FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
A CRM for photographers. Every business you run, one login.
Aventide is a CRM for photographers with every business you run under one login, each with its own brand, client portals and Stripe account. Clients book, sign and pay; the money goes to your Stripe, with no Aventide fee. HoneyBook offers several businesses only on Premium, $129 a month billed monthly (as of October 18, 2026); Aventide includes them from $39 a month.
IN YOUR WORDS
What do you need to book clients and get paid?
"Some let you take a deposit, but it's clunky and optional, so people skip it."
Minh Huynh, who builds a booking tool, on what trainers, coaches and photographers told him.
"high fees (both the subscription and credit card fees, and you aren't able to opt of of accepting credit cards)."
Sinead, in a one-star Trustpilot review of HoneyBook, July 22, 2026 (trade not stated).
"my biggest problem is the client-side portal isn't evolving with our needs."
Byron Honea, HoneyBook community forum, April 30, 2026 (trade not stated).
None of the three is about the photography itself. Each is about the stretch between the inquiry and the shoot: taking the deposit, what each payment costs you, and what your client sees.
STEP ONE
Booking software that takes the deposit
For portraits, headshots and mini sessions, share your booking page and let clients pick a time. Ask your intake questions as they book (the location, who's in the photos) and take the full fee or a deposit at booking through your own Stripe account; Aventide adds no fee of its own. Clients get an email confirmation and can reschedule or cancel within the rules you set. A consult call gets a Zoom or Google Meet link.
STEP TWO
Weddings: the proposal, the contract, the deposit
For a wedding or a commercial job, Aventide's AI can draft the proposal from your consult notes; you read it, change what you want and send it. Then send the contract for e-signature: you countersign, and the client signs on a page in your branding. If the contract asks for a deposit, signing queues the deposit invoice for your approval. Balance invoices and payment tracking sit in the same place, through Stripe or QuickBooks Online.
STEP THREE
Each client's portal, under the right brand
Each client gets a portal in your branding, holding the documents and files you share with them, so the timeline and the shot list aren't buried in email. If you shoot weddings under one name and family portraits under another, add each as its own business. Each keeps its own clients, branding, client portals and Stripe account, and you switch between them from one login. Starter ($39 a month) and Pro ($99) both include unlimited businesses.
A wedding or a commercial job is a project, so this page sits under Aventide for people who sell projects. Proposals in Aventide show you the outline and the price before anything is written, and contracts with e-signature run from one of seven templates to a signed copy and, when a deposit is due, its invoice. Galleries stay in the tool you use now: see Does Aventide deliver photo galleries?
QUESTIONS
Before you switch
Does Aventide deliver photo galleries?
No. Aventide doesn't deliver galleries, run proofing or sell prints. Keep Pixieset or whatever you use; Aventide runs the booking, contract, payments and the client's portal. The two sit side by side: clients book, sign and pay in Aventide, and see their photos in your gallery tool.
Is HoneyBook good for photographers?
Yes, and many photographers use it: 27% of HoneyBook's 691 Capterra reviewers are photographers (checked October 6, 2026). It includes proposals, contracts, payments and a client portal on every plan. What it costs them: HoneyBook processes payments itself, with card fees from 2.7% + 10¢ (2.9% + 25¢ in its plan table) and 1.5% on bank transfers, and a second business needs Premium at $129 a month (checked October 18, 2026). Aventide takes 0% of client payments and includes every business from $39. Aventide doesn't deliver galleries or run proofing; keep Pixieset or your gallery tool beside it.
Is Aventide cheaper than HoneyBook?
Not for one business. HoneyBook Starter is $36 a month billed monthly, or $29 billed yearly, against Aventide's $39 (as of October 2026). Aventide costs less once you add a teammate (HoneyBook Essentials, $59) or a second business (Premium, $129), both billed monthly. If you run one business and take card payments in person, HoneyBook's phone app with Tap to Pay may suit you better. Aventide's app is for a desktop browser; on your phone you work through Sidekick on WhatsApp, Telegram or Slack, and clients book, sign and pay on any device. On fees, HoneyBook processes payments itself, at 1.5% on bank transfers (checked October 18, 2026) against Stripe's 0.8%, capped at $5, through Aventide. Aventide adds no fee of its own.
Starter and Pro, with their yearly prices, are on Aventide pricing.
Does Aventide take a percentage of payments?
No. Aventide takes 0% of what your clients pay you. Payments go to your own Stripe account, or to QuickBooks Payments if you invoice through QuickBooks, and you pay only that processor's fees. On a $5,000 bank transfer, that is $5 through Stripe (0.8%, capped at $5) against $75 with HoneyBook at 1.5% (as of October 13, 2026).
Does Aventide have a photography contract template?
No. Aventide's seven built-in contracts are a service agreement, a master service agreement, a mutual NDA, a design project agreement, two consulting contracts and a coaching agreement. If you have a photography contract, upload it as a Word file and use it as your template, then send it for e-signature. Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.
Can I move my data from HoneyBook to Aventide?
Yes. Connect your HoneyBook account in Aventide and the Switch Kit shows a preview before anything is saved. Contacts, clients with their pipeline stage, projects, tasks, notes and past messages come over, with invoice and contract history as read-only records. Running it again updates what it brought over instead of copying it twice. Collect open invoices in HoneyBook first.
