How much does Bonsai cost?
Bonsai charges $9–$49 per user a month on yearly billing, or $15–$59 on monthly billing. You need at least Essentials ($19 or $25) for invoices and contracts. Online payments also carry processing fees: 2.9% + $0.30 for cards, and as low as 1% for ACH. Bonsai is not a free tool; it is a paid all-in-one freelance management suite that replaces a separate contracts tool, invoicing app, time tracker, and client CRM.
Last verified 1 November 2026 · feebite Editorial · Not affiliated with Bonsai
Independent review of Bonsai for freelancers. For the official platform, go to hellobonsai.com. This page covers pricing, features, and who Bonsai is (and isn't) right for.
Quick Verdict
Rating: 4.3/5 — ★★★★☆
Best for: Freelance web developers, designers, photographers, and consultants who need professional contracts + e-signatures + invoicing + time tracking in a single tool — Bonsai's contract templates alone save hours of legal drafting.
Not ideal for: Freelancers who only need accounting/invoicing (Wave is free; FreshBooks is better for tax); UK freelancers who need Making Tax Digital compliance (Bonsai doesn't support HMRC submission); very early-stage freelancers with fewer than 5 clients (Wave free covers basic needs).
Plans and Pricing
Prices are per user per month.
| Plan | Yearly billing | Monthly billing | Key extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $9 | $15 | Time tracking, task management, CRM, unlimited projects and clients |
| Essentials | $19 | $25 | Invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, forms, scheduling, client portal, expense tracking |
| Premium | $29 | $39 | Project insights, Gantt view, deals pipeline, reports, remove Bonsai branding, integrations |
| Elite | $49 | $59 | Custom permissions, timesheet locking, 3-user minimum |
Payment processing: 2.9% + $0.30 for cards, and as low as 1% for ACH transfers.
Key Facts
| Category | Freelance management suite (contracts + invoicing + CRM) |
| Monthly cost | $9–$49 per user (yearly billing) / $15–$59 (monthly billing) |
| Payment processing | 2.9% + $0.30 cards, as low as 1% ACH |
| Contract templates | 100+ lawyer-reviewed templates |
| E-signatures | ✅ included |
| Time tracking | ✅ included |
| Client CRM | ✅ (all plans) |
| UK MTD | ❌ |
| Free trial | 7 days |
| Founded | 2016 (formerly Bonsai Freelance) |
| HQ | San Francisco, USA |
Country Availability
| UK 🇬🇧 | Canada 🇨🇦 | Australia 🇦🇺 |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Bonsai invoicing supports GBP, CAD, and AUD. Stripe and PayPal handle local currency payouts. Note: Bonsai's tax workflow is US-centric; UK/CA/AU freelancers use Bonsai for contracts and invoicing but typically use a separate tool (Xero, FreshBooks) for tax filing.
Features by Plan
| Feature | Basic | Essentials | Premium | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Client CRM | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Invoices and payments | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Proposals and contracts | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Forms and questionnaires | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Expense tracking | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Reports and project insights | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Remove Bonsai branding | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Integrations (QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Custom permissions | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Pros
- Lawyer-reviewed contract templates for 20+ freelance niches (no need to hire a solicitor for basic contracts)
- E-signature built in — clients sign contracts digitally without needing DocuSign ($25+/month)
- Time tracking integrates directly with invoicing — log hours and generate an itemised invoice in one click
- The client CRM, included on every plan, is surprisingly capable: track project status, client history, and upcoming deadlines
- Automated payment reminders reduce late invoice chasing
Cons
- $19–$25/month for invoicing and contracts is harder to justify for very early freelancers with 1–2 clients
- No Making Tax Digital or HMRC integration for UK freelancers
- Tax workflow is US-focused; UK/CA/AU freelancers need a separate accounting tool
- 7-day free trial is shorter than FreshBooks (30 days) or Wave (unlimited free tier)
- Reporting is basic compared to FreshBooks or Xero
Bonsai vs Alternatives
| Bonsai Essentials | FreshBooks Plus | HoneyBook Starter | Wave + DocuSign | Dubsado Starter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $19 (yearly billing) | $43 | $29 (yearly billing) | $0 + DocuSign fee | ~$28 ($335 a year) |
| Contract templates | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| E-signatures | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ (DocuSign) | ✅ |
| Time tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Accounting reports | Basic | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ (Wave) | ❌ |
| UK bank feeds | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ⚠️ | ❌ |
| UK MTD | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
The honest summary: If you need contracts + invoicing + time tracking in one place, Bonsai is cheaper than buying FreshBooks + DocuSign separately (FreshBooks Plus alone is $43 a month, against $19 to $25 for Bonsai Essentials). If you don't need contracts, Wave (free) + a free e-signature tool (SignNow free tier) is a lower-cost stack.
Freelancer Scenario: UK Web Designer
A UK web designer signs 2 client contracts and issues 4 invoices per month. Current setup: Google Docs for contracts, no e-signatures, Wave for invoicing = lots of manual friction.
- Bonsai Essentials ($19 ≈ £14/mo on yearly billing): Professional contracts with e-signatures, automated invoice reminders, time tracking against projects. Estimate: saves 3–4 hours/month of admin.
- At a £50/hour rate: 3 hours saved = £150 value. Bonsai cost = £14. Net value: £136/month saved.
Even conservative estimates suggest Bonsai pays for itself in admin time saved within the first month for an active freelancer.
Who Should Use Bonsai
Perfect for: Freelance web developers, designers, photographers, copywriters, and coaches who need a professional contract-to-invoice workflow — Bonsai eliminates the need for separate contract, e-signature, and invoicing tools.
Skip it if: You only need accounting and don't send contracts (Wave is free); you're UK-based and need Making Tax Digital compliance as your primary need (FreshBooks or Xero); or you're in your first month of freelancing and haven't landed a client yet (start with free tools and upgrade when you have regular work).
How to Get Started
- Start your 7-day trial at hellobonsai.com — no credit card required for trial
- Pick a contract template from the library (web design, photography, consulting, etc.) and customise with your business name and terms
- Send your first contract to a client for e-signature
- Create your first invoice linked to that contract (Bonsai auto-populates client details)
- Enable Stripe or PayPal payments so clients can pay directly from the invoice
Sources checked (November 2026)
- Bonsai pricing: plans, per-user prices and contents
- Bonsai payments: processing fees and 7-day trial
- FreshBooks pricing, HoneyBook pricing and Dubsado pricing: for the comparison
- Checked on 1 November 2026. Bonsai's help centre was unavailable to us, so we could not confirm the ACH minimum or the rate for American Express.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Bonsai's contract templates legally valid in the UK? Bonsai's contracts include e-signature via a recognised digital signature method. However, Bonsai contracts are written for US law. UK freelancers should review key clauses (jurisdiction, governing law, payment terms) and ideally have a UK solicitor review any template before use with significant clients.
Can I use Bonsai with Wise or Revolut for payments? Bonsai processes payments via Stripe and PayPal only. You cannot directly receive Bonsai invoice payments to a Wise or Revolut account. However, you can link Stripe to your Wise account for GBP payouts, which gives you Wise's multi-currency benefits with Bonsai's invoicing workflow.
This review was last updated 2026-11-01. Pricing in USD; GBP equivalent varies. Check hellobonsai.com/pricing for current plans.
feebite does not have an affiliate relationship with Bonsai. Our reviews are editorially independent.