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Better than Zendo
Productized services agency? Upgrade to the highest rated Zendo alternative today and elevate your clients' experience.
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Zendo is a smooth and modern platform for freelancers and agencies in the creative services sector. It boasts a range of cool features, like a client portal, communication tools, and payment processors. It even comes with a paired-back CRM.
However, while it has received generally positive reviews, some Zendo customers have complained about the tool's limited customization options and complex implementation, while others wish there were more features. Given that, it’s clear there is a need for Zendo alternatives.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the 11 best Zendo alternatives that are tearing up the script to help service businesses deliver knockout customer experiences.
What to look for in a Zendo alternative
There are lots of good products that help service businesses provide strong client-centric experiences. However, if you’re weighing up Zendo alternatives, you need to look at Zendo’s flagship features and compare them to rival tools.
Here are a few must-have features of any credible Zendo alternative.
- Client portal: Zendo’s big selling point is its client portal. It centralizes client communication, file sharing, quotes, and payment processing. What’s more, it allows teams to host, share, and sell their service catalog.
- Service offerings: Zendo helps service businesses sell productized, subscription, or custom services. You can build out these services on the platform and even automate workflows to send quotes, payment requests, or invoices.
- Workflow automation: Zendo’s workflow automation does not stop at selling productized services. You can also create and automate a range of business processes for managing customer communications and other tasks.
- Payment processing: Service businesses need to offer their clients flexible payment options. With Zendo, you can take bank transfers and even credit card payments via Stripe.
- CRM: Finally, Zendo also comes with a basic CRM. It’s streamlined but more than sufficient for smaller service business needs.
Top 11 Zendo alternatives for service businesses
Here are the best Zendo alternatives for creative service businesses:
Alright, let’s take a deeper look at each platform.
1. Copilot
- Pricing: Starts at $29 per month
Copilot is far and away one of the best Zendo alternatives on the market. It offers all the great features that make Zendo a good choice for service businesses and a bunch of extras that help you elevate your client experiences.
For starters, Copilot comes with a clean, modern client portal. This intuitive dashboard helps teams bring all their client communications under one roof, and even integrate scheduling, accounting, and email marketing tools. Bank-grade encryption means you can share and collaborate on documents securely, while Copilot’s payment processing offers a range of options, such as direct payments, subscriptions, and productized plans.
Despite Copilot’s competitive pricing, it has a mix of features that you won’t find in other Zendo alternatives. It’s a versatile tool that will suit creative service businesses who want to get the most for their money, integrate with other platforms, and benefit from responsive customer support.
Notable features
- Slick, professional, and customizable client portal.
- Flexible option for billing and payments.
- Workflow automation tool to help with onboarding, contracts, and payments.
- HIPAA-compliant secure document sharing.
- Great scheduling and booking tools.
Copilot reviews
Here’s what review sites have to say about Copilot:
- G2: 4.8/5 star rating (from +150 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.9/5 star rating (from +20 reviews)
2. Plutio
- Pricing: Starts at $19 per month per user
Plutio is an all-in-one tool that can help service businesses streamline project management, invoicing, and client relationship management. While the client portal is a huge part of Zendo’s offer, Plutio is more focused on giving businesses the tools they need to handle complex projects, such as Kanban boards, task scheduling, and time-tracking tools.
Another huge benefit of Plutio is its ability to consolidate tools with your software stack. It comes with a client portal and a basic CRM but also contains tools for contracts, invoices, client communications, and file sharing.
Notable features
- Solid and varied project management tools for complex jobs.
- Customizable client portal.
- Great messaging, file sharing, and document collaboration tools.
Plutio reviews
Here’s what actual Plutio clients rate the product on third-party websites:
- G2: 4.3/5 star rating (from +55 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 star rating (from +160 reviews)
3. Dubsado
- Pricing: Start for free; paid plans start at $200 per year or $20 per month
Since Dubsado launched in 2016, it’s grown into a powerful business management platform trusted by creative services and small businesses. It helps simplify client onboarding thanks to contracts and integrated payment processing, while also offering robust project management tools via time tracking and invoicing.
Dubsado also provides solid workflow automation that you can customize around your business processes, as well as an extensive template library to help reduce admin. However, its complexity and less-than-intuitive interface might be a problem for smaller teams. That said, it’s a very client-focused platform that will suit creative service professionals.
Notable features
- Customizable client portal to help centralize communication and project management.
- Workflow automation tools to send emails, reminders, and project notifications.
- Excellent invoice and payment processing tools.
Dubsado reviews
Here are what 3rd-party review sites think of Dubsado (reviews from actual customers):
- G2: 4.3/5 star rating (from +71 user reviews)
- Capterra: 4.2/5 star rating (from +51 user reviews)
4. FuseBase
- Pricing: Starts at $9 per month
FuseBase is a collaborative client communication and document-sharing platform. Just like Zendo, FuseBase centralizes interactions via a user-friendly client portal that you can customize around your brand's look and feel. Aside from that, FuseBase also comes with secure file sharing, billing tools, and automated workflows to help you manage projects and people with ease.
While FuseBase can manage simple projects, you can also integrate various popular project management tools for more complex tasks. Overall, FuseBase is one of the better Zendo alternatives, but it’s less easy to get the hang of when compared to other tools on our list.
Notable features
- Intuitive, stylish client portal.
- Secure document sharing with granular permission controls and activity tracking.
- Slick invoicing and payment tool.
FuseBase reviews
Here’s what FuseBase users have to say about the platform:
- G2: 4.7/5 star rating (read reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 star rating (read reviews)
5. Indy
- Pricing: Indy offers a basic free version, with pro accounts starting at $9 per month
Indy is an all-in-one client management software with a big focus on small freelance or service businesses. It comes with a client portal that centralizes invoicing, time tracking, and task management, helping teams reduce admin and get paid faster, while providing excellent client experiences.
The Indy interface is pristine, and the app integrates seamlessly with a range of popular business tools. What’s more, it’s fairly affordable and even comes with a limited free plan. On the downside, Indy might lack the customization and features required for bigger teams or projects.
However, the tools are Indy by name, and indy nature. In other words, it’s a solid choice for freelancers with an independent streak.
Notable features
- Unifies finding, onboarding, and communicating with clients via a centralized hub.
- Great templates for contract, proposal, and invoice generation.
- Good range of payment options to suit service businesses of different sizes.
Indy reviews
Here is what Indy customers think of their business management solution:
Related reads: Top 10 best Indy alternatives to check out
6. SuiteDash
- Pricing: Starts at $19 per month per user
SuiteDash is a well-established all-in-one tool for making project management, client interactions, and business processes as efficient as possible. It centralizes client relationships, coworker communication, and your integrated stack of software tools, meaning everything is available from one easy-to-access place.
When compared to Zendo, SuiteDash has a lot of crossover features. However, SuiteDash has better built-in project management tools, alongside a solid CRM and marketing automation tools, which is why it’s one of the best Zendo alternatives for bigger teams. It also integrates well with a whole host of third-party tools, meaning it can deliver for service businesses of any size.
Notable features
- Great client portal to boost collaboration and communication.
- Solid CRM with features for tracking leads and managing contracts.
- Integration with popular accounting tools and automation powerhouse Zapier.
SuiteDash reviews
Here’s what users of SuiteDash have to say about the platform:
- G2: 4.8/5 star rating (read reviews)
- Capterra: 4.9/5 star rating (read reviews)
To find out more about SuiteDash, read our article on the best SuiteDash alternatives.
7. Moxo
- Pricing: Moxo does not publicly display their pricing
While Moxo is primarily targeted at financial services professionals, its flexibility and general communication features will appeal to any business. In truth, Moxo is probably more of a project management tool with a client portal than a straight competitor to Zendo, but there is enough commonality between each platform to make it worth considering for creative service businesses.
Moxo’s client portal is excellent. You can also customize it with your brand logo, text, and colors. What’s more, Moxo integrates well with popular communication tools, allowing you to stay on top of your client’s needs. Finally, Moxo also comes with excellent workflow capabilities that allow you to build automation flows for a variety of repetitive tasks.
Notable features
- Superb document sharing and e-signature capabilities.
- Centralized platform for email, text, and other client communications.
- Great mobile app to allow access on the go for both clients and coworkers.
Moxo reviews
Here are what 3rd-party review sites think of Moxo (reviews from actual customers):
- G2: 4.5/5 star rating (from +122 user reviews)
- Capterra: 4.1/5 star rating (from +16 user reviews)
8. Bonsai
- Pricing: Starts at $25 per month ($21 per month when billed annually)
Bonsai launched as a tool for freelancers to send contracts and invoices. However, as the years rolled by, they added tools for proposals, time tracking, project management, and even client communication. However, despite these added features, there are some limitations when it comes to automation and client collaboration.
The plus sides of Bonsai are its user-friendliness and affordability. The downside is that automation flows and client portals are a bit underpowered when compared to Zendo. Yet, it’s still a great tool for solo freelancers who want to spend less time on admin and more time on delivering work for clients.
Notable features
- Centralizes client admin into one easy-to-use place.
- Excellent contract and proposal templates.
- Cool time tracking and expense reporting tools.
Bonsai reviews
Here are what 3rd-party review sites think of Bonsai (reviews from actual customers):
- G2: 4.3/5 star rating (from +100 user reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 stars (from +76 user reviews)
9. Bloom.io
- Pricing: Starts at $18 per month
Bloom emerged as a business management tool that helps creative service businesses streamline their client journey from initial proposals all the way to project delivery. It comes with a brand client portal that centralizes client communication while boosting your professional image. Additionally, it comes with automation tools that help reduce your admin, allowing you to focus on your core duties.
While Bloom’s starting price is reasonable, adding additional features can soon become costly. When you consider the app’s limited customization options on top, it’s clear that Bloom could do with some improvements. However, it excels at invoicing and payments, and we like the project management features, so it’s definitely a good Zendo alternative.
Notable features
- Clean and modern client portal with secure document-sharing features.
- Calendar integration is a solid feature for freelancers who want to automate bookings.
- Website builder and lead capture are welcome additional features.
Bloom.io reviews
Here are what review sites have to say about Bloom:
- G2: 4.5/5 star rating (from +82 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 star rating (from +12 reviews)
10. HoneyBook
- Pricing: Free trial, then $19/month
HoneyBook began life as a communication tool for creative freelancers and wedding planners. As the platform became more established, it added tools for bookings, invoices, contracts, and client communication.
Integrated calendar and payment processing tools are two of the major features that will appeal to creative professionals. HoneyBook also comes with a neat mobile app, which is perfect for service teams that travel around a lot.
When measured against Zendo, HoneyBook’s project management tools require a little work. What’s more, it’s not the best option for teams who want to productize their services. That said, it’s still a solid option for smaller teams.
Notable features
- It is a great option for streamlining and centralizing client communications.
- Automated booking tools take the hassle out of scheduling bookings.
- Secure payment processing through the platform makes things convenient for clients.
HoneyBook reviews
Here are what third-party review sites say about HoneyBook:
- G2: 4.5/5 star rating (from +173 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 star rating (from +615 reviews)
Related reads: Dubsado vs HoneyBook: An honest comparison and review
11. Flowlu
- Pricing: Flowlu does not publicly show its pricing
Flowlu is a powerful suite of business management tools. You can use it for project management, invoicing, document sharing, and collaboration. Moreover, it also comes with CRM capabilities and a client portal.
As Zendo alternatives go, Flowlu is up with the best. The client portal is customizable and user-friendly, while there are lots of other great features for freelancers and creative service businesses, such as invoicing, payment processing, task and project management, and document-sharing tools. Additionally, it’s great for communication and comes with integrated chat and video calls.
Notable features
- All-in-one tool that allows service businesses to consolidate their software stacks.
- Solid tasks and project management tools.
- Invoicing and payment processing capabilities.
Flowlu reviews
Here’s what review sites have to say about Flowlu:
- G2: 4.7/5 star rating (from +197 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 star rating (from +342 reviews)
Related reads: Best Flowlu alternatives for service business teams
Conclusion
Zendo alternatives need to deliver across several different areas for service businesses. Client portals that provide centralized communication, project management capabilities, payment processing, and a basic CRM are a must, while the ability to create, send, and process invoices is also important.
Copilot is one of the best Zendo alternatives because it offers users everything you can get with Zendo, plus a more sophisticated CRM and better integration and customization options. So, if you want to take a more modular approach to service business software, start a free 14-day trial today.
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