Tillage vs 17hatsThe small business CRM alternative
Updated . Every 17hats fact links to its source.
Tillage
17hats
Monthly price
$0, unlimited users, quotes and invoices
$60/mo, $600/yr or $800 for two years. 7-day trial
Online payment fees
Your client can cover them
Cards 2.9% + 30¢; ACH 0.8% + $1.50 capped at $6.50
Margin on quotes
Variance buffer and profit margin on every line
No markup or margin controls found
The short answer
17hats is an all-in-one CRM for solo and small service businesses like photographers, coaches and wedding vendors, with quotes, contracts, scheduling, SMS and simple bookkeeping. Tillage is free invoicing built for agencies, with margin built into quotes and payment schedules generated from signed contracts. If you run a solo studio and want a CRM with texting and bookings, 17hats works. If you’re an agency that has outgrown it, Tillage is built for the next stage.
Choose Tillage if
- YesYou want $0/month instead of $33–$60 a month plus add-ons
- YesYou quote agency projects and need margin protection
- YesYou want quoting and contracts that keep up with a growing team
Choose 17hats if
- YesYou want SMS, booking and lead auto-responders in one tool
- YesYou need built-in bookkeeping with receivables reports
- YesYou get leads from The Knot or WeddingWire
Tillage vs 17hats, feature by feature
| Feature | Tillage | 17hats |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | Yes$0, unlimited users, quotes and invoices | Partly$60/mo, $600/yr or $800 for two years. 7-day trial |
| Online payment fees | YesStripe 2.9% + 30¢ (cards) or 0.8% capped at $5 (ACH), plus 1% capped at $50 per invoice | PartlyCards 2.9% + 30¢; ACH 0.8% + $1.50 capped at $6.50 |
| Pass fees to clients | YesBoth Stripe and platform fees, set team-wide | NoNo fee pass-through found |
| Quotes and estimates | YesHours × rate, or itemized with units and sections | YesQuotes and quote templates |
| Variance and profit margin on quotes | YesVariance buffer and profit margin on every line | NoNo markup or margin controls found |
| Contracts with e-signatures | YesGenerated from approved quotes | YesWith e-signatures |
| Deposits and milestone payment schedules | YesPercentages triggered by signing, dates or milestones | YesSplit an invoice into portions with their own due dates |
| Recurring invoices and retainers | YesWeekly, monthly, quarterly, every six months or yearly | Partly$10/mo Recurring Billing add-on |
| Client pages with no login | YesSecure links to approve, sign and pay | PartlyPer-contact portal; password optional |
| Time tracking | NoNot a time tracker | Partly$5/mo add-on |
| Full accounting and bookkeeping | NoUse alongside your accounting software | PartlyBookkeeping and P&L, not a full ledger |
| QuickBooks or Xero sync | NoComing soon: QuickBooks Online, Xero, Mercury and Puzzle | PartlyQuickBooks Online as a $5/mo add-on; no Xero |
| AI quote drafting | YesDrafts line items, hours and rates with your OpenAI or Claude key | NoNone found |
| Claude and ChatGPT through MCP | YesQuotes, contracts and invoices | NoNo public API |
17hats pricing
One all-inclusive plan, with paid add-ons. 7-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The pricing page also still shows an older three-tier grid, so check before you buy.
- Monthly
- $60/mo
- Yearly
- $600/yrAbout $50/mo
- Two years
- $800 for two yearsAbout $33/mo
- Add-ons
- $5–$10/mo eachRecurring billing $10, time tracking $5, QuickBooks $5, bank connect $5, extra users $5, extra brands $10
- Tillage, for comparison
- $0/month with unlimited users1% when paid online, capped at $50 per invoice. Your client can cover it. See pricing
Where 17hats is better
No tool is right for everyone. Here is where it may suit you better.
CRM automation
Workflows, to-do lists, SMS texting and lead auto-responders, built for solo service businesses.
Built-in bookkeeping
Categorized bookkeeping with P&L and aged receivables reports, plus optional bank feeds.
Low cost if you prepay
About $33 a month on the two-year plan, with ACH fees capped at $6.50.
Wedding industry ready
Lead handling for The Knot and WeddingWire, and built-in SMS.
Where Tillage is better for agencies
$0 a month, no add-ons
17hats is $33 to $60 a month, and recurring billing, time tracking, QuickBooks and extra users cost extra. Tillage is free, with recurring billing and accounting sync included.
Clients can cover the fees
17hats has no way to pass processing fees to clients that we could find. Tillage lets each client cover card, ACH and platform fees.
Margin on every quote
17hats quotes price what you type. Tillage adds your variance buffer and profit margin to every line.
Built for agencies
17hats is designed for solo creatives and wedding vendors. Tillage is built for agencies quoting hours × rate, with milestone schedules and retainers.
Recent 17hats changes
2025
17hats moved from three tiered plans to one all-inclusive plan sold monthly, yearly or every two years, according to third-party reporting.
Switching from 17hats
- 1
Export your contacts and leads from 17hats as a CSV and import them into Tillage as clients.
- 2
Recreate your quote templates in Tillage’s service library and quote templates, with variance and margin.
- 3
Turn your invoice due-date splits into a reusable Tillage payment schedule.
- 4
Rebuild your contract as Tillage template blocks before sending new work.
Related guides and tools
Invoicing software for agencies
Quotes, contracts and payment schedules in one free tool.
Quoting software with margin
Hours × rate quotes with your margin built in.
Billing schedules
Deposits, milestones and retainers without copying invoices.
Stripe fee calculator
See what Stripe takes from an invoice, and what to charge to cover it.
Sources
Checked Oct 7, 2026. Pricing and features change, so if something here is out of date, email support@tillage.ai and we will fix it.
Tillage vs 17hats questions
Is Tillage cheaper than 17hats?
Yes. Tillage is $0/month. 17hats costs $60 a month, $600 a year or $800 for two years, plus add-ons like recurring billing ($10/mo) and time tracking ($5/mo).
Can I pass processing fees to clients in 17hats?
We could not find a fee pass-through or surcharge option in 17hats. Tillage lets clients cover card, ACH and platform fees at checkout.
Does Tillage include SMS and scheduling?
No. Tillage focuses on quotes, contracts, invoices and payments. If you rely on 17hats texting or booking, keep a scheduling tool alongside Tillage.
Can I move from 17hats to Tillage?
Yes. Export contacts as a CSV, import them into Tillage, and rebuild your quote templates and payment schedules once.
