Iris Works vs. 17hats

Which One Works Better for Your Photography Business?

If you’re a photographer looking for a system to help you stay organized, book clients, and streamline your day  to  day tasks, Iris Works and 17hats are two popular choices. While both offer tools like workflows, contracts, and invoices, they take different approaches especially when it comes to usability and focus.

Let’s explore the differences so you can decide which one fits your photography business best.

Iris Works was built specifically for photographers. The features like the online booking calendar, visual workflow tracking, and built  in email marketing are designed around how photographers interact with clients before, during, and after a session. You won’t have to rework generic tools to fit your needs.



17hats is built for a broader audience. It serves creatives of all kinds graphic designers, consultants, coaches, wedding planners, and more. While that flexibility is great for mixed  service businesses, it also means photographers may need to adapt the system to fit the way they work.

One of Iris Works’ biggest strengths is how simple it is to set up and use. You can go from signup to booking sessions in under a day, and the visual interface makes it easy to see exactly where each client is in your process.



That simplicity does come with some trade  offs. While Iris Works covers everything a typical photographer needs, it doesn’t offer deep customizations for every feature. If you're looking to create highly tailored automations or multi  step logic trees, Iris may feel a bit more structured than flexible.

17hats offers more flexibility in some areas, including additional business tools like time tracking, bookkeeping, and task management. But that also means a steeper learning curve, more setup

Booking Tools and Automation

Iris Works includes a powerful online booking calendar that combines scheduling, contracts, and payments in one step. It also offers visual workflow automation and built  in tools for email marketing so you can book, communicate, and follow up with clients without needing a second system.



17hats offers scheduling and automation, too, but it often feels like separate tools instead of one cohesive workflow. It can handle more types of business tasks, but you might need to jump between sections to manage a single client experience.

Who It’s Best For

Iris Works is ideal for photographers who want a clean, focused platform that gets the job done without unnecessary complexity. It’s especially helpful for solo photographers and small studios who want to automate client communication, stay on top of bookings, and run their business without spending hours learning new software.

17hats is a solid choice for creative professionals who wear multiple hats pun intended. If you’re offering multiple services beyond photography, or if you want everything from CRM to bookkeeping in one platform (and don’t mind the extra setup), it might offer more flexibility than Iris.