Bonsai Software Reviews

“Try it, it's been helpful to us

Pros

Getting my business started became so much simpler thanks to Bonsai software!

Cons

Some of the screens were a bit less user friendly than I expected.

“Good alternative to Dubsado, still lacking in features

Pros

I liked how easy it was to set up and manage contracts and workflows but I found that the workflows are still somewhat fragmented when it comes to linking invoices, proposals and contracts. What seems simple is not always so and some logical options are not available.

Cons

The Stripe integration is not visible unless specific settings are adjusted (though I am still struggling to get it to work). plus white labeling is not available for subdomains.

“I can't believe I didn't know about Bonsai earlier!

Pros

Bonsai has been an excellent tool for freelancers and small businesses like mine. Its the most budget friendly software that combines CRM, project management, proposal and contract management, e-signatures, scheduling/booking and time and expense tracking all in one place. After comparing the costs of separate tools with other providers Bonsai stands out. Plus the experience is the best and smooth. Also it is easy to set up and it looks both modern and sleek!

Cons

The only feature I do not use much in Bonsai is the project management tool as I think there are free alternatives out there that offer more customization. However Bonsai is a great starting point for those who do not have anything set up yet. I also enjoy data and reports but these insights are only available with higher tier memberships which might be too expensive for smaller businesses.

“So far so good!

Pros

It is an all in one platform like CRM, invoicing, scheduling everything you need in one place.

Cons

I was surprised to find an additional charge for the tax solution especially when the appeal is being a complete one stop shop. Also I could not connect my bank account or credit card for expense tracking.

“Great for small businesses owners !

Pros

The design is quite user friendly and the interface is clean overall.

Cons

Customization options for documents like invoices and proposals are somewhat limited.

“Bonsai gets me paid

Pros

Bonsai invoice options and automations work perfectly right out of the box and are easy to understand without any setup needed.

Cons

The cost would have been too high if I had not received a lifetime discount through Webflow.

“Best project management tool for our agency!

Pros

As a creative agency with over 15 professionals Bonsai has really transformed our workflow. We started using it when our team was just two people and initially only used it for proposals, contracts and invoicing. Now with nearly 20 team members, we have needed more features and Bonsai has evolved with us, adding project management, budgeting, team resource planning and business profitability tools. It has made our operations much better by simplifying project management and client interactions. We also tried a few other tools but Bonsai was the only one that struck the right balance between ease of use and a comprehensive feature set made for agency workflows. Plus, their customer support is exceptional as they are always responsive and knowledgeable.

Cons

It would be helpful to have a bit more control over the design and structure of the client portal.

“Easy mode for Invoices, Contracts, and Time Tracking

Pros

Bonsai interface is the best for onboarding clients, creating custom contracts and project proposals and managing them over time. It also simplifies sending recurring invoices and tracking expenses.

Cons

Editing recurring invoices could be made more intuitive and easier to manage.

“Nothing Good to Say About Bonsai

Pros

Well I do not find anything appealing about this brand or product.

Cons

My experience with Bonsai/Hello Bonsai has been very frustrating. They charge high transaction fees and then hold onto your money for weeks after payment. This has severely impacted my business. I wish I had known about these issues before signing up. I pay nearly $500 a year for their basic services and was charged an additional $300 in transaction fees for my first two transactions with access to the funds delayed by over two weeks. I canceled my account as soon as I discovered their practices. Any other service would be preferable to Bonsai. Additionally their customer support is virtually nonexistent. I have never paid so much for a service and been unable to speak with a real person to resolve even basic issues.

“Great beginner platform

Pros

Bonsai software offers simple invoicing and client management for service based businesses, along with proposal and contract templates. It helped me quickly handle a lot of the more tedious tasks.

Cons

The task and project management features are not really on par with other modern systems if you are dealing with complex projects.

“Great interface, poor quality, money grabbing company

Pros

It makes starting out as a freelancer really easy. It simplifies proposals, contracts and payment processing.

Cons

Over the 5 years I have used Bonsai they have introduced only two new features. One is Bonsai Payments which competes with Stripe, a service they already supported. The other is Bonsai Tax which removed some functionality from the original package and turned it into an additional feature costing $100 per year. While they have updated some existing features, they still have major gaps and issues. I report a new bug nearly every time I log in and the product team always confirms them. They have increased their prices by over 150% in just a few years but the platform has not improved enough to justify this hike.

“Shady business practices and terrible customer service

Pros

I would not recommend Bonsai to anyone running a business.

Cons

their business practices seem questionable and the customer service is very poor.

“Excellent customer/client management for solo starting out, hope Bonsai grows with small biz

Pros

There is a lot to like about Bonsai lets start with its attractive graphical interface. Also most features are quite easy to implement though its worth noting that incoming payments are on hold for the first two weeks. The online scheduler works very well and is compatible with Macs. The client portal is visually appealing and makes sharing invoices and files easy. There are many good automation features such as sending an invoice when a client signs a contract. For a solo freelancer just getting started Bonsai feels like a 10/10. If you have a few clients or projects each month and work solo, its likely to impress and make things run smoothly.

Cons

it seems much better for solo freelancers. Many features do not work well for small businesses with employees. It also lacks options for handling high volumes such as tracking or running reports. Although you can add team members for a monthly fee, Bonsai does not account for the need to set user permissions or involve employees in specific aspects of the business. For instance, users can only be partners with access to all financial details or collaborators with very limited capabilities like just viewing projects. I need an assistant to help with creating projects, sending contracts and invoices without granting access to the companys entire financial data. Sadly for now there is no way to do this. Contracts require a company signature which cannot be pre filled and we are struggling to work around these constraints. Bookkeeping tracks processing fees and manually inputted expenses but cannot handle multiple bank accounts, check writing, payroll and so on.

“Poor Customer Support and Horrible Payment Processing

Pros

I really like the invoicing and time tracking features and I also like how it integrates with Intuit and QuickBooks for better organization.

Cons

its payment processing fees are high and the timing for releasing payments is poor. There is no customer service number to speak with a real person and the response turnaround seems to be AI-generated. The resolution to major payment concerns has been unsatisfactory and the responses unacceptable.

“Best invoicing application for any consultancy

Pros

Bonsai ease of use and the available features are what I like most.

Cons

Software cost is very high as compared to other applications.

“Great way to centralize your business

Pros

Having my contracts, invoicing and scheduling all in one place has really helped streamline the backend operations of my business.

Cons

The initial payout for invoicing took over two weeks. I understand this is meant for security but that length of time can feel quite long for a small business.

“Bonsai has been so helpful as a freelancer!

Pros

I find Bonsai really easy to use program for creating and sending contracts and invoices as well as tracking time for each project. The program is well organized and its easy to find what I need. Their customer service has also been quite helpful as they resolve my issues quickly and getting back to me in a reasonable timeframe.

Cons

I had to spend extra time figuring out the payout process and how to get my funds into my bank accounts.

“All in One App!

Pros

Bonsais software is highly adaptable and well designed. I mainly use it for time tracking and invoicing. For a reasonably priced tool it covers all my business management needs in one place.

Cons

I did really like to see an improvement in the Desktop Time Tracker. Right now it does not let you save time for specific tasks within a project. Sometimes I need to invoice tasks separately but the desktop app currently combines them all into one project.

“Its worth the money

Pros

Bonsai interface is clean and simple which makes it easy to use. The standout feature compared to similar products is its accounting feature. For a small business, it eliminates the need for additional accounting software like QuickBooks which saves costs and keeping everything consolidated.

Cons

Only thing I find missing in Bonsai is a Kanban board or any other visual tool for tracking tasks and projects.

“Business Owner's Best Friend

Pros

Bonsai is very easy to use. Also the interface is also very smooth!

Cons

Nothing at all! I have been using it for a few months and its been perfect. I do hope that someday I will be able to add a custom contract instead of relying on templates.

“Solid Small Business Solution that grows with you.

Pros

I liked how it tracked our tax payments and allowed us to automatically set aside money for taxes.

Cons

The major drawback is that our clients cannot see their tasks.

“Almost a perfect solution

Pros

Bonsai offers many core features for managing and running a business and is very easy to use. The price is excellent for the range of features provided.

Cons

I cannot add contacts to the CRM section without an email address which is an issue when I meet people at networking events and only have their LinkedIn info. It also does not offer a good way to store contacts who are not customers.

“Great all-in-one tool

Pros

I enjoy being able to streamline proposal creation and manage proposals, contracts, invoices and tasks all within one app.

Cons

At first setting up tasks and adding custom hours (instead of recording them) was a bit confusing but I managed to figure it out.

“Great for New Freelancers

Pros

I am very much pleased having everything I need for my new business all in one place.

Cons

A tutorial for the financial features would be really helpful. It took me a while to find all the available options.

“Great Program!

Pros

Bonsai is pretty easy to use and packed with great features! The seamless integration made the free trial excellent and we are definitely moving forward with it!

Cons

I have not come across anything that I dislike. Its been great so far.

“Great Software!

Pros

Bonsai is easy to use and a fantastic tool for managing invoices.

Cons

Cost is bit on the higher side but overall I think its worth it.

“Bonsai keeps me a loyal customer!

Pros

Its very simple, clear and easy to navigate. Bonsai has everything a freelancer or contractor needs to keep their small business financially organized.

Cons

Well I did like to see the mobile and desktop apps expanded. While the browser app is nice, I did prefer to access my dashboard directly through an app icon instead of using Chrome. It would also be great if clients could access their mini portal on Bonsai without needing to create an account. This way they could view the active project I am working on with them and check their invoices.

“Bonsai is great!

Pros

It covers everything. In short it is a fantastic all in one solution.

Cons

Contract system is a bit complex and is not easy to use and also the custom fields are quite limited.

“Why I use Bonsai

Pros

Getting started with Bonsai was not at all problematic as I was up and running quickly. I really like how easy it is to create and send invoices to my clients.

Cons

I wish there was a chat widget feature I could add to my website similar to what Sharpspring or HubSpot offer. It might be helpful to collaborate with Webflow on this.

“Free trial for 3 months - it's going GREAT

Pros

Bonsai ease of use is definitely a strong point. Everything is very well designed and perfectly placed.

Cons

It would be great if I could add one member for free instead of the $9 fee. I did also like a ticketing system but for now I will use a form. It would be useful to create proposals by simply selecting the services I have already listed in the Services tab.

“Its very user-friendly.

Pros

Having everything in one place makes it very simple to use.

Cons

I wish we could include BACS as a payment option.

“Bonsai is a Great Service for Freelancers and Small Businesses

Pros

Bonsai provides all the tools a freelancer or small business needs for managing contract work.

Cons

Sometimes it takes a few days to get a response from Bonsais customer service but they have a forms page with plenty of answers. This form addresses most questions so you might not need to contact customer service directly.