Soap Notes vs HoneyBook
Soap Notes vs HoneyBook: pricing & features compared
HoneyBook is a client-flow CRM for service businesses, built around proposals, contracts, and payments. Soap Notes is purpose-built for documented sessions — SOAP notes, scheduling, and billing — with a free plan for coaches and therapists.
The short version
Choose HoneyBook if your business runs on proposals, contracts, and client-flow across service work. Choose Soap Notes if your work centers on documented sessions and you want SOAP notes with a free plan built for coaches and therapists.
HoneyBook and Soap Notes solve different core problems. HoneyBook is a business CRM for service providers — photographers, designers, freelancers, and coaches — centered on proposals, contracts, invoices, and client-flow automation. Soap Notes is built for practitioners who document sessions: it pairs structured SOAP notes with scheduling, billing, and a client portal. If your business is proposals and contracts, HoneyBook fits; if it's documented sessions, Soap Notes does.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Soap Notes | HoneyBook |
|---|---|---|
| Free planHoneyBook offers a 30-day free trial but no permanently free plan. | ||
| Starting paid price | $36/mo (Standard, billed annually) | $29/mo (Starter, billed annually) |
| SOAP / structured session notesHoneyBook has no session-note feature; it's built for proposals and client flow. | ||
| Reusable note templates | ||
| Scheduling with reminders | ||
| Secure client portal | ||
| Invoicing & card payments | Via Stripe | |
| Proposals & contracts | ||
| Built for documented sessions | Project / service work | |
| Data encryption & role-based access | ||
| Pricing model | Flat plans, incl. free | Tiered, no free plan |
Who each one is best for
Soap Notes is best for
- Coaches and therapists who document sessions (SOAP notes)
- Session-based practices, not project-based service work
- Anyone who wants a free plan to start
- Practices wanting notes, scheduling, and billing in one record
HoneyBook is best for
- Service businesses built on proposals and contracts
- Freelancers and studios managing project-based client flow
- Those who need branded proposals and e-signatures
- Businesses wanting broad client-flow automation
Pricing compared
Soap Notes
Flat plans, including a free tier
Starter
Up to 5 active clients
Free
Standard
$36/mo billed annually · unlimited clients
$45/mo
Teams
$65/mo billed annually · team features
$81/mo
HoneyBook
Per clinician, per month
Starter
Billed annually · solo, limited
$29/mo
Essentials
Billed annually · automations, 2 users
$49/mo
Premium
Billed annually · unlimited users
$109/mo
HoneyBook pricing shown as of June 2026 (annual billing) and excludes payment-processing fees. Check honeybook.com for current pricing. Soap Notes prices reflect our current plans.
When Soap Notes is the better choice
If your work is built on sessions you need to document — coaching calls, therapy sessions, check-ins — HoneyBook simply doesn't have a session-note feature. Soap Notes is built around SOAP-structured documentation, with scheduling, billing, and a client portal alongside it, and it starts free. For a session-based practice, that's the core of the job done in one place.
When HoneyBook is the better choice
If your business runs on proposals, contracts, and project-based client flow — common for photographers, designers, and freelancers, and some coaches who sell bespoke engagements — HoneyBook is purpose-built for that and very polished. When branded proposals and e-signatures are the heart of how you win and manage work, it's the stronger fit.
Already using HoneyBook?
See how to switch to Soap Notes at your own pace.
Frequently asked questions
Try Soap Notes free
Notes, scheduling, invoicing, and a client portal in one place, free to start, no credit card required.