17hats is a CRM and small-business management platform aimed at service-based solopreneurs and small teams — photographers, coaches, consultants, event planners, and similar client-facing businesses. It centralizes the client lifecycle in one system: lead capture forms, a visual pipeline for tracking prospects and jobs, built-in SMS texting, online scheduling with Zoom and group-booking support, digital contracts and questionnaires, invoicing with automated payments and auto-pay via Stripe and Square, basic bookkeeping, and a secure client portal for document sharing. Workflow automation lets users trigger emails, tasks, and document delivery at each stage of a client journey. The company states it has been operating for 11 years and serves 25,000+ users across 100+ service industries, and maintains a blog, podcast, and training/university resources alongside the core product.
Key Features
SMS Texting — Built-in text messaging for direct client communication.
Online Scheduling — Integrated booking with Zoom support, group bookings, and payment collection.
Pipelines — Visual, customizable pipelines for tracking leads and jobs through each stage.
Workflow Automation — Automated triggers that send emails, tasks, and documents at each stage of a client journey.
Invoicing & Payments — Automated invoicing with Stripe and Square payment processing, including auto-pay.
Bookkeeping — Built-in financial tracking without needing a separate accounting app.
Contracts & Questionnaires — Digital contracts and client intake forms for onboarding new clients.
Client Portal — Secure portal for sharing documents and files with clients.
Lead Capture Forms — Automated lead management with personalized, automatic responses.
Pros & Cons
Pros
All-in-one workflow covering CRM, invoicing, scheduling, contracts, and basic bookkeeping under a single subscription
Built-in SMS texting and configurable workflow automation for client-journey follow-ups
Native payment processing through Stripe and Square with automated invoicing and auto-pay
Flexible monthly, yearly, and bi-yearly billing with a 7-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
Several capabilities — bank connections, advanced online scheduling, time tracking, and recurring billing — cost extra add-on fees on top of the base plan
Document sending limits (invoices, contracts, questionnaires) are capped on the entry-level tier
A number of native integrations lean toward the photography and wedding-planning niches, which may be less relevant to other service businesses