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Paid plans start at $9/mo.
Bonsai costs $9–$49 per user/month with annual billing, or $15–$59 month-to-month. Basic is the $9 annual entry point, but it does not include invoicing; invoices and payments start on Essentials at $19 per user/month annually ($25 monthly). There is no free plan, though Bonsai lists a 7-day trial. Before choosing, check the per-seat cost, Elite’s three-user minimum, and payment-processing fees, whose amounts are not published.
01Every plan, line by line
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $9 | $15 | Freelancers tracking occasional projects |
| Essentials | $19 | $25 | Client and project management |
| Premium | $29 | $39 | Teams needing reporting and workload tools |
| Elite | $49 | $59 | Teams needing advanced controls and onboarding |
Add-ons and overages
- Online payment processing fees vary by payment method, including credit card and ACH; amounts are not specified.
What a team pays per month
| Plan | 1 seat | 5 seats | 10 seats | 25 seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $9 | $45 | $90 | $225 |
| Essentials | $19 | $95 | $190 | $475 |
| Premium | $29 | $145 | $290 | $725 |
| Elite (min. 3) | $147 | $245 | $490 | $1,225 |
02What the plan grid doesn't tell you
Pricing is per user
The listed monthly price applies per user. Multiply it by your team’s seats to estimate the plan cost; the published pricing details do not list a separate team price.
Elite requires three users
Elite has a three-user minimum. At its listed rate, that means at least $147/month with annual billing or $177 month-to-month.
Payment processing fees
Online payment processing fees vary by payment method, including credit card and ACH. Bonsai does not publish the amounts in the published pricing details.
03Which plan should you buy?
| If you are… | Get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancers tracking occasional projects | Basic | It includes time tracking, task management, unlimited projects, CRM, and unlimited clients. Choose another tier if you need invoicing. |
| Freelancers who invoice clients | Essentials | Invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, scheduling, and expense and income tracking start here. |
| Teams needing reporting tools | Premium | It adds project insights, workload management, Gantt view, and profit and productivity reports to Essentials. |
04Is Bonsai worth the money?
Bonsai’s value is its combination of client management, projects, time tracking, and billing in one platform for service businesses. That breadth may suit teams trying to manage those workflows together, but the per-user pricing makes seat count central to the budget. Basic is not an invoicing plan: client billing starts at Essentials. Teams considering Elite should also account for its three-user minimum and processing fees, which are not published.
Bonsai pricing FAQ
What is the cheapest Bonsai plan?
Basic is the lowest-priced plan: $9 per user/month with annual billing or $15 per user/month month-to-month. The pricing details list time tracking, task management, unlimited projects, CRM, and unlimited clients. They do not list invoices and payments in Basic.
Does Bonsai Basic include invoicing?
No. The listed Basic features do not include invoices or payments. Those are included starting with Essentials, which costs $19 per user/month with annual billing or $25 per user/month month-to-month. Choose based on whether client billing is part of your required workflow.
Is Bonsai cheaper with annual billing?
Yes. The listed annual rates are lower for all four plans: Basic is $9 versus $15 monthly, Essentials $19 versus $25, Premium $29 versus $39, and Elite $49 versus $59 per user/month. The pricing details do not specify other billing terms.
Are Bonsai payment processing fees included?
Bonsai lists online payment processing as an additional cost, with fees varying by payment method, including credit card and ACH. The fee amounts are not published in the published pricing details, so check the current payment terms before estimating your total cost.