HoneyBook wins clients. Aeto manages the work once they are yours.
HoneyBook is built around proposals, contracts, and the client acquisition experience. Aeto is built for what comes after: managing projects, tracking time, and invoicing for the work. They solve different problems.
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Aeto vs. HoneyBook.
Bottom line
Aeto does more of what you need.
| Feature | Aeto | honeybook |
|---|---|---|
| Proposals and contracts | No | Yes |
| Project management | Yes, Kanban + task lists | Yes, Kanban board |
| Task-level time tracking | Yes | Basic project tracking only |
| Time to invoice flow | Automatic from tasks | Manual entry |
| Flat-fee project tracking | Yes, with internal hours | No |
| Mac desktop app | Yes, native | No |
| Menu bar timer | Yes | No |
| Standard reporting | Yes | Upgrade option |
| Pricing | $10/month flat | $36-109.65/month (wow) |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card | 30 days, no card |
Where HoneyBook Excels.
HoneyBook is a strong choice for freelancers whose client experience is part of the product — photographers, event planners, and creatives who send branded proposals, collect signatures, and want the onboarding process to feel polished. Its CRM, scheduler, and client portal are well-built for that use case.
Where Aeto Fits Better.
Different stage of the client relationship
HoneyBook is designed for client acquisition: lead capture, proposals, contracts, and onboarding. Aeto is designed for delivery: project management, time tracking, and invoicing once the relationship is established. If you already have clients and need to manage the work, Aeto is the right tool.
Serious time tracking
HoneyBook has basic time tracking, but it is not the core of what it does. Aeto is built around time tracking at the task level, where every minute logged connects directly to an invoice line item.
Price
HoneyBook raised prices significantly in February 2025. The Starter plan is now $29/month billed annually, up from $19. The Essentials plan is $50.15/month. Aeto is $10/month with everything included, including features HoneyBook reserves for higher tiers.
Mac-native desktop app
HoneyBook is a web app. Aeto has a native Mac desktop app that includes a menu bar timer. For Mac users who want to track time without opening a browser, that is a meaningful difference.
Pricing
HoneyBook has three tiers that escalate in price as more features are added.
Answers to the
questions we get most.
Everything you’re likely to ask before you download the trial.
Yes, particularly for Mac users who want project management alongside time tracking and invoicing. Aeto costs less than one HoneyBook seat and adds a Kanban board, task-level billing, flat-fee project tracking, and a native menu bar timer for Mac desktop users.
Yes, HoneyBook recently added project management features such as a viaual kanban board and task management. Only Aeto has the drag-card-to-start-timer feature.
Aeto is $10/month for one user, or $100/year. HoneyBook is $36/mo ($348/year) for the Starter package. And prices go up from there.