Keep More of Your Money
Keep more of every invoice
Every invoicing platform charges a fee when a client pays you by ACH — and on almost all of them, that fee is a percentage with no ceiling. The bigger the invoice, the bigger the fee, forever.
Studioworks is built directly on the Stripe Payments API, where the ACH fee is 0.8% capped at $5. We pass that rate through untouched and add nothing of our own, so $5 is the most you will ever pay to get paid by ACH — on a $1,000 invoice or a $50,000 one. No invoicing product we know of offers that ceiling, including Stripe’s own: Stripe Invoicing adds up to 0.5% of the invoice on top with no maximum, so the total you pay never stops climbing.
| Platform | What you pay per ACH payment | $500 invoice | $1,000 invoice | $5,000 invoice | $10,000 invoice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studioworks | 0.8% ($5 max) | $4 | $5 | $5 | $5 |
| QuickBooks | 1% (no max) | $5 | $10 | $50 | $100 |
| FreshBooks | 1% (no max) | $5 | $10 | $50 | $100 |
| HoneyBook | 1.5% (no max) | $7.50 | $15 | $75 | $150 |
| Bonsai | 1% (no max) | $5 | $10 | $50 | $100 |
| Wave | 1% (no max, $1 min) | $5 | $10 | $50 | $100 |
| Stripe Invoicing | 0.8% / $5 + up to 0.5% extra (no max) |
$6.50 | $10 | $30 | $55 |
Studioworks adds no fee of its own. You pay 0.8% with a $5 maximum per ACH payment, regardless of invoice size — the standard ACH rate on the Stripe Payments API, passed straight through to you. We make nothing on your transactions; it is your money. Below a $625 invoice the 0.8% is less than $5, so you pay the percentage; above $625 the cap takes over and the fee stops growing.
That ceiling is only reachable by building on the Stripe Payments API directly — which is what Studioworks did, so you don’t have to.
Go ahead, see for yourself.
Enter the number of invoices you send annually and the average value of those invoices to see how much your business could save using Studioworks.
| Platform | Monthly Subscription | ACH Transaction Fees | Cost per Year | Savings with Studioworks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studioworks | $39 | $60 | $528 | — |
| QuickBooks | $35 | $1,200 | $1,620 | $1,092 |
| FreshBooks | $38 | $1,200 | $1,656 | $1,128 |
| HoneyBook | $59 | $1,800 | $2,508 | $1,980 |
| Bonsai | $19 | $1,200 | $1,428 | $900 |
| Wave | $16 | $1,200 | $1,392 | $864 |
Fees shown are for ACH payments. This is a directional estimate. Actual costs vary based on your card vs. ACH mix.
If you send four-figure invoices, Studioworks membership pays for itself
Start by claiming your studio handle and customizing your brand. You’ll be set up in 5 minutes.
After that, just $39/mo. And SO easy to cancel.
More Design Features
Your invoices should look as good as your work
Most invoicing tools — QuickBooks, FreshBooks, HoneyBook, Bonsai, Wave — let you slap a logo on a generic template and call it a day. Studioworks gives you real design control, so every client touchpoint feels like you.
| Feature | Studioworks | QuickBooks | FreshBooks | HoneyBook | Bonsai | Wave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Logo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom Colors | Unlimited + auto-generated palette | 1 accent color | 1 accent color | Limited presets | 1 accent color | ✗ |
| Page Tint | 6 subtle tints that give your invoices and studio hub a rich, printed feel | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Highlight Color | 12 curated highlights | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Text Color Options | 6 accessibility-tested options | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Custom Typefaces | Curated font sets by award-winning foundries | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Invoice Templates | 3 professionally designed with more to come | 3+ basic | 2 basic | ✓ | 1 | 1 |
| Branded Studio Hub | A fully branded studio hub with your logo, colors, and fonts | ✗ | ✗ | Partial | ✗ | ✗ |
| Custom Studio URL | yourstudio.studioworks.app | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Ready to send invoices that actually look like you?
After that, just $39/mo. And SO easy to cancel.
Big Tech vs. Small Business
Who owns your invoicing tool?
The companies behind most invoicing tools — QuickBooks (Intuit), FreshBooks, HoneyBook, Bonsai, Wave — are publicly traded corporations or VC-backed startups optimizing for growth at all costs. We’re a small, independent team of creatives who built the tool we wished existed.
| Studioworks | QuickBooks | FreshBooks | HoneyBook | Bonsai | Wave | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Independent, founder-led | Intuit — public company ($170B+) | VC-backed | VC-backed ($500M+ raised) | Acquired by Zoom | Owned by H&R Block |
| Built by | Working creatives and developers with 20+ years of studio experience | Enterprise software giant (14,000+ employees) | Toronto-based SaaS company, hundreds of employees | Silicon Valley startup | Silicon Valley startup (acquired by Zoom) | Tax preparation conglomerate |
| Uses AI | No | Yes — Intuit Assist | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sells your data | Never | Shares with partners | See privacy policy | See privacy policy | See privacy policy | Shares with H&R Block |
| Hidden transaction fees | None — just Stripe’s base rates | Yes — marked up from processor | Yes | Yes — 1.5% ACH | Yes | Yes |
| Community included | ✓ — co-working, events, mentorship, free workshops, weekly entrepreneurial meetups | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Designed for | Independent creatives & small studios | Small to mid-size businesses | Service-based businesses | Service-based businesses | Small to mid-size agencies | Freelancers & small businesses |
| Woman Owned or Led | Co-founded | ✗ | ✗ | Co-founded | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pricing model | One plan, $39/mo, all features included plus community benefits | Tiered — features locked behind higher plans | Tiered — client limits on lower plans | Tiered — starts at $19 but limited | Tiered — key features require upgrades | Free with paid add-ons |
| Product philosophy | Focused tools, no bloat | Everything for everyone | General purpose | All-in-one CRM | All-in-one freelancer suite | Free tier, paid upgrades |
Support a small, independent team that gets it
After that, just $39/mo. And SO easy to cancel.