Choosing the right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software can be a daunting task, especially with various options available in the market. Two popular CRM tools, 17hats and Dubsado, are often considered by businesses to streamline their operations and interactions with clients. In this comparison review, we will explore the critical features, pros, and cons of both platforms to assist you in determining which solution best meets your needs.
17hats and Dubsado cater to small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs, offering comprehensive features to manage projects, automate workflows, and support client interactions seamlessly. While both platforms have many similarities, they are not identical and do present unique strengths and weaknesses when closely examined.
In the following sections, we will delve into a detailed comparison between 17hats and Dubsado, discussing their pricing structures, user interfaces, workflow automation features, and integration capabilities to provide a comprehensive understanding of these two CRM tools. This knowledge will enable you to make a well-informed decision on the optimal choice for your business requirements.
About 17hats
17hats is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform designed for small business owners to effectively manage their clients, invoicing, contracts, and more. It offers a user-friendly interface and a robust set of features that cater to various aspects of running a business, such as project management, financial management, and client communication.
One of the key features of 17hats is its client management system. Business owners can easily keep track of client information, invoices, and communications in one centralized location. With customized email templates and questionnaires, it becomes effortless to maintain a consistent client experience while gathering essential information.
17hats also offers a powerful invoicing system. Users can create custom invoices with their logo and branding, set up recurring payments, and even integrate with popular payment gateways for seamless transactions. Additionally, the platform supports integration with QuickBooks, making it easier for business owners to manage their bookkeeping.
The CRM software comes with a built-in lead capture form that allows potential clients to express their interest in the services offered. The process is streamlined with automated workflows and triggers, ensuring that leads are followed up promptly, without any manual intervention.
17hats provides comprehensive scheduling features, including a scheduler for appointments and a task list for managing ongoing projects. The platform also includes task boards for easy visualization of project progress.
Enhancing its functionality, 17hats offers a free trial to help business owners test the platform’s features and ensure it meets their specific needs. The customer support team is dedicated to providing prompt assistance when needed.
While 17hats might have a slight learning curve, the platform offers detailed documentation and tutorials to ensure new users can quickly familiarize themselves with its capabilities. Overall, 17hats is a versatile CRM platform that caters to small business owners’ needs, making client management, invoicing, and project reporting more efficient and organized.
About Dubsado
Dubsado is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform designed for small business owners who require a wide array of features to manage their business operations efficiently. The platform offers various tools and integrations to streamline tasks like client communication, invoicing, contracts, and project management.
In terms of user interface (UI), Dubsado provides a clean and intuitive layout to navigate the different features easily. One of the key functionalities is the customizable templates, allowing users to create forms, proposals, and contracts with ease. The platform also offers a client portal where clients can access their documents, invoices, and communication in a convenient manner.
Automation is another strong point of Dubsado. The platform has built-in workflows that can be customized to automate tasks like sending emails, invoices, and reminders. This feature helps small businesses save time and ensures consistent communication with clients.
Dubsado’s comprehensive pricing structure caters to various business sizes. There are options for a starter plan and higher tier plans with more advanced features. Payment integration is user-friendly, with support for popular payment providers like Stripe, which makes it easy to receive and process client payments.
Scheduling and calendar management features are available in Dubsado, allowing users to book appointments and manage their time efficiently. The platform also includes a lead capture form that can be embedded onto a website for prospective clients to fill out, automating the lead generation process.
For businesses that require third-party integration, Dubsado offers compatibility with popular tools like Zapier, Google Calendar, and Xero, among others. This enables users to collaborate and integrate their existing workflows seamlessly.
In comparison to its competitors like HoneyBook, Dubsado holds its own, with a multitude of features and a strong focus on customization and automation. Users can expect a steeper learning curve while mastering all the functionalities, but the investment in time is rewarded with improved efficiency and streamlined business management.
Round 1: Best UX
When comparing the user experience of 17hats and Dubsado, several factors come into play, including their user interfaces, client portals, invoices, mobile apps, and visual aspects.
Starting with the user interface, both 17hats and Dubsado offer clean and intuitive designs. 17hats sports a streamlined layout, reducing the learning curve for new users. Meanwhile, Dubsado is also user-friendly, featuring easy-to-navigate menu options and an organized dashboard.
In terms of client portals, Dubsado has a slight edge. Their portal provides clients with a seamless experience, allowing them to view projects, invoices, and contracts in one place. 17hats has a client portal as well, but its functionality is a bit more limited.
When it comes to invoicing, both platforms offer customizable templates and automation features. However, Dubsado’s invoicing system is more advanced, with options for recurring invoices, tax calculations, and payment schedules. On the other hand, 17hats also supports invoice creation, but its tools are slightly inferior to Dubsado’s.
As for their mobile apps, 17hats offers a dedicated app for Android and iOS, enabling users to manage contacts, projects, and tasks on the go. On the contrary, Dubsado does not have a standalone mobile app. However, it is mobile-optimized, making it accessible through a mobile browser.
Lastly, let’s examine color schemes. 17hats features lighter, more pastel-like colors throughout its interface, while Dubsado opts for bolder color choices with high contrast. Ultimately, preferences for colors and visual design can be subjective, so no clear winner emerges in this aspect.
Overall, both 17hats and Dubsado have their strengths and shortcomings in terms of user experience. It’s essential to weigh your specific needs and preferences when choosing between the two platforms.
Round 2: Features Comparison
17hats and Dubsado are both powerful CRM and business management tools, offering a variety of features tailored to help businesses streamline their administrative tasks and improve overall efficiency.
In terms of forms, both platforms offer customizable templates, allowing users to create professional proposals, contracts, and invoices. While 17hats provides a more extensive library of templates, Dubsado offers reusable form templates, reducing the time and effort required for creating forms from scratch. Both platforms cater to different invoicing needs, with 17hats offering a full-fledged billing system and Dubsado focusing on invoice tracking.
Workflow automation is a crucial component for time efficiency, and both platforms come with features aiming to simplify administrative tasks. 17hats emphasizes task boards and actions, whereas Dubsado focuses on workflow automation and triggers. Both tools offer advanced automation features within their higher-tier pricing plans.
Aligning with the scope of customer relationship management (CRM), 17hats and Dubsado integrate with popular calendar applications such as Google Calendar to streamline scheduling and client management. Both platforms include a range of communication and document management tools, allowing users to enhance their relationships with clients and improve the onboarding process.
In addition to CRM-related features, both platforms contain project management tools. Users can access task lists, email templates, and customizable templates to manage their projects effectively. While offering similar project management features, the primary difference lies in their focus: 17hats leans more towards the financial management and project reporting aspects, while Dubsado emphasizes time tracking and accounting.
Both 17hats and Dubsado come with free trial periods, allowing businesses to explore and evaluate their features before committing to a plan. The learning curve for both platforms is relatively minimal, with the availability of ample resources and support to assist users in getting started.
In conclusion, 17hats and Dubsado offer comprehensive feature sets designed to assist businesses in managing projects, client relationships, and administrative tasks. While their offerings may have slight differences, both platforms are reliable alternatives to meet the varying needs of businesses and professionals.
Round 3: Price
When comparing 17hats and Dubsado, it’s essential to consider their pricing models, as both applications offer unique pricing structures to accommodate various users and businesses.
17hats provides a straightforward pricing strategy with three plans: Starter, Standard, and Unlimited. The Starter plan is an affordable option for users who need only basic features and limited access to financial management and reporting tools. It’s perfect for those who are just starting their businesses or have a limited number of clients. As businesses grow and require more advanced features, the Standard and Unlimited plans offer additional functionality, including contract and invoice management, financial reporting, and integration with financial institutions.
Dubsado, on the other hand, utilizes a more flexible pricing model with a pay-as-you-go option. This model allows users to pay only for the features they need, making it an attractive choice for small businesses with varying needs. Dubsado also offers a monthly or annual billing option, and the pricing includes access to all available features, making it easier for businesses to scale their CRM needs as they grow. Some of these features include contract management, invoice and payments processing, project reporting, and dedicated customer support.
Both 17hats and Dubsado understand the importance of offering competitive pricing to attract and retain customers. To encourage new users, they both provide discounts for annual billing, which could result in substantial savings for businesses looking to invest in a CRM solution long-term. The discounts offered by these companies can be a significant factor for those with budget constraints, making it easier to choose between the two.
In summary, 17hats provides a tiered pricing model with the Starter, Standard, and Unlimited plans, while Dubsado offers a flexible, pay-as-you-go structure. Both platforms include features such as invoice and contract management, financial integration, and reporting. Additionally, these CRM solutions offer discounts for users who choose annual billing, making them cost-effective options for small businesses. The choice between 17hats and Dubsado ultimately comes down to the specific needs and preferences of each user or business, as well as their financial considerations.
Battle Decision: 17hats Winner
In this competitive face-off between 17hats and Dubsado, 17hats emerges as the winner for several reasons. Let’s dive into the aspects that gave 17hats the upper hand.
First and foremost, 17hats excels in the area of integrations. It offers an extensive range of connections with other software like Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, QuickBooks, Zapier, N-Vu, Fundy, ProSelect, ShootProof, The Knot, WeddingWire, and Zoom, among others1. This assortment of integrations allows users to automate tasks efficiently and centralize their business processes in one place.
Another factor that sets 17hats apart is its ease of use and intuitiveness. While Dubsado also offers attractive features and functionality, new users often find the 17hats platform more user-friendly and less overwhelming. This aspect can be particularly beneficial for small business owners and coaches who are just beginning to implement project management solutions into their daily work2.
Another key consideration is pricing. 17hats offers competitive pricing for its services, which include three different plans to suit various business sizes. This flexible pricing structure ensures that users find a suitable option regardless of their budget, making 17hats more accessible for a broad range of customers2.
In conclusion, 17hats comes out on top in this SaaS battle for its extensive range of integrations, user-friendly interface, and flexible pricing. These factors, along with the platform’s continuous development and improvement, make it an ideal choice for professionals seeking an efficient project management solution that supports their business growth.
