Collapse the gallery subscription
Dubsado does not include gallery delivery. Mankai does, which is often the whole point for photographers.
Dubsado alternative when you want CRM and galleries on WordPress
Dubsado is a deep hosted CRM for creatives, portals, proposals, contracts, invoices, and Flows. Mankai is a WordPress photography CRM that adds native galleries and proofing on your domain, with flat annual licensing and no Mankai payment cut.
Mankai
Honest summary
Neither product is junk. The fit depends on hosting tolerance, galleries, and how you want to get paid.
What Dubsado does well
- Mature CRM for service businesses: clients, projects, portals, forms, contracts, and invoices.
- Flows automation is a real differentiator for studios that invest in setup.
Where Mankai takes a different approach
- Mankai is WordPress-native and self-hosted, with galleries and proofing built in.
- Flat annual licensing aimed at photography studios, not every creative niche.
Stay with Dubsado if…
- Your Flows and form systems are heavily customized and working.
- You do not want WordPress hosting or plugin maintenance.
Consider Mankai if…
- You run Dubsado plus a separate gallery tool and want fewer subscriptions.
- You want client galleries and the CRM on your own domain, with flat annual pricing.
At a glance
Simple side-by-side facts as of July 24, 2026. Their plans change, so double-check before you decide.
| Topic | Dubsado | Mankai |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | Dubsado hosts it; you can embed forms on a site | On your WordPress site |
| Built for WordPress | No, it is not a WordPress CRM plugin | Yes, as a plugin |
| Studio CRM | Yes, that is the main product | Yes: clients, sessions, portal |
| Booking | Only on Premier | Yes, included |
| Contracts and proposals | Yes; public proposals on Premier | Yes: quotes and contracts |
| Invoices and payments | Dubsado Payments, PayPal, or Square | Your Stripe or PayPal |
| Extra fee on payments | No separate Dubsado cut called out | No Mankai cut |
| Client galleries | No, you pair another gallery tool | Yes, built in |
| Automations | Flows on Premier | Workflows tied to real job events |
| Public website | No, your site is separate | Optional Photography Theme |
| Where client data sits | Dubsado’s servers | Your WordPress database |
| Starting price | From $335/yr (Starter, billed yearly) | $149.99/yr for the CRM; hosting is separate |
| How you pay for it | Starter or Premier, monthly or yearly | One flat yearly license |
| Client limits | Unlimited on paid plans | Unlimited clients from Mankai’s side |
| Team members | Extra users cost more after included seats | No seat pricing from Mankai |
| Moving over | CSV export and import docs exist | Optional Setup & Migration help; no auto-import |
What this page does not claim
- Whether any legacy free (3-client) Dubsado plan still exists for new signups.
- Country-by-country fee tables beyond Dubsado’s published US examples.
- Dollar savings versus Dubsado + a specific gallery SaaS stack.
Switch or stay
Honest cases in both directions. Dubsado may still be the better fit. Switching for the wrong reasons wastes a season.
Why someone might switch
Reasons not to switch
What migration involves
Dubsado will not swallow itself into WordPress. You export what you can, rebuild Flows as workflows, and move new work when you are ready.
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Export clients and projects
Use Dubsado’s CSV export so names and jobs have a clear starting point in Mankai.
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Archive the paperwork that matters
PDF active contracts and invoices, and note which Flows still run live jobs.
-
Rebuild forms and workflows
Lead forms, contracts, and the automation you still need get rebuilt once, on purpose.
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Move new bookings to your site
Update public links so new leads and galleries land on your WordPress install.
Flows, portals, and old email threads do not import automatically. Treat the move as a rebuild with eyes open.
Setup & Migration can cover install, branding, booking, templates, and hands-on help after you buy. Scope is agreed before any invoice.
See the full feature set
This page is about the switch. Features and a clickable demo live elsewhere.
Browse all features Visit the live studio (opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask before leaving Dubsado
No. Mankai is a photography CRM with galleries. Dubsado is a broader creative CRM without native galleries. Overlap exists; they are not the same product wearing a different coat.
Mankai runs inside your WordPress site. Booking and portal pages are part of that site, not an embed from another cloud CRM.
Booking and availability are part of Mankai CRM. There is no separate “scheduling plan.”
Dubsado avoids gallery hosting by not offering galleries. You still pay the gallery vendor. Mankai includes galleries in the CRM license; your host handles storage.
No automatic transfer. We rebuild the workflows you still need. That is honest, and it is usually the longest part of a Dubsado move.
This is a comparison, not a pitch. Neither product is the right fit for every studio. Read their current docs, skim Mankai’s features if the WordPress path interests you, and pick the stack that matches how you want to work.
Dubsado site (opens in a new tab) Mankai features Mankai pricing
