HoneyBook alternative: Stack vs HoneyBook for Australian businesses
Choose HoneyBook if you want proposals, contracts, invoices and payments in one tool; Stack doesn't do those yet. Choose Stack if your enquiries, follow-ups and client updates are scattered across inboxes. It connects to Gmail or Microsoft 365 and adds a pipeline, client records, portals and an AI assistant.
HoneyBook launched in Australia in May 2026. If you're weighing it up against Stack, here's a straight comparison: 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 HoneyBook comes from its own published pricing and feature pages.
What HoneyBook does well
HoneyBook is built around client paperwork. Every plan includes proposals, contracts with e-signatures, invoices, online payments and a client portal, and a client can book, sign and pay from a single file. It has a large template library and years of use behind it in the US.
If every new client gets a proposal and a contract, and you want the deposit collected in the same step, it's a mature option.
Where HoneyBook may not fit
- Features are tiered. HoneyBook has three plans: Starter, Essentials and Premium. The full scheduler and automations start on Essentials.
- Team size is tiered too. Essentials includes up to two team members. Unlimited team members need Premium.
- Payments carry fees. Client card and bank payments attract processing fees on top of the subscription.
- It's a US company. HoneyBook is based in San Francisco and arrived in Australia this year.
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.
- Inbox, calendar and tasks together. Connect Gmail or Microsoft 365 and your mail, calendar and tasks sync both ways. Email and SMS sit in 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, from first contact to a yes.
- Client management. One record for each client, with the people, the work, the files and every conversation, plus onboarding templates and checklists you build once and reuse.
- Client portals. Each client gets a private page for progress, documents, messages and requests. They sign in from an emailed link, so there's no new 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 the next step. 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 accounting software. If those are essential to how you work, keep invoicing in your accounting software alongside Stack, or HoneyBook may suit you better.
Stack is also in public beta. It's young and changing quickly. The upside is that you're working directly with the Melbourne team who build it.
Side by side
Proposals, contracts and invoices
HoneyBook: included on every plan. Stack: not available.
Client payments
HoneyBook: card and bank transfer, with processing fees.
Stack: not available.
Email and calendar
HoneyBook: syncs your email and calendar.
Stack: two-way sync with Gmail or Microsoft 365, with SMS in the same inbox.
Sales pipeline
HoneyBook: a customisable project pipeline.
Stack: a pipeline board for leads and deals that hands won work straight to client management.
Client portal
HoneyBook: included on every plan.
Stack: included on every plan, with an emailed sign-in link instead of a client account.
AI assistant
HoneyBook: HoneyBook AI on every plan.
Stack: Penny on every plan, working from your connected inbox and calendar, with her drafts waiting for your approval.
Teams
HoneyBook: up to two team members on Essentials, unlimited on Premium.
Stack: Team Workspace includes five users, with extra users available.
Where it's made
HoneyBook: San Francisco.
Stack: Australian-owned and built in Melbourne.
Pricing
HoneyBook publishes its Australian pricing on its own website, and it changes with promotions, so check it there. All HoneyBook plans add processing fees when you take client payments.
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.
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 HoneyBook
You don't have to switch everything in one go. Connect your email and calendar, import your contacts from a CSV or vCard file, and run Stack alongside your current setup during the trial. If you're moving a team, email hello@stackworkspace.com.au and we'll help you plan it.
So which one?
If you want one tool to send the proposal, sign the contract and take the deposit, choose HoneyBook. If the paperwork is handled but the day-to-day isn't, and leads slip, clients chase updates and your team works from different inboxes, try Stack free for 14 days.