Bonsai
hellobonsai.comBuild Difficulty: 5/5
Build a working replacement in a weekend with AI tools
The unified platform for service businesses
How to Replace BonsaiOverview
Features
58 features across 21 categories
Analytics(1)
Get real-time visibility into project budget and business financials
Automation(1)
Create automated workflows to save time on repetitive tasks
Billing(9)
Create and send project estimates to clients
Add markup to expenses for billing to clients
Lock invoices to prevent modifications
Schedule when invoices are sent to clients
Create, send and manage invoices with recurring and retainer options
Support multiple currencies for international billing
Set up and manage billable rates for team members
Create and manage retainer-based invoicing
Set up recurring subscription invoices
Browser Extension(1)
Chrome extension for quick access and notifications
Client Management(3)
Provide clients with a portal to view projects and communicate
Communicate and assign tasks directly with clients
Manage leads and client relationships with deal tracking and automation
Customization(3)
Remove Bonsai branding and customize client-facing materials
Add custom fields and properties to customize workflow
Define custom workflow statuses for tasks
Data Collection(1)
Create custom forms and questionnaires for client data collection
Data Management(2)
Import data from other systems into Bonsai
Export data from Bonsai for analysis or backup
Desktop(1)
Native desktop application for MacOS
Finance(5)
Automatically sync expenses from bank accounts
Manage financial records and bookkeeping tasks
Track and manage business expenses with automatic categorization
Get a high-level view of financial metrics
Track and categorize business income
Legal(1)
Create and manage contracts and agreements
Mobile(2)
Mobile app for Android devices for on-the-go access
Mobile app for iOS devices for on-the-go access
Payments(1)
Accept online payments and manage payment processing
Project Management(10)
Set and monitor project budgets to stay on track
Visualize project timeline and dependencies with Gantt view
Organize and track tasks using kanban board visualization
Organize projects into phases for better structure
Organize and monitor project delivery with integrated tools
Create tasks that repeat on a schedule
Link tasks to define dependencies and relationships
Estimate time and cost for individual tasks
Create reusable task templates for common workflows
Create, assign and track project tasks
Reporting(6)
Access detailed profit and productivity analytics
Analyze profitability across projects and clients
Generate reports on project and task performance
Access detailed financial and project reports with key KPIs
Generate reports on time tracking data
Track team utilization and resource efficiency
Resource Management(2)
Plan and manage team resources and workload allocation
View and manage team workload with capacity tracking
Sales(3)
Track deals pipeline for sales management
Generate and send professional proposals
Access and manage a library of services for estimation
Scheduling(1)
Schedule events and manage calendar availability
Security(1)
Set granular permissions and custom roles for team members
Storage(1)
Cloud storage for documents and files
Time Management(3)
Track billable and non-billable time on projects and tasks
Lock timesheets to prevent further edits
Manage and submit timesheets with reminders and locking
Pricing
Basic
- ✓Time tracking
- ✓Task management
- ✓Unlimited projects
- ✓CRM
- ✓Service library
- ✓iOS & Android app
- ✓Unlimited clients
Essentials
- ✓Everything in Basic
- ✓Invoices & Payments
- ✓Proposals & Contracts
- ✓All templates
- ✓Forms & Questionnaires
- ✓Scheduling
- ✓Client portal
- ✓Expense tracking
- ✓Income tracking
Premium
Popular- ✓Everything in Essentials
- ✓Project insights
- ✓Workload management
- ✓Gantt view
- ✓Deals pipeline
- ✓Custom fields & properties
- ✓Client tasks & messaging
- ✓Profit & Productivity reports
- ✓Remove Bonsai branding
- ✓Integrations (QuickBooks, Zapier, Calendly, Google)
Elite
- ✓Everything in Premium
- ✓Custom permissions
- ✓Timesheet locking
- ✓Add markup to expenses
- ✓Xero integration
- ✓Custom data import
- ✓Dedicated onboarding
- ✓3 users minimum
Cost Calculator
Keep Paying Bonsai
Build It Yourself
Total Cost Comparison
DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 58 features at very easy complexity.
Build vs Buy
Should you build a Bonsai alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 58 features.
Buy Bonsai
Better ValueBuild Your Own
Buying Bonsai saves ~$50,040 over 3 years vs building.
Estimates based on 58 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.
Integrations
8 known integrations