Hidden Costs of HoneyBook: A Deep Dive into Fees for Coaching Businesses

When choosing a platform to support your coaching business, cost is often one of the first factors you evaluate. At first glance, HoneyBook might seem like a more affordable and transparent solution. 

However, it’s essential to look beyond the headline prices if you’re a coach or coaching business owner. The actual cost of using coaching practice management platforms like HoneyBook extends beyond its subscription tiers; it also involves fees, limitations in coaching-specific tools, and a growing need for workarounds or additional software.

In this blog, we break down HoneyBook pricing, explore the hidden costs associated with its use, and introduce a better alternative, a platform built exclusively for coaches. Understanding these differences could help you avoid scaling challenges, reduce overhead costs, and streamline your business operations from day one.

Understanding HoneyBook Pricing

HoneyBook offers three primary pricing tiers, each designed primarily with general business management in mind. Here’s a closer look at what each plan includes and what that means for your coaching business:

1. Starter plan

Monthly: $36 | Annually: $29/month
Offers unlimited clients and projects, invoicing, payment collection, proposals, contracts, calendar sync, templates, client portal, and basic reports.

This plan works for smaller operations, but lacks coaching-specific functionalities that are typically needed, even if you are an early-stage coach.

2. Essentials plan

Monthly: $59 | Annually: $49/month
Adds features such as a scheduler, automations, QuickBooks Online integration, up to two team members, expense management, profit and loss reports, branding removal, and standard reporting.

This plan offers more flexibility for coaches managing ongoing engagements, but does not cover core coaching workflows.

3. Premium plan

Monthly: $129 | Annually: $109/month
Expands to include unlimited team members, priority support, multiple business management under one login, advanced reporting, and a dedicated account manager.
 

This plan might serve a coaching agency in structure, but it doesn’t provide coaching-centric tools like progress tracking or multi-stakeholder access.

While these plans provide a range of features for general business management, HoneyBook pricing does not reflect the extra costs that come into play when using the platform for coaching.

Payment Processing Fees of HoneyBook

Beyond the subscription costs, HoneyBook fees are something that applies to your client payments, fees that can add up quickly, especially if you are a coach processing high-volume or high-ticket transactions:

• ACH/Bank transfers: 1.5% of the payment total
• Cardholder-entered payments: 2.9% + 25 cents per transaction
• Card-on-file payments: 3.4% + 9 cents per transaction
• Cash/Check: No fee (processed externally)

HoneyBook fees are a percentage of the payment total, with added card fees of 9¢ or 25¢ depending on the method.

Although standard across many payment processors, these costs can significantly impact your revenue, especially if you’re charging premium coaching rates or offering group programs.

These fees help provide safe and hassle-free online payment processing. Remember, additional features or add-ons may incur extra charges. Always review the fine print carefully before subscribing.

Limitations You Need to Watch Out For

HoneyBook’s structure caters primarily to photographers, event planners, and general service providers. As a result, coaching professionals like yourself may try to retrofit the platform to meet their needs. Here are just a few of the limitations:

• No built-in client progress tracking or goal mapping
• No session-based program workflows or group coaching options
• Limited automation capabilities specific to coaching engagements
• No visibility access for HRBPS, client sponsors, or other stakeholders
• Limited custom branding and no white-label experience
• HoneyBook fees for your transactions on every payment made through the platform

These are not just minor inconveniences; they are critical gaps that can compromise your client experience and ability to scale sustainably.

The Coaching-Specific Alternative: Why Simply.Coach Outperforms HoneyBook

Unlike HoneyBook, Simply.Coach is purpose-built for coaching businesses. That means every tool, automation, and report is designed to help coaches like you easily manage engagements, whether running 1:1 sessions, group coaching, or large-scale programs for enterprise clients.

Here’s what Simply.Coach offers that HoneyBook doesn’t:

• Purpose-built coaching journeys, including milestone tracking and structured programs
• Customizable templates for 1:1 and group coaching engagements
• Role-based access for clients, HRBPS, sponsors, and program managers
• White-labeled coaching portals with your branding
• Automated session scheduling, form sharing, and contract workflows
• Seamless payment collection through cards, wallets, bank transfers, and more, with no platform transaction fees
• Enterprise-grade data security with HIPAA, SOC2 & GDPR compliance
• Transparent, upfront pricing, what you see is what you pay

Simply.Coach gives you all the functionality you need in one place, eliminating the need for multiple subscriptions or patchwork workflows.

A Quick Look at Simply.Coach’s Transparent Pricing

Unlike HoneyBook pricing, Simply.Coach provides coaching businesses with clarity and cost-efficiency. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

For solo coaches:

1. Starter plan
   • Monthly: $19
   • Annually: If you subscribe to the annual plan, you pay $9/month
   • Features: 1:1 coaching, group coaching, calendar booking pages, survey forms, one contract, one program, coaching for up to 3 individuals.
     
2. Essentials plan
   • Monthly: $39
   • Annually: If you subscribe to the annual plan, you pay $29/month
   • Includes all Starter features, plus three contracts, three programs, and coaching for up to 7 clients
3. Growth plan
   • Monthly: $59
   • Annual Plan: Subscribe annually and pay $49 per month
   • Features: Everything in Essentials, multiple calendar connections, recurring sessions, your logo, 10 contracts, 10 programs, and coaching for up to 30 individuals.
     
4. Leap plan
   • Monthly: $89
   • Annually: If you subscribe to the annual plan, you pay $69/month
   • Includes all Growth features, a whitelabeled platform, custom domain, unlimited contracts, programs, and client coaching.

For coaching businesses & teams:

• CoCreate plan
  Monthly: $99
  Annually: $79/month + $29/month per additional active coach
  
  Features: 1:1 and group coaching, survey forms, internal coach finder, three coaching journeys, 10 clients per coach, and one onboarding/training session.
  
• Surge plan
  Monthly: $199
  Annually: $159/month + $29/month per additional active coach
  
  Features: Everything in CoCreate plus recurring sessions, multiple calendar connections, whitelabeled platform, own domain, two program managers, and 5 HRBP/client sponsors.
  
• Optima Plan
  Monthly: $349
  Annually: $289/month + $39/month per additional active coach
  
  Features: Everything in Surge plus coaching program matching, automated custom reports, customer satisfaction tracking via NPS, form scheduling automation, company profile with round-robin scheduling, custom role nomenclature, unlimited program managers and templates, and four onboarding sessions.

For the Enterprise plan, you can reach out to Simply.Coach for more information.

With Simply.Coach, what you see is what you pay, unlike unexpected HoneyBook fees or transaction costs.

Choose a Platform Designed for Coaching, Not Just Business

When selecting a platform for your coaching business, affordability must go hand-in-hand with functionality. While HoneyBook pricing might initially seem reasonable, the layered fees and coaching-specific limitations can restrict your growth and complicate your workflow.

Simply.Coach delivers what coaching businesses need: purpose-built tools, transparent pricing, and zero transaction charges. You’re not just paying for a CRM or admin software but investing in a full-scale coaching enablement platform that grows with your practice.

Ready to eliminate the guesswork and hidden charges? See how simply.Coach becomes an ideal platform with many features and no hidden charges.

Now that you know the right platform to settle for, schedule a demo or sign up for a free 14-day trial with Simply.Coach to experience elevation in your coaching practice with the right assistant by your side today!