Head to head
18 articles
Card vs ACH vs Wire for Big Freelance Payments
On a normal invoice, the payment rail barely matters. On a five-figure deposit or project payoff, it is the difference between a $5 fee and a $290 one, and the guides that cover this either skip wire transfers entirely or repeat a Form 8300 myth that is not true. Every fee and rule below is verified from Stripe, Nacha, the IRS, and current bank fee schedules.
Proposal vs Contract vs SOW: What to Send When
The proposal sells the project, the contract protects the relationship, and the SOW defines done. Most freelance disputes start with sending the wrong one of the three, or only one when the project needed two. Here is what each document actually does, when a signed proposal quietly becomes a contract, the exact document stack for five common project scenarios, and the state laws that now make the choice for you.
Raoura vs Hello Bonsai (2026): flat pricing vs per-seat tiers
One flat $17/mo plan against four per-seat tiers. An honest comparison of pricing, setup, invoicing, contracts, and client experience for solo freelancers.
Stripe vs PayPal for Freelancers: Every Fee Verified (2026)
Every page ranking for this comparison either prints in-person retail rates, contradicts itself, or skips the numbers freelancers actually pay. We read the current Stripe and PayPal pricing pages line by line, ran a $3,000 invoice through every rail, and found a $1,764 per year gap between the cheapest setup and the default one.
HubSpot Starter vs Freelancer Platforms: What $20 a Seat Actually Buys
HubSpot Starter costs $20 per seat per month at list price, and it buys a CRM seat, not a freelance business. E-signatures need Revenue Hub Professional. The client portal needs Service Hub Professional and only shows support tickets. Here is the verified tier map, the real payment fee stack, and what the same money buys elsewhere.
HoneyBook vs Dubsado vs Raoura: the real 3-year cost, fees included
Every comparison quotes the monthly price and stops. We modeled three full years of subscription plus payment processing fees on the same $60,000 of client payments: HoneyBook $5,013, Dubsado $3,806, Raoura $3,413. Here is the math, with every input sourced.
Cash Discount vs Surcharge: The Workaround That Is Legal in Almost All 50 States
Same money, two structures, completely different rulebooks. A surcharge is capped at 3% by Visa, banned in four US jurisdictions, and requires 30 days notice to your acquirer. A cash discount is uncapped, needs no registration, and works in the states where surcharging is illegal. Here is the exact arithmetic, the two places the workaround actually fails, and why surcharging at the maximum legal rate still leaves you short.
Bonsai vs Moxie (2026): pricing, fees, and two companies in transition
Every page ranking for this comparison misses the two facts that matter most: Zoom bought Bonsai, and Moxie changed CEOs. Here is the verified July 2026 math: plans, the invoicing catch on Bonsai's cheapest tier, both fee models, and the three-year cost.
Bonsai vs HoneyBook (2026): pricing, fees, and the two things no ranking page will tell you
Every page ranking for this comparison is a vendor, and not one of them mentions that Zoom now owns Bonsai. Here is the verified July 2026 math: plans, the invoicing catch on Bonsai's cheapest tier, both fee schedules, and the three-year cost.
Raoura vs Plutio (2026): the 9-Client Cap and the White-Label Add-On
Plutio Core is $19 a month and caps you at 9 active clients. White labeling is a paid add-on until you reach the $199 plan. Here is the honest comparison, including the parts where Plutio has more product than we do.
HoneyBook vs Dubsado (2026): pricing, fees, and which fits a solo freelancer
Both tools raised prices within ten months of each other, and most comparison articles still quote the old numbers. Here is the verified July 2026 math: plans, processing fees, setup costs, and what Dubsado 3.0 changed.
LLC vs Sole Proprietor for Freelancers: What Changes, What Does Not, and What It Costs
Forming an LLC changes a solo freelancer's federal income tax bill by exactly zero dollars, and almost every page ranking for this question buries that fact under affiliate links to formation services. We fetched the top results in July 2026: one calls an LLC a limited liability corporation (it is a company), another tells you to file articles of incorporation for it (wrong document), and the best of them still skips the numbers that actually decide this: $70 to form in California but $800 every year forever, $35 in Montana, $200 in New York plus a six-week newspaper publication ritual. Here is the checked version: what an LLC actually protects, what it never protects, the real state-by-state costs, and the S corp math that determines when any of this starts saving you money.
Moxie vs HoneyBook (2026): pricing, fees, and what each vendor gets wrong about the other
The top results for this comparison are the two vendors reviewing each other, and both pages contain stale facts. Here is the verified July 2026 math: plans, processing fees, the 2.9x entry price gap, and the company news neither will mention.
Raoura vs 17hats (2026): the $17 flat plan or the $60 all-in-one?
17hats is a deep, automation-heavy platform at $60 per month. Raoura is a deliberately smaller tool at $17 flat. Here is the honest comparison, with every price sourced and the three-year math done for you.
Raoura vs a spreadsheet and email stack: when DIY client management wins, and when it breaks
Your real alternative to client management software is not another app. It is Notion or a spreadsheet, Gmail, a free invoice generator, and discipline. Here is the honest cost math for both, and the point where DIY stops being free.
Raoura vs Dubsado (2026): the 10-minute setup vs the 2-week setup
Dubsado is the most customizable freelancer CRM on the market, and the slowest to set up. Here is an honest comparison with Raoura's flat $17/mo, send-something-today approach.
Raoura vs HoneyBook (2026): a solo freelancer comparison
HoneyBook raised prices by up to 89.5% in 2025 and takes a cut of every payment. Here is an honest look at how Raoura's $17 flat plan compares for solo freelancers.
Raoura vs Moxie (2026): which fits your freelance business?
Moxie is one of the best-loved freelancer platforms, and this comparison does not pretend otherwise. Here is how Raoura's one flat $17 plan differs, and which tool fits which kind of solo business.