Dubsado is a full-featured CRM built for creative freelancers. Chaser is a single-purpose payment recovery tool. Here's why the comparison is less “which is better” and more “what problem are you solving?”
🐕 Quick verdict
Dubsado is excellent for running your entire client business — contracts, onboarding, invoicing, scheduling. Chaser is built for one thing: automatically chasing overdue invoices until you get paid. If late payments are your pain point, Chaser solves it in 2 minutes with zero learning curve.
| Feature | Chaser 🐕 | Dubsado |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic follow-up emails | ✅ 4-stage escalating sequence | ⚠️ Workflow automation (complex setup) |
| Overdue invoice dashboard | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Invoice creation | ⚠️ Entry only | ✅ Full invoice builder |
| Client CRM | ❌ No | ✅ Full contact management |
| Contracts & proposals | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Scheduling / booking | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Questionnaires / forms | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Payment plans | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Free tier | ✅ 3 invoices free | ⚠️ Trial only (3 clients) |
| Pro price | $15/mo | $20–$40/mo |
| Learning curve | 5 minutes | Days to weeks |
| Best for | Recovering late payments fast | Running a full client business |
Dubsado has powerful “Workflows” that can automate almost anything — including sending payment reminders. But setting them up requires configuring triggers, delays, and email templates yourself. For freelancers who want a fully custom client experience, this is powerful.
Chaser does one thing and does it automatically: send escalating follow-up emails with no configuration. Add an invoice, and four emails fire at day 3, 7, 14, and 30 — each with a progressively firmer tone — with zero setup beyond the invoice details.
If you want automation out of the box, Chaser is faster to start. If you want full control over every touchpoint in your client journey and don't mind the learning curve, Dubsado is more flexible.
Dubsado is notoriously difficult to set up. Freelancers joke about spending 20+ hours configuring workflows before ever sending an invoice. It's not a criticism — it's powerful because it's complex. But if you just want late invoices chased automatically, spending a week learning Dubsado's workflow builder is a poor tradeoff. Chaser takes 2 minutes.
No workflows to configure. Add an overdue invoice and Chaser automatically follows up at day 3, 7, 14, and 30.
Try free — 3 invoices →No credit card · Setup in 2 minutes