A studio juggling minis, full sessions, maternity and newborn bookings side by side has a different admin problem than a single wedding-day booking. Here is how each tool's workflow templates compare.
Last verified: August 23, 2026
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Family and newborn photographers don't run one kind of session: a studio typically juggles mini sessions, full family sessions, maternity, and newborn bookings side by side, each with its own timeline, pricing, and follow-up. That mix is a different admin problem than a single wedding-day booking, and it changes which of Dubsado's and 17hats' strengths actually matter.
| Attribute | Dubsado | 17hats |
|---|---|---|
| Plan structure | Two plans: Starter, Premier | Free plan, or one all-inclusive paid plan (no paid tiers) |
| Starting price | $335/year (Starter) | $600/year list, $60/month, or $800/2 years, currently discounted 50% to $300/yr or $400/2yr for a new signup's first term |
| Top-tier price | $525/year (Premier) | Same $600/year list: one paid plan, everything included |
| Free plan | None (21-day free trial of Premier only) | Yes: unlimited contacts/projects, capped at 4 invoices/quarter |
| Free trial | 21 days, full Premier-tier access | 7-day free trial of the paid plan, restartable |
| Session-type workflow templates | Build-your-own per session type (mini, full session, maternity, newborn); several Dubsado-specialist VAs sell done-for-you setup, including for family photography specifically | Same build-your-own capability, plus an established third-party marketplace of pre-built, ready-to-import workflow bundles sold specifically for family, mini-session, and maternity/newborn photography Template marketplace |
| Online scheduling | Advanced scheduling & booking on Premier plan only (not on Starter) | Included, with Zoom integration |
| Contracts / e-signature | Included on both plans, unlimited | Included, unlimited (no document cap on the current plan) |
| Payment plans / invoicing | Invoicing and payment plans included on both plans | Included: payment schedules, tipping, recurring invoices |
| Workflow automation | Automated workflows on Premier plan only (not on Starter) | Included: advanced workflows and automation |
| Multi-user pricing | Flat per-plan pricing; extra users $25 to 60/mo in bands | First 3 users included; $5/mo per additional user beyond that |
Pricing and feature details verified directly against each vendor's public pricing page on 2026-08-23. Both vendors change plans and pricing periodically. Always confirm current pricing on the vendor's site before buying.
17hats has a real template marketplace built for this exact audience. Search for "17hats family photography workflow" or "17hats newborn workflow templates" and you'll find working photographers selling ready-to-import 17hats bundles for mini sessions, maternity, and newborn/family work, not generic templates, but ones built around the actual booked-to-delivered sequence a family photographer runs (quote with package/add-on options, session reminders, gallery delivery). Dubsado supports the same kind of per-session-type workflow building, but the equivalent help is more often a paid setup service from a Dubsado-specialist VA than an off-the-shelf template you import yourself, useful if you'd rather pay once for expert configuration than assemble it from a template.
The free tier matters more here than for a single-genre shooter. A studio running several session types can use 17hats' free plan to test workflow-building for each session type before paying for anything, capped at 4 invoices/quarter: enough to trial two or three real bookings' worth of admin. Dubsado has no equivalent; its only no-cost option is the 21-day Premier trial.
Mini sessions specifically reward automation over customization. Mini-session days are high-volume and low-margin per booking, so the useful comparison isn't "which tool is more flexible" but "which tool gets a client from booking to gallery delivery with the fewest manual steps." Both platforms support automated triggers on elapsed time or completed steps; the deciding factor in practice is usually whether you already have (or are willing to buy) a pre-built workflow for your specific session mix, which currently tilts toward 17hats given its larger third-party template ecosystem for this niche.
Part of the best CRM, invoicing & scheduling tools for solo service providers hub. See also Dubsado vs 17hats for solo photographers, the same tool pair for general photography work without a multi-session-type workflow question. And Dubsado vs 17hats for wedding videographers, the same two tools again, this time where native integration with The Knot and WeddingWire becomes the deciding factor instead.