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Bonsai
Everything you need to run your business.
4.4
(93)
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Bonsai Reviews & Product Details

Bonsai Overview
What is Bonsai?

Bonsai’s all-in-one product suite with smart automation lets you focus on your passion, not your paperwork. Bonsai integrates and automates every step of your business so it runs seamlessly - from proposal to tax season.

Company Bonsai
Year founded 2016
Company size 11-50 employees
Headquarters San Francisco, California
Social Media
Bonsai Categories on Findstack
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$29.00/month
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Bonsai Product Details
Segment
Small Business
Deployment Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based, Desktop Mac, Desktop Windows, Mobile Android, Mobile iPad, Mobile iPhone
Support 24/7 (Live rep), Chat, Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support
Training Documentation
Languages English
Bonsai Features
Approval Workflows
Audit Trail
Automated Invoicing
Bank Reconciliation
Batch Processing
Client Management
Contact Database
Credit Note Management
Custom Fields
Customizable Templates
Discount Management
Document Storage
Electronic Payments
Expense Tracking
Integration with Accounting Software
Invoice History
Invoice Scheduling
Late Payment Reminders
Mobile Access
Multi-Currency Support
Multi-language Support
PDF Export
Partial Payments
Payment Tracking
Project Billing
Recurring Billing
Reporting and Analytics
Role-Based Access Control
Tax Calculation
Time Tracking
Bonsai Media
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Disclaimer
Our research is curated from diverse authoritative sources and meant to offer general advice. We don’t guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each use-case, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services. Feel free to share your feedback.
Last updated: December 09, 2024
Bonsai Logo
93 Bonsai Reviews
4.4 out of 5
Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Dec 24, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
JH
Josh H.
Founder, Project Manager, And Web Developer
Share
"Awesome Project Management and Invoicing Tool for Freelancers"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

After tons of research, I pulled the trigger and purchased Bonsai. In the past I've used Freshbooks and Quickbooks, and what I enjoy most with Bonsai is the updated and modern look-and-feel. I know that when I send my proposals, contracts, or invoices, my clients will get a simple and easy to pay invoice. I recently added the tax and accounting software, and I'm really excited that I no longer have to manually track income and expenses in a spreadsheet. It lays everything out in the dashboard, and I can easily see how much money I've made each month or quarter!

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

The one thing that I've struggled with with Bonsai is the onboarding process. I think Bonsai could really benefit from some recorded training material walking new users through each specific portion of the product.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

I'm now able to quickly and easily send pre-populated contracts for my clients to sign, that way we're both covered. As mentioned above, I also really like the accounting and tax software.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Oct 31, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Nick D. avatar
Nick D.
Owner
Share
"DUDE WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F*CK. Cleanest UX and workflow ever. Perfect for freelancers."
What do you like best about Bonsai?

Just the document management and automation save me hours. I literally cant without this. Sorry for being dramatic, but I don't care. I have ADHD, and this cured it.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

Well thats a trick question. It took a minute for me to figure out how to do the customization but once you figure it out, you realize how stupid easy it is. I would like a little more customization but hey. Thats why I'm a designer. I like to put shit exactly where I want it.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

No more bloatware. Everything is time-tracked, managed, and in a sales pipeline to see on my phone or on the go. I don't have to stress about asking for money anymore because this reminds my customer and even has a beautiful portal, which is perfect since my new redesigned website is still under construction, but I got bills to pay. Makes me look professional as fuck too. Hire me haters.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Oct 24, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Erika S. avatar
Erika S.
Marketing Director
Share
"I LOVE Bonsai! But I do wish it had more...."
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I like that I get to organize different tasks with different clients on different projects in ONE PLACE! That's awesome!

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

I hate that I cannot export my time tracking. I have to take a screenshot to show my clients my tracked time. I would love to be able to export them in a PDF or spreadsheet file for any other purpose that I may need it.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Staying on top of everything is something Bonsai has definitely helped me with. I realized that I needed a tool to do that and not just an ordinary spreadsheet or notes.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Aug 04, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
BS
Bre Anne S.
Owner Of Soulful Media, Co.
Share
"Best Thing to Happen to Freelancers"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I am a small web design and marketing business owner/freelancer and being as this is my first experience running my own business, Bonsai has been a total lifesaver! The convenience and simplicity of the platform have made accounting and invoicing a piece of cake. I highly recommended it to any first-time freelancer!

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

The fees are the most unfortunate thing. Consider we pay for a monthly subscription, the online banking fees seem unnecessary.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Accounting, invoicing, Contracts, Timesheets. Literally of the problems.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Jul 23, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Oshane H. avatar
Oshane H.
Publisher
Share
"Best Freelancer/ Business Management Tool"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I love that I am able to track my time automatically and manually and be able to send invoices to bill my clients as a freelancer

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

I love everything so far there is nothing not to like about Bonsai

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

I love being able to solve the issue of invoicing

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Jul 23, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
CK
Catharine K.
Social Media Marketing Coach / Content Creator / Owner Of Broken Record Social
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"Get Bonsai If You Want to Level Up Your Client Game!"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

It's affordable for a small freelancer (annual discount). Makes me look professional and sophisticated while working in my pajamas on my laptop. Keeps all my client contracts, forms and invoices in one place. I can use my own logo.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

I wish they offered different font selections for signing the contract. That's the only thing I don't like! Everything else is AMAZING! (They did add TONS of font options for contracts, maybe they will add new fonts for Signatures also.)

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

When I started freelancing, I was using 3-4 different platforms/applications to onboard and manage my clients. Venmo, Google Forms, MS Word - it was a mess! And a maze. I had to make myself a flow chart so I didn't get confused lol, imagine how my clients felt. Now everything is all in one place and has my logo on it. I love that it presents a professional, integrated look to my clients and it streamlines everything for me as well. Massive win-win! I also love that clients can pay their invoices directly within the invoice and I don't have to also have Quickbooks.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Jul 05, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
JM
Jessica M.
Graphic Designer
Share
"Love it!"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I like that I can send out proposals, you can see when a client has viewed and accepted it and it automatically has an invoice for it. Super handy and i can track all my projects.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

That i cant just send out quotes on it, I have to do a project and send out a proposal from there.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Tracking projects, solving the issue of proposals also. Clients can easily view the proposal and its easy to read.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
May 26, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Kaitlyn F. avatar
Kaitlyn F.
Founder
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"Bonsai Covers Everything I Need for My Freelance Business"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I love that Bonsai gives me all of the tools in one place! I use their accounting system, contracting, and invoicing. All of my admin is in this one app designed for freelancers like me.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

I wish I could link Bonsai with Airtable

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Contracting, e-signing, invoicing, managing payments from clients, accounting, and taxes. With Bonsai, I was able to start my freelance agency with healthy business operations from the start.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Apr 20, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Ebrahim H. avatar
Ebrahim H.
Ceo
Share
"Used it for curiosity, Stayed for the awesomeness."
What do you like best about Bonsai?

Bonsai is a straightforward and effective piece of software - I loved how simple they kept it and how easy it was for me to navigate through the system. It offers an invoice system, a way to store your client information, add projects, which is every freelancer or agency's dream. With the invoice system, you can invoice your clients in almost one click. If you want to be paid hourly, they have a time tracking software with a timer and a way to manually add hours. Finally they have a task system, which provides a straightforward way to organize your projects.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

I liked everything. However, what really needs to be added is a way to support more payment methods; Payoneer and Transferwise (Wise) are good examples; I sadly don't have Paypal or Stripe to test the Payments feature.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

I am not a very organized person, I admit it. However, with Bonsai's UI design, I felt delighted when I added the list of my clients. Bonsai has an elegant dashboard that gives you an overview of how your business is doing and which invoices need to be paid. As a co-founder of an Agency, I wanted a simple way for my other co-founders to see everything going on the agency, I was able to do that with Bonsai.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Apr 09, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Francesca Ricci P. avatar
Francesca Ricci P.
Copywriter, Email Marketing Specialist, Brand Strategist (Story Brand)
Share
"Don't use anyone else!"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I love how their aesthetics look clean and the proposals have the right amount of customization. I was able to put sections in the order I wanted and set up is super easy. I've tried other similar platforms and always came back to Bonsai.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

Some of the automation features aren't as nuanced as I need them to be. But I know they listen to their community very well and have faith they'll fix it.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Keeping track of proposals and payments. It makes making money so much easier. Now with the automation features it'll make it even easier to onboard clients.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Jan 28, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Katherine C. avatar
Katherine C.
Financial Coach | I Help Put The Financial "Win" Back To Pinoy Breadwinners
Share
"My bestfriend in scaling my consulting business!"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I like how its interface is not overwhelming unlike Dubsado!

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

I'm looking forward to you adding more powerful features to Tasks like assigning a task to 2 or more collaborators.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

I saved time and energy by not maintaining so many databases for proposals, contracts, invoices and tasks.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Jan 19, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
SG
Sean G.
Founder
Share
"Perfect for running my design studio"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I love how easy it is to send invoices, create contracts and track payments. Having everything inside one tool is super useful for running my design studio.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

Not much at all! I almost wish there was a way for me to use it more!

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

I use Bonsai to create my contracts, send invoices and keep a track of payments.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Jan 01, 2021
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Spud M. avatar
Spud M.
Co Founder, Ceo
Share
"Software that streamlines it all!"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I love that Bonsai has proposals, contracts, and invoices - all of which talk to one another! It’s so easy to move a client along from a potential lead to paid invoice. They also make the entire process super simple and clean. So many other software options feel cluttered and clunky but Bonsai has exactly what I need without trying to add too much in. Prior to Bonsai, I was juggling multiple software solutions and PDFs going back and forth to clients. Bonsai eliminated all of that!

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

I wish it were a bit easier to see what emails are going out to my clients - or to at least have control over what reminders and notices get sent when.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Bonsai makes it super easy to juggle multiple clients and projects and not get lost in the headache of contracts and paperwork. Not only has it saved me time, but it has also increased my professionalism to my clients making them more likely to book gigs with me.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Dec 01, 2020
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Erika G. avatar
Erika G.
Graphic Designer
Share
"Wonderful Tool For Freelancers"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

This platform is an excellent way to streamline essentially all you need for freelance work. From projects and tasks to invoices and payments, it keeps all my clients and projects in one place. It's very convenient and easy to use.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

The only downside that I have found is that sometimes I cannot do automatic cashout, but I believe that may be a user error.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

I am extremely unorganized and have a hard time keeping track of my work and clients. This platform helps me organize clients and leads as well as projects and tasks. The best part is I can also update clients on where work is, and invoice them. Before this, I was using several apps to do the same job so it has made my life a lot easier and more organized.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Dec 01, 2020
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Leslie O. avatar
Leslie O.
Freelance Graphic Designer
Share
"Bonsai has simplified my freelance process a ton!"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

Bonsai makes creating contracts, invoices and time tracking easier than I could have imagined when I started freelancing. I love that I don't have to think about the legal loopholes for contracts because Bonsai has already created a template that covers the major legal items for me. I jut have to fill in the specifics of the project. I also really love the time tracking for multiple projects organized into tasks. I no longer miss out on time that I forgot to track, and therefore I make more money.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

I wish that I could changes times after sending invoices ( if I've made a mistake on timing and need to re-do).

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Essentially I am saving time on accounting, crafting invoices, crafting contracts and organizing projects. Which allows me more free time to work on my freelance creative pursuits and in turn make more cash by charging more hours.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Nov 24, 2020
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
MH
Michael H.
Founder, Developer
Share
"After trying many freelance tools, Bonsai was my choice ..."
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I love the fact they are honest with themselves. Just look at their blog and resources and how they compare themselves with others and not completely biased like others. They want to truly give you the best experience you can have with so many tools, I highly recommend trying out their free trial, their support is always nice and willing to help you quickly. Out of all the others, I love the 'minimal, sleek, clean' user interfance.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

Honestly the ONLY thing I would like bonsai to include to make it the perfect tool "for me at least, and im sure others" would be to make it 100% white label. They have a white label option which is nice but I would love the choice as a integration, like adding your own domain (C-Name or A) to customize the URL when clients click on any link so it looks like your own system, an example would be TeamWork - but the system is more than just for freelancers so I understand, but it would be an awesome intergration' :)

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Bonsai helps me keep track of my hours, add them to the invoice/projects/tasks - they helped me generate an amazing contract and agreement which I could customize. It's also helps me keep track of my clients, what I need to do, and the invoice sending thats generated from all your work.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Nov 20, 2020
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
Ali K. avatar
Ali K.
Junior Ui/Ux Designer
Share
"By far the best Project Management / Invoicing / CRM Tool for Freelancers & Agencies"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I love the simple User Interface and all the functions that are connected to each other. You can easily automate processes and have all your information & finances in one place.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

There is nothing to dislike about hellobonsai!

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

I am solving the problem of using multiple software for Client information, billing, Task Management, and Project Management. Hello Bonsai really understands the needs of a freelancer and they thought about every detail. This tool saves me money & time :)

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Nov 16, 2020
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
RS
Radhika S.
Founder
Share
"Thank Goodness for Bonsai!!"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I love everything about Bonsai! It is undoubtedly the tool I've relied on the most to help launch myself as an independent consultant. I love how easy the software is to create proposals, contracts, invoices, time tracking, and generally how beautiful the design is. I love the pricing as well, which I feel is a great value for everything I get in return.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

One downside to Bonsai is that it is not as strong on the tax accounting / financial analysis side as my business bank services are. I wish they would expand their software to also help capture business expenses, receipts, etc. so it's truly a one-stop-shop for my entire business.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

I've solved the problem of not having any other easy means of generating contracts, time tracking, and invoices. I've realized many benefits, including generating new business as seamlessly as possible and making sure I am paid on time regularly.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Nov 16, 2020
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
GA
Gabe A.
Founder
Share
"Bonsai has been amazing for our business. We love the flexibility and integration to slack!"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

Visibility into status of invoice and contracts in the system and pushed through to our slack channel.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

The only dislikes are really small nit-picky type of things that are not a big deal. Honestly very few dislikes.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Sending and signing contract in addition to creating and collecting on invoices.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Nov 02, 2020
 Source
Overall Rating:
5.0
CH
Cata H.
Founder
Share
"Does everything I need, plus a clean easy interface"
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I love how easy Bonsai is to navigate. I do everything from proposals to contracts to time tracking/invoicing/accounting all in one place, and it's super clean and easy to navigate.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

The taxes page is a little trickier to navigate than the rest, but mostly just because taxes are complicated. Not Bonsai's fault.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

All my client management is in one place. The contract and proposal templates are super helpful and super customizable. Everything is flexible to work with the needs of my business.