Running a service-based business means juggling a lot—unless you have the right client management system to keep everything running smoothly. HoneyBook and Bloom are two popular platforms designed to help manage projects and process payments.
While these platforms share some similar features, they each have their own strengths and trade-offs. Curious which one better suits your workflows? Let’s take a look at HoneyBook vs. Bloom, comparing their features, pricing, and ideal use cases to choose the right fit for your business.
Key takeaways
- HoneyBook and Bloom are both client management platforms built with small businesses in mind, offering customer relationship management (CRM) functionality, project tracking, and invoicing.
- HoneyBook offers extensive customization and automation options so you can tailor in-app workflows to your business. HoneyBook AI provides ongoing support and guidance, making it one of the top Bloom alternatives.
- Due to its large library of features, HoneyBook takes some time to set up at first, but its onboarding tools and support resources make the process easier.
- Bloom provides a range of features tailored specifically to photographers, including online portfolios and image delivery galleries.
- Bloom’s interface is simple and easy to use, but it provides fewer options for advanced automation and customization.
HoneyBook vs. Bloom: An overview
Choosing between HoneyBook and Bloom often comes down to how much flexibility and control you want over your workflows versus how simple you want your system to feel. Both platforms cover the essentials of running a service-based business, but they take different approaches.
Here’s a side-by-side overview to quickly compare their core features.
| HoneyBook | Bloom | |
| Lead capture | Create fully customizable lead forms for your website, social media, email, and other digital marketing channels, and send lead data directly into your HoneyBook CRM | Use pre-built lead capture forms that connect directly to your Bloom CRM |
| Client tracking | Manage communication, admin tasks, and projects in one centralized CRM, and give clients access to a dedicated portal | Track clients with a visual, color-coded CRM as they move through workflow stages |
| Proposals | Build and customize proposal templates for a wide range of industries | Lacks built-in proposal templates |
| Contracts and booking workflows | Combine contracts, proposals, invoices, and onboarding documents into integrated smart files for clients to sign | Let clients book services and sign contracts directly through your website |
| Scheduling | Automate scheduling and sync with tools, such as Google Calendar and Calendly, with added HoneyBook AI support for meeting prep | Manage bookings with a built-in calendar and client scheduling widget |
| Online invoicing and payments | Send automated invoices, customize templates, offer payment plans, and track finances with HoneyBook Finance | Create invoices with flexible options and accept mobile payments |
| Workflow automation | Customize automations across nearly every stage of the client workflow | Automate certain client touchpoints, such as lead questionnaires and follow-up messages |
Pricing comparison
Both HoneyBook and Bloom have three pricing tiers, with options for businesses at different stages of growth and development. Here’s how pricing stacks up for these software platforms.
HoneyBook pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes | Best for |
| Starter | $29/month | Unlimited clients and projects, invoices, proposals, contracts, HoneyBook AI, and client portal | Solo users getting started who need core tools such as contracts, invoices, and client management |
| Essentials | $49/month | Everything in Starter, plus scheduler, QuickBooks integration, SMS reminders, and custom automations | Small teams that need automation, scheduling, and accounting integrations |
| Premium | $109/month | Everything in Essentials, plus priority support, advanced reporting, unlimited team members, and support for multiple businesses | Larger teams that need advanced features, priority support, unlimited team members, and multi-business management |
Bloom pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes | Best for |
| Starter | $18/month | Basic invoicing, CRM, and payment tools with limited workflows and storage | Solo users who need simple client management and payment processing to get started |
| Standard | $44/month | Unlimited workflows and projects, plus no payment processing fees | Growing businesses that want more flexibility and higher-volume client management without extra fees |
| Plus | $78/month | Full feature access, including branding control and the option to remove “Powered by Bloom” from client-facing assets | Established businesses that want complete functionality and a fully branded client experience |
Both platforms offer discounts if you opt into annual billing, rather than monthly billing. HoneyBook has a 30-day free trial for most features, plus a 60-day money-back guarantee. Bloom has a seven-day free trial.
Feature comparison
HoneyBook and Bloom are built for full-cycle client and project management. Here’s how they compare across key features.
Client management and end-to-end workflows
HoneyBook and Bloom offer service business CRM options to track leads, project workflows, and administrative tasks. Both platforms help build lead forms, store client contact information, and track the status of each project so you don’t miss key tasks.
However, HoneyBook supports complex workflows, with more extensive customization options than Bloom. HoneyBook’s AI tools guide you in building workflows so they’re tailored to your business’s operations. These platforms also both provide a built-in scheduler, but Bloom requires manual booking and confirmation, while HoneyBook automatically schedules meetings based on your calendar and preferences.
Integrated contracts, proposals, and payments
Both platforms have features that create professional documents like proposals, contracts, and invoices with ease. They also support e-signatures and online payments.
With HoneyBook, you can share all the information you need with clients in a single file, including a proposal, contract, first invoice, and information about next steps. This makes the onboarding process quick and easy so you can get to work faster. Once the project starts, set up a branded client portal to share files and communicate directly with clients.
With Bloom, each document lives separately—but you can still track them all in your project workflows. Bloom also includes a simple client portal, and it supports image galleries that let you deliver photos and other digital products in a clean, client-friendly format.
When it comes to payments, HoneyBook charges 2.9% + $0.25 for card transactions and 1.5% for ACH transfers. It supports all major credit and debit cards, as well as digital wallet payments. HoneyBook Finance also helps you budget for expenses and manage your cash flow.
Bloom supports payments via debit and credit cards, bank transfers, and mobile transfer apps like Venmo, Zelle, and Cashapp. This platform charges a 1.5% transaction fee for all digital payments. While Bloom doesn’t include in-app financial management tools, it integrates with QuickBooks to support accounting workflows.
Automations for invoicing and follow-ups
When you’re scaling your business quickly, workflow automations help get more done without the long hours. You can use automations to send follow-up messages, schedule check-in meetings, and send invoices to keep projects moving forward.
With HoneyBook, you can build complex automations that mirror your exact client process. HoneyBook AI helps you set everything up—just describe what you want to automate, and it guides you through the setup. You can add contextual triggers and logic to your automations, so clients get an experience that feels more personal.
Bloom also offers automation options for core tasks, like sending follow-up messages and client questionnaires. While it provides fewer advanced workflow options than HoneyBook, it keeps the setup process simple and straightforward.
Customizable templates
Polished, consistent documents help you build trust with clients from the very first interaction. HoneyBook and Bloom offer customizable template libraries, so you can create branded documents with no design expertise required.
Bloom was originally created for photographers, so many contract and invoicing templates are photographer-specific. However, it also supports other creative professionals with more general options, and it lets you build a portfolio to showcase your work. That said, Bloom does not include built-in customizable proposal templates.
HoneyBook has an extensive library of templates, including proposals, contracts, invoices, questionnaires, and pricing guides. There are options available for a variety of industries, use cases, and design preferences, so you can create documents that match your visual branding.
Which platform is right for your business needs?
Both HoneyBook and Bloom offer useful project management tools for service-based businesses. Still, the right tool for you depends on your goals and workflow needs. Here’s what to consider when making your decision.
When to choose HoneyBook
HoneyBook works best for small businesses prioritizing scalability and efficiency. It’s a platform that adapts with your business as you grow, with extensive customization and automation options.
Here’s when HoneyBook may be the right choice:
- You want to manage every aspect of your client workflow in one integrated platform.
- Manual tasks are slowing you down, so you want advanced automation options to save time.
- You’re growing quickly and need a platform that will support you as you grow, without requiring complex technical knowledge.
When to choose Bloom
Originally built for photographers, Bloom supports a variety of creatives who seek to keep business management simple. Specifically, Bloom works well for freelancers and small businesses that need a straightforward, user-friendly client management solution.
Here’s when Bloom may be the right choice:
- You want a simple, intuitive interface that’s easy to set up and use with minimal training.
- You need photographer-friendly features, like digital portfolios and image delivery galleries.
- You’re just getting started and need an affordable way to manage clients and deliverables.
Why do businesses choose HoneyBook?
Both HoneyBook and Bloom are popular choices for client management platforms. But for growth-focused small businesses, HoneyBook stands out. With integrated client workflows, an extensive template library, and customizable automations, HoneyBook helps you work efficiently while delivering a great client experience.
Get started with HoneyBook today to transform your business.
FAQs
Is Bloom a good alternative to HoneyBook?
Bloom can work well as a HoneyBook alternative if you prefer simple, straightforward workflows and an easy setup process. However, Bloom offers fewer customization and automation options, so it may not suit businesses that need advanced control over client processes.
Can HoneyBook handle more complex workflows than Bloom?
Generally, yes. HoneyBook provides more extensive workflow automations and customization options, which makes it better suited for detailed, multi-step workflows.
Which platform is better for scaling a growing business?
HoneyBook is generally more effective than Bloom for scaling a growing business, as it offers a wider range of templates, deeper customization options, and stronger automation tools.
