Notion vs Dubsado vs Bonsai for Freelance Writers: Which One Actually Fits?

By Arc · February 15, 2026 · 11 min read

If you're a freelance writer or copywriter trying to choose a tool to manage your business, you've probably narrowed it down to some combination of Notion, Dubsado, Bonsai, and HoneyBook. They all promise to "streamline your freelance business." They're all priced differently. And they all solve different problems.

This comparison is specifically for freelance writers and copywriters — not photographers, wedding planners, or web designers. The workflow differences matter. Let's get into what each tool actually does well for writers.

The Quick Answer

If you want the summary before the details:

Notion — Best for writers who want full customization, writing-specific workflows, and a system that grows with them. Requires setup time. Free to $10/month.
Bonsai — Best for writers who prioritize contracts, invoicing, and getting paid. Less flexible for project management. $9-29/month.
Dubsado — Best for writers who want automated client workflows (forms, proposals, scheduling). Steeper learning curve. $35-55/month.
HoneyBook — Best for writers who want the easiest setup with decent everything. Less customizable. $29-97/month.

Now let's break down why.

What Freelance Writers Actually Need

Before comparing features, let's be specific about what a freelance writer's tool needs to handle. (We covered this in depth in our guide to the 5 systems every freelance copywriter needs.) The short version:

Client management — Contact info, pipeline stages, revenue tracking per client
Project tracking — Writing-specific stages (brief → research → draft → review → revision → complete)
Invoicing — Send invoices, track payments, chase overdue
Contracts — Send and get signatures on freelance writing agreements
Rate management — Per-word, per-project, and hourly rate tracking with benchmarks
Reference material — Swipe files, brief templates, SOPs

No single tool does all six perfectly. The question is which gaps matter most to you.

Notion for Freelance Writers

Notion

Free plan available · Plus: $10/month · No per-client fees

What it does well for writers: Notion is the most flexible option. You can build exactly the system you need — writing-specific project stages, per-word rate calculators, swipe file databases, content brief templates, SOPs for your writing process. All of your databases can link to each other, so clicking a client shows you every project and invoice.

The free plan works for most solo freelance writers. You get unlimited pages, unlimited blocks, and up to 10 guests (clients you share pages with). The $10/month Plus plan adds unlimited file uploads and more collaboration features.

What it doesn't do: Notion doesn't send invoices, process payments, or handle contracts natively. You'd need to pair it with a payment tool (Stripe, PayPal) and a contract tool (HelloSign, PandaDoc) — or just use Google Docs for contracts and send invoices as PDFs.

The setup question: Notion is powerful but requires setup. You're building your own system from databases, properties, relations, and formulas. This takes 10-20 hours from scratch, or 30 minutes with a pre-built template. (See our comparison of Notion templates for freelance writers.)

Best for: Writers who want a system that's actually designed for how they work — writing-specific project stages, rate calculators, swipe files — and who are willing to invest in setup (or use a template) for long-term flexibility. The lowest ongoing cost of any option.

Bonsai for Freelance Writers

Bonsai

Basic: $9/month · Essentials: $19/month · Premium: $29/month · (billed annually)

What it does well for writers: Bonsai was built for freelancers. It handles the business mechanics — contracts with e-signatures, invoicing with online payment processing, time tracking, expense tracking, and tax preparation. If "getting paid reliably" is your biggest pain point, Bonsai solves it well.

Contracts are a standout feature. Bonsai includes freelance-ready contract templates that you can customize and send for e-signature. For writers who currently use handshake agreements or copy-pasted Google Doc contracts, this is a meaningful upgrade.

What it doesn't do: Project management is basic — task lists, not a Kanban pipeline with writing-specific stages. No swipe file system. No rate calculator. No way to build the kind of interconnected databases that make Notion powerful for tracking the business holistically. Client management exists but is more "contact list" than "relationship pipeline."

Payment processing fees: Bonsai charges payment processing fees on top of the subscription — typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for credit cards via Stripe, or 3.5% for ACH. Factor this into your cost calculation.

Best for: Writers whose primary frustration is contracts, invoicing, and getting paid. If you're losing money to late payments, forgotten invoices, or unsigned contracts, Bonsai fixes those specific problems faster than any other option.

Dubsado for Freelance Writers

Dubsado

Starter: $35/month · Premier: $55/month · (or $350/$550 per year)

What it does well for writers: Dubsado's strength is workflow automation. You can build automated sequences: client fills out an inquiry form → automatically receives a proposal → signs a contract → gets an onboarding questionnaire → gets added to your project pipeline. For writers who take on many similar-scope projects, this saves real time.

Client portals are useful. Each client gets a dedicated portal where they can see their projects, invoices, and shared documents. This is professional and reduces "where's my project?" emails.

What it doesn't do: Dubsado is designed for service providers broadly, not writers specifically. Project management is form-based, not writing-workflow-based. No swipe file management. No per-word rate calculations. The learning curve is steeper than Bonsai — expect a few hours to set up your workflows. And it's the most expensive option for solo writers.

The pricing gap: At $35-55/month, Dubsado is significantly more expensive than Notion (free-$10) or Bonsai ($9-29). For a solo freelance writer, that's $420-660/year. The automation needs to save you real time to justify the cost.

Best for: Writers who handle a high volume of similar client projects and want to automate the entire client journey from inquiry to payment. Most valuable if you're doing 10+ new client engagements per month.

HoneyBook for Freelance Writers

HoneyBook

Starter: $29/month · Essentials: $44/month · Premium: $97/month · (billed annually)

What it does well for writers: HoneyBook is the most approachable option. The interface is clean, setup is fast, and it handles the basics well — client management, invoicing, contracts, proposals, and scheduling. If you want something that "just works" without much configuration, HoneyBook is the easiest starting point.

Proposals are a highlight. HoneyBook lets you create professional proposals with built-in contract signing and payment — all in one document. Your client reads the proposal, signs the contract, and pays the deposit in a single flow.

What it doesn't do: Like Dubsado and Bonsai, HoneyBook isn't built for writer-specific workflows. No writing project stages, no rate calculator, no swipe files. The project management is basic. And HoneyBook recently raised prices significantly — the Starter plan jumped to $29/month (billed annually), which is steep for a solo writer's needs.

Best for: Writers who want the fastest setup with reasonable client management, invoicing, and contracts. Best if you value ease of use over customization and don't mind the higher monthly cost.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	Notion	Bonsai	Dubsado	HoneyBook
Monthly cost (solo)	Free-$10	$9-29	$35-55	$29-97
Client CRM	Custom-built	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in
Writing project stages	Fully custom	Generic tasks	Generic stages	Basic
Invoicing	Manual/external	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in
Contracts & e-sign	External needed	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in
Rate calculator	With template	No	No	No
Swipe file system	With template	No	No	No
Workflow automation	With Zapier	Basic	Advanced	Good
Client portal	Shared pages	Yes	Yes	Yes
Database flexibility	Unlimited	Fixed fields	Some custom	Fixed fields
Learning curve	Moderate	Low	High	Low

The Real Decision Framework

The choice isn't "which tool is best." It's "which problem is costing you the most money right now."

Choose Notion if:

You want writing-specific workflows (brief → draft → review → revision stages)
You care about rate optimization and tracking your effective hourly rate
You want a swipe file and reference library alongside your business tools
You're comfortable with initial setup (or using a template)
You want the cheapest ongoing cost

Choose Bonsai if:

Getting paid is your biggest problem (late invoices, no contracts)
You need proper contracts with e-signatures for every project
You want time tracking built into your project management
You're OK with basic project management in exchange for strong financial tools

Choose Dubsado if:

You handle 10+ new client engagements per month
You want to automate the entire client journey (inquiry → proposal → contract → onboarding)
You're willing to invest time in setup for long-term automation gains
The $35-55/month cost is justified by time saved on repetitive tasks

Choose HoneyBook if:

You want the fastest, easiest setup
Combined proposals + contracts + payments in one flow appeals to you
You value polish and ease of use over deep customization
You're OK with higher monthly costs for lower setup friction

The Combination Approach

Many successful freelance writers use Notion + one other tool. Notion for the writing workflow, project management, and reference materials. Bonsai or a simple invoicing tool (like Wave or Stripe Invoicing) for contracts and payments. This gives you the best of both worlds: writing-specific project management plus reliable financial infrastructure.

What About Cost Over Time?

Monthly costs add up. Here's what each tool costs you per year as a solo freelance writer:

Notion (free plan): $0/year + one-time template cost ($0-50)
Notion (Plus): $120/year + one-time template cost
Bonsai (Essentials): $228/year + payment processing fees
Dubsado (Starter): $350/year + payment processing fees
HoneyBook (Starter): $348/year + payment processing fees

Over 3 years, the difference between Notion (free) and Dubsado is over $1,000. That matters when you're building a freelance business.

Notion + Copywriter-Specific Template

The Freelance Copywriter OS gives you everything in the "Notion" column above — pre-built and ready. Client CRM, writing-specific project pipeline, rate calculator, financial dashboard, swipe file system, and 6 SOPs. One-time cost, no monthly fees.

View the Freelance Copywriter OS