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About Bonsai
Overview
Bonsai is a business management platform for service businesses, including agencies, consultancies, and freelancers. It brings client management, project delivery, time tracking, and billing into one workspace.
The product covers the full client lifecycle, from the first lead and proposal to the final invoice and payment. Bonsai Technologies Inc runs the product, and the site describes it as a Zoom company.
Key Benefits
- Keep leads, proposals, contracts, projects, and invoices in one place instead of juggling separate tools.
- Send proposals, contracts, and forms from templates that pre-fill client data.
- Track time, budgets, and tasks against each project to keep delivery on schedule.
- Bill clients with recurring invoices, retainers, and online payments.
- Pull profitability and utilization reports without building spreadsheets.
- Connect accounting and workflow tools such as QuickBooks, Xero, and Zapier.
How It Works
You start a 7-day trial with full access, then pick a plan and add payment details to continue. From there, you add clients and leads to the CRM, send proposals and contracts, create projects with tasks and budgets, track time, and invoice clients. For accounting sync, you open Integrations in settings, choose QuickBooks Online, and authorize the connection.
Use Cases
- Creative and marketing agency owners manage leads, proposals, and project budgets in one workspace.
- Freelancers and consultants send contracts and invoices, then collect online payments.
- Project managers plan work with Gantt charts, task dependencies, and workload views.
- Operations leads review live profitability, resourcing, and utilization reports.
- Bookkeepers and finance staff sync invoices with QuickBooks Online or Xero.
- Team members log time and update tasks in a single shared workspace.
Why Choose This Product
Bonsai covers CRM, project management, and finance in a single product, and its plans scale from Basic to Elite on a per-user basis. Customers on the site report faster proposal creation and quicker reporting. Dedicated onboarding applies only to teams of 10 or more users, and online payments carry processing fees.
Bonsai Pros & Cons
- Combines CRM, projects, time tracking, and invoicing in one platform
- Syncs with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zapier, and Calendly
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Four per-user plans from Basic to Elite
- 7-day trial with full access
- No free plan beyond the 7-day trial
- Elite plan requires a minimum of 3 users
- Online payments carry processing fees
- Tailored onboarding is limited to teams of 10+ users
Key Features
Client CRM
All plansStore leads and clients, run a deals pipeline, and manage client relationships with custom fields and a client portal.
Proposals and Contracts
Essentials+Send estimates, proposals, contracts, agreements, and forms from templates pre-filled with client data.
Time Tracking
All plansTrack billable and non-billable time with timesheets, reminders, and timesheet locking.
Project Management
All plansOrganize unlimited projects and tasks with Kanban and Gantt views, budgets, and dependencies.
Invoicing and Payments
Essentials+Create unlimited invoices, retainer and subscription invoices, and accept online payments.
Profitability Reports
Premium+Review profitability, utilization, project, and time reports to monitor revenue and team performance.
Workload Management
Premium+Plan staffing and resourcing with workload views and capacity tracking.
Accounting Integrations
Premium+Sync invoices automatically with QuickBooks Online and Xero, and connect Zapier, Calendly, and Google.
Workflow Automations
Create automated workflows that send welcome messages, document reminders, and similar actions.
Custom Permissions
EliteSet custom roles and permissions for team members on the Elite plan.
Bonsai Pricing
View full pricing →- Time tracking
- Task management
- Unlimited projects and clients
- CRM and service library
- iOS and Android app
- Everything in Basic
- Invoices and payments
- Proposals and contracts
- Forms, scheduling, and client portal
- Expense and income tracking
- Everything in Essentials
- Project insights and workload management
- Gantt view and deals pipeline
- Profit and productivity reports
- Remove Bonsai branding
- QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Calendly, Google integrations
- Everything in Premium
- Custom permissions
- Timesheet locking
- Add markup to expenses
- Custom data import
- 3 users minimum
| Feature | Basic $15/mo | Essentials $25/mo | Premium $39/mo | Elite $59/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client CRM | ||||
| Proposals and Contracts | ||||
| Time Tracking | ||||
| Project Management | ||||
| Invoicing and Payments | ||||
| Profitability Reports | ||||
| Workload Management | ||||
| Accounting Integrations | ||||
| Custom Permissions |
Pricing extracted from the product website and may change. Check the source for current details.
Frequently asked questions about Bonsai
How does the Bonsai free trial work?
Your trial begins when you sign up and gives you full, unlimited access to Bonsai for 7 days. After that, Bonsai prompts you to choose a plan and enter credit card details to keep using it.
Can I change my Bonsai plan anytime?
Yes. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your plan at any time from your Subscription settings.
Is a Bonsai subscription tax deductible?
According to Bonsai, the IRS allows a tax deduction for software you use to run your business. Bonsai's expense tracking also categorizes your subscription as a deductible software expense automatically.
Does Bonsai charge payment fees?
Yes. Bonsai charges processing fees for online payments, and the amount varies by payment method, such as credit card or ACH. These fees cover handling and transferring funds.
Does Bonsai offer onboarding help?
Bonsai offers tailored onboarding, including data migration and training, for teams of 10 or more users. It also provides premium support with real people through chat or email.
Does Bonsai integrate with QuickBooks Online?
Yes. Invoices sync automatically between Bonsai and QuickBooks Online when you send or receive payment on them. You connect the account from Integrations in your Bonsai settings.