--- title: "Page 2 | Bonsai Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Page 2 - Is Bonsai the right Time Tracking solution for you? Explore 95 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/238825/Bonsai/reviews/?page=2" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-21" --- Bonsai 4.6 (95) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/238825/Bonsai/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated October 21st, 2026 # Page 2 - Reviews of Bonsai ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 26-50 of 95 available reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Founder Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Bonsai Is The Best All-Around Product For Managing a Freelancer / Small Business" August 11, 2025 5.0 I've been using Bonsai for over five years now and over that time have taken a look at the competition to see if maybe they're better or cheaper. Spoiler alert: they're not! Bonsai has everything you need to run a freelancer or small business operation all in the same UI, without having to add apps or move into different interfaces. Pros I've tried just about all the products out there for managing proposals, contracts, invoicing and more as a freelancer, and Bonsai is still the one for me. It's priced less than the competition but gives you more features, and the UI is much better than others. Cons The mobile app is great for viewing things and doing quick adds. About the main thing that it doesn't do as well is time tracking—can't be as granular on the project specifics in the mobile app as I can on the desktop app. Alternatives considered [Better Proposals](https://www.capterra.com/p/153794/Better-Proposals/)[HoneyBook](https://www.capterra.com/p/162588/HoneyBook/)[Dubsado](https://www.capterra.com/p/206389/Dubsado/)[17hats](https://www.capterra.com/p/144328/17hats/)[FreshBooks](https://www.capterra.com/p/142390/FreshBooks/)[monday AI Work Platform](https://www.capterra.com/p/147657/monday-com/)[Moxie](https://www.capterra.com/p/10026264/Moxie/) Reasons for choosing Bonsai Many of the competing products didn't have as much ability to offer clients granular options in proposals and didn't let me put in as much content on the proposals—just single line items instead of paragraphs. Some platforms required adding apps (often at extra cost) to do things that are natively built in to the Bonsai UI. Just a much better overall user experience for me as the freelancer and also for my clients. Review Source Office Manager Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Bonsai Review" September 22, 2025 5.0 Our overall experience with Bonsai has been lovely so far. We can create estimates to send to our customers, invoices and even get the signature electronically! Pros What we like best about Bonsai is that it is basically a one stop shop! Bonsai has everything that we are looking for with our company, Invoicing, security and the electronic signatures which we are very excited for. Cons There really is not anything that we least like about Bonsai. If i were to say anything at all it would be that we don't use everything they have to offer, which we will, we just haven't gotten there yet. Review Source Contractor Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Never give up , doit better " August 5, 2025 4.0 Well since I was victim of scam , I have been doing and learning a lot in how install the right app in mi IMac , you should doit as well Pros Very recently to this but I will give good tips, what exactly is what I like most and what is not good this app Cons In the begging is a little complicate when you do the first installation , so I almost quick , but I got good advice from friends Review Source Self employed Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Excellent for freelancers! (& Teams)" October 1, 2025 5.0 Overall my experience has been great! This software has saved me a lot of time because I can individually manage all of my projects aspects from this one software. Pros What I like most about Bonsai is I can visually see all my work projects, together all on one one page. Cons I have only used Bonsai for a short time period and have yet to find something that I dislike about Bonsai. Review Source IB Ibrahim B. CEO Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Hello Bonsai a stable proposal platform that can use AI" April 25, 2025 5.0 Overall, it is a stable platform and has been constantly updated. I hope they will focus on agencies rather than freelancers. I also hope they would integrate other payment software for flexibility Pros Bonsai Is an All-Around great platform for a marketing agency. Its winning point is its proposals and upsell capability Cons Still Lacks Native Integrations. It sends you to Zapier for many. I Also Wish they would integrate AI for workflow like many other competitors. Alternatives considered [HoneyBook](https://www.capterra.com/p/162588/HoneyBook/)[Wayfront](https://www.capterra.com/p/199996/wayfront/)[Agiled](https://www.capterra.com/p/206203/Agiled/) Reasons for choosing Bonsai It's stable with the least amount of bugs for the price point. Review Source KS Katie S. Operations Manager Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Great for invoicing " August 27, 2025 4.0 Bonsai is a strong all in one system for freelancers and small service teams who want to run proposals contracts and payments without juggling multiple apps. It is quick to learn and it keeps cash flow and client communication organized. If you need heavy duty CRM or full accounting features you will still pair it with other tools but for everyday operations it delivers a smooth streamlined experience. Pros Bonsai brings proposals contracts invoicing and time tracking into one clean workspace. The templates and e signature make it fast to send professional paperwork. I like the recurring invoices retainers and automatic payment reminders. The client portal keeps messages files and approvals in one place which cuts down on email ping pong. Cons Pricing can climb as you add teammates or advanced features. Project management is fine for simple tasks but it is not as deep as a dedicated tool. Report customization is limited and invoice layouts do not offer a lot of design freedom. Multi currency and tax settings may require manual tweaks if you work across regions. Review Source Helder G. Marketing Manager Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "All-in-One Tool!" March 22, 2025 4.0 Using Bonsai has been a smooth ride, it is user-friendly and well-designed, though pricing may be a concern for some. Pros The automated workflows save a lot of time, and the pre-built contract templates are a great feature! Cons The pricing can be a bit high, especially since some advanced features require higher-tier plans. Review Source Vesna M. Copywriter and Messaging Strategist Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "A cohesive, customizable all-in-one software for proposals, contracts, and invoices" November 22, 2024 4.0 I've been using Bonsai since 2021. I've thought about moving platforms a few times, mostly looking for something cheaper that also allows me to use my own branding, but I always end up sticking with Bonsai in the end because it allows me to customize so many other things — which, in the end, are more important to me. In the 3+ years I've used Bonsai, I've never had issues with payment processing, invoice/proposal/contract links, etc. I've never had any mishaps with it, and my clients seem to like everything I send from there. Bonsai has actually helped me look professional and prepared. Pros Things I love about Bonsai: (1) Using one tool for proposals, contracts, and invoices It's great to be able to use one tool to manage all 3 major transactional events with clients. It also makes you look like a professional when the things you send to your client all have a cohesive look and feel. (2) The granular level of customizations available for proposals, contracts, and invoices - Proposals are highly customizable. You can start with a template (and there are quite a few good ones) and customize and edit it any way you like. - You can also save your own proposals as reusable templates for future clients. - I love that the proposals have various formats for project-based packages (like allowing the client to select multiple options or making the client pick only one of several options, or not offering options at all ... it really allows you to structure your proposal in the way YOU do business). - I like that both proposals and invoices can be edited \*after\* you send them. So if a client wants to negotiate one last thing, you don't have to cancel the proposal/invoice and start over. You can edit the existing one and the link you sent them still works. - I like that I can decide whether I want to send a proposal/contract/invoice as a link in my own email or send out an "automated" looking email straight from Bonsai. I've tried both ways and both work very well. - I love the ability to completely customize fields in my invoices. Many invoice software out there doesn't allow for a lot of customization, but customization in invoicing is ultra important to me because every project is different. - I like the ability to attach a pdf to the invoice (like bank wire information if the client prefers to pay with that over a credit card payment). - For contracts you have so many different template options, it's easy to find one that matches your needs as closely as possible and then you can even convert it to a fully editable contract where you can add or remove entire clauses and make your own. Then you can save your contract as a template for future clients. - Auto-reminders for invoices are optional. I like that I can turn it on or off on a per-client basis. - There are also lots more customizations for invoices like the ability to do scheduled recurring invoices. It makes me feel like Bonsai can handle whatever business models and client projects I evolve through. (3) The ability to bill in multiple currencies. - I was shocked to discover so many invoicing platforms force you to use your own local currency (e.g., Honeybook). I'm in Canada, but many of my clients are in the U.S. and in Europe, and I prefer to bill in USD. So a multi-currency billing platform was a must for me. (4) Support is decent. - You have to use chat to access customer support, but I have always found them to respond by the next day at the latest. Cons Things I dislike or don't love about Bonsai: (1) I don't care for the calendar and project management features. I'm really picky about my booking calendar and need lots of features. So I feel like Bonsai's pricing went up for features I don't even need or use. For that reason, I ended up downgrading my Bonsai to a lower tier to make it more affordable again — which meant I had to give up custom branding. Bonsai should allow custom branding in the lower tier. The middle tier should include things like the calendar and project management and more CRM features. Don't force people to upgrade to a more expensive tier just to use custom branding. (2) For proposals, I wish Bonsai would make the currency visible to the client. A couple of my clients were confused and asked me if I was charging CAD or USD because on my side of Bonsai, I can see the currency, but on the client's side, they cannot see it. So now I have had to add a note on all my proposals "All currency is x." Bonsai should fix this. Yes, the invoice always shows it, but the proposal should show it as well! (2) The reporting is very confusing to non-USD users. When I look at my dashboard and Bonsai gives me graphs and stats about my earnings, the dropdown menu is not intuitive, and I've had to ask support to help me understand what it means. Review Source Founder and Creative Director Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "I finally have time to actually work on my business!" November 5, 2024 5.0 Pros Bonsai has been a game-changer for my freelance business! It's like having a personal assistant that handles all the tedious admin work. The templated contracts save me a lot of time on paperwork, and I love how everything updates automatically when payments come in, or projects move forward. Their automated workflows help me set up when documents and updates get sent to clients. Everything is streamlined, from project management to time tracking, helping me stay profitable. Plus, their customer service is exceptional. Always helpful and responsive when I need them. They listen to my feedback and consider feature requests, making me feel valued as a customer. I can finally focus on what matters: growing my business. Definitely worth the investment! Cons As a solo-preneur, taking time to learn new software can be challenging, especially with so many features to explore. But Bonsai has a very intuitive interface, so I got comfortable with everything in just a few days. Worth the effort! Review Source Founder Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Bonsai is the easiest CRM I've ever used!" October 1, 2024 5.0 9/10. I just started my business and tried several other CRM platforms for days and got no where. With Bonsai, I had my entire set up done in less than an hour. It's very intuitive and easy to use. Pros Bonsai is user friendly yet it has all the necessary features and is uncomplicated. I am able to integrate the needed applications to conduct business and keep everything in one place. Cons Bonsai integrates with my google calendar and gmail. This allows me to use it to send/receive emails and to schedule, however it doesn't allow me to view my calendar or email box. This is not as much of an issue regarding emails but having to navigate outside of the program for the calendar is not the best functionality. The other con is that I cannot preview the client portal as they see it; this function would make it simple to walk them through it when onboarding them (or to create a video doing so). Switched from [ClickUp](https://www.capterra.com/p/158833/ClickUp/) Ease of use. Click up had all these work arounds that were difficult to integrate. Bonsai is user friendly and very intuitive. This means as my team grows, no training will be required. Alternatives considered [Odoo](https://www.capterra.com/p/135618/Odoo/) Reasons for choosing Bonsai Odoo was noisy and required knowledge of how it works to set up. Bonsai was simple yet offered the integrations and features I needed. Review Source Business Consultant Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Best project management tool for our agency!" June 21, 2024 5.0 Bonsai has significantly boosted our team's productivity, allowing us to focus more on delivering quality services to our clients. We highly recommend it to any agency or other type of small business looking to improve their business processes. Pros As a creative agency of over 15+ professionals, Bonsai has transformed our workflow. We started using them when we were only 2 people on the team, and we used Bonsai only for a few features at the beginning (proposals, contracts and invoicing). But as our team grew to nearly 20 people now, we started needing more features, and surprisingly, Bonsai grew as well and launched the features we needed like project management and budgeting, team resource planning and business profitability overview. It made our operations more efficient by simplifying the overall project management process and working with clients. We also tested a few other tools in the meantime but Bonsai was the only one that hit the sweet spot of easiness of use and a comprehensive list of features that seem to be specifically built for agency workflows. Additionally, the customer support is top-notch, always responsive and knowledgeable. Cons The only thing I'd suggest is to have maybe a little bit more design/structure control over client portal. Switched from [Harvest](https://www.capterra.com/p/75598/Harvest/)[monday AI Work Platform](https://www.capterra.com/p/147657/monday-com/)[ClickUp](https://www.capterra.com/p/158833/ClickUp/)[Asana](https://www.capterra.com/p/184581/Asana-PM/)[Notion](https://www.capterra.com/p/186596/Notion/) Bonsai is very easy to use, our whole team likes it, simple client and project management, also the workflows are just what we were looking for. Clean interface, and has a very affordable pricing compared with competitors. Review Source Small Business Consultant Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "I can't believe I didn't know about Bonsai earlier!" July 11, 2024 5.0 Love, love, love. I absolutely recommend it to anyone who asks or is struggling to organize and manage their service-based business. Give it a try! Pros Bonsai is such a great tool for freelancers and small businesses like myself. It is the most cost-effective software out there to have CRM, project management, proposal & contract management, e-signature, scheduling/booking, time & expense tracking tools in one single place. We compared the cost of having each of these tools individually with other providers, and Bonsai just can't be beaten. On top of that, the user experience is so seamlesss. Very easy to set up and looks modern and clean! Cons The only thing I don't use as much in Bonsai is the project management tool since I think there are other free alternatives out there that work and can be set up in a more customized way. But Bonsai gives a great starting point to those who have nothing like that set up now. Another thing could be that I like data and reports, but these insights in Bonsai are only included in more advanced memberships, which could turn pricey for smaller businesses. Alternatives considered [LaunchBay](https://www.capterra.com/p/10019610/Motion-io/) Review Source Video Editor Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Bonsai is a Great Service for Freelancers and Small Businesses" May 9, 2023 5.0 Overall, Bonsai provides a great service for Freelancers and Small Businesses. They have all the tools and resources needed to conduct business and get paid. Their invoices are very straightforward so as not to confuse the client's when they receive their invoice. Pros Bonsai has all the tools a freelancer, or small business, may need to contract work. Cons Sometimes it takes a few days to get a response from Bonsai's customer service reps but they have a forms page that has a lot of answers. This form can answer most of the questions you have so you don't have to contact customer service reps. Switched from The previous product I used would take up to 20% of the funds I was earning. From my experience so far, the only time Bonsai takes any of the funds you earn is if you use "Instant Pay", which only takes 1.5%, or if you're getting paid by a client that pays in a different currency (i.e. CAD to USD). Review Source Founder Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great interface, poor quality, money grabbing company" February 21, 2024 3.0 If you’re a freelancer looking for something to get started very quickly, then Bonsai will be great. If you are growing beyond that, I would consider looking elsewhere. They are not scaling to support that type of customer, and it’s too easy for them to find new ways to grab more money for the same or fewer features, some of which don’t work. Pros Bonsai makes it easy to get started as a freelancer. Proposals, contracts, and payment processing is made easy. Cons In the 5 years I’ve been using Bonsai, they have introduced only two net new product features. One of which is Bonsai Payments, which is a competitor to Stripe, which they already supported. The second, Bonsai Tax, which stripped some existing and included functionality from the original offering and turned it into an add on feature for an extra $100/year. They have revamped some existing features, but they lack execution, and there are very obvious gaps in product requirements that have yet to be filled. I report a new bug almost every single time I log in, and every single time it’s confirmed by the product team. They’ve raised prices by >150% in only a few years and not improved the platform enough to warrant that. Review Source Founder Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Best app for entrepreneurs and service providers!" March 22, 2023 5.0 It's been a year that I manage all my client contracts, proposals and bills with Bonsai and it has been a game changer! Thanks for this wonderful app! I always recommend it to my entrepreneur friends and colleagues that want to launch their business! Pros I love the ease of use of Bonsai, its personalized templates and the modern aspect of the app. As a designer I need to have good looking proposal and the app makes it really easy to customize documents. Cons The fees that are applied when the client pays online can be a pain point for some of my clients, and can extend to more than 3%. Bonsai is a great app but I would love to have lowers payment fees to keep my prices as they appear on my proposals. Reasons for choosing Bonsai The personalized templates for proposals, bills and the online contracts that makes my whole process safe and clear for my clients. I also love the ease of use of this app and its modern aesthetic! I really matters when presenting documents to prospects and clients as a graphic designer :) Review Source Managing Director Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Everyone Needs a Bonsai" November 5, 2024 5.0 Pain-free experience all around. Easy to log in, easy to find, easy to access the tools and products I need. In a matter of a few clicks. I had one issue with accessing Bonsai on the desktop app, contacted support and received a response and a solution in less than 30 minutes. Pros As the sole operator of my company, I don't have time to reinvent the wheel on the lifecycle from proposal submission to invoice generation from disparate and disaggregated sources. Bonsai is responsive to the time-crunched business owner like myself. The average turnaround time working with some clients from contract agreement to invoice generation and sign-off has been about 5 days. If you are a business owner who is also working for smaller organizations who need to get a project off the ground ASAP, then Bonsai is for you! Cons The legalese in the contracts, and the inability to make more substantive edits in this regard is a small negative - particularly when working with organizations who might not be as familiar with your business. Review Source Owner Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Horrendous Customer Service" March 15, 2023 1.0 Horrible, Worst in class Pros I like the tax add-on that allows me to pull P&L reports. It's the only reason I haven't canceled my subscription. Bonsai's customer service is disgusting! Cons Everything except the tax add-on. Bonsai canceled my account without warning because Stripe couldn't verify my identity, EVEN THOUGH in their FAQs, it says there are other ways to do so if we reach out via email.I resubscribed (since I canceled my Quickbooks and Honeybook subscriptions) and got verified, but they locked my account pending said verification. Contacted customer service via chat, and they read my message and then closed the conversation ticket.Followed up with an email and two months later, nothing has changed. Switched from [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Tax add-on in one place Review Source Response from Bonsai March 15, 2023 Hi Kezia, We are deeply sorry to hear about your experience with Bonsai. Some of our services are only available to users with a valid identity verification from our identity partner. There is unfortunately no workaround or manual identity review we can perform as an alternative. This is a one-time procedure for new users and I am sorry it didn't work out. Our support team is however happy to assist you in cancelling your subscription and transitioning to another tool. I am sorry that Bonsai cannot serve your business today. Thank you Christopher S. Founder Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Solid Small Business Solution that grows with you." May 22, 2023 5.0 It was a good experience and we will continue to use it. Pros I liked how it kept track of our Tax payments and let us automatically set money aside for taxes. Cons The fact that our clients can't see their tasks. Switched from [HoneyBook](https://www.capterra.com/p/162588/HoneyBook/)[Square Payments](https://www.capterra.com/p/170278/Square-Payments-Processing/)[Wave](https://www.capterra.com/p/178021/Wave-Apps/) Because Bonsai had Tax preparation. Alternatives considered [HoneyBook](https://www.capterra.com/p/162588/HoneyBook/)[Notion](https://www.capterra.com/p/186596/Notion/) Reasons for choosing Bonsai Tax Preparation Review Source Visual Designer Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "All in One App" May 29, 2023 5.0 Having all timing and billing information in the dashboard has made me aware of my ongoing projects, unpaid invoices, and expenses at a glance. Pros Bonsai's user experience is very intuitive, and well designed. My main uses are time-tracking and invoicing. For a pretty practical price, I can do all my business management needs in one place. Cons One feature I would love to see improved is the Desktop Time Tracker. Currently is doesn't allow you to save your time for specific tasks within a project. Sometimes, I need to invoice tasks separately and right now the desktop app lumps them into one project. Switched from [PayPal Invoicing](https://www.capterra.com/p/179253/PayPal-Invoicing/)[Toggl](https://www.capterra.com/p/247745/Toggl/) Bonsai lumps all the business features I need into one application . Review Source N/A Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Bonsai takes care of the hard work so I don’t have to" March 15, 2023 5.0 Overall, this has helped my processes a ton. I don’t have to worry about as much or spend as much time as I used to putting together invoices and following up on proposals and contracts. Pros Bonsai automates and streamlines all of the client and business management elements that would otherwise take up a lot of my time. Cons Nothing to dislike here! I’ve enjoyed my Bonsai experience. Review Source Lead Designer Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Great tool business management" March 15, 2023 5.0 Pros I've experimented with various business apps such as Bonsai, but none of them compare to its CRM and invoicing capabilities. Its combination of reasonable pricing and comprehensive features makes it unbeatable. Additionally, its customer service is exceptional. Cons I wish there was a better portal for clients, where we can have conversations within the portal, upload specific files within the portal, assign tasks, etc. As it is now, there's no reason for my clients to even log into the portal because everything just goes to their email. but emails can get messy so i'd prefer the alternative. Switched from [Notion](https://www.capterra.com/p/186596/Notion/) Notion was great, and I mostly used it to upload design presentations and collect feedback from clients, but ultimately the layout felt disjointed and not catered to my line of work. Review Source Owner Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Bonsai gets me paid" July 1, 2024 5.0 4.9/5 stars, I can't complain. Bonsai does a great job of getting me paid. Pros Invoice options, and automations work well out of the box and make sense with no need for configuration. Cons The cost would be too high if I didn't get a lifetime discount through webflow. Switched from [Webflow](https://www.capterra.com/p/136159/Webflow/) They ended their client billing service. Review Source Founder Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Great for small businesses owners !" July 5, 2024 5.0 Pros Intuitive design and overall clean interface Cons Document customisation is limited (invoices and proposals) Switched from [ClickUp](https://www.capterra.com/p/158833/ClickUp/) easier and more prone to small businesses Alternatives considered [Dubsado](https://www.capterra.com/p/206389/Dubsado/)[Agile CRM](https://www.capterra.com/p/135148/Agile-CRM/)[ClickUp](https://www.capterra.com/p/158833/ClickUp/) Reasons for choosing Bonsai easier to use, good price-value ratio and clean interface that has all i need in one place Review Source CEO Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Good alternative to Dubsado, still lacking in features" July 22, 2024 4.0 So far, good. Customer service doesn’t have a live chat and responds within a day, which is ok. Again, I’m used to Dubsado which has live support. For the same price, I got better support and more features. However, I didn’t get the ability to enforce contracts, which is really what the switch was for. I can’t say it was an even switch and if the customer service and white labeling matched, I’d be ecstatic. Pros I liked the ease of setup and the ability to enforce contracts and setup workflows, but the workflows are still disjointed when it comes to connecting invoices, proposals, and contracts. What seems intuitive is not and what would make logical sense is not available. Cons Stripe integration is not visible unless certain settings are made (however, I’m still not able to get that functional). White labeling isn’t available for subdomains. Switched from [Dubsado](https://www.capterra.com/p/206389/Dubsado/) For contract and invoice payment enforcement/late fee application. Review Source CEO Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "I am satisfied a large part due to customer service." May 1, 2023 4.0 It was \[sensitive content hidden\] at first but again i appreciate the customer service that \[sensitive content hidden\] provided! He was incredibly helpful and the reason i continue to use this platform. Pros I love the customer service and once they get back with you they seem genuinely interested in providing solutions. Cons I was locked out of my account because I no longer had access to my to my old phone and should have been able to verify another way. Instead I had to reach out to support when the function could have simply been an additional option using the interface. I also feel like the processing fees from my contract being $40 and $50 bucks I should have 24 hour support but I understand. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.