Most CRM advice is written for studios doing 60 weddings a year with a team. If you’re solo and booking 15–40, that advice overshoots — you end up paying for capacity you’ll never use.

Here are five ways to run a solo studio for under $20 a month, plus the honest case for using nothing at all.

Prices checked in October 2026. Entry-tier pricing is exactly where vendors compete hardest, so it moves.

Quick comparison

OptionPriceBest forMain limitation
PixiesetFree; paid from $8/mo (annual)Photographers already delivering galleries hereLight CRM features on lower tiers
Studio Ninja$16/mo or $160/yrFast, simple core workflowLimited advanced automation
Sprout Studio$19/mo (Lite) or $209/yrOne bill for CRM + galleriesBusier to learn
Notion + Stripe$0–$10/moFull control, technical usersYou build and maintain it
Google Sheets + Stripe$0Under 15 bookings a yearNo portal, no automation

1. Pixieset — the “I already use it” answer

If you deliver galleries through Pixieset, its booking and invoicing layer costs you almost nothing extra. The gallery side has a free tier; paid Client Gallery plans start at $8/mo billed annually ($10 monthly).

Fits: photographers already in the Pixieset ecosystem. Doesn’t fit: anyone who needs deep automation.

2. Studio Ninja — the “I just want it to work” answer

Studio Ninja is deliberately unfussy. Enquiry to quote to booking to invoice, done. Starter is $16/mo, or $160/yr (about $13/mo), and you’ll learn it in an afternoon.

Fits: solos who want the core loop handled and nothing more. Doesn’t fit: teams, or complex conditional workflows.

3. Sprout Studio — bundles galleries with CRM

If you’re currently paying for a CRM and a gallery host, Sprout collapses that into one subscription, which is where the “cheap” actually comes from. The Lite plan is $19/mo or $209/yr.

Fits: studios that want one bill and one system. Doesn’t fit: people who want the simplest possible tool.

4. Notion + Stripe — the $0 option that actually works

A Notion database for leads and projects, Stripe for invoices. Total cost: $0, or ~$10/mo for Notion Plus. It’s real, and plenty of solos run on it.

Fits: technical photographers who want to own their data. Doesn’t fit: anyone who will not maintain it. DIY means DIY support.

5. Google Sheets + Stripe — still the cheapest thing that works

A well-built Google Sheet plus Stripe Invoicing is genuinely enough if you book under 15 weddings a year:

  • Leads in a sheet with a status column.
  • Contracts as a reusable template in your docs tool.
  • Invoices from Stripe, with payment links you paste in.

Cost: $0, plus the usual processing fees. The only thing you give up is a client portal — and a lot of clients don’t want one anyway. They want a clean email and a payment link.

Fits: low-volume solos who’d rather feel every booking than maintain a system. Doesn’t fit: anyone who needs automation or a portal.

One tool that used to be on this list

Tave was the obvious cheap-automation answer for years. It isn’t any more: Tave has been folded into VSCO Workspace, and new customers can’t buy it standalone — the only route in is VSCO One at $499.99/year, billed annually only. If you see older posts recommending “Tave at ~$25/mo”, that pricing is gone. Look at Studio Ninja instead.

How to decide

  • Already use Pixieset for galleries? Start there, it’s nearly free.
  • Want the simplest thing? Studio Ninja.
  • Paying for galleries separately? Sprout.
  • Technical and cheap? Notion + Stripe.
  • Under 15 bookings? Google Sheets + Stripe, honestly.

Stop paying for a CRM that’s sized for a studio you don’t have yet. If you’re comparing the bigger, pricier names instead, start with the HoneyBook alternatives roundup or the HoneyBook pricing breakdown.

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