WillowSpace vs. Dubsado

If you’re a designer, studio owner, or creative service provider looking for a client management tool that feels beautiful, intuitive, and not overwhelming, chances are you’ve heard of Dubsado. It’s one of the most well-known CRMs in the creative space.

Let’s break down how WillowSpace compares to Dubsado so you can choose the best platform to support your client experience, your creativity, AND your sanity.

What is WillowSpace?

WillowSpace is a client-friendly CRM (client relationship management) platform designed by a designer, for creative professionals. We built it to be calm, clean, and intuitive, helping you manage proposals, contracts, invoices, portals, and scheduling without feeling buried in complexity and overwhelm.

Think of it like your cozy-but-powerful digital assistant for client work and running your business.

What is Dubsado?

Dubsado is a popular CRM for small businesses and freelancers that helps you manage forms, payments, and complex automations. It’s known for being robust, with a ton of features and customization, but with that power can come a steep learning curve.

WillowSpace vs. Dubsado: At a Glance

Why Creatives Choose WillowSpace Over Dubsado

1. It’s Designed With You in Mind

WillowSpace was built by a designer who couldn’t find a CRM that actually felt good to use. Most platforms felt bloated, overly complex, or sterile.

We focus on what matters most: a smooth client experience, intuitive tools, and a platform that supports you without making your life harder.

“I’ve used Dubsado, and it felt like a full-time job just to set it up. WillowSpace gave me what I needed without the stress.” — real user feedback

2. It’s Calm, Not Cluttered

You’re juggling enough already. Your CRM shouldn’t feel like another overwhelming interface.

WillowSpace’s dashboard is clean, visual, and easy to navigate. Customize your workspace cards, keep an eye on client progress, and get insights month over month — without needing a manual or a VA to set it up for you.

3. Light Automations (That Don’t Feel Robotic)

We believe in thoughtful automation. WillowSpace includes the automations that make a difference (auto-reminders, proposal approvals, automatic late fees on invoices, workflows, etc.) but keeps it flexible so your process still feels human.

With Dubsado, automations can be powerful — but often require a deep setup, lots of testing, and frequent adjustments. If you've ever used automations like this before and find yourself often pausing, editing and panicking about what's going out and when, then it might be time to reflect on what automation really means in your business.

💡 Check out our post on balancing automation with personalization in your business

4. Gorgeous Proposals and Portals

In WillowSpace 2.0, we’ve redesigned the client portal experience and made it even easier to send beautiful proposals and contracts either using our custom builder or uploading your own polished PDFs (our preferred approach at our design studio, Function Creative Co.)

Your clients can sign, accept, or decline proposals (with a reason giving you invaluable insight) directly from the portal. It’s elegant, branded, and seamless.

💡 Check out our post on using Canva to upload custom PDF proposals

5. It’s Built to Grow With You

WillowSpace scales with you. Whether you’re a freelancer managing a few clients or a creative studio handling multiple projects at once, your plans are easy, no fuss and have no strings attached.

New features like:

• Customizable email templates

• Client and lead communication history

• Better invoice and task management

• Improved scheduler
  … are all built to support your business as it evolves — without locking you into clunky add-ons or features you’ll never use.

When Dubsado Might Be a Better Fit

If you need deep, layered automation logic (think multi-step conditional workflows), advanced proposal customization, or built-in lead capture forms with extensive logic, Dubsado might suit you better — especially if you're willing to put in the setup time.

But for many creatives, those features go unused… and become a source of overwhelm.

The Bottom Line: WillowSpace vs. Dubsado

Try WillowSpace for Free — No Credit Card Required

If you’ve ever felt like Dubsado was “too much” for your business, or wished for a CRM that was actually built for creatives, WillowSpace might be your perfect match.

✨ Start your 14-day free trial — no pressure, no credit card.

Let your business feel lighter again. WillowSpace is here for that.