Handl vs Dubsado: Getting Paid vs Getting Clients
Different Problems, Different Tools
Dubsado and Handl both serve freelancers and agencies, but they solve fundamentally different problems. Dubsado is a client management platform — it handles lead capture, proposals, contracts, scheduling, and onboarding workflows. It is built around the question: how do I turn leads into signed clients?
Handl picks up where Dubsado stops. Once the contract is signed and work begins, Handl handles milestone billing, automated payment reminders, scope change management, and the ongoing financial relationship with your clients. The question it answers: how do I get paid reliably for the work I deliver?
They do not directly compete. But if you are evaluating both, the real question is: where does your biggest pain actually live — onboarding clients, or collecting payment from them?
How they stack up
An honest look at where each tool wins.
| Feature | Handl | Dubsado |
|---|---|---|
| Milestone-based billing | ✅ | ❌ |
| Automated payment reminders (AI) | ✅ | ⚠️ Basic workflow triggers |
| Client portal | ✅ | ✅ |
| Proposal builder | ✅ | ✅ |
| Digital signatures | ✅ | ✅ |
| Change order management | ✅ | ❌ |
| PM tool integrations | ✅ | ❌ |
| CRM / lead pipeline | ❌ | ✅ |
| Scheduling / calendar | ❌ | ✅ |
| Workflow automation | ⚠️ Billing workflows | ✅ Full client workflows |
| Starting price | $29/mo flat | $35/mo |
| Per-seat pricing | ❌ Flat rate | ❌ Flat rate |
See the difference for yourself
Try Handl free for 14 days — no credit card, no commitment.
Simple pricing vs. per-seat costs
One flat price for your whole team, or pay more for every person who touches an invoice.
- Starter: 3 active projects
- Premier: unlimited
- Custom forms + workflows
- Client portals
- Automated scheduling
- Built-in contracts
What are our strengths?
Both tools do some things really well. Here's where each one shines.
- Milestone billing. Tie invoices to project deliverables, not dates. Dubsado invoicing is standard line-item, with no concept of project phases.
- AI-driven payment reminders. Intelligent, automatic follow-ups that adapt timing based on client behaviour. Dubsado has basic workflow-triggered reminders only.
- Change order management. When scope changes, document it, get approval, and bill accordingly. Dubsado has no scope tracking at all.
- PM tool integrations. Connect Jira, Asana, Monday, ClickUp directly. Dubsado has no project management integrations.
- Revenue forecasting. See upcoming cash flow based on milestones and project pipeline. Dubsado has no forecasting capability.
- Project health scoring. AI flags projects going off-budget before they become problems. Dubsado has no project-level analytics.
- Accounting integrations. Native Xero and MYOB sync. Dubsado has limited accounting integrations.
- Cheaper pricing. Handl is $29/month flat. Dubsado increased to $35/month Starter and $55/month Premier in late 2025.
- Full CRM pipeline. Lead tracking from first contact through signed contract. Handl does not manage lead acquisition or sales pipelines.
- Appointment scheduling. Built-in calendar booking with availability management. No need for Calendly or similar tools.
- Workflow automation. Powerful, customisable automation that triggers emails, tasks, and status changes based on client actions throughout the journey.
- Branded client experience. The client-facing portal and forms are highly customisable and visually polished out of the box.
- Form builder. Custom intake forms, questionnaires, and lead capture forms built into the platform. Useful for discovery and onboarding.
- Contract templates. Extensive template library for proposals and contracts. Years of community-built options available.
- Onboarding workflows. The entire client onboarding journey — from inquiry to signed contract — can be automated with conditional logic.
- Sub-brand support. Run multiple brands from one account. Useful for agencies operating under different names for different niches.
When to choose each tool
Choose the right tool based on how your agency bills and what problems you're solving.
When to choose
Handl
Choose Handl if your main pain is what happens after the contract is signed. If you are managing projects with multiple phases, you need billing that tracks with actual progress. If scope changes happen and you have no clean process for documenting and charging for them. If you are spending time chasing overdue payments manually.
Handl is also the better fit if you are already using PM tools like Jira, Asana, or Monday and want your billing connected to your delivery workflow. And if you need your billing data flowing into Xero or MYOB automatically.
At $29/month flat — cheaper than Dubsado's Starter plan since their December 2025 increase — Handl is a practical choice for agencies whose onboarding is already sorted but whose billing process needs automation.
When to choose
Dubsado
Dubsado is the better choice if your biggest gap is the client acquisition and onboarding process. If leads come in and you are manually sending proposals, contracts, and scheduling calls via email — Dubsado automates that entire journey with polished, branded workflows.
It is also stronger if you are a solo creative running a repeatable client process — photographers, coaches, consultants who take the same type of client through the same steps every time. Dubsado's workflow automation is purpose-built for that repeatability.
And if CRM functionality matters to you — tracking where leads are in your pipeline, nurturing prospects, managing the sales process — Dubsado handles that where Handl does not. The form builder and scheduling tools are also genuinely useful additions that save you from paying for separate tools like Calendly or Typeform.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use both Handl and Dubsado?
Yes. Some agencies use Dubsado for lead capture and client onboarding, then switch to Handl once a project is signed for ongoing milestone billing and payment automation. It depends where your biggest pain is.
Does Handl have a CRM?
No. Handl focuses on billing and client payment operations. It integrates with CRM tools rather than trying to replace them.
Why did Dubsado raise prices in 2025?
Dubsado increased from $20/$40 to $35/$55 per month in December 2025. The company cited infrastructure costs and feature development. Some users have explored alternatives following the increase.
Does Dubsado have milestone billing?
No. Dubsado has standard invoicing with payment plans. You cannot tie an invoice to a project deliverable or trigger billing when a milestone is completed.
Which is better for a team?
Handl is flat-rate ($29/month regardless of team size). Dubsado is also flat-rate per plan tier. For teams, the decision comes down to whether your main gap is onboarding (Dubsado) or billing (Handl).
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