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Bonsai

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What Bonsai is

Bonsai is a platform for service businesses that brings client work, project management, and billing into one system. Its client workflow tools cover CRM, deals, estimates, proposals, contracts, retainers, forms, a client portal, and scheduling. Project management includes tasks, Gantt charts, time tracking, budgets, timesheets, reports, and resource planning. Financial tools include invoicing, online payments, rate cards, expenses, forecasting, and accounting integrations; recurring invoices are supported. Premium lists integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Calendly, and Google. Bonsai’s API covers contacts, companies, deals, projects, tasks, subtasks, comments, time entries, and invoices. The service is available through the web and lists apps for iPhone, Android, and Mac OS, along with an API and extension. A seven-day free trial provides full, unlimited access. Continuing after the trial requires choosing a plan and entering payment details. Monthly per-user plans are Basic at $15 a month, Essentials at 25.00 USD, Premium at 39.00 USD, and Elite at 59.00 USD; a separate pricing note gives a starting rate of $9/user/mo (annual). Elite requires at least three users. Bonsai says it enforces multifactor authentication and least-privilege access, and achieved SOC 2 Type II compliance on July 3, 2025.

Who it suits

Bonsai suits freelancers and firms that want client records, project delivery, and billing tools in one platform. Its features also cover work for leadership, operations, project managers, and team members.

What it does well

  • Combines CRM, proposals, contracts, and client scheduling.
  • Includes tasks, time tracking, Gantt charts, and resource planning.
  • Supports recurring invoices and online payments.
  • Premium lists QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Calendly, and Google integrations.
  • Seven-day trial provides full, unlimited access.

What to know first

  • No free plan is offered.
  • Continuing after the trial requires a paid plan and payment details.
  • Elite requires a minimum of three users.

Limits

The seven-day trial provides full, unlimited access, but continuing afterward requires a plan and payment details. Basic lists time tracking, task management, and CRM; invoicing and payments start with Essentials, while integrations start with Premium. Elite requires at least three users.

Plans

PlanBilled and limitsPrice
Basic$15/user/month; $9/user/month if paid annually · Time tracking · Task management · Unlimited projects · CRM · Service library · iOS & Android app · Unlimited clients$15 a month
Essentials$25/user/month; $19/user/month if paid annually · Everything in Basic · Invoices & Payments · Proposals & Contracts · Templates · Forms · Scheduling · Client portal · Expense tracking · Income tracking$25 a month
Premium$39/user/month; $29/user/month if paid annually · Everything in Essentials · Project insights · Workload management · Gantt view · Deals pipeline · Custom fields · Client tasks and messaging · Profitability reports · Integrations · Remove Bonsai branding$39 a month
Elite$59/user/month; $49/user/month if paid annually · Everything in Premium · Custom permissions · Timesheet locking · Expense markups · Custom data import · 3-user minimum$59 a month

As hellobonsai.com lists them, read 14 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

  1. Open the Bonsai website.
  2. Choose the seven-day free trial for full, unlimited access.
  3. Use Bonsai through the web or its listed iPhone, Android, or Mac apps.
  4. Choose a plan and enter payment details to continue after the trial.

Verdict

Choose Bonsai if your service business needs client workflows, project tools, and financial management together. Look elsewhere if you need a free plan or cannot meet Elite’s three-user minimum.

Questions

Is there a free plan?

No. Bonsai offers a seven-day free trial with full, unlimited access.

What does Bonsai cost?

The listed monthly per-user prices are 15.00 USD for Basic, 25.00 USD for Essentials, 39.00 USD for Premium, and 59.00 USD for Elite. A separate pricing note says From $9/user/mo (annual).

Which platforms does Bonsai support?

Bonsai lists web, iPhone, Android, and Mac OS apps, as well as an API and extension.

Which integrations are listed?

The Premium plan lists QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Calendly, and Google integrations.

What does the trial include?

The seven-day trial provides full, unlimited access. A plan and payment details are required to continue afterward.

Does Elite have a minimum seat requirement?

Yes. Elite requires a minimum of three users.

Facts from Bonsai's own pages

API
The Bonsai API covers contacts, companies, deals, projects, tasks, subtasks, comments, time entries, and invoices. · help.hellobonsai.com, 4 Oct 2026
API authentication
Developers can use account API keys or OAuth 2.1 authorization-code flow with PKCE, with permissions limited by the Bonsai member's access. · docs.hellobonsai.com, 14 Oct 2026
API limits
API quotas are 600 requests per minute and 10,000 per hour overall, with writes limited to 120 per minute. · docs.hellobonsai.com, 14 Oct 2026
Client workflow
Client management features include CRM, deals, estimates, proposals, contracts, retainers, forms, client portal, and scheduling. · hellobonsai.com, 4 Oct 2026
Company founding and headquarters
Crunchbase says Bonsai launched in 2015 and is based in San Francisco, California. · crunchbase.com, 14 Oct 2026
Company legal name
Crunchbase identifies the company as Bonsai Technologies Inc. · crunchbase.com, 14 Oct 2026
Company size and funding
Crunchbase lists 11–50 employees and a pre-seed round led by Y Combinator. · crunchbase.com, 14 Oct 2026
Contracts and proposals
Bonsai provides reusable contract and proposal templates, editable document building, signature fields and downloadable PDFs. · help.hellobonsai.com, 14 Oct 2026
CRM
The product includes CRM records, pipeline management, contacts, companies, email and calendar synchronization, search and custom views. · help.hellobonsai.com, 14 Oct 2026
Data protection
The trust center lists encrypted data controls, restricted production access, maintained inventories, password policy, MDM and AWS, DigitalOcean, Heroku and Crunchy Data subprocessors. · trust.hellobonsai.com, 14 Oct 2026
Financial management
Financial tools include invoicing, payments, rate cards, budgets, expenses, forecasting, and accounting integrations. · hellobonsai.com, 4 Oct 2026
Hosting model
TrustRadius lists Bonsai's deployment type as SaaS and its mobile applications as iOS and Android. · trustradius.com, 14 Oct 2026
Integrations
Official integration resources cover QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zapier, Calendly, Gmail, Outlook, Zoom, HiBob and a Bonsai MCP server. · help.hellobonsai.com, 14 Oct 2026
Invoicing and payments
Bonsai supports invoice creation, online payments, recurring billing, payment reminders and payment-method processing fees. · hellobonsai.com, 14 Oct 2026
Limit: advanced management depth
GetApp reviewers say advanced project-management and reporting capabilities are less robust than dedicated tools and support feedback is mixed. · getapp.com, 14 Oct 2026
Limit: customization and automation
GetApp's review summary says some users find customization limited and automation confusing. · getapp.com, 14 Oct 2026
Limit: mobile feature gap
An Apple reviewer says the mobile app cannot create proposals, contracts, projects or clients and is mainly useful for invoicing and marking invoices paid. · apps.apple.com, 14 Oct 2026
Limit: payment holds and bugs
Apple App Store reviewers report glitchy interfaces, login problems and an account freeze that held funds during identity verification. · apps.apple.com, 14 Oct 2026
Mobile downloads
Bonsai publishes separate iPhone, macOS menu-bar time-tracker and Android applications. · help.hellobonsai.com, 14 Oct 2026
Plan limitation
Elite requires a minimum of three users. · hellobonsai.com, 4 Oct 2026
Platform apps
Bonsai lists apps for iPhone, Android, and Mac OS, alongside use through its website. · help.hellobonsai.com, 4 Oct 2026
Praise: ease and consolidation
Independent reviewers repeatedly praise the intuitive interface and the ability to combine invoicing, contracts, proposals, payments and time tracking in one system. · getapp.com, 14 Oct 2026
Praise: support
Trustpilot reviewers frequently describe Bonsai support representatives as fast, professional and helpful. · trustpilot.com, 14 Oct 2026
Product
Bonsai consolidates projects, clients, and billing in a platform for service businesses. · hellobonsai.com, 4 Oct 2026

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