7 Best CRM for Photographers 2024 (50 Software Ranked)

by Chris Von Wilpert, BBusMan • Last updated November 23, 2023

Expert Verified by Leandro Langeani, BBA

First-Person Perspective: We buy, test and review software products based on a 3-step rating methodology and first-hand experienceIf you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our rating methodology and how we make money.

Today there are 87 different CRMs for photographers. We spent 68 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to manage your photography pictures and studio.

What is the Best CRM for Photographers?

  1. Honeybook — best of the best
  2. Studiocloud — best for small businesses
  3. Studio Ninja — best for solo photographers
  4. Dubsado — best for project management 
  5. Bloom — best for lead conversion
  6. Táve — best for photography agencies
  7. Sprout Studio — best for unlimited storage

Our Verdict — Best Of The Best

Price: Starts at $19/month

Honeybook is the go-to CRM for creatives and photographers. We think it’s the best because of its automation features, sleek interface, and unlimited project management capabilities.

The Best Part:

  • Unlimited projects. Honeybook has no limits on how many clients you can work with, even on the $19/mo Starter plan.

The Worst Part:

  • It’s pricier than alternatives. If you’re looking for comprehensive automation and CRM features, you’ll need to get the Essentials plan, which costs $39/mo.

Get it if you want the best CRM for photographers with built-in features for project management, invoicing, lead management, and more.

I recommend you get the free 7-day trial, then sign up for the Essentials plan at $39/mo.

(7-day free trial)

Best For

Honeybook is best for photographers who want an easy-to-use CRM to streamline their services.

Top Features

  • Template library. Get access to various editable proposals, contracts, and brochures that look professional, and impress your customers.
  • Schedule and pay. Process payments using Honeybook and allow customers to pay you with no hassle.
  • Unlimited contacts and projects. Take on as many leads and clients  as you can with Honeybook’s unlimited plans.
  • Great mobile app. Enjoy a fantastic mobile app experience and manage proposals, scheduling, and customers on the go.
  • Never miss a deadline. Watch your leads progress towards the sale at all times, with your own custom project pipeline.

Pricing

Honeybook offers three pricing plans:

  • Starter: $19/month for solo photographers who want a basic CRM with full client management features and built-in email & calendar integrations.
  • Essentials: $39/month for photographers and teams of two who want a complete CRM with scheduling, client management, and productivity tools.
  • Premium: $79/month for photographers and agencies who want the best CRM available to manage one or multiple photography businesses using every one of HoneyBook’s advanced features.

Annual plans provide up to an 18% discount.

Try Honeybook today with a free 7-day trial.

Our Verdict — Best For Small Businesses

Price: Starts at $10/month

StudioCloud is an all-in-one CRM solution for small photography businesses. We think it’s the best for small businesses because of its affordable prices, great tech support, and customizability.

The Best Part:

  • It’s completely customizable. StudioCloud allows you to customize the theme of your software for pretty much everything, like email templates, contracts, calendar, and pipelines.

The Worst Part:

  • Pricey cloud storage. Every StudioCloud’s plan includes only 1 GB of storage space in the cloud, charging up to $0.25 per extra GB .

Get it if you want a perfect CRM solution for your small photography business to use on desktop, web, iOS, or Android.

I recommend you get the free 15-day trial, then sign up for the EmployeeBoost plan at $65/mo.

(15-day free trial)

Best For

StudioCloud is best for small photography businesses who want a comprehensive CRM solution for lead generation and project management.

Top Features

  • Integrated booking. Manage your team’s calendar from StudioCloud and personalize your customers’ booking experience.
  • Automated text reminders. Send out automated SMS reminders to decrease no-shows..
  • Lead generation made easy. Add new leads automatically from embedded sign-up forms on your websites and landing pages.
  • Powerful integrations. Integrate your entire workflow with seamless software integrations for tools such as QuickBooks, MailChimp, and RetouchUp.com.
  • Granular employee management. Track employee activity and assign different security roles for different users.

Pricing

StudioCloud offers three pricing plans:

  • A La Carte Add-Ons: $10/month per add-on for photographers who want complete access to basic CRM features for unlimited devices and clients, for one user only.
  • PartnerBoost: $35/month for photographers who want access to all StudioCloud client and project management features as well as lead generation tools.
  • EmployeeBoost: $65/month for small photography businesses that want the ultimate CRM experience with unlimited automation, scheduling, and management features.

Annual plans provide up to a 14% discount.

Try StudioCloud today with a free 15-day trial.

Our Verdict — Best For Solo Photographers

Price: Starts at $23.90

Studio Ninja is a dedicated photography CRM built to help book more clients, with less effort. We think it’s the best for solo photographers because of its unlimited features, 30-day free trial, and superb mobile apps.

The Best Part:

  • 30-day free trial. Studio Ninja offers you more than enough time to explore their CRM solution and see if it’s a good fit for your photography business.

The Worst Part:

  • No time tracking tool. Studio Ninja may not be the best tool for you if you provide services that require time tracking.

Get it if you want a dedicated photography CRM that’s built to automate repetitive tasks and save you time on your solopreneur journey.

I recommend you start with the 30-day free trial, then sign up for the Pro plan at $249/year.

(30-day free trial)

Best For

Studio Ninja is best for solo photographers who want an easy-to-use CRM centered around productivity and automation.

Top Features

  • Free software migration service. Get expert help to transfer all of your data and processes to Studio Ninja, free of charge.
  • Pool everything into one system. Integrate your favorite accounting, photo management, and storage solutions into Studio Ninja.
  • Income reporting. Integrate your PayPal/Stripe and monitor your income using custom payment charts.
  • Contract management. Have your clients sign online contracts and pay invoices — and even send automatic reminders for the due payments.
  • Task management view. Stay on top of your next sessions with a to-do list view of your closest deadlines.

Pricing

Studio Ninja offers two pricing plans:

  • Pro: $24.90/month for solo photographers who want an excellent CRM for up to three contact forms and one company (your own).
  • Master: $36.50/month for photographers and teams who want a comprehensive CRM with unlimited Studio Ninja features, for unlimited contact forms and three companies.

Annual plans provide a 17% discount.

Try Studio Ninja today with a free 30-day trial.

Our Top Three Picks

Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:

  1. Honeybook — best of the best
  2. Studiocloud — best for small businesses
  3. Studio Ninja — best for solo photographers

Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:

Tool

Entry Offer

Pricing

Honeybook

7-day free trial

Starts at $19/mo

Studiocloud

15-day free trial

Starts at $10/mo

Studio Ninja

30-day free trial

Starts at $24.90/mo

Dubsado

Free plan

Starts at $20/mo

Bloom

Free plan

Starts at $42/mo

Táve

30-day free trial

Starts at $24.99/mo

Sprout Studio

30-day free trial

Starts at $17/mo

Here are the top 50 photographer CRMs we considered in this review:

  1. Honeybook
  2. Studiocloud
  3. Studio Ninja
  4. Dubsado
  5. Bloom
  6. Táve
  7. Sprout Studio
  8. Pixifi
  9. Shootzilla
  10. 17hats
  11. Bonsai
  12. ShootQ
  13. Monday
  14. Flowlu
  15. Agile CRM
  16. Workflow
  17. Iris
  18. Pixieset Studio Manager
  19. Bookstream
  20. Picspotr
  21. Light Blue Software
  22. Bonsai
  23. StudioCloud
  24. HubSpot CRM
  25. Fotostudio.io
  26. Octoa
  27. Unscripted
  28. Picsello
  29. Pipedrive
  30. monday sales CRM
  31. Bitrix24
  32. Keap
  33. CompanyHub
  34. Pro
  35. BIGContacts
  36. Sendinblue
  37. Plutio
  38. Google Workspace
  39. Close CRM
  40. NetHunt
  41. Copper
  42. Salesflare
  43. Salesforce
  44. Freshsales
  45. Zoho CRM
  46. Nutshell CRM
  47. Insightly
  48. Capsule CRM
  49. Apptivo
  50. Salesmate

What is a CRM for photographers?

A CRM, or customer relationship management tool, is a system designed to help business owners manage client interactions and improve business relationships.

This software can help photographers keep track of their client's contact information, scheduling, invoices, contracts, and client communication history. It can also help streamline the booking process and automate follow-up emails to help ensure that clients feel taken care of and satisfied with their experience. The list goes on as far as project management goes; and you can even use a CRM such as Sprout Studio to run email marketing campaigns and generate leads.

One of the key features in CRMs that's probably the most important to busy photographers is workflow automation. Many CRMs enable you to automate and streamline most client experiences and administrative tasks using calendar management, contact management, and financial management features.

Is HoneyBook worth it for photographers?

HoneyBook is a popular CRM software designed specifically for creative entrepreneurs, including photographers. It offers a variety of features, including customizable templates, streamlined workflows, online payment processing, and client management tools.

Whether HoneyBook is worth it for photographers depends on their needs and budget. For some photographers, the cost of HoneyBook may be prohibitive, while others may find the features and ease of use well worth the investment.

Based on our research, it is the #1 photography management software you can use all things considered. If you're looking for a more straightforward customer relationship management system, Sprout Studio and Studio Ninja are two specialized studio management tools worth checking out.

Overall, HoneyBook has received positive reviews from photographers who have used it, with many praising its intuitive interface and powerful tools for managing client relationships and workflow. You can take advantage of their 7-day free trial to see if the software is a good fit for your needs.

What software do wedding photographers use?

Wedding photographers may use various software tools to manage their business operations and workflow. Some popular options include:

  1. Lightroom and Photoshop for editing photos.
  2. Tave for project management and workflow automation
  3. ShootProof for client galleries and online proofing
  4. Pixieset for online galleries and print sales
  5. Dubsado for CRM, contract management, and payment processing
  6. HoneyBook for CRM, contract management, and payment processing
  7. Studio Ninja for client management and automated workflows

Of course, a wedding photographer's specific software will depend on their individual needs, preferences, and budget. HoneyBook enables photographers to cover most of these needs, as it provides a pretty comprehensive set of photography studio management software tools.

How do family photographers get clients?

Family photographers may get clients through a variety of channels, including:

  1. Referrals from existing clients or other photographers
  2. Social media advertising and promotion to reach potential clients
  3. SEO optimization of their website to rank higher in search engine results
  4. Direct mail or email marketing campaigns via client management software
  5. Participating in local community events or offering promotions through community organizations
  6. Partnering with other local businesses to offer joint promotions or referral discounts
  7. Offering special deals or discounts to first-time clients
  8. Documenting the user experience to create a good image for marketing

Ultimately, the key to getting clients as a family photographer is to establish a strong online presence, build a solid reputation, and offer exceptional service that keeps clients coming back and referring others.

Is HubSpot good for photography?

HubSpot is a CRM and marketing automation platform designed to help businesses manage customer relationships and marketing efforts. While HubSpot can be used by photographers, it may not be the best option for those in the photography industry.

HubSpot's features are geared more towards businesses with a larger customer base and more complex marketing needs, rather than small or independent photographers. Additionally, HubSpot can be more expensive than other CRM software options that are designed specifically for photographers.

Is Adobe a CRM?

Adobe is not a CRM system. Adobe is a software company that offers a wide range of digital tools for creative professionals, including graphic design, video editing, and photography software.

While Adobe's software can be useful for photographers, it does not offer the CRM features that are specifically designed to help photographers manage their client relationships. Some good CRM options for photographers are HoneyBook, Studio Ninja, and Studiocloud.

Professional photographers mostly use Adobe to work on the creative side of their business and have a CRM to handle client interactions, sales, and financials.

The Bottom Line

To recap, here are the best CRMs for photographers to try this year:

  1. Honeybook — best of the best
  2. Studiocloud — best for small businesses
  3. Studio Ninja — best for solo photographers
  4. Dubsado — best for project management 
  5. Bloom — best for lead conversion
  6. Táve — best for photography agencies
  7. Sprout Studio — best for unlimited storage

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