Best Bonsai Alternatives for Freelancers (2026)
Bonsai is one of the best-known all-in-one tools for freelancers. It bundles CRM, proposals, contracts, invoicing, time tracking and a client portal in one place. Plenty of people still search for Bonsai alternatives, though. These are the usual reasons:
- Price for what you use. On Bonsai's current pricing, invoicing and payments start on the Essentials plan, not the entry plan. If you mainly need to send invoices and get paid, a cheaper alternative to Bonsai may make sense.
- Bundling. Some freelancers want a full business suite. Others only want invoicing, or only want project management and proposals. Bundles are great until you're paying for half a product you never open.
- Geography and workflow fit. Many tools in this category were built for US-based solo businesses first. If you bill in several currencies, work with international clients, or collaborate with other freelancers on a project, check those features before you commit.
Below we compare eight options, including our own. For each one we note the starting price, who it suits and its honest downsides. Prices were checked on vendors' pricing pages in October 2026 and may change. One housekeeping note: AND.CO (Fiverr Workspace), which used to appear on lists like this, shut down on 1 March 2026, so we no longer include it.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Starting price (checked Oct 2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| tod-Z Workspace | Free plan; Pro $29/month | Freelancers who want AI help with pricing and proposals, plus projects, invoicing and payments, in one place |
| Bonsai | $15/month (Basic; invoicing starts on Essentials at $25/month) | Solo freelancers who want a mature, well-known suite |
| HoneyBook | From $29/month billed annually (Starter) | US-based service businesses and creatives who sell through proposals |
| Dubsado | $335/year (Starter) | Freelancers who want deep workflow automation and custom forms |
| Moxie | $12/month (Starter) | Budget-conscious freelancers who still want a full suite |
| Plutio | $19/month (Core) | Freelancers who want heavy customization and white-labeling |
| FreshBooks | $23/month regular (Lite, up to 5 billable clients) | Freelancers whose main need is invoicing and accounting |
| Indy | Free plan; Pro $12.50/month on a two-year plan | Freelancers who want a free starting tier with proposals and contracts |
If you're comparing two tools head-to-head, our comparison page puts tod-Z next to the common alternatives.
The tools
1. tod-Z Workspace (our tool, disclosed)
Disclosure: tod-Z is our product. We've tried to describe it as plainly as the others, including where it falls short.
tod-Z Workspace is an AI workspace for freelancers ("talents"), small agencies and the clients who hire them. The Free plan ($0) includes 3 active projects, a Kanban task board, basic invoicing, 3 ZPay payment links, 1 collaborator per project, 1 AI pricing calculation per day, and the ZIA AI assistant with daily message limits. Document generation isn't included on Free. Pro ($29/month) adds unlimited projects, recurring invoices, deposits and partial payments, multi-currency, expenses, document generation, AI skill assessments and 5 collaborators per project. Team ($79/month) supports up to 10 members. There are also separate client plans for companies that hire freelancers.
What's different:
- ZIA, the built-in AI assistant, drafts proposals and documents for you to review. It also has a Co-Work mode for working through tasks together.
- The AI Pricing Tool suggests a fair rate based on the project scope, your skills and your experience. It's useful if you're quoting a new type of project and don't want to guess.
- ZPay handles secure one-time and recurring payments through Stripe Connect. tod-Z takes zero commission. ZPay payments carry a 5% payment-processing fee for using ZPay, so compare that with your current processor before switching.
- Microsoft 365 integration connects OneDrive files and Outlook.
Pros: a real free plan; AI help with pricing and first drafts; multi-currency and deposits on Pro; collaborators built in. Cons: it's a newer product with a smaller ecosystem. It has fewer integrations and templates than Bonsai or HoneyBook. It doesn't offer built-in e-signature, so if signed contracts are central to your workflow, you'll need a separate tool. The 5% ZPay processing fee is also higher than some processors charge.
More on how freelancers use it: tod-Z for freelancers.
2. Bonsai
Bonsai's pricing page lists four plans: Basic $15/month ($9/month billed annually), Essentials $25/month ($19 annually), Premium $39/month ($29 annually) and Elite $59/month ($49 annually, 3-user minimum). Basic covers CRM, time tracking, task management and unlimited projects and clients. Invoicing, payments, proposals, contracts, forms, scheduling and the client portal start at Essentials. Premium adds integrations such as QuickBooks, Xero and Zapier, and removes Bonsai branding. There's a 7-day free trial.
Pros: mature and widely used; strong templates; generous annual discounts. Cons: the plan most freelancers actually need (with invoicing) is $25/month on monthly billing; integrations and branding removal sit on Premium; online payment fees vary by method and are listed in a help article rather than on the pricing page.
3. HoneyBook
HoneyBook's pricing page shows Starter at $29/month, Essentials at $49/month and Premium at $109/month, all billed annually. For monthly-billed prices, see vendor site. The page wasn't clear on monthly rates when we checked. Starter includes unlimited clients and projects, invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, a client portal and HoneyBook AI. Automations, the scheduler and the QuickBooks Online integration start at Essentials. There's a free trial, which the FAQ describes as 30 days with no credit card. For card-processing fees, see vendor site; the figures shown on the page weren't consistent when we checked.
The Bonsai vs HoneyBook decision usually comes down to this: HoneyBook leans toward client experience and proposal-led sales (photographers, planners, designers), while Bonsai leans toward general freelance admin and time tracking. For more options in this category, see our HoneyBook alternatives guide.
Pros: polished client-facing flow; strong proposal-to-payment experience. Cons: automations aren't in the entry plan; check currency and region support if you work outside North America; it costs more than Bonsai at the entry level.
4. Dubsado
Dubsado's pricing page lists Starter at $335/year and Premier at $525/year. Monthly prices weren't listed on the page when we checked, so for monthly billing see the vendor site. Starter includes unlimited projects and clients, invoicing and payment plans, client portals and one lead capture form. Premier adds automated workflows, advanced scheduling, Zapier and a bookkeeping integration. The free trial lasts 21 days with full Premier access and no credit card.
Pros: very powerful forms and workflows; good if you run a repeatable client process. Cons: steeper learning curve; workflows are on Premier only; annual-only pricing is shown up front.
For more, see our Dubsado alternatives guide.
5. Moxie
Moxie's pricing page lists Starter at $12/month ($10/month billed annually), Pro at $25/month ($20 annually) and Teams at $40/month ($32 annually). Even Starter includes client and project management, invoicing and payments, proposals, quotes and contracts, time tracking, a sales pipeline, basic accounting, schedulers and an AI assistant. Pro adds workflow automations, a white-labeled client portal, Zapier/Make/API and QuickBooks. There's a 14-day free trial.
Pros: probably the strongest feature-per-dollar ratio here; a credible cheaper alternative to Bonsai. Cons: automations and integrations need Pro; it's a smaller brand than Bonsai or HoneyBook.
6. Plutio
Plutio's pricing page lists Core at $19/month ($190/year), Pro at $49/month ($490/year) and Max at $199/month ($1,990/year). All plans include projects, invoices, proposals, contracts, time tracking, scheduling, forms and a client portal. The catch is that Core is limited to 9 active clients and solo use. Pro raises that to unlimited active clients and 30 contributors. White-labeling is a $9/month add-on below Max. There's a 7-day free trial with no credit card.
Pros: highly customizable; integrations and API on every plan. Cons: the 9-active-client cap on Core; add-ons can push up the real cost.
7. FreshBooks
FreshBooks' pricing page lists Lite at $23/month (up to 5 billable clients), Plus at $43/month (up to 50) and Premium at $70/month (unlimited). Select has custom pricing. When we checked, it also advertised a promo of 80% off for the first four months. Team members cost an extra $11/month each. There's a 30-day free trial with no credit card.
FreshBooks is freelance invoicing software and accounting first, not a project-and-proposal suite. Proposals start on Plus.
Pros: excellent invoicing, expenses and tax-time reports; great if your accountant needs access. Cons: client limits on lower tiers; lighter on proposals, contracts and project collaboration than the all-in-one tools.
8. Indy
Indy's pricing page has a Free plan ($0) that includes projects, calendar, forms, tasks and a time tracker, plus 3 proposals, contracts, invoices and clients per month. Pro was shown at $12.50/month billed $300 every two years, with unlimited proposals, contracts, invoices and clients, a branded client portal, recurring invoices, and Zapier and Gmail integrations. The page showed conflicting monthly figures when we checked, so for monthly-billed pricing see vendor site. Pro has a 7-day free trial.
Pros: usable free tier; low effective price on the two-year plan. Cons: the free tier's monthly caps fill up fast once you have steady work; the lowest price requires a two-year commitment.
How to choose a Bonsai alternative
Before you migrate, run through this checklist:
- List what you actually use. If it's 80% invoicing, a finance-first tool like FreshBooks may beat any suite.
- Check the plan where your must-have features live, not the headline starting price. Invoicing, automations and integrations often sit one tier up.
- Compare payment-processing fees on a typical invoice. A difference of a couple of percentage points adds up over a year.
- Check client and collaborator limits. Plutio Core, FreshBooks Lite and Indy Free all cap clients in some way.
- Confirm currency and region support if you invoice international clients.
- Decide whether you need e-signature. If you do, pick a tool that includes it or budget for a separate one.
- Use the free trial with a real project. Send yourself a proposal and an invoice, then pay it.
- Think about how you price. If quoting is the hardest part of your week, a tool that helps you set rates (such as tod-Z's AI Pricing Tool) may matter more than another template library.
And if you're also looking for new clients, our free weekly list of public freelance and contract posts is at /freelance-work.
FAQ
What is the best Hello Bonsai alternative for a tight budget?
On the prices we checked, Moxie Starter ($12/month) and Indy (free plan, or Pro at $12.50/month on a two-year plan) are the cheapest paid routes. tod-Z also has a free plan with basic invoicing and payment links. Weigh each tool's limits, not just its price.
Bonsai vs HoneyBook: which is better for freelancers?
Bonsai suits general freelancers who want time tracking, CRM and invoicing in one tool. HoneyBook suits client-facing service businesses that sell through polished proposals and want a strong client portal. HoneyBook's entry plan costs more ($29/month billed annually vs. Bonsai Basic at $9/month billed annually). Bonsai Basic doesn't include invoicing, though.
Can I just use freelance invoicing software instead of an all-in-one tool?
Yes, if invoicing and expenses are your main need. FreshBooks is built for exactly that. If you also manage proposals, projects and collaborators, an all-in-one workspace usually saves you from juggling several subscriptions.
Want to try an AI-assisted workspace with a free plan and no time limit? Create a free tod-Z account.