Best Invoicing for Event Planners

Bottom Line

The typical event planner pays $79/month for HoneyBook + Dubsado. That's $948/year — $3,180 over 3 years with SaaS inflation. Helix includes invoicing as a built-in module for $279 once. Break even in 3.5 months.

What Event Planners Actually Pay

HoneyBook$39/mo ($468/yr)
Dubsado$40/mo ($480/yr)
Annual software rent $948/yr
3-year total (11.4% inflation) $3,180
5-year total $5,951
Helix — one time, own forever $279
You keep over 3 years $2,901

That's 44 hours of your work every year — just to pay for software you don't own.

Sound Familiar?

You're planning a corporate gala for 300, a retirement party for 75, and a product launch for 150 — all in the same month. The gala client wants to add a photo booth vendor. The product launch venue just changed their floor plan. You need to update three timelines, coordinate with 20 vendors, send two invoices, and do a site visit at 3pm. HoneyBook charges $39/month plus 2.9% on the $8,000 gala contract. That's $232 in processing plus the monthly fee.

Why Event Planners Are Fed Up

"$39/month plus payment processing fees. On large corporate events, the processing fees alone are hundreds of dollars."
— Common event planner complaint about HoneyBook
"Setup took forever. The workflows are powerful but any change requires 30 minutes of configuration."
— Common event planner complaint about Dubsado

Run Your Own Numbers

Select the tools you're paying for. Watch the total climb.

Your camera is yours. Your software should be too.

You own your Event management binders and checklists. You bought it once. Why are you renting your invoicing?
$79/month. Every month. Forever. That's not a tool — that's a tax.

What You Get for $279

Professional invoicing with payment tracking, reminders, and automated follow-ups. Plus scheduling, CRM, task management, and a full QuickBooks-style accounting suite. All connected. All yours. Forever.

What This Means for Event Planners

The average event planner pays HoneyBook ($39/mo), Dubsado ($40/mo) — a total of $79/month or $948 per year. With SaaS prices rising 11.4% annually (five times general inflation), that stack will cost $3,180 over three years and $5,951 over five. Helix replaces all of it for $279, paid once. You break even in 3.5 months. After that, every dollar your competitors spend on subscriptions is money you keep. At median event planner earnings, $948/year in software represents 44 hours of work — time spent earning money just to hand it to SaaS companies for tools you never own.

FAQ

Is Helix actually built for event planners?

Yes. The invoicing module is designed for event planners who need to professional invoicing with payment tracking, reminders, and automated follow-ups. Plus you get scheduling, CRM, time tracking, and full accounting — tools most event planners end up needing anyway. $279 total for everything.

$279 seems expensive upfront. Is it worth it?

$279 spread over 3 years is $7.75/month. You're currently paying $79/month for HoneyBook + Dubsado — that's $3,180 over 3 years. Helix saves you $2,901 over that period. The math isn't close.

What if I don't like it?

30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund, no questions. If Helix doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.

Can I switch from HoneyBook?

Yes. Export your data as CSV, import into Helix. Most event planners are fully switched in 1-2 days. Run both in parallel until you're confident — zero risk.

How does Helix compare to what other event planners spend?

The median event planner earns $45,000/year. Software subscriptions at $948/year represent 2.1% of that income — every single year. Helix at $279 once is 0.62% of annual income, paid one time. The difference compounds every year you operate.

Why One App Beats Three Subscriptions

Most event planners cobble together 3-5 separate apps — one for scheduling, one for invoicing, one for bookkeeping, maybe another for client management. Each one charges monthly. None of them talk to each other. So you end up copying client info between apps, manually reconciling invoices with your books, and losing track of details that fall through the cracks.

Helix takes a different approach. All 11 modules share one data source. Finish a job → invoice auto-generates. Track time → it feeds your billing. A client books online → their info appears in your CRM. No Zapier. No CSV exports. No "did I update that in the other app?" $279 once — or $99 today and two more payments — and you own the entire integrated system. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Get your personalized cost report

Your exact HoneyBook + Dubsado cost, 3.5-month break-even math, and 5-year projection.

Pricing verified March 2026. SaaS inflation rate: 11.4% YoY (5x general inflation).

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