Bonsai
What it is
Bonsai combines client management, project delivery, and billing for service businesses. Client workflow tools include CRM, deals, estimates, proposals, contracts, retainers, forms, a client portal, and scheduling. Project features cover tasks, Gantt charts, time tracking, budgets, timesheets, reports, and resource planning. Financial tools include invoicing, payments, rate cards, expenses, forecasting, and accounting integrations. Premium lists QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Calendly, and Google integrations, while the API covers contacts, companies, deals, projects, tasks, subtasks, comments, time entries, and invoices. Bonsai offers website access plus iPhone, Android, and Mac OS apps. Plans are billed monthly per user: Basic is $15, Essentials $25, Premium $39, and Elite $59. A separate pricing note lists from $9/user/mo when billed annually. The 7-day trial provides full unlimited access; continuing requires a plan and payment details.
For and against
For
- Combines CRM, projects, and billing
- Includes time and expense tracking
- Client portal and scheduling tools
- iPhone, Android, Mac OS, and web access
- 7-day trial includes full unlimited access
Against
- No free plan is offered
- Trial continuation requires payment details
- Elite requires at least three users
- Plans are priced per user
The verdict
Bonsai centralizes service-business workflows from client intake through payment. Its plan levels add financial, reporting, integration, and permission features as needs expand.
Who it suits
Bonsai is designed for firms and freelancers managing clients, projects, time, expenses, and billing. Its features also address leadership, operations, project managers, and team members.
Plans and prices
Basic
Time tracking · Task management · Unlimited projects · CRM
Read 14 Oct 2026 · hellobonsai.com
Essentials
Everything in Basic · Invoices & Payments · Proposals & Contracts · Templates
Read 14 Oct 2026 · hellobonsai.com
Premium
Everything in Essentials · Project insights · Workload management · Gantt view
Read 14 Oct 2026 · hellobonsai.com
Elite
Everything in Premium · Custom permissions · Timesheet locking · Expense markups
Read 14 Oct 2026 · hellobonsai.com
On the record
- API
- The Bonsai API covers contacts, companies, deals, projects, tasks, subtasks, comments, time entries, and invoices.help.hellobonsai.com · read 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 · read 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 · read 14 Oct 2026
- Client workflow
- Client management features include CRM, deals, estimates, proposals, contracts, retainers, forms, client portal, and scheduling.hellobonsai.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Company founding and headquarters
- Crunchbase says Bonsai launched in 2015 and is based in San Francisco, California.crunchbase.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Company legal name
- Crunchbase identifies the company as Bonsai Technologies Inc.crunchbase.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Company size and funding
- Crunchbase lists 11–50 employees and a pre-seed round led by Y Combinator.crunchbase.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- Contracts and proposals
- Bonsai provides reusable contract and proposal templates, editable document building, signature fields and downloadable PDFs.help.hellobonsai.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- CRM
- The product includes CRM records, pipeline management, contacts, companies, email and calendar synchronization, search and custom views.help.hellobonsai.com · read 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 · read 14 Oct 2026
- Financial management
- Financial tools include invoicing, payments, rate cards, budgets, expenses, forecasting, and accounting integrations.hellobonsai.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Hosting model
- TrustRadius lists Bonsai's deployment type as SaaS and its mobile applications as iOS and Android.trustradius.com · read 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 · read 14 Oct 2026
- Invoicing and payments
- Bonsai supports invoice creation, online payments, recurring billing, payment reminders and payment-method processing fees.hellobonsai.com · read 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 · read 14 Oct 2026
- Limit: customization and automation
- GetApp's review summary says some users find customization limited and automation confusing.getapp.com · read 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 · read 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 · read 14 Oct 2026
