17hats vs. HoneyBook: A Complete Comparison of Their SMS Texting Features

Index:

• TL;DR
• SMS Functionality
• Why does SMS Matter?
• Scheduling & Appointment Reminders
• Invoice & Payment Follow-Ups
• Customization & Personalization
• Conversation Management
• Message Organization & Tracking
• Client Opt-In & Compliance
• Reminder Flexibility
• Final Thoughts: A Clear Winner

TL;DR

Both 17hats and HoneyBook allow you to send text messages to your leads and clients. Without question, 17hats SMS capability is significantly more robust, especially when it comes to customizability, reminders, and ongoing communication.

Both platforms include SMS reminders for Online Scheduling and invoices, but 17hats goes further — offering upcoming and past due SMS reminders for invoices, questionnaires, quotes, and contracts.

As a 17hats member, you’re also able to decide what to say in your message, what number your message comes from, view your text messages in a central location, reply to SMS messages sent from your contacts, easily change the opt-in status of your contacts, and so… much… more.

SMS Functionality

Below we break down the actual functionality of 17hats & HoneyBook’s SMS Feature.

Function	17hats	HoneyBook
Select SMS number	✅	❌
Send scheduling reminder 1 day before	✅	✅
Send scheduling reminder 1-2 hours before	✅	✅
Customized SMS messaging	✅	❌
Back-and-forth messaging via SMS	✅	❌
Custom tokens within SMS messages	✅	❌
Custom SMS Templates	✅	❌
Late invoice SMS reminders	✅	✅
Upcoming invoice SMS reminders	✅	❌
Upcoming and past due SMS Questionnaire reminders	✅	❌
Upcoming and past due SMS Contract reminders	✅	❌
Upcoming and past due SMS Quote reminders	✅	❌
Easy SMS opt-in page	✅	❌
Text dialogue on Project page	✅	❌
SMS Status page	✅	❌
Ability to sort SMS by Project	✅	❌
Ability to send SMS reminders independent of Email reminders	✅	❌
Page showing all recent sent/received SMS messages	✅	❌

Why Does SMS Matter?

If you’re a small business owner, you already know that getting clients to open emails is… hit or miss. But texts? Those get read. Fast. In fact, SMS messages have an open rate north of 90%* — which means if you’re sending reminders, confirmations, or updates, text messaging is where it’s at.

The good news: both HoneyBook and 17hats offer SMS features.

The better news: 17hats is several steps ahead.

Let’s break it down.

Scheduling & Appointment Reminders

Both HoneyBook and 17hats offer:

• Send a scheduling reminder 1 day before
• Send a scheduling reminder 1–2 hours before

When you’re juggling meetings, sessions, or consultations, one missed appointment can throw off your whole day. That’s why automated text reminders are a must — they help clients remember when and where to show up.

Both HoneyBook and 17hats have this covered, allowing you to send friendly nudges before an appointment so your calendar stays on track.

What only 17hats offers:

• Automated SMS text when an appointment is booked and/or confirmed
• Automatic SMS text when the appointment is cancelled

So, on this one? 17hats pulls ahead..

HoneyBook’s Online Scheduling Reminders:

17hats Online Scheduling Reminders:

Upcoming & Past Due Document Follow-Ups

Keeping up with clients is about more than just invoices. Sometimes, it’s that quote they haven’t approved yet, the contract still waiting for a signature, or the payment that is now past due. With 17hats new Document Follow-Up options, you can now automate reminders for any document status — not just invoices.

Want to send a friendly “just checking in” note a few days before a quote expires? Easy. Need to automatically nudge clients when their contract is a week overdue? Done.

You choose the timing, message, and tone — 17hats handles the rest. That means less chasing, more consistency, and a whole lot less awkward “Hey, did you see my email?” moments.

Whether it’s an upcoming, pending, or past due document, your follow-ups stay on brand and on autopilot — freeing you up to focus on the next client, not the last one.

HoneyBook’s SMS Messaging Page:

17hats SMS Document Reminders Page:

Customization & Personalization

What only 17hats offers:

• Select SMS number
• Customized SMS messaging
• Custom tokens within SMS messages
• Custom SMS templates

Here’s where 17hats really starts to pull ahead. With 17hats, you’re not stuck with a generic message or random phone number. You can choose from dozens of SMS numbers, customize your message content, and even personalize texts with tokens (like your client’s name, project title, appointment date, or custom token).

Want to create branded templates that match your tone and style? Done.

This level of personalization makes your texts feel human — not robotic. And when clients feel seen and valued, they’re more likely to respond, rebook, and refer.

Conversation Management

What only 17hats offers:

• Dedicated SMS page of ongoing conversations
• Text dialogue on Project page
• Here’s the big one: two-way messaging with your clients.

With 17hats, clients can reply directly to your text — and you can respond, all from within your Project Page. Everything stays organized in one place, right next to your notes, emails, and files.

HoneyBook’s SMS reminders are one-way, meaning they can send, but replies don’t feed back into your workspace (nor will you have access to what the response is).

And that’s a problem, because clients will reply. “Got it!” “Can I reschedule?” “What’s your address again?” — these quick texts matter. 17hats makes sure they don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Message Organization & Tracking

What only 17hats offers:

• SMS Status page
• Ability to sort SMS by Project
• A dedicated page showing all recent received/sent SMS messages

When you’re texting multiple clients a day, things can get messy fast.

17hats helps you stay organized with dedicated pages showing all sent and received texts, plus an organized SMS dashboard. Need to check if a message went through? It’s right there. Want to pull up every text for a specific client? Just filter by project.

No digging through your phone. No guessing. Total visibility.

Client Opt-In & Compliance

What only 17hats offers:

• Easy SMS opt-in page

If you’re using SMS for business, you need client consent. It’s not just best practice — it’s required by law.

17hats makes that easy with a built-in opt-in page showing which leads/clients are opted into text messaging, and helps you manage your list if/when your contacts ask you to add or remove them manually.

In addition to easy SMS opt-in via Lead Capture Forms, Online Scheduling, and even Questionnaires, this small detail makes a big difference, especially for growing businesses that want to scale communication the right way.

17hats SMS Subscription Status Page:

Reminder Flexibility

What only 17hats offers:

• Ability to send SMS reminders independent of Email reminders
  
• Upcoming and past due reminders for multiple document types (invoices, quotes, contracts, and questionnaires)

With 17hats, you decide. You can send an SMS reminder even if you skip the email version — giving you full control over how clients hear from you. Additionally, you can customize it! If you decide to send a “past due” email 1 day after and a “past due follow up” SMS text if the invoice is 3 days late, you can–with 17hats!

Final Thoughts: A Clear Winner

When it comes to SMS, both 17hats and HoneyBook recognize the importance of meeting clients where they are — on their phones. But only one takes that idea and turns it into a complete communication system.

17hats doesn’t just send reminders; it builds relationships. With two-way messaging, customizable templates, personalized tokens, flexible reminder settings, and full visibility into every conversation, it’s more than a tool — it’s an extension of how you already communicate.

While HoneyBook offers the basics, 17hats delivers a truly connected experience — one that keeps your business organized, your clients engaged, and your processes running on autopilot.

So, if you’re serious about staying in touch, staying professional, and staying ahead, the winner is clear: 17hats SMS Texting.

*Citations & Sources

• Sender.net reports that SMS messages have a 98% open rate on average. –Source
• Infobip (2025) states that text message marketing delivers an open rate around 98%, far outperforming email’s ~20%. Source
• Postscript says SMS messages have an average open rate of over 95%. Source
• OptiMonk lists a 98% open rate and also mentions 90% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes. Source

Tatango cites that 90% of SMS marketing messages are opened within 3 minutes, and that “99%” of SMS are opened (in some contexts). Source