17hatsvs
Dubsado
Dubsado: More modern interface with comparable or better workflow automation for creative service businesses
17hats
Small business client workflow with quotes, contracts, invoices and automated follow up sequences
As of 31 August 2026, 17hats's pricing is not published; the vendor quotes on request. 17hats predates most of the freelance suites it competes with and shows it in both directions: the workflow automation is unusually deep, and the interface is dated next to newer products. Softwr lists it under Proposals. 17hats is available on Web, iOS, Android.
Overview
What 17hats does
17hats covers the client lifecycle for a small service business: lead capture forms, quotes, contracts with electronic signature, invoices and payment, a questionnaire tool, bookkeeping basics and time tracking, tied together with workflow sequences that fire actions and reminders at defined stages of a project. The workflow engine is what separates it. Rather than treating a proposal as a one off document, 17hats lets a business define the sequence that a booking always follows, for instance quote, contract, deposit invoice, questionnaire, reminder at seven days, final invoice, and then run that sequence automatically for every client. For a photographer, event planner or any operator delivering the same engagement repeatedly, that converts administrative work into a template rather than a weekly task, which is a labour saving rather than a software saving. The buyers are established solo operators and very small businesses with a repeatable delivery, historically strong among photographers and event professionals. The trade offs are an interface that is visibly older than newer competitors, a learning curve on the workflow builder that is real rather than nominal, and the fact that a bespoke consultancy with no two engagements alike gets little value from the automation that justifies the price.
What people use it for
- A photographer or event professional running the same booking sequence dozens of times a year
- Automating deposit invoices and reminders so that chasing payment stops being a weekly task
- Capturing enquiries through a public form that starts a quote and contract workflow without manual entry
- A sole trader who wants client records, contracts and basic bookkeeping in one place rather than three
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 17hats.
- The interface is visibly older than newer competitors, which matters because the client facing documents are part of how a small business presents itself.
- The workflow builder takes real time to learn and configure, so the automation benefit arrives weeks after purchase rather than on the first day.
- A consultancy where no two engagements are alike gets little from the workflow engine, which is most of what the price pays for.
- It is built around a single operator, so a business adding staff or subcontractors runs into structural limits rather than a higher tier.
- Payments run through third party gateways, so card processing fees apply in addition to the subscription and should be included when comparing cost per booking.
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of 17hats
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- 17hatsvsHoneyBook
HoneyBook: Stronger client facing experience and payments, at the cost of less configurable automation
- 17hatsvsBonsai
Bonsai: Better fit for freelancers doing project work rather than repeatable bookings
Pricing
What 17hats costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
17hats
On request
- Quotes, contracts and electronic signature
- Invoicing and online payment
- Workflow automation sequences
- Lead capture forms and questionnaires
- Bookkeeping and time tracking
Capabilities
Features
Workflow automation
Define the sequence a booking always follows and run it automatically for every client
Quotes and contracts
Quotes converting into signed contracts with electronic signature
Invoicing and payments
Deposit and instalment invoices with online payment
Lead capture forms
Public enquiry forms that create a client record and start a workflow
Questionnaires
Structured intake forms attached to the client and the project
Bookkeeping basics
Income and expense tracking sufficient for a sole trader
Calendar and time tracking
Scheduling and billable time in the same record as the client
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
What is the main reason to choose it?
The workflow engine. If your bookings follow the same sequence every time, that sequence can be automated once and reused.
Is it worth it for bespoke consulting work?
Rarely. Without repeatable engagements the automation, which is the main value, has nothing to automate.
Does it handle bookkeeping?
At sole trader level. It is not a replacement for accounting software once complexity grows.
Can I add team members?
It is designed for a single operator, and multi person use is awkward rather than supported properly.
How long before it saves time?
Not immediately. Budget for a configuration period before the workflow automation starts paying back.
Keep looking
Where to go from 17hats
- 17hats alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- 17hats pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- 17hats badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Proposals softwareThe full category
- Best Proposals softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Proposals software for
Compare 17hats with
- HoneyBook
- Dubsado
- Indy
- Moxie
- Paperbell
- Nutshell
- Nusii
- Quoter
- HelloSign
- Prospero
- RFPIO
- GetAccept
- Subskribe
- Prospect
- Paperbell
- Nusii
- Quoter
- Prospero
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Pricing on request12 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for 17hats, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on 17hats
17hats alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
17hats pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
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Best Proposals software alternatives
Freelance business management with proposals, contracts, time tracking and invoicing in one subscription
quote
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