--- title: "Bonsai Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "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_type: "reviews" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-09-29" --- 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 September 29th, 2026 # Reviews of Bonsai Ease of use 4.6 Customer Service 4.3 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews VM Vesna M Copywriter and Messaging StrategistMarketing and Advertising, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “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.“ November 19, 2024 VM Vesna M Copywriter and Messaging StrategistMarketing and Advertising, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “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.“ November 19, 2024 CA Claudia A Founder and Creative DirectorDesign, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “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.“ October 29, 2024 VM Vesna M Copywriter and Messaging StrategistMarketing and Advertising, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “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.“ November 19, 2024 VM Vesna M Copywriter and Messaging StrategistMarketing and Advertising, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “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.“ November 19, 2024 JP S OwnerIndustrial Automation, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “I pay nearly $500 a year for their basic business services, and they charged me an additional $300 in transaction fees for my first two transactions and would not let me access the fund for over two weeks.“ March 28, 2024 David C FounderInformation Technology and Services, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “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.“ August 10, 2025 BB Brandon B FounderMarketing and Advertising, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “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.“ February 19, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 95 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Charles Abraham R. Owner Graphic Design Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Why I use Bonsai" May 11, 2023 5.0 Its been a game changer and it helped me scale my bsuiness. Pros Bonsai is easy to get started, and I was up and running in no time. I like how easily I am able to create and send invoices to my clients. Cons I wish there were a chat widget feature that I could install on my website similar to Sharpspring or HubSpot. Perhaps some collaboration with Webflow. Review Source DV Daniela V. Founder Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "So far so good! " July 8, 2024 5.0 So far so good. Love the UX, willing to giving it more time to try but maybe will have to switch to "rounded". Pros one tool for all needs: CRM, Invoicing, scheduling. One stop shop. Cons I can't believe they charge extra for the tax solution when the whole differentiator is beingthis one-stop shop. Also, couldn't connect my bank account and credit card for expenses tracking. Alternatives considered [Rounded](https://www.capterra.com/p/172907/Rounded/) Reason for choosing Bonsai CRM functionalities, but considering moving to rounded, since cheaper and really good for tax purposes (without charging an additional fee for it or asking you to have quickbooks integration). Switched from [Wave](https://www.capterra.com/p/178021/Wave-Apps/) Wave stopped working for companies outside the US. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Owner Industrial Automation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Nothing Good to Say About Bonsai" March 28, 2024 1.0 Pros Nothing likable about this brand or product. Cons Bonsai / Hello Bonsai is absolutely terrible. They charge ridiculous transaction fees and then hold your money up for weeks after the payment has been made. Absolutely infuriating, they have massively screwed up my business. I wish I had known this before signing up with them. I pay nearly $500 a year for their basic business services, and they charged me an additional $300 in transaction fees for my first two transactions and would not let me access the fund for over two weeks. I canceled my account with them as soon as I learned about their predatory practices. Literally, any other service would be better than Bonsai. In addition, Bonsai support is practically non-existent. I have never paid so much for a service and not been able to get an actual person on the phone to try to resolve even the most basic issues. Review Source CL C L. Managing Legal Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Excellent customer/client management for solo starting out, hope Bonsai grows with small biz" December 8, 2023 4.0 I'm glad to have found this platform, have appreciated the ways it streamlined some of my business and remain excited about its potential. I've looked at many industry specific platforms for my service industry and they all were clunky or extremely expensive. I don't need industry-specific software though, I just need a clean, easy to use project / client management platform where I can send invoices/contracts and schedule client appointments. Bonsai has some stand-out features, among the best are its scheduling and client portal (to allow clients to view an invoice or uploaded files). Bonsai works great with apple/mac/iphone OS calendar and is very useful for client onboarding / invoicing. I would love to see Bonsai develop additional features for growing businesses, even if that involved a modest add-on fee (so long as the add-on fee didn't get carried away,) Pros There is a lot to appreciate with Bonsai starting with a very nice graphical interface. Most features are super easy to roll out (with the notable exception that incoming payments are frozen for the first 2 weeks plus). The online scheduler works excellently and plays very nicely with macs. The client portal is very attractive and an easy way to share invoices / files. There are lots of great starts to automate common tasks (e.g., when a client signs a contract, send the invoice) I felt like Bonsai is a 10/10 (or close) for a very small solo just getting started. If you have a handful of clients / projects a month and work alone, this will justifiably wow and make things beautifully smooth. Cons Solo / freelancers are Bonsai's target. Many features just don't seem to work for or consider a small business with any employees. It also doesn't seem to have features suitable to handle businesses with high volume of anything (no way to track/run reports) Although there are options to add "team" members for a monthly fee, Bonsai doesn't really recognize that a business owner might need to set user permissions or have employees involved in some but not every aspect of a business. For example, users can only be designated "partners" with access to every financial detail or "collaborators" who can do next to nothing in the platform besides view an already created project. I need an assistant to create projects, send out contracts and invoices but not be given a key to the company's entire financials. Currently there is no way to do this. Contracts cannot be sent without a company signature and the signature cannot be pre-populated. We're still trying to work around these limitations. Bookkeping automatically logs processing fees as expenses and can track other manually inputted expenses but cannot track multiple bank accounts / check writing, payroll, etc. Alternatives considered [CaseFox](https://www.capterra.com/p/121682/CaseFox/)[8am MyCase](https://www.capterra.com/p/115613/MyCase/)[Daylite for Mac](https://www.capterra.com/p/116272/Daylite-for-Mac/)[Bookly](https://www.capterra.com/p/180137/Bookly/) Reason for choosing Bonsai Bonsai has a much cleaner interface, very easy entry (easy to navigate, no steep learning curve), dramatically smoother syncing with ical for macs and affordable monthly price. Review Source JE Jackie E. Graphic Designer Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Bonsai keeps me a loyal customer!" May 15, 2023 5.0 Bonsai has been very essential to my freelance career when I was part time to now being a full time freelancer. When starting out, I just needed the essential tools - invoicing, accounting, time tracking, contracts and proposals - which Bonsai offered immediately. Down the line, they added new features that boosted what I can also add to my workflow management such as forms, scheduling and now a cool project board view besides the generic list view! It allowed me to have a business debit account while major banks require small businesses to be active for a certain amount of time before qualifying for a business account. Overall - NO FRILLS, but still A GEM. Pros Very straightforward, simple and user-friendly. Everything a freelancer or contractor needs to keep their small business financially organized is in Bonsai. Cons I hope the mobile and desktop app would be expanded. The browser app is cool, but I would love to just click onto an app icon to access my dashboard without having to get on Chrome. Might also be great to have a client be able to access and view their mini portal on Bonsai without creating an account - this way they can view the active project I'm working on with them and access invoices. Switched from [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Quickbooks didn't have all the other features that Bonsai offered Review Source MA Mike A. Owner Internet Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Bonsai improved my business 100%" March 19, 2023 5.0 Before Bonsai I was using many programs for proposals, CRM, invoicing, and contracts. Since switching to Bonsai I honestly have to say that I have saved several thousand dollars per year and my life has been much easier and more organized. Bonsai has systems that have automation so if a customer does one particular item the Bonsai system will automatically send an email with a form that I would like my customer to submit. Bonsai is definitely a game changer and I would highly recommend any business owner to look at their system and hopefully see the benefits that they can receive by using Bonsai. Pros Bonsai makes everything extremely streamlined and very easy and user-friendly. From the time I input a lead to creating the proposal to invoicing the customer and finalizing the project, Bonsai makes everything hassle-free and extremely easy. Cons The only suggestion I would have or like to see for Bonsai would be for them to allow me as the business owner to arrange the look and feel of how my customer dashboard is arranged. Alternatives considered [Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/) Reason for choosing Bonsai Bonsai is made for the small to medium size business owner and there was no need for the outrageously over priced salesforce CRM. Review Source SB Sarah B. Owner Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Love Bonsai and would recommend" March 13, 2023 5.0 Pros What's NOT the most impactful LOL! I use Bonsai for EVERY PART OF MY PROJECT ( well that, and the Google Drive). From storing client information, to creating projects, invoices, time tracking, invoices, contracts et all... Bonsai has really streamlined the administration side of my small business. They are also SUPER quick to respond with support when needed. Huge Fan of Bonsai and happy I chose them over everyone else <3 Cons I would love to be able to add my accountant to the accounting area without having to add her as a partner... and I love the idea of the cash feature and envelopes just wish you could make this work with an external bank as I prefer to run my business account separate to the Bonsai system Alternatives considered [FreshBooks](https://www.capterra.com/p/142390/FreshBooks/) Reason for choosing Bonsai I found it to be a little more intuitive than the other products I was checking out. Review Source VC Victor C. Artistic Director Design Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "An ever improving platform that makes freelancing a breeze" April 7, 2023 4.0 Overall, I love this platform. It's straightforward and pleasant to look at. Once the mobile application can action creating proposals and contracts, making projects, adding clients and not just acting as a "review what's up in your business" companion application... Pros The ease of creating projects, setting up and sending proposals, and tracking billing. Cons Sometimes projects move quickly, and certain actions have to become manual. Expense tracking can be tricky as well — I've had issues (likely bugs) where my expenses double or even triple which throws off P&L reports. The mobile application is VERY limited, often defaulting to the desktop version for common actions. Alternatives considered [Wave](https://www.capterra.com/p/178021/Wave-Apps/) Reason for choosing Bonsai The discount from Webflow. Switched from [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Webflow Client Billing replaced some of the actions we repeat for billing for websites. The lifetime discount helps to be a customer. Review Source BP Blaine P. Owner Information Technology and Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Well worth the money" May 23, 2023 5.0 I am only one month into my new business and I'm glad I've starting using Bonsai from the beginning. My clients signed my contracts immediately when I sent them using the electronic signature as opposed to waiting for them to sign my initial paper contract. I have yet to sent my first invoice, but it looks to be very simple. I've connected my bank so I can see all my expenses in a single app. Pros The interface is very clean and intuitive and is a breeze to use. The feature that puts it above all the rest of similar products is the accounting features. For a small, simple business, I don't need to invest in another accounting product like QuickBooks. It saves on costs and keeps everything in one plane of glass. Cons The only item that I find lacking in Bonsai is there is no Kanban board or other visual way to track tasks and projects. Alternatives considered [Indy](https://www.capterra.com/p/187441/Indy/)[Moxie](https://www.capterra.com/p/252114/Moxie/) Reason for choosing Bonsai The accounting feature in Bonsai was an edge that the other products didn't have. Review Source SB Sarah B. Graphic Designer Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great way to centralize your business" May 25, 2023 4.0 Overall good! Happy to have my business admin simplified. Pros Being able to have my contracts, invoicing and scheduling all in one place has really helped to streamline the backend parts of my business. Cons The initial payout for the invoicing was over two weeks. I understand that it is in place to ensure security, however that amount of time can feel like forever to a small business. Switched from [PayPal](https://www.capterra.com/p/207944/PayPal/) I wanted to consolidate my business admin when it came to invoicing, contracts and scheduling. Review Source AM Andrea M. Vice President, Instructional Design Services E-Learning Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great Time-Tracking Features and Easy to Use" January 16, 2025 4.0 Overall, I found Bonsai to be a very good program for tracking both billable and non-billable time spent on projects. Features like the in-app timer, when I remembered to use it, were great and could track my time for me automatically. This significantly reduced the time I had to spend filling out timesheets manually at the end of each week. I found the timesheets function in Bonsai to be pretty intuitive and easy to navigate. The ability to report on time spent for an individual or the entire team was also quite useful and easy to generate. Overall, I was quite pleased with the time tracking features in Bonsai and my experience with the software was very good. Pros I really liked the in-app task timer feature. It was particularly useful on days where I needed to split my time between 2 or 3 different tasks. Cons Bonsai allows you to track time down to the task level. While the ability to see and report on time spent at that level of detail can provide some great insights, it can also quickly become cumbersome for users to report their time at that level of detail. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Photographer and Creative Director Media Production Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Always Raving about bonsai " March 17, 2023 5.0 That being said, the exceptional customer service from Bonsai's team has made a real difference in my experience. They are always available to answer my questions and provide support, which is a rare find in today's digital landscape.Overall, I would recommend Bonsai to any freelancer or small business owner who values high-quality customer service and wants to streamline their workflow. While the price may be on the higher side, the time and effort saved on invoicing and contract management may make it worth it for some. However, those looking for more comprehensive proposal creation and onboarding features may want to explore other options. Pros Bonsai has truly been a game-changer for my freelance business. As a solo entrepreneur, I was struggling to keep track of my finances, contracts, and invoicing, which took up way too much of my time and energy. But ever since I started using Bonsai, everything has become so much more streamlined and effortless.Bonsai's user-friendly platform and intuitive features have made it easy for me to create and customize professional contracts and invoices that perfectly match my branding. Their built-in time tracking tool is a lifesaver, allowing me to track my hours and bill my clients accurately without any hassle.What really sets Bonsai apart, however, is their exceptional customer service. Their team is always available to answer my questions and provide support, and they go above and beyond to make sure that I am happy with their product.Overall, I cannot recommend Bonsai enough to any freelancers or small business owners out there who want to streamline their workflow and save time. Thanks to Bonsai, I have more time and energy to focus on what really matters - growing my business and serving my clients. Cons Bonsai has been a helpful tool for my freelance business, but it does come at a higher price point compared to some of its competitors. While the user-friendly platform and built-in time tracking features have saved me time and effort on invoicing and contract management, I do wish that Bonsai could do more in terms of proposal creation and onboarding new clients. Review Source YH Yeshe H. Owner Design Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Consulting Business MVP" March 16, 2023 5.0 Our overall experience with bonsai is overwhelmingly positive, especially with their great customer support and their steady flow of new features. I don’t foresee us outgrowing bonsai, as the features and tools are easily scalable to service-based businesses of any size. Pros Bonsai is invaluable to us as it handles some of the most important aspects of our business. Time tracking, task management, invoicing, collecting payments, expense tracking are all handled via a user-friendly interface (website, extension, macOS app, iOS app). Bonsai is our MVT (most valuable tool)! Cons Above all else, we use bonsai for accurate time tracking on projects, so when the mac app and website suddenly wouldn’t allow us to log in, we were frustrated. Thankfully, bonsai came through with a fix that solved it. Review Source ES Eric S. Owner Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Easy mode for Invoices, Contracts, and Time Tracking" May 23, 2024 5.0 Pros Super easy interface for on boarding clients; creating custom contracts and project proposals and then managing them ongoing; sending recurring invoices and expenses. Cons Editing recurring invoices could be made more intuitive and easier to manage. Review Source LS Lars S. Director, Developer Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Bonsai is great for a software agency" September 19, 2024 5.0 Bonsai staff took the time to answer our questions in a virtual meeting and explained the ins and outs of the system. After we got to use the system for a week we had another call and they answered all our questions. The system itself is clean, works awesomely and is extremely customisable to our own needs. I would recommend Bonsai. Pros I believe bonsai offers us a unique CRM en planning system that is extremely well integrated with expense management, invoicing, contracting and much more. Cons Pricing model is a bit steep for starting European Businesses however it absolutely beats having to pay for multiple systems that in the end do the same that Bonsai can but takes a lot more work. Review Source BB Ben B. Founder & Director Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Long-time user" April 15, 2023 4.0 Pros It is very easy to use. The customer service is excellent. It works near-perfect for my invoicing, expense-tracking, proposals, and contracts. Cons I wish the project management feature were more built out. If this were the case, we wouldn't have to use an external tool (AirTable) in addition to Bonsai. Also, the mobile app doesn't have all the sections or features that the desktop version does. Review Source SM Sharina M. Principal Designer and Owner Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Poor Customer Support and Horrible Payment Processing" October 9, 2023 5.0 Never had an issue before until a client I recently acquired that Bonsai has held my funds since October 5th and it is as of to date October 9th not been resolved and no hopes of it being resolved quickly. Pros Invoicing, time tracking and also like the organization and link to Intuit and Quickbooks. Cons High processing fees for payment and HORRIBLE timing to release payment. No Customer service number to speak with a human. Poor turn around response, believe it to be AI Generated. Disgusting customer service resolution and unacceptable responses to major concerns regarding payments. Review Source SK Sage K. Freelance Designer Graphic Design Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Freelance Gamechanger" March 13, 2023 5.0 Timetracking helps me make sure my pricing aligns with my scope and estimates. Tasks keep the list out of my mind and on track. Invoicing keeps my clients on track! Pros Before Bonsai I was using many different apps and ways to keep myself biz on track. Between spreadsheets, hello-sign, storing invoices and contracts in folders, and not really tracking my time, I was all over the place! Bonsai has improved my workflow, lessened my anxiety around invoicing, and made running my business (freelance graphic designer) much more streamlined! Cons I tried to download the bonsai App but couldn't, so I use the browser version. I also would like there to be a way to have a "deposit paid" line on invoices that isn't listed as a discount. Reason for choosing Bonsai Seemed simpler and more aligned with my needs Review Source MS Malindi S. Copywriter Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Excellent product" March 13, 2023 5.0 Love it and would 100% recommend it. Pros Bonsai has every integrated feature I need as a freelancer. From time tracking to invoice creation, it handles all my administration needs with ease. Cons It has automated actions that are unnecessary, like asking to notify clients. However, this doesn't impact my day-to-day use of the product. Review Source NH Nick H. Photographer / Videographer Photography Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Would recommend to any new small business / freelancer" March 14, 2023 5.0 Pros The ease of use and contract/invoice customisation. Cons Cant fault bonsai thus far, it has fulfilled every need. Review Source Kaelea S. Owner Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Bonsai- The first piece to every successful business " March 16, 2023 5.0 Pros From simple invoicing to automatic contracts and payment collection, Bonsai takes the guesswork out of the bookworkB Cons Though I wish payments appeared instantly, Bonsai gets it to you as soon as possible Review Source NW Nicole W. Owner Design Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Bonsai, great service for all small businesses!" September 6, 2024 5.0 Excellent experience! When I requested an extension of the free trial, there was no problem. So that solved the only Con I experienced. I look forward to using Bonsai for my small business. Pros Great UI experience. Very easy to use. I have used many different invoicing softwares in the past, and I found Bonsai to be the easiest to navigate and find what I was looking for. Cons Free trial was not long enough to get a feel for the entire experience of invoicing and receiving payment. Review Source JM Josue M. Web Specialist Internet Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Amazing business management tool" September 3, 2024 5.0 It's been very good! Bonsai has taken the headache out of invoicing and financial management. I know what money is due when and from who, all with automatic reminders and overdue interest accrual. Their support has also been extremely helpful :) Pros Super easy invoicing, great dashboard, beautiful looking templates Cons Not very powerful time tracking and general navigation is a little slow Review Source KC Krys C. CEO Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Highly recommend!" March 21, 2023 5.0 Very amazing! Recommended to small businesses & freelancers Pros Highly recommend Bonsai for proposals, e-signed contracts, invoicing and much more! Cons Invoice customization to the fullest is needed and edit columns Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Too much manually work Review Source EM Elizabeth M. Software Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Great for New Freelancers" May 18, 2023 5.0 Pros I loved that it had everything I need for my new business in one place. Cons It would be great if there could be a tutorial for the financial side. It took me a bit to find everything that was available. 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.