A simpler alternative to HoneyBook for wedding photographers
As all-in-one CRM subscriptions add up, more wedding photographers are asking whether they need a whole CRM at all. Often you don't — you need the quote to close and the deposit in the bank. quolby is one branded link for exactly that: an interactive quote, an e-signed contract and a deposit paid straight into your own Stripe, with a 0% platform fee.
The honest trade-off
All-in-one CRMs are powerful, and if you live inside one, keep it. But many photographers pay for months and never get past configuring templates. The one job that actually moves money — turning a "how much?" into a booked, deposit-paid couple — gets buried under everything else.
quolby is the opposite bet: do that one job brilliantly, and be usable in ten minutes.
How quolby compares to HoneyBook
| HoneyBook (all-in-one) | quolby | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Hours — templates, workflows, automations | ~10 minutes — build packages, send a link |
| The couple sees | An invoice or proposal to read | An interactive quote they build themselves |
| Deposit | Yes, bundled | Yes — paid on the spot, straight to your Stripe |
| Who holds your deposit | The platform (merchant of record) | Your own Stripe — 0% platform fee, we never hold it |
| Price | Paid monthly subscription | Free to start · €15/mo Pro |
What quolby does
- A branded quote link your couple builds themselves — pick packages, watch the total settle, accept.
- The deposit is paid in the same tap, directly into your own Stripe account (quolby takes no cut).
- You're notified the moment the date is reserved.
- Free to send quotes; Pro (€15/mo) adds deposit collection and removes the small credit.
See it in 60 seconds
Build a sample quote exactly like your couple would — no signup.
Try the free quote makerWho it's for
quolby fits the photographer who quotes by PDF, WhatsApp or email today and wants to look professional and get paid faster — without adopting (and configuring) an entire business suite. Keep your CRM, or don't. Either way, close the couple.
New to structuring your quotes? Start with our guide on how to send a wedding photography quote, or read how to collect a wedding photography deposit straight into your own Stripe. Still torn between the big suites? Read HoneyBook vs Dubsado. Or just build a sample studio — no signup.
FAQ
Is quolby a HoneyBook alternative?
Yes — but a deliberately smaller one. HoneyBook is a full all-in-one CRM; quolby does the single job that books the wedding: a branded link where your couple builds an interactive quote, e-signs the contract and pays the deposit. If you never finished configuring a whole CRM, quolby is usable in about ten minutes. Keep HoneyBook for everything else, or replace it — either works.
Does quolby charge a fee on deposits?
quolby takes a 0% platform fee — we never add a cut to your deposit. The couple pays through a Stripe Connect direct charge into your own Stripe account, so the money is yours from the moment it lands. Stripe's standard card processing fee (about 2.9%) still applies and is charged by Stripe through your account, exactly as it would on any payment you take.
Where does the couple's deposit go?
Straight into your own Stripe account. quolby uses a Stripe Connect direct charge, which means the payment is created on your account, not ours — quolby is never in the money flow. There is no quolby wallet, no payout delay from us, and no balance we hold on your behalf. You connect your Stripe once, and every deposit lands there directly.
Can quolby freeze or hold my money?
No. Because the deposit is a direct charge into your own Stripe account, quolby never holds the funds and takes no cut of them — your money answers to Stripe's normal rules alone, with no extra platform layer on top. That is the core difference from CRMs that act as merchant of record and sit between you and your money. Your relationship for the funds is with Stripe directly, on your own account and under your own terms.
Can I keep HoneyBook and still use quolby?
Absolutely. Plenty of photographers keep an existing CRM for admin and use quolby only for the front-end quote and deposit, because that is the part that actually closes the booking. There is no migration and no lock-in — you send a quolby link when you want to quote fast, and nothing else in your workflow has to change. Try it alongside what you already use and see which you reach for.
How much does quolby cost?
quolby is free to start, and Pro is €15 per month. Free lets you build and send branded quotes; Pro adds deposit collection and removes the small quolby credit on your quote. There is no per-booking commission and no platform fee on the deposit itself — Stripe's standard card fee is the only processing cost, and it is charged through your own Stripe account.