default, and saving cards for smaller amounts, can shave a meaningful chunk off your yearly processing cost without changing anything else.
How to Pay Less on HoneyBook
You have a few levers before you even think about switching tools:
- Pay yearly. Annual billing knocks roughly a fifth off the monthly price.
- Encourage bank transfer. For larger invoices, ACH is much cheaper than card.
- Right-size your plan. Do not pay for the Premium tier if you never touch its extra features.
A Cheaper Structure: Per-Account Pricing
The processing fee is hard to avoid anywhere, because it is really the card networks charging to move money, and every tool with built-in payments passes on something similar. The subscription, though, is where the pricing model matters. HoneyBook’s subscription climbs as you move up tiers and add people. AgencyKit charges one flat price per account instead, $9 a month on Starter, $39 on Agency, and $69 on Agency Pro, billed per account rather than per user, with the same client-to-cash workflow plus built-in time tracking. For a team of two or more, a flat per-account subscription usually works out cheaper, and it does not grow every time you hire. See the full HoneyBook pricing breakdown and our guide to per-account vs per-seat pricing.
Wrapping Up
HoneyBook has two costs: the subscription (about $29 to $109 a month billed yearly, more month to month) and a payment processing fee of roughly 2.9% plus $0.25 on cards, or 1.5% on bank transfers, taken from every client payment. The Starter plan also rose sharply, close to 90 percent, when the plans were restructured. Over a year, the processing fees alone often add up to more than the subscription. You can trim the cost with yearly billing and bank transfers, and if the subscription itself is the problem, a flat per-account tool like AgencyKit keeps that half of the bill from climbing as you grow.
Deciding whether it all adds up? Read is HoneyBook worth it in 2026, or see the best HoneyBook alternatives.
Key Takeaways
- HoneyBook has two costs: the subscription (about $29 to $109 a month billed yearly) and a processing fee on every client payment
- The processing fee is roughly 2.9% plus $0.25 on cards, or 1.5% on bank transfers, so a $1,000 card payment costs about $29.25
- The Starter plan rose from about $19 to $36 a month, close to a 90 percent increase, when the plans were restructured
- Over a year of invoicing, the processing fees alone often add up to more than the subscription itself
- Pay yearly, favour bank transfer, and right-size your plan to spend less. A flat per-account tool like AgencyKit keeps the subscription from climbing as you grow
Frequently Asked Questions
HoneyBook has three plans. Billed yearly they run about $29 a month for Starter, $49 for Essentials, and $109 for Premium. Month to month they cost more, around $36, $59, and $129. On top of the subscription, every client payment carries a processing fee, so your real monthly cost is the plan plus those fees. Check HoneyBook’s pricing page for the current figures.
Yes. When a client pays you through HoneyBook, there is a payment processing fee of roughly 2.9% plus $0.25 per card transaction, a little higher for Amex, and about 1.5% for bank transfers (ACH). These fees apply on every plan and are separate from the subscription. On a $1,000 invoice, a card payment costs about $29.25 in fees, while a bank transfer costs around $15.
Yes. The entry Starter plan rose from about $19 to about $36 a month, a jump of nearly 90 percent, when HoneyBook restructured its plans. The other tiers shifted too. If your bill looks higher than it used to, that is why. Prices can change again, so it is always worth checking HoneyBook’s own pricing page before you commit or renew.
They are roughly in line with standard card processing. About 2.9% plus $0.25 per card transaction is a common rate across tools that take card payments, since it largely reflects what the card networks charge. Bank transfer at about 1.5% is noticeably cheaper. The fees are not unusual, but they are easy to overlook, and over a year they add up.
Three simple moves help. Pay yearly instead of monthly to cut roughly a fifth off the subscription. Encourage clients to pay larger invoices by bank transfer, which is much cheaper than card. And right-size your plan so you are not paying for a top tier you do not use. If the subscription itself is the issue, a flat per-account tool can keep that part of the bill from rising as you grow.
Yes. The payment processing fee is charged on every client payment regardless of which subscription plan you are on, including the top Premium tier. Upgrading your plan does not remove the processing fee. Very high-volume Premium accounts may qualify for a discounted card rate, but for most users the fee is the same across plans.
Yes, if the subscription is your concern. Tools that bill a flat price per account, rather than per user or per tier, usually cost less once you are more than one person. AgencyKit is $9 a month on Starter and $39 on Agency, billed per account, and covers the same proposals, contracts, invoicing, and payments plus built-in time tracking. Processing fees still apply, as they do everywhere, but the subscription does not climb with your team.
Not hidden exactly, but easy to miss. The subscription is clear on the pricing page. The payment processing fee, taken from every client payment, is the one people forget when they compare the monthly plan alone. There is no separate setup or cancellation charge, but to compare tools fairly you should always add a year of likely processing fees to the subscription.
Sources & References
- HoneyBook, official pricing page (2026). honeybook.com/pricing
- HoneyBook, guide to credit card processing fees. honeybook.com
- G2 and TrustRadius, HoneyBook pricing and reviews (2026). g2.com