Assembly vs Dubsado: Honest Comparison for 2026

Assembly (formerly Copilot) starts at $39/month for 1 user and 50 clients. Dubsado starts at $35/month for 3 users and unlimited clients. Assembly delivers a premium branded client portal with custom domain, embedded apps, and HIPAA compliance. Dubsado delivers workflow automation, conditional-logic forms, and combined proposal-contract-invoice flows. Neither covers the full client lifecycle alone.

Quick comparison (TLDR)

Assembly is a client portal platform that rebranded from Copilot on September 30, 2025. Clients log into a branded hub to access messages, invoices, contracts, files, and forms. The portal supports custom domains (Professional, $149/month), embedded third-party apps via the App Store, and HIPAA compliance with a BAA on Advanced ($399/month). SOC 2 Type II is standard. Assembly Assistant, an AI tool launched in beta alongside the rebrand, handles administrative tasks within the portal. The trade-off: no native workflow automation, no proposals, no scheduling, and no time tracking. You rely on Zapier, Make, or the Assembly API for any automation.

Dubsado is a workflow-driven client management platform for freelancers and service businesses. Its strength is automating the lead-to-client journey: conditional-logic forms capture leads, proposals with embedded pricing and contracts collect signatures and deposits in one flow, and the visual workflow builder (Premier only, $55/month) chains the entire sequence together. Dubsado 3.0, shipped November 2025, added a node-based workflow builder and a global time tracker. The December 2025 price increase raised Starter from $20 to $35/month and Premier from $40 to $55/month. The trade-off: no custom-domain portal, no embedded apps, no HIPAA compliance, and setup complexity is high (plan 1-2 weeks, or hire a Dubsado specialist for $500-$2,000+).

The core trade-off: Assembly optimizes for how clients experience your brand. Dubsado optimizes for automating the intake workflow. Both leave significant gaps that require additional tools or budget.

Head-to-head comparison

Client portal and branding

Assembly treats the portal as the entire product. Clients log into a branded hub with your logo, colors, and custom domain. The App Store lets you embed Calendly, Airtable, Google Data Studio, and other tools directly inside the portal so clients never leave your environment. Full white-label branding removal requires Advanced ($399/month). Multiple G2 and Capterra reviewers describe it as feeling like a "custom-built app."

One Capterra reviewer noted: "The client portal is highly customizable, allowing clients access to pertinent information 24/7, reducing FAQ responses."

Dubsado includes a client portal that supports the workflow rather than defining the product. Clients see project documents, invoices, forms, and payment options in a branded space with your logo and colors. Dubsado 3.0 improved the portal navigation, but there is no custom domain, no embedded third-party apps, no HIPAA compliance, and no team inbox.

Bottom line: If your clients log in regularly and the branded experience differentiates your business, Assembly is purpose-built for that. If the portal is where clients check documents and pay invoices between automated touchpoints, Dubsado is adequate.

Workflow automation

This is Dubsado's defining advantage and Assembly's biggest gap.

Dubsado Premier ($55/month) includes a visual workflow builder that automates the entire client journey: lead capture form triggers welcome email, which triggers proposal delivery, signed contract triggers invoice, payment triggers portal activation. Dubsado 3.0 upgraded this with a node-based visual builder that makes complex automations easier to follow. Workflows support triggers based on dates, client progress, form submissions, and scheduler events. Approval steps let you review emails before they send.

The limitation: automation is locked behind Premier. The Starter plan at $35/month has zero workflow automation, which makes it feel incomplete for the primary use case Dubsado is marketed for.

Assembly has no native workflow builder. Automation requires Zapier ($20-70+/month depending on task volume), Make, webhooks, or the Assembly API. You can connect events (new client, signed contract, paid invoice) to external actions, but automations live outside the platform and require ongoing maintenance.

Bottom line: If automated client onboarding sequences are central to your business, Dubsado delivers this natively. Assembly requires you to build and maintain workflows through third-party tools at additional cost.

Proposals, contracts, and invoicing

Dubsado excels at the intake document stack. Proposals support custom styling and embedded pricing tables, and can combine with contracts and invoices into a single branded flow. The client reviews the proposal, signs the contract, and makes a payment without switching contexts. The form builder powers intake questionnaires, lead capture, and onboarding documents with conditional logic and branching paths. Invoicing includes payment schedules with installments, auto-reminders, and processing through Stripe, Square, and PayPal. ACH payments are 0.8%, capped at $5 per transaction. Public proposals on Premier let you share proposal links for lead generation.

Assembly includes contracts with e-signatures and invoicing with recurring billing and pay links. Storefronts let you sell productized services in a catalog-style layout with subscriptions, a feature Dubsado does not offer. But Assembly has no proposal builder. You cannot create proposals with pricing tables, interactive options, or package comparisons. The pre-contract sales process is a gap.

Bottom line: Dubsado wins for service businesses that need the full intake flow (proposal through payment). Assembly wins for businesses that productize their services and want storefront-style selling.

Forms and client intake

Dubsado has five form types: lead capture, questionnaires, contracts, proposals, and general forms. Each supports conditional logic, branching paths, smart fields, and full CSS customization. Questions adapt based on client responses, proposals calculate pricing dynamically, and contracts auto-populate with client details. This is Dubsado's standout feature.

The trade-off is setup complexity. Building conditional forms, configuring triggers, and designing branded templates takes real effort. Multiple reviewers report 1-2 weeks of dedicated setup.

Assembly has a Forms App for collecting client information, but it is not comparable to Dubsado's form builder in depth. There is no conditional logic, no branching paths, and no CSS customization.

Scheduling and time tracking

Dubsado Premier includes appointment scheduling with customizable availability, buffer times, intake forms before meetings, and calendar sync. Dubsado 3.0 added a global time tracker accessible from the top bar anywhere in the app. You can assign time to projects, set rates, and add tracked time directly to invoices as line items.

Assembly has no native scheduling and no time tracking. Scheduling requires embedding Calendly or Acuity as a custom app inside the portal. Time tracking requires a separate subscription to Toggl, Harvest, or similar tools, with manual reconciliation against invoicing.

CRM and client management

Dubsado organizes everything around clients and projects. Each client has a full-history profile with communications, documents, invoices, and forms. Lead status tracking, tags, smart filters, and custom fields support the intake process. Lead capture forms feed directly into the CRM and can trigger workflows.

Assembly provides client profiles with communication history and multi-company support on Professional+. The client list is organized and searchable. But there are no deal pipelines, deal stages, revenue forecasting, or lead scoring. It manages existing relationships but does not help you win new business.

Neither offers visual deal pipelines or revenue forecasting. For businesses with active sales processes, both require a supplementary CRM.

AI features

Assembly launched Assembly Assistant in beta (September 2025), an AI tool that supports administrative tasks within the portal. It provides summaries, creates tasks, and surfaces client context from a collaborative panel. Dubsado has no AI capabilities as of early 2026.

Pricing comparison (April 2026)

Assembly pricing (formerly Copilot)

Plan	Monthly	Annual	Users	Clients
Starter	$59/month	$39/month	1	50
Professional	$189/month	$149/month	3	500
Advanced	$499/month	$399/month	5	Unlimited

• Additional users: $39/user (Professional), $59/user (Advanced)
• No free plan. 14-day trial, no credit card required
• All plans include full access to all Assembly Apps, embeds, and links
• SOC 2 Type II on all plans. HIPAA compliance on Advanced only
• Custom domain on Professional+

Dubsado pricing (updated December 2025)

Plan	Monthly	Annual	Users	Clients
Starter	$35/month	$335/year (~$28/month)	3	Unlimited
Premier	$55/month	$525/year (~$44/month)	3	Unlimited

• Additional users: $25/month (4-10 users), $45/month (11-20), $60/month (21-30)
• Additional brands: $10/month each
• No free plan. 21-day trial with full Premier access, no credit card required
• Payment processing: Stripe (2.9% + $0.30), Square, PayPal. ACH at 0.8% capped at $5
• Automation and scheduling: Premier plan only

Cost at scale

Solo user: Assembly Starter at $39/month (annual) gives you 1 user and 50 clients with no automation, no scheduling, and no proposals. Dubsado Premier at $44/month (annual) gives you 3 users, unlimited clients, plus workflows, scheduling, time tracking, and proposals. For $5/month more, Dubsado includes substantially more functionality.

Team of 3: Assembly Professional at $149/month (annual) for 3 users and 500 clients. Dubsado Premier at $44/month (annual) for 3 users and unlimited clients. Dubsado saves $105/month ($1,260/year).

Team of 5: Assembly Professional + 2 extra users: $149 + $78 = $227/month. Dubsado Premier + 2 extra users: $44 + $25 = $69/month. The gap is $158/month ($1,896/year). Assembly's portal quality justifies a premium for some businesses, but that premium is significant.

Both teams will likely add supplementary tools for project management and CRM pipelines, which adds cost to either stack.

What real users say

Assembly (formerly Copilot) -- G2: 4.8/5 (~302 reviews)

What users like:

A Capterra reviewer wrote: "The client management and messaging feature enhances communication efficiency. The platform is professional, which leaves a good impression on clients." Another noted the portal is "highly customizable, allowing clients access to pertinent information 24/7, reducing FAQ responses."

On G2, one user said: "The overall value of Assembly led me to pay for a year right away, and I would rate it a 10 out of 10 for recommending to others."

What users dislike:

A Capterra reviewer described the UI as "clean but rigid" and wanted "more layout control and customization options." Another flagged that "billing clients in different currencies becomes complex, with Stripe integration issues and currency handling problems." Multiple reviewers note the price jump from Starter to Professional to Advanced is steep ($39 to $149 to $399). Custom apps are embedded iframes rather than true integrations, so data stays separate between systems. There is no time tracking, no appointment scheduling, no Gantt charts, and no task dependencies.

Dubsado -- G2: 4.3/5 (~74 reviews) | Capterra: 4.2/5 (60 reviews, ease-of-use: 3.6/5)

What users like:

A G2 reviewer wrote: "HoneyBook might be easier to start with, but Dubsado is perfect for scaling. It allows businesses to grow without needing to change software, with automations working seamlessly."

Another on Capterra praised the scheduling: "The calendar scheduling system allows me to send a link to clients to pick meeting times, eliminating back and forth email conversations."

What users dislike:

On G2, a reviewer wrote: "Dubsado has a severe learning curve. It has such an active Facebook group because it's so hard to set up Dubsado and there are people who literally specialize in Dubsado setup as part of their career."

Another noted: "It actually took about two weeks for us to set it up properly." Multiple users report occasional bugginess and slow page loads. The Starter plan without automation feels incomplete, since workflows are the primary reason most people choose Dubsado.

Full feature comparison

Feature	Assembly (formerly Copilot)	Dubsado
Best for	Premium client portal	Workflow-driven intake
Starting price (annual)	$39/month (1 user, 50 clients)	$28/month (3 users, unlimited)
Free plan	No (14-day trial)	No (21-day trial)
Client portal	Core product, custom domain, modern UI	Document-focused, branded
Custom domain	Professional+ ($149/month)	Not available
HIPAA compliance	Advanced ($399/month)	Not available
Messaging	Team inbox, threaded conversations	Email templates, canned emails
CRM	Contact management	Client profiles, lead tracking, tags
Deal pipelines	No	No
Proposals	No (contracts only)	Custom styled, embedded pricing
Contracts	E-signatures in portal	E-signatures, combined with proposals
Forms	Basic intake forms	Conditional logic, branching, CSS
Invoicing	Recurring billing, pay links	Payment plans, installments, auto-reminders
Storefronts	Catalog-style selling with subscriptions	Not available
Workflow automation	No native (Zapier/Make/API)	Visual node-based builder (Premier)
Scheduling	No native (embed Calendly/Acuity)	Built-in scheduler (Premier)
Project management	Basic tasks	Tasks, Kanban view
Gantt charts	No	No
Task dependencies	No	No
Time tracking	No	Global tracker in 3.0
AI features	Assembly Assistant (beta)	Not available
Custom apps / embeds	App Store with hundreds of tools	Not available
SOC 2	Type II certified	Not specified
Setup complexity	Moderate (days)	High (weeks, often consultant-assisted)
G2 rating	4.8/5 (~302 reviews)	4.3/5 (~74 reviews)

Who should NOT choose Assembly

• You need workflow automation without relying on Zapier or Make. Assembly has no native workflow builder. Every automation lives in a third-party tool at additional cost and maintenance.
• You need proposals with pricing tables and interactive options. Assembly has contracts and invoicing but no proposal builder. The pre-contract sales process is a gap.
• You are a solo freelancer or small team watching costs. Assembly Starter at $39/month gives you 1 user and 50 clients. Dubsado Premier at $44/month gives 3 users, unlimited clients, and includes automation, scheduling, and time tracking.
• You want scheduling and time tracking included. Assembly requires embedding external tools for both.
• Your client count will exceed 50 quickly. Assembly caps the Starter plan at 50 clients. Moving to Professional jumps to $149/month.

Who should NOT choose Dubsado

• The client portal is your primary competitive differentiator. Dubsado's portal is functional but lacks custom domain, embedded third-party apps, and the polished UI that Assembly provides.
• You operate in a HIPAA-regulated industry. Dubsado offers no HIPAA compliance. Assembly's Advanced plan ($399/month) includes a Business Associate Agreement.
• You sell productized services. Assembly's Storefronts let you sell services in a catalog layout with subscriptions. Dubsado has no equivalent.
• You want AI-assisted admin work. Assembly Assistant handles summaries, task creation, and client context. Dubsado has no AI features.
• You cannot invest weeks in setup. Dubsado's form builder and workflow system are powerful but complex. The Capterra ease-of-use score is 3.6/5. Plan for 1-2 weeks of configuration or budget $500-$2,000+ for a specialist.
• You only need the Starter plan. Without automation, Dubsado's Starter plan ($35/month) strips out the primary feature people buy Dubsado for. You will likely need Premier.

Frequently asked questions

Is Assembly the same as Copilot?

Yes. Copilot rebranded to Assembly on September 30, 2025. The domain changed from copilot.com to assembly.com. The product is the same client portal platform. The company changed its name because "Copilot" became too associated with Microsoft Copilot and GitHub Copilot, causing confusion among customers and prospects.

Does Assembly have workflow automation?

No native workflow builder. Assembly relies on Zapier, Make, webhooks, and its API for automation. You can connect events (new client, signed contract, paid invoice) to external actions, but automations live outside the platform. This adds $20-70+/month in Zapier costs depending on task volume, plus ongoing maintenance.

How much does a 3-person team cost on each platform?

Assembly Professional: $149/month (annual) for 3 users and 500 clients. Dubsado Premier: $44/month (annual) for 3 users and unlimited clients. Assembly costs $105/month more ($1,260/year more). Assembly's premium portal and HIPAA compliance justify the gap for some businesses, but the cost difference is substantial.

Which is better for photographers?

Dubsado is more popular with photographers because workflow automation, proposal templates, and combined proposal-contract-invoice flows match the photography booking process. Dubsado 3.0's time tracker adds basic time logging for hourly shoots. Assembly's portal polish is less relevant for photographers who primarily need intake automation and booking management.

Does Dubsado have a client portal like Assembly?

Dubsado includes a branded client portal where clients access documents, invoices, forms, and payment options. But it is not comparable to Assembly's in depth. Assembly supports custom domain, custom email domain, embedded third-party apps, team inbox messaging, HIPAA compliance, and full white-labeling. Dubsado's portal supports the workflow. Assembly's portal is the product.

Can I use either for project management?

Neither is a project management tool. Assembly has basic task tracking. Dubsado has task lists and a Kanban view (added in 3.0). Neither offers Gantt charts, task dependencies, milestones, or project templates. Most users of both platforms add a dedicated PM tool like Asana, Monday.com, or ClickUp.

When one platform is not enough: consider Agiled

If you are stitching together a portal tool, an automation tool, a project management tool, a time tracker, and a CRM, Agiled consolidates the operational stack at a lower combined cost.

What Agiled covers that Assembly and Dubsado split between them:

• CRM with visual pipelines -- deal tracking, custom stages, revenue forecasting, and automation. Neither Assembly nor Dubsado offers pipeline management. Learn more.
• Project management after the sale -- Kanban boards, Gantt charts, task dependencies, milestones, and templates. When a proposal is signed, a project auto-creates from your template. Learn more.
• Time tracking tied to invoicing -- track hours on tasks, then generate invoices from time logs directly. No manual reconciliation. Learn more.
• Proposals with AI and contracts -- drag-and-drop proposal builder, AI-assisted drafting, interactive pricing, and e-signature contracts. Learn more.
• Client portal with project visibility -- clients see project progress, task timelines, invoices, and files. Learn more.
• Workflow automation on all paid plans -- conditional branching, triggers across CRM, projects, and billing. Available starting at $30/month, not locked behind a premium tier.

Capability	Assembly	Dubsado	Agiled
Starting price (annual)	$39/mo (1 user, 50 clients)	$28/mo (3 users, unlimited)	Free / $30/mo (3 users, unlimited)
Client portal	Premium, custom domain	Branded, document-focused	Branded, project visibility
CRM pipelines	No	No	Visual pipelines with forecasting
Proposals	No	Custom styled	Drag-and-drop + AI
Workflow automation	No native	Premier only ($55/mo)	All paid plans ($30/mo)
Project management	Basic tasks	Tasks + Kanban	Kanban, Gantt, dependencies
Time tracking	No	Global tracker (3.0)	Built-in, billable rates, invoice-linked
Scheduling	No native	Premier only	Booking pages, all paid plans
HR / payroll	No	No	Yes
Free plan	No	No	Yes (1 user)

A 5-person team using Assembly Professional ($227/month) with Asana, Pipedrive, and Harvest adds roughly $425/month in supplementary tools for a total around $652/month. The same team on Dubsado Premier ($69/month) with the same stack pays roughly $494/month. With Agiled Premium, everything is included for approximately $59/month.

Start Free With Agiled

Related comparisons:

• Copilot vs Dubsado
• Agiled vs Copilot
• Dubsado vs HoneyBook
• Best Dubsado Alternatives
• Bonsai vs Dubsado