Switching guide
HoneyBook’s time tracker is gone. Here’s a replacement.
HoneyBook retired its Time Tracker on September 8, 2026. tab tracks time per client and turns it into an invoice your client pays online, and it’s free to start.
Updated 2026-10-01
On September 8, 2026, HoneyBook retired its Time Tracker. New entries can no longer be created. HoneyBook support has told users their old entries stay viewable at app.honeybook.com/app/time_tracker (desktop) until the end of 2027, and pointed people to third-party trackers connected through Zapier.
If you bill clients by the hour, that leaves a gap: your timer lives in one app and your invoices and payments in another. tab keeps them together. You track time per client, send the client a weekly receipt of what you did, and close the week into an invoice with a Pay button.
tab and HoneyBook, side by side
| As of October 1, 2026 | tab | HoneyBook |
|---|---|---|
| Time tracking | Yes, free | Retired September 8, 2026 |
| Plans | Free. No tab fee on the first $2,000 collected online each month, then 1% (0.5% above $10,000) | Starter $36, Essentials $59, Premium $129 a month (or $29 / $49 / $109 billed yearly). 30-day free trial |
| Invoices | Free, with your logo, PDF and a client link | Included on all plans |
| Online payments | Yes: bank transfer (Stripe 0.8%, $5 cap) or card, into your own Stripe | Cards “starting at 2.9% + 25¢” (plan table); bank transfer 1.5%, no cap stated |
| Client approves hours | Yes: weekly work receipts the client approves | No (no time tracker) |
| Screenshots or monitoring | Never | No |
HoneyBook details from its own pages, read October 1, 2026: HoneyBook pricing · HoneyBook community: Sunset of Time Tracker. Prices and plans change; check theirs before deciding.
Why freelancers switch
- Hours and invoices in one place again. No Zapier step between your timer and your invoice.
- Big invoices cost less to collect. Bank transfers through Stripe are capped at $5; a 1.5% bank fee on a $4,000 invoice is $60.
- It’s free to start, and stays free if you’re paid by check or bank transfer outside tab.
Where HoneyBook is the better fit
HoneyBook is a full client-flow tool: proposals, contracts, scheduling and a client portal. If those are what you rely on, keep HoneyBook for them and use tab just for hours, or for hours and invoicing together.
Move your hours to tab
- In HoneyBook on a desktop browser, open
app.honeybook.com/app/time_trackerto see your historical entries. Users report being able to view and download unbilled hours there; HoneyBook hasn’t published export steps, so if you don’t see a download option, ask HoneyBook support for a CSV of your time entries. - Save the file as a CSV (if it’s Excel, use File → Save As → CSV).
- Sign up for tab free at app.tabwork.app (email only, no card).
- Go to Settings → Your data → Import, and drop in the CSV. tab recognizes Toggl Track, Clockify and Harvest exports automatically; for anything else you confirm which column is the date, the hours and the description.
- Check the preview (clients, projects and hours per client), then import. You can undo an import.
Your history comes with you, so your reports and real hourly rate start from day one.
Questions
When did HoneyBook’s time tracker shut down?
HoneyBook retired its Time Tracker on September 8, 2026. Its “retired” email to users says: as of September 8, 2026, the Time Tracker feature has been retired.
Can I still see my old HoneyBook hours?
HoneyBook support has told users historical entries remain viewable in the account (desktop) through the end of 2027, at app.honeybook.com/app/time_tracker. New entries can’t be created.
Can I use tab alongside HoneyBook?
Yes. Many people keep HoneyBook for proposals and contracts. tab handles hours, work receipts and, if you like, the invoice and payment.
Is tab free?
Tracking, invoices and receipts are free. Online payments through tab carry no tab fee on the first $2,000 each month; Stripe’s processing fee is separate.
Leaving HoneyBook? Bring your hours.
tab imports your history, tracks time per client, shows clients the work without screenshots, and turns the week into an invoice they pay online. Free until you’re earning.
Start freeFree to startNo cardNo screenshots, ever