HoneyBook vs Instantly: A Head-to-Head Comparison in 2025

by | Last updated May 27, 2025

Winner
Honeybook
9.0
  • Automated Workflows
  • Online Invoices
  • Great Scheduling Feature
  • Cool Templates
  • Digital Contracts
  • Free plan available
  • Paid Plans from $29.00/month
Runner Up
Instantly
8.0
  • Personalized Cold Email
  • Unlimited Email Warm-Up
  • 160 Million B2B Contacts
  • Inbox Placement Tracking
  • Website Visitor Tracking
  • Free trial available
  • Plan starts from $37.90/month
Untitled design 2 3

Running a business? It’s a lot.

You juggle clients, invoices, and scheduling. Feeling overwhelmed?

You’re not alone.

Many small business owners struggle with managing it all.

Let’s break down HoneyBook vs Instantly in 2025.

We’ll look at what they do, how much they cost, and which one might be your perfect business buddy. 

Overview

To provide a clear comparison, we’ve gone hands-on.

Our team explored each platform’s features, testing workflows, client interactions, and payment processes.

This real-world use allows us to highlight the distinct strengths and weaknesses of HoneyBook and Instantly.

Honeybook CTA

Honeybook will give a simple way to manage projects and get paid? Explore more!

9out of 10

Pricing: It has a free plan. The premium plan starts at $29/month.

Key Features:

  • Online Invoicing.
  • Contract Management.
  • Automated Workflows.
Instantly AI

Want to see how Instantly can transform your outreach? Explore Instantly today!

8out of 10

Pricing: It has a free trial. The premium plan starts at $37.9/month.

Key Features:

  • Email Warm-up.
  • AI-Powered Writing.
  • Campaign Automation.

What is HoneyBook?

Now, let’s talk about it.

It’s for freelancers and small businesses. 

It helps manage client projects.

You can send contracts and invoices, schedule meetings, and keep everything in one place.

Also, explore our favorite HoneyBook alternatives

Honeybook CTA
HoneyBook
9.0

Streamline your business and get back to doing what you love. HoneyBook’s intuitive platform automates tasks, manages clients, and gets you paid faster.

Key Benefits

  • Stay easily organized: Manage all your projects, clients, and communication in one central hub.
  • Get paid faster: Send invoices and receive payments online with ease.
  • Boost your bookings: Create and send professional proposals in minutes.
  • Automate your workflow: Streamline tasks like sending contracts and follow-up emails.

Pricing

All the plans will be billed annually.

  • Starter: $29/month.
  • Essentials: $49/month.
  • Premium: $109/month.
image 22

Pros

  • It has a beautiful and intuitive interface.
  • Easy to use and intuitive design.
  • Great for creative professionals.
  • Client communication is very streamlined.
  • Payment processing is fast and reliable.

Cons

  • Limited advanced reporting options.
  • It can be pricey for larger teams.
  • Workflow automation has a learning curve.
  • The mobile app lacks some desktop features.

What is Instantly?

Instantly focuses on lead generation.

It helps you warm up email lists.

Then, it automates outreach.

It’s about getting more leads faster.

Also, explore our favorite Instantly alternatives

Instantly AI
Instantly
8.0

Want to see how Instantly can transform your outreach? Explore Instantly today!

Key Benefits

  • Achieve 90% email deliverability with warm-up.
  • Increase reply rates by 3x with AI writing.
  • Automate 1000s of emails with campaign tools.

Pricing

  • Growth CRM: $37.9/month, unlimited seats.
  • Hyper CRM: $77.6/month, unlimited seats.
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Pros

  • Warm-up boosts email deliverability.
  • AI writing crafts persuasive messages.
  • Automation streamlines outreach efforts.
  • Reporting provides deep insights.
  • Onboarding is impressively quick.

Cons

  • Pricing is higher for larger teams.
  • Limited CRM integration exists.
  • Customization requires technical skills.
  • Learning curve for advanced automation.

Future Comparison

Both HoneyBook and Instantly offer a wide range of tools.

But which one better fits your specific business needs?

Let’s examine key features and see how they compare.

1. All-in-One Platform

  • HoneyBook:
    • Provides a centralized hub, reducing the need for multiple software subscriptions.
  • Instantly:
    • Offers focused solutions for specific needs, allowing for deeper functionality in those areas.

2. Customizable Templates and Workflows

  • HoneyBook:
    • Offers extensive customization options for branding consistency.
  • Instantly:
    • Provides basic templates, which may require manual adjustments.
Honeybook Online Contracts

3. Client Communication and Management Tool

  • HoneyBook:
    • Facilitates clear and organized client communication within projects.
  • Instantly:
    • Client communication capabilities vary by tool.

4. Scheduling and Automation

  • HoneyBook:
    • It provides advanced scheduling automation and reduces manual tasks.
  • Instantly:
    • Scheduling features are typically basic.

5. Invoicing and Payment Processing

  • HoneyBook:
    • Integrates payment processing for seamless transactions.
  • Instantly:
    • Payment processing capabilities differ depending on the tool.

6. Project Tracking and Organization

  • HoneyBook:
    • Offers detailed project tracking for efficient management.
  • Instantly:
    • Project tracking varies depending on the Instantly product.
instantly-ai-email-preview

7. Reminder and Notification Systems

  • HoneyBook:
    • Provides highly customizable reminder options.
  • Instantly:
    • Reminder systems are often basic.

What to Look For When Choosing CRM Software?

  • Scalability: Can it grow with your business?
  • Integration: Does it connect with your existing tools?
  • Reporting: Can you easily track key metrics?
  • Mobile Accessibility: Is it usable on the go?
  • Support: Does the vendor offer reliable assistance?
  • Training: Is there adequate training and onboarding?
  • Security: How well does it protect your customer data?
  • Industry Specifics: Does it cater to your industry’s needs

Final Verdict

If you want an all-in-one tool, HoneyBook is our top pick.

It does more than just one thing. It handles contracts, payments, and client chats.

It can save time.

It’s great for folks who want everything in one spot. Instantly has good tools. 

But you might need other apps, too.

We tested both. We think HoneyBook gives you the most bang for your buck.

Trust us; we’ve done the work so you don’t have to.

More of Honeybook

Here’s a brief comparison of Honeybook with these software solutions:

  • Honeybook vs Gohighlevel: Honeybook is tailored for service-based businesses to manage clients, proposals, and payments, while GoHighLevel offers extensive marketing and sales automation for a broader range of companies.
  • Honeybook vs Pipedrive: Honeybook focuses on client and project management for freelancers and small businesses, while Pipedrive specializes in visual sales pipeline management for sales teams.
  • Honeybook vs Keap: Honeybook streamlines client and project workflows with integrated payments, while Keap provides comprehensive sales and marketing automation for business growth.
  • Honeybook vs ActiveCampaign: Honeybook is an all-in-one platform for client management and project workflows, while ActiveCampaign excels in advanced email marketing automation and customer relationship management.
  • Honeybook vs Hubspot: Honeybook provides a streamlined solution for small businesses managing client projects, whereas HubSpot offers a wide range of marketing, sales, and service tools for scaling companies.
  • Honeybook vs Clickfunnels: Honeybook is a client management and payment processing platform; ClickFunnels is primarily a sales funnel builder designed for lead generation and online sales.
  • Honeybook vs Folk: Honeybook is an all-in-one platform for client management, proposals, and payments, while Folk focuses on collaborative contact organization and team-based CRM.
  • Honeybook vs Instantly: Honeybook provides an integrated solution for client and project management, while Instantly is a specialized tool for high-volume cold email outreach and deliverability.
  • Honeybook vs Clickup: Honeybook is designed for client and project workflow management with integrated invoicing, while ClickUp is a versatile platform for project management, task tracking, and team collaboration.
  • Honeybook vs Monday: Honeybook streamlines client processes and payments for service businesses, while Monday CRM offers customizable visual workflows for diverse project and sales management.
  • Honeybook vs Capsule: Honeybook focuses on project-based client management and integrated payments, whereas Capsule CRM is a straightforward CRM for general contact organization and sales pipeline tracking.
  • Honeybook vs Insightly: Honeybook offers an all-in-one solution for creative professionals to manage client projects, while Insightly provides a more robust CRM with advanced sales, marketing, and project management capabilities.
  • Honeybook vs Freshsales: Honeybook is designed for client-focused project management and invoicing, while Freshsales CRM is a comprehensive sales automation platform with robust lead management and reporting.
  • Honeybook vs Salesforce: Honeybook provides a user-friendly platform for small business client management, while Salesforce is an expansive, highly customizable enterprise-level CRM with extensive sales, service, and marketing functionalities.

More of Instantly

Here’s a brief comparison of Instantly with these software solutions:

  • Instantly vs Gohighlevel: Instantly specializes in cold email outreach and deliverability, while GoHighLevel offers a comprehensive suite for sales, marketing, and lead generation, including broader automation.
  • Instantly vs Pipedrive: Instantly focuses on automated email campaigns and deliverability for outbound sales; Pipedrive is a visual sales pipeline management tool designed for tracking deals and optimizing sales processes.
  • Instantly vs Keap: Instantly excels at scalable cold email outreach and lead generation, whereas Keap provides an all-in-one platform for sales and marketing automation with CRM capabilities.
  • Instantly vs ActiveCampaign: Instantly is primarily for high-volume cold email outreach and deliverability; ActiveCampaign is a robust marketing automation platform with advanced segmentation and CRM features.
  • Instantly vs Hubspot: Instantly streamlines outbound email campaigns and lead warming; HubSpot offers a comprehensive CRM, marketing, sales, and customer service platform with extensive features.
  • Instantly vs Clickfunnels: Instantly is an email outreach automation tool; ClickFunnels is a sales funnel builder for creating landing pages and automating sales processes.
  • Instantly vs Folk: Instantly focuses on automated cold email campaigns and lead generation; Folk is a collaborative contact management CRM that emphasizes easy organization.
  • Instantly vs Clickup: Instantly is designed for cold email outreach and deliverability; ClickUp is a versatile workspace for project management, task tracking, and broader team collaboration.
  • Instantly vs Monday CRM: Instantly excels in automated outbound email and lead nurturing; Monday CRM provides visual project and workflow management, with integrated CRM features.
  • Instantly vs Capsule CRM: Instantly specializes in automated cold email sequences; Capsule CRM is a simple contact management and sales pipeline tool for small businesses.
  • Instantly vs Insightly: Instantly streamlines cold email outreach with robust deliverability features; Insightly offers a comprehensive CRM with project management and sales pipeline capabilities.
  • Instantly vs Freshsales CRM: Instantly focuses on automated email outreach and lead scoring; Freshsales CRM is a full-featured sales automation and CRM solution with extensive reporting.
  • Instantly vs Salesforce: Instantly is a specialized tool for scalable cold email outreach; Salesforce is an enterprise-grade, highly customizable CRM platform for sales, service, and marketing.
  • Instantly vs Zendesk: Instantly focuses on lead generation through automated email outreach; Zendesk is a comprehensive customer service and support platform with robust ticketing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is HoneyBook or Instantly better for small businesses?

HoneyBook is often better for small businesses needing an all-in-one solution. It combines contracts, payments, and client management. Instantly can work, but you may need other tools. Consider your business’s specific needs and budget.

Does HoneyBook offer customizable templates?

Yes, HoneyBook offers customizable templates. You can tailor contracts, proposals, and emails to match your brand. This helps create a professional and consistent look for your business communications.

Can I automate payment reminders with HoneyBook?

Yes, you can automate payment reminders with HoneyBook. This feature helps you get paid on time by automatically sending reminders to clients. It helps improve your cash flow and reduces manual follow-ups.

Which platform is easier to use, HoneyBook or Instantly?

HoneyBook aims for user-friendliness with its all-in-one design. Instantly’s ease of use varies by tool. Consider your comfort with technology and how much time you have to learn a new system.

Does Instantly offer project management tools?

Instantly’s project management tools vary by product. Some tools may offer basic task management, while others may lack comprehensive features. HoneyBook generally provides more robust project tracking and organization.