Is Dubsado or Nutshell better?

Neither clearly leads. Dubsado starts at Free and Nutshell at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Dubsado or Nutshell?

Dubsado has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Dubsado and $13/month for Nutshell.

Does Dubsado or Nutshell run on more platforms?

Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.

Can I use Dubsado for free?

Yes. Dubsado has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Nutshell starts at $13/month.

What is Dubsado best used for?

Dubsado is most often used for client management and project workflows for freelancers and studios, sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow up. Of those, client management and project workflows for freelancers and studios and sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow up are not what Nutshell is typically brought in for.

What can Dubsado do that Nutshell cannot?

Dubsado covers Scheduler, CRM, Invoicing, Contracts. Nutshell covers Contact management, Lead tracking, Pipeline management, Email integration. Both handle Zapier, Web support.

Proposals · head to head

Dubsado vs Nutshell

Dubsado

Proposals

Business management for creatives

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Nutshell

Proposals

Easy CRM for small businesses

From: $13/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Dubsado has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Dubsado automated workflows, scheduling and public proposals all require the Premier plan at $525 a year; Nutshell aI usage is metered as outcomes per user per month, from 10 on Foundation to 150 on Enterprise
They diverge on capability: Dubsado covers Scheduler, Nutshell covers Contact management.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dubsado and Nutshell actually diverge.

Attributes where Dubsado and Nutshell differ
Attribute	Dubsado	Nutshell
Starting price	Free	$13/month
Free tier	Yes	No
Founded	2016	2009

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Proposals).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Dubsado

Scheduler
CRM
Invoicing
Contracts
Automation workflows
Google Calendar
Outlook
QuickBooks

Only in Nutshell

Contact management
Lead tracking
Pipeline management
Email integration
Task management
Reporting
Gmail
Slack

Both cover

Zapier
Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Dubsado

Client management and project workflows for freelancers and studiosnot Nutshell
Sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow upnot Nutshell

Nutshell

Sales CRM for small to enterprise teamsnot Dubsado
Lead management and sales pipeline trackingnot Dubsado
Reporting and team analyticsnot Dubsado

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Dubsado

Automated workflows, scheduling and public proposals all require the Premier plan at $525 a year
The Starter plan allows a single lead capture form
Zapier and bookkeeping integrations are excluded from Starter
Additional brands are $10 a month each
Only 3 users are included, with 4 to 10 costing $25 a month and 21 to 30 costing $60

Nutshell

AI usage is metered as outcomes per user per month, from 10 on Foundation to 150 on Enterprise
Custom pipelines are rationed by plan, at 5 on Pro and 10 on Business, with unlimited only on Enterprise at $79 per user per month
Sales automation and advanced reporting require the Pro plan at $42 per user per month
Four separate add ons sit on top of the seat price: marketing at $49 a month, engagement at $16 per user, prospecting at $37 and proposals at $79
SSO and SQL data access are Enterprise only

Pricing, plan by plan

Dubsado

Free

Starter$335/year
- Limited to 1 active lead capture form
- Email integration
- Unlimited projects & clients
Premier$525/year
- Unlimited active lead capture forms
- All Starter features
- Bookkeeping integration

Nutshell

$13/month

Starter$13/month
- For individuals or small teams starting out
- Core CRM functionality
- Live support
Tier 2$25/month
- Enhanced reporting capabilities
- Live support
- Saves 4 hours monthly per user
Tier 3$42/month
- Additional pipelines and admin features
- Live support
- Saves 8 hours monthly per user
Tier 4$59/month
- Customization and extra AI features
- Live support
- Saves 20 hours monthly per user

Which should you pick?

Choose Dubsado if

You need scheduler.
You want to start without paying.
You also want crm.

Dubsado review

Choose Nutshell if

You need contact management.
You also want lead tracking.

Nutshell review

Questions people ask

Is Dubsado or Nutshell better?: Neither clearly leads. Dubsado starts at Free and Nutshell at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dubsado or Nutshell?: Dubsado has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Dubsado and $13/month for Nutshell.
Does Dubsado or Nutshell run on more platforms?: Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Dubsado for free?: Yes. Dubsado has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Nutshell starts at $13/month.
What is Dubsado best used for?: Dubsado is most often used for client management and project workflows for freelancers and studios, sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow up. Of those, client management and project workflows for freelancers and studios and sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow up are not what Nutshell is typically brought in for.
What can Dubsado do that Nutshell cannot?: Dubsado covers Scheduler, CRM, Invoicing, Contracts. Nutshell covers Contact management, Lead tracking, Pipeline management, Email integration. Both handle Zapier, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dubsado: Does Dubsado offer a free trial?

Yes, Dubsado offers a 21-day free trial with full access to the Premier plan. Annual billing saves 2 months of costs compared to monthly billing.

Source

Nutshell: How much does Nutshell CRM cost?

Nutshell CRM pricing ranges from $13 to $79 per user per month. Starter tier ($13/month) includes core CRM, Tier 2 ($25/month) adds enhanced reporting, and Enterprise ($79/month) includes SSO and SQL access.

Source

Dubsado: What is the cost of adding team users?

Dubsado includes 3 free team users. Additional team users cost $25/month for 4-10 users, $45/month for 11-20 users, $60/month for 21-30 users, and custom pricing for 30+ users.

Source

Nutshell: Is there a free trial for Nutshell?

Yes, Nutshell offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. The trial includes access to core CRM functionality and live support.

Source

Dubsado: Can you add multiple brands to Dubsado?

Yes, additional brands cost $10/month per brand beyond the included brand.

Source

Nutshell: What does Nutshell Enterprise tier include?

Nutshell Enterprise at $79 per user per month includes SSO (Single Sign-On), SQL database access for data export, priority support, and unlimited time saved estimates of 30 hours per month.

Source

Dubsado vs Nutshell

Dubsado

Nutshell

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Dubsado

Only in Nutshell

Both cover

What people use each for

Dubsado

Nutshell

Where each one falls short

Dubsado

Nutshell

Pricing, plan by plan

Dubsado

Nutshell

Which should you pick?

Choose Dubsado if

Choose Nutshell if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Dubsado

More on Nutshell

Keep looking

Other head to heads