Handl Billing: The Best HoneyBook Alternative
Handl Billing delivers specialised project-based billing designed for digital agencies with advanced scope creep tracking and secure asset exchange linked to payments, while HoneyBook offers a general client management system primarily built for event-based businesses and creative freelancers.
Why Digital Agencies Choose Handl Over HoneyBook
Industry-Specific Focus
Purpose-built for digital marketing agencies, software firms, and design professionals with specialised workflows.
Primarily designed for event-based businesses, photographers, and creative freelancers with different business models.
Scope Creep Tracking & Management
Advanced scope change detection and tracking system that automatically identifies when projects expand beyond original agreements, with built-in client notification and approval workflows.
Basic proposal and contract tools without specialised scope tracking, making it difficult to identify and manage expanding project requirements.
Secure Digital Asset Exchange
Securely links digital asset delivery (code, designs, marketing assets) to payment confirmation, ensuring clients receive deliverables only after payment is verified.
Limited file-sharing capabilities without payment-contingent release mechanisms, putting valuable digital assets at risk.
Media Account Budget Management
Streamlines media account spending by automating micropayments between ad accounts and client payments, ideal for digital marketing agencies.
No specialised features for managing digital marketing budgets or ad spend, creating extra administrative work.
Project Management Integration
Deep integration with popular project management tools, creating a unified system for tracking work progress and payment triggers.
Limited third-party integrations, creating silos between project management and client billing.
Feature Comparison
Scope Creep Detection
Scope Change Approval
Digital Asset Protection
Project-Payment Linking
Media Budget Management (Coming Soon)
Project Management Integration
Client Collaboration
Automated Reminders
Contract Templates
Pricing Structure
Scope Creep
Asset exchange payment
Why HandL is better than HoneyBook for Digital Agencies
HoneyBook was designed primarily for service providers with different business models than digital agencies:
Event-Based vs. Project-Based Design
HoneyBook's core functionality revolves around booking dates, managing venues, and scheduling—features that digital agencies rarely need while lacking specialised tools agencies use daily.
Limited Scope Management
Without solid scope tracking, agencies using HoneyBook struggle to:
- Identify when projects expand beyond original agreements
- Document changes for client approval
- Justify additional billing for expanded work
- Prevent profit erosion from scope creep
Weak Digital Asset Protection
HoneyBook's basic file sharing lacks the payment-contingent release mechanisms that protect agencies from clients who might access deliverables without completing payment.
Inadequate Technical Integration
Digital agencies require deep integration with specialised tools that HoneyBook doesn't effectively connect with, resulting in workflow inefficiencies and data silos.
Transform Your Agency's Financial Operations
Handl is designed specifically for digital agencies looking to:
Track and manage scope creep effectively
Protect valuable digital assets until payment
Link project milestones to automated payments
Streamline media account spending
Improve cash flow predictability
Get a HandL
on Your Project.
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