Dubsado alternative: Stack vs Dubsado for Australian businesses

Dubsado is one of the most capable client management tools for service businesses, and it's popular with freelancers and studios. If you're comparing it with Stack, here's what each one does, where each falls short, and who each suits. We make Stack, so read it with that in mind. Every claim about Dubsado comes from its published plans and features.

What Dubsado does well

Dubsado is built for customisation. Both plans include contracts, invoices and payment plans, forms, client portals, email integration and unlimited clients and projects, with up to three users included. On the Premier plan, workflows can send forms, invoices, reminders and emails automatically based on dates, contracts, payments and appointments.

Premier also connects to QuickBooks Online and Zapier. Clients can pay through Dubsado Payments (powered by Stripe), PayPal or Square. If you like designing a detailed client journey and want it to run on its own, Dubsado is very good at that.

Where Dubsado may not fit

• The useful parts sit on the higher plan. Automated workflows, the scheduler, public proposals and the QuickBooks connection are Premier features. Starter covers contracts, invoices, forms and client portals.
• There's more to set up. Dubsado's flexibility means you build your own forms, templates and workflows. Dubsado says most people are up and running within a week or two, and it lists certified specialists you can hire to help.
• It's priced in US dollars. Dubsado lists its plans in USD, and extra brands are an added monthly cost.
• It's centred on the paperwork, not the inbox. Dubsado connects to your email, but it's organised around projects and paperwork rather than your daily inbox.
• It isn't built for sales. By Dubsado's own description, it manages clients after an enquiry converts and doesn't include an outbound sales pipeline. Stack's pipeline tracks every lead before they become a client.

What Stack does

Stack is a workspace for Australian businesses that run on client work, from solo designers and consultants to studios of around fifteen people. It's purpose built rather than a blank canvas, so there's no system for you to design first.

• Your inbox at the centre. Connect Gmail or Microsoft 365 and your mail, calendar and tasks sync both ways. Email and SMS share one threaded inbox, with the client's record beside every conversation.
• A sales pipeline. Every enquiry on a board with a clear next step and an owner. Won deals hand straight over to client management.
• Client management. One record for each client, with the people, the work, the files and every conversation. Onboarding templates and checklists release steps as dates pass or as the client answers.
• Client portals. Each client gets a private page for progress, documents, messages and requests, opened from an emailed link with no account to create.
• A booking page. Clients book themselves into your real calendar availability.
• Penny, your AI assistant. Penny works from your inbox, calendar and tasks. She writes daily briefs and first drafts of replies and suggests next steps. You approve her drafts before they're sent, and Penny is included in the price.

What Stack doesn't do yet

Stack doesn't send proposals or contracts, collect e-signatures, issue invoices or take client payments, and it doesn't connect to Xero or other accounting software. If you rely on Dubsado for contracts and invoicing, you'd keep those in another tool, or stay with Dubsado.

Stack is also in public beta. It's young and changing quickly, and you're working directly with the Melbourne team who build it.

Side by side

Setup

Dubsado: you build your forms, templates and workflows.

Stack: connect your email and calendar and start working, with templates you can adjust as you go.

Contracts, proposals and invoices

Dubsado: contracts and invoices on both plans, public proposals on Premier.

Stack: not available.

Client payments

Dubsado: through Dubsado Payments (powered by Stripe), PayPal or Square.

Stack: not available.

Automation

Dubsado: detailed workflows on Premier.

Stack: onboarding templates with dated and conditional steps, and Penny suggesting next steps for you to approve.

Email, calendar and SMS

Dubsado: email integration and calendar connection.

Stack: two-way sync with Gmail or Microsoft 365, with SMS in the same inbox.

Scheduling

Dubsado: scheduler on Premier.

Stack: a public booking page connected to your calendar.

Client portal

Dubsado: on both plans.

Stack: on every plan, with an emailed sign-in link instead of a client account.

Accounting

Dubsado: QuickBooks Online on Premier.

Stack: not connected yet.

Where it's made

Dubsado: Burbank, California, priced in US dollars.

Stack: Australian-owned, built in Melbourne and priced in Australian dollars.

Pricing

Dubsado has two plans, Starter and Premier, priced in US dollars, with a free trial. Its prices for new subscribers changed on 1 December 2025, so check Dubsado's website for current rates. Card and bank payments carry processing fees.

Stack Pro Workspace, for one person, is A$49 a month. Team Workspace covers five users, and you can add more. Founding offer: the first 100 subscribers pay from A$15 a month for their first 12 months, until 31 October 2026.

Every Stack plan starts with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required. If you don't continue, your workspace becomes read-only and your data is kept. Cancel any time, with no lock-in contract.

Moving across from Dubsado

You've probably put real time into your Dubsado setup, so there's no need to switch in one go. Connect your email and calendar, import your contacts from a CSV or vCard file, and run Stack alongside Dubsado during the trial to see whether the day-to-day feels lighter. If you're moving a team, email hello@thinkswift.au and we'll help you plan it.

So which one?

If you want to design a detailed, automated client journey with contracts and invoices built in, and you have the time to set it up, choose Dubsado. If you'd rather start from your inbox and calendar, with your pipeline, clients and portals ready to use, try Stack free for 14 days.