Latest updates from the Dubsado team
Sometimes you just need to collect a payment. A deposit to hold a date. A retainer from a client who already knows the number. A quick add-on someone asked for mid-project. Building a full invoice for those moments is more than the moment needs.
The public checkout page gives you a faster path. It's a single link you can share anywhere, and when someone pays, the transaction and their client record land in Dubsado automatically. No portal, no project, no invoice required to get started.
🚨 IMPORTANT NOTE: This is the first feature in Dubsado Labs, which means it's early and it's going to grow. As part of Labs, this is only available to a select group of users and will open up as it evolves. Here's how to use what's live today (if you have it), and where it's headed.
That's it. Your page is live. From there you have three options:
Custom domains aren't supported yet for public checkout, but will be in the future.
One thing to have ready: you'll need at least one payment processor connected before you can turn your page on. You can connect one in Settings → Payments.
Your client lands on a page with your logo and brand colors. They see a space to enter an amount, a description field.
After pressing continue they are directed to pay using the payment methods you already have connected (card, ACH, or PayPal. Surcharging, when turned on in your account's settings, also applies to public checkout pages.)
When payment is completed they land on a branded confirmation screen.
Your clients are also emailed a receipt.
If they need to send another payment, they can start a new one right from that screen.
Every payment lands in Invoices → Transactions, so your bookkeeping stays in one place. A client record is created automatically, or the payment links to an existing client if that email is already in your account. Your client gets a receipt by email. And if you sync with QuickBooks or Xero, the transaction flows through like any other Dubsado transaction. No manual entry on your end.
The one thing to know
Right now, your client enters the amount on the page. So the smoothest way to use it is to tell them what to send. "Your deposit is $300, you can pay it here." "The balance is $1,200." "Add a $50 rush fee at this link." You set the expectation, they enter the number, you both move on.
That also makes it a natural fit anywhere the amount varies on its own, like tips or pay-what-you-feel offerings.
Collect a deposit to lock in a booking. Someone wants to hold a date or reserve a spot. Send the link, tell them the deposit amount, and you've secured the booking without building anything.
Take a retainer from a repeat client. Your regulars already know what they owe. Drop them the link each cycle instead of rebuilding an invoice every time.
Charge for a quick add-on. A client asks for an extra hour, a few more prints, a small upgrade mid-project. Send a link for the add-on amount instead of reopening the whole invoice.
Add a rush or expedite fee. When something needs to move fast, collect the rush fee fast too.
Accept tips and gratuity. The open amount means your client decides what feels right, and it all flows into Dubsado. Works perfect for when the invoice is already paid and your client wants to send a little something more.
Sell in person. At a market, a pop-up, an event, or a workshop, share your link or pull it up on your phone so people can pay on the spot.
Run a pay-what-you-feel or sliding scale offer. Community classes, donation-based sessions, sliding scale services. The flexible amount fits these naturally.
Replace your outside payment link. If you've been pasting a separate Stripe or Square link when an invoice felt like too much, this brings those payments back into Dubsado, with your branding and your bookkeeping in one place.
Put it in your bio. Drop the link in your Instagram bio or link-in-bio for quick session bookings or one-off purchases.
This is V1, and it's intentionally simple. We're starting here so we can learn how you actually use it, then build the next layers around what you tell us. Here's what we're working toward.
Set the amount and description yourself. Soon you'll be able to share a link that already has the amount and description filled in, so your client just enters their info and pays. Same service, same price, every time, one link you reuse.
Pay right inside a form. We're building a way to add a payment step directly into your questionnaires, proposals, and lead capture forms, so a client can fill out the form and pay in one flow instead of jumping to a separate page.
Connect it to your workflows. This is the big one. We want checkout to trigger what happens next: send a file, kick off a workflow, deliver content the moment someone pays. Imagine selling a digital product, a template, or a quick service and having it delivered automatically, no full invoice required.
We're building toward a real checkout experience for the way small business owners actually sell, and the version you have today is the first step.
You have early access, which means your feedback shapes what comes next. What are you using it for? What's missing? What would make it genuinely useful for your business? Use the chat bubble inside your Dubsado account to share your thoughts with us. We're reading every word.