Dubsado: Free Trial Limits, Starter vs Premier Plans and Monthly vs Annual Billing

Dubsado is client management software for service businesses: photographers, designers, planners, coaches, copywriters and consultants. It handles lead forms, proposals, contracts, invoices, payment plans, scheduling and automated workflows in one account, sold as a subscription.

Buying Dubsado well means using the free trial to build something real, picking the plan that matches whether you need automation, and deciding on monthly or annual billing before applying a code.

How the Dubsado free trial works

Dubsado has long offered a free trial limited by the number of clients rather than by days, which means you can take your time building templates. Check the current Dubsado trial terms, since the details can change.

Use the trial to build one complete client journey: a contact form, a proposal, a contract, an invoice and the confirmation email. If the whole path works for one test client, Dubsado will work for your business.

Connect your payment processor and calendar during the trial, not after paying. Integration problems are easier to walk away from before the first charge.

Starter or Premier

Dubsado sells tiered plans, currently a Starter plan and a Premier plan. Starter covers the core paperwork: forms, contracts, invoices and payments. Premier adds the features that save the most time, such as the scheduler and automated workflows.

If you book fewer than a handful of clients a month and are happy to send each document yourself, Starter is enough. If you take enquiries and bookings every week, the Dubsado workflows and scheduler pay for the upgrade in saved admin.

Compare the current Dubsado plan pages for the exact feature split. Features move between tiers from time to time.

Monthly versus annual billing

Dubsado sells both monthly and annual subscriptions, with the annual price working out cheaper per month. Pay annually only once you are sure the software fits; a year's commitment for something you abandon in March is money lost.

The order of decisions matters for discounts. A Dubsado code applied to an annual plan saves far more in cash than the same percentage on a single month, so check which billing period the code covers before you choose.

Put the renewal date in your calendar. Annual renewals charge automatically, and you will want to review the plan first.

Setting Dubsado up without losing weeks

Dubsado is flexible, and that makes the setup long. Start with templates you already use: paste your existing contract and invoice wording into Dubsado rather than writing from scratch.

Build workflows last. Automating a process you haven't tested by hand multiplies mistakes, so run a few clients through manually first.

Many designers sell ready-made Dubsado templates and setup services. They can save time, but check that a template matches your plan tier, especially if it relies on Premier workflows.

Branding, payments and client experience

Dubsado lets you brand forms and the client portal with your own colours and logo. A clean, consistent portal is part of why service businesses pay for it, so spend an hour on it.

Payments run through a connected processor such as Stripe, Square or PayPal, which charge their own fees on top of the Dubsado subscription. Factor those into your pricing.

Payment plans and automatic reminders are among the most useful Dubsado features for chasing deposits and balances without awkward emails.

Is Dubsado the right tool

Dubsado suits businesses that sell custom services with a proposal, contract and deposit. If you mostly sell fixed-price products or classes, a simpler booking or shop tool may do the job for less.

The learning curve is real. Owners who enjoy building systems get the most from Dubsado; if you would rather not, budget for a template or a setup specialist on top of the subscription.

Check data export and client limits before committing, and keep copies of your own contract wording outside Dubsado in case you ever move.

Where the Dubsado savings are

Dubsado discounts usually come as referral codes from educators, template designers and existing users, and they typically apply to your first payment, whether that is one month or a full year. Check which applies at checkout.

The two 30% codes are the strongest. Apply one when you move from trial to paid, and choose annual billing if you are committed, because 30% of a year is worth far more than 30% of one month.

The 20% code is the fallback if neither 30% code is accepted.

Only one Dubsado code can be used per account, and generally only on a new subscription. Decide on the plan and billing period first, then apply the code once.

Common questions

Is there a free version of Dubsado?

There is a free trial limited by client numbers. Check the current Dubsado terms for the exact limit.

Do I need Dubsado Premier?

Only if you want the scheduler and automated workflows. Starter covers the core paperwork.

Does a Dubsado code apply to renewals?

Usually not; codes typically discount the first payment only.