Bonsai (Hello Bonsai) is business management software for freelancers and small teams. It is good at putting the client paperwork and the work in one place: proposals, contracts, invoicing, payments, scheduling and a client portal on Essentials, with time tracking and task management on every plan.
Agencies usually look elsewhere when per-user pricing grows with the team, when Basic turns out not to include invoicing or the portal, or when they need a client-facing workspace without Bonsai branding. The seven tools below cover those cases.
Per-user pricing. Every user pays the plan price, so a 5-person team on Premium pays 5 x $29 = $145/mo billed annually.
Core features are not on Basic. Invoicing, payments, proposals, contracts, scheduling and the client portal start on Essentials ($19/user/mo billed annually).
Branding removal costs more. Removing Bonsai branding, workload management and the QuickBooks and Xero integrations need Premium ($29/user/mo billed annually).
How we compared: on published features and pricing from each vendor's own site, checked Oct 14, 2026. We did not run hands-on tests or use ratings. AgencyPro is our product, so it is listed first, with its limits. Agiled is made by ZTABS, the company behind AgencyPro.
A direct replacement covers the main job agencies use Bonsai for. A partial replacement covers part of it, so you keep or add another tool for the rest. Prices are US list prices from each vendor's pricing page; confirm before you buy.
1. AgencyPro: best for agency teams that want a branded client portal around delivery
AgencyPro is a client portal, project and billing tool for agencies. On Pro it covers proposals and contracts with e-signatures, time tracking, invoicing and a branded portal, and adds client requests, tickets, versioned proofing and capacity management. Its pricing page does not list a booking scheduler or expense tracking, so it is a partial replacement if you use those in Bonsai.
Key features
Branded client portal with custom domain, messaging, file storage and client onboarding (Basic)
Projects and client requests on Kanban and list views, with unlimited clients on every plan
Invoicing with Stripe (cards, ACH, wallets) or PayPal, payment reminders and late fees
Quotes, proposals and contracts with e-signatures, a leads pipeline and time tracking (Pro)
Tickets, SLA tracking, capacity management and versioned proofing (Pro)
AI Assistant, Agents and Chatbot on every plan
Pricing
Basic $39/mo, Pro $79/mo and Plus $149/mo billed monthly ($32.50, $65.83 and $124.17 per month billed annually). Each plan includes 1 seat; extra seats are $15 (Basic), $20 (Pro) or $30 (Plus) per month. Enterprise is priced by quote. AgencyPro pricing, checked Oct 14, 2026.
Pros
Portal branding and a custom domain from Basic ($39/mo), where Bonsai needs Premium to remove its branding
Request queues, versioned proofing and capacity management on Pro
Unlimited clients and no per-client fees on every plan
Cons
Time tracking, proposals and contracts need Pro ($79/mo); Bonsai has time tracking on every plan
No booking scheduler or expense tracking is listed on its pricing page
Each extra seat costs $15 (Basic), $20 (Pro) or $30 (Plus) per month
The CSV importer brings in clients and services only; projects and time entries are set up by hand
Choose it if clients log in to request work and review files, and you want that portal, the paperwork and invoicing in one tool.
2. Plutio: best for the same feature set at a flat price for up to 30 contributors
Plutio is the closest feature match: projects, tasks, proposals, contracts, invoices, scheduling, forms, time tracking and a client portal are on every plan. Instead of charging per user, Pro includes 30 contributors for a flat $49/mo, which changes the math for a growing team.
Key features
Projects, tasks, proposals, contracts, invoices, scheduling, forms and time tracking on every plan
Client portal on every plan, with white-label as an add-on on Core and Pro
No Plutio transaction fees on invoices
Pricing
Core $19/mo (solo, 9 active clients), Pro $49/mo (30 contributors, unlimited clients) and Max $199/mo (unlimited contributors, white-label included), billed monthly. Annual billing is about $15, $39 and $159 per month. Plutio pricing, checked Oct 14, 2026.
Pros
Pro ($49/mo billed monthly) includes 30 contributors and unlimited active clients
Proposals, contracts, scheduling and time tracking on every plan, including Core
No Plutio transaction fees; only your payment processor charges
Cons
Core is solo only and limited to 9 active clients
White-label is an add-on on Core and Pro; it is included on Max ($199/mo)
More than 30 contributors on Pro costs extra
Choose it if you like Bonsai's scope but want a flat price for the whole team.
3. Agiled: best for CRM, documents, time and invoicing with seats included
Disclosure: Agiled is made by ZTABS, the same company that makes AgencyPro. The facts here come from Agiled's own pricing and features pages, the same standard as every other tool.
Agiled covers Bonsai's core with seats bundled by plan: CRM and deal pipelines, proposals and contracts with e-signing, invoices, estimates and expenses, scheduling pages, projects and time tracking. The branded client portal and custom domain are included from Business.
Key features
CRM with deal pipelines, projects and tasks, time tracking, invoices, estimates and expenses
Proposals and contracts with e-signing, scheduling pages, forms and tickets
Branded client portal, custom domain and custom SMTP included from Business
Seats included by plan: 1, 3, 7 or 15
Pricing
Starter $24, Pro $59, Business $99 and Scale $199 per month billed annually, with 1, 3, 7 and 15 seats. Extra seats are $20/mo on Pro and up. On Starter and Pro the branded portal is a $15/mo add-on (billed annually). Agiled pricing, checked Oct 14, 2026.
Pros
Pro ($59/mo billed annually) includes 3 seats; Business ($99/mo) includes 7
Deal pipelines and expenses on every plan, where Bonsai puts the pipeline on Premium
Business adds the branded portal, custom domain, subscriptions and QuickBooks and Xero sync
Cons
Starter caps you at 500 contacts, 10 projects, 100 invoices and 5GB of storage
On Starter and Pro the branded portal is a $15/mo add-on (billed annually)
The pricing page lists annual prices only
Choose it if you have 3 to 7 people and want CRM, documents, time tracking and invoicing without paying per user.
Direct replacement
4. Moxie: best for solo freelancers who want the lowest price
Moxie (formerly Hectic) covers projects, invoicing, proposals and contracts, time tracking, meeting schedulers and a custom form builder on Starter. Pro adds a white-labeled client portal with a custom domain and workflow automations, and Teams covers up to five team members at a flat price.
Key features
Projects, invoicing, proposals and contracts, time tracking, meeting schedulers and a custom form builder on Starter
Pro adds a white-labeled client portal, a custom domain, workflow automations and unlimited project collaborators
Teams adds up to five team members with full workspace access
Pricing
Starter $10/mo, Pro $20/mo and Teams $32/mo billed annually ($120, $240 and $385 per year), or $12, $25 and $40 billed monthly. Teams covers up to five team members. Moxie pricing, checked Oct 14, 2026.
Pros
Starter ($10/mo billed annually) includes proposals, contracts, invoicing and time tracking
A white-labeled portal with custom domain on Pro ($20/mo billed annually), where Bonsai needs Premium per user to remove its branding
Teams ($32/mo billed annually) is a flat price for up to five team members
Cons
Teams is the top plan and lists up to five team members, so larger teams do not fit
The client portal, custom domain and automations are not on Starter
Choose it if you work alone or in a team of up to five and want the lowest flat price.
Direct replacement
5. Dubsado: best for custom onboarding forms and workflows with users included
Dubsado covers lead capture forms, proposals, contracts, invoices with payment plans and a client portal on both plans, built around templates you adapt to your process. 3 additional users are included, and larger teams pay a monthly fee by team size rather than per user.
Key features
Customizable lead capture forms, proposals, contracts and email templates
Invoicing with payment plans and a client portal on both plans
Unlimited clients and projects, with 3 additional users included
Premier adds scheduling and booking, automated workflows, public proposals and Zapier
Pricing
Starter $335/yr and Premier $525/yr (about $28 and $44 per month); the pricing page lists annual prices. 3 additional users are included; teams of 4-10 users pay $25/mo extra, 11-20 pay $45/mo and 21-30 pay $60/mo. Extra brands are $10/mo each. Dubsado pricing, checked Oct 14, 2026.
Pros
3 additional users included on both plans
Invoices with payment plans and a client portal on Starter ($335/yr)
21-day trial of Premier with no card
Cons
Scheduling, automated workflows, public proposals and Zapier are Premier only ($525/yr)
Teams of 4-10 users pay $25/mo extra, and 11-20 users pay $45/mo
Its pricing page does not list time tracking; check it if you bill by the hour
Choose it if onboarding paperwork is your main job and you want more control over forms and workflows than Bonsai gives.
6. HoneyBook: best for proposals, contracts and payments with little setup
HoneyBook covers lead forms, proposals, contracts with e-signature, invoices, online payments and a client portal on every plan, and adds a scheduler and automations on Essentials. It also lists task management. It is a partial Bonsai replacement because its pricing page does not list time tracking.
Key features
Lead forms, proposals, contracts with e-signature, invoices, online payments and a client portal on every plan
Scheduler and automations from Essentials
HoneyBook AI on every plan
QuickBooks Online integration from Essentials; Zapier and Calendly integrations
Pricing
Starter $29/mo, Essentials $49/mo and Premium $109/mo billed annually. Starter cannot add team members, Essentials allows up to 2 and Premium is unlimited. Card processing starts at 2.7% + 10 cents; ACH transfers are 1.5%. HoneyBook pricing, checked Oct 14, 2026.
Pros
Proposals, contracts, payments and a client portal on Starter ($29/mo billed annually)
Scheduler and automations from Essentials ($49/mo billed annually)
30-day free trial with no card
Cons
Time tracking is not listed on its pricing page
Starter cannot add team members, Essentials allows up to 2, and unlimited team members need Premium ($109/mo billed annually)
HoneyBook says it supports professionals in the US, Canada, UK and Australia only
Choose it if you do not bill by the hour and want the quickest path from inquiry to signed contract and payment.
7. FreshBooks: best for invoicing and time tracking with real accounting
FreshBooks is accounting software for service businesses. Every plan includes invoicing, estimates, unlimited time tracking and expenses, and a client portal; Plus adds proposals, double-entry accounting and bank reconciliation. It replaces Bonsai's billing and time side, but its pricing page does not list contracts with e-signature or scheduling.
Key features
Invoicing, estimates, unlimited time tracking and expenses, and a client portal on every plan
Proposals, double-entry accounting and bank reconciliation from Plus
Project profitability on Premium and Select
Pricing
Lite $23/mo (5 billable clients), Plus $43/mo (50 billable clients) and Premium $70/mo (unlimited clients) at regular monthly prices; Select is priced on request. Team members are $11/mo each. FreshBooks showed introductory discounts when we checked. FreshBooks pricing, checked Oct 14, 2026.
Pros
Unlimited time tracking and expenses on every plan
Double-entry accounting and bank reconciliation from Plus ($43/mo)
30-day free trial with no card
Cons
Billable clients are capped: 5 on Lite and 50 on Plus; unlimited needs Premium ($70/mo)
Each team member costs $11/mo
Contracts with e-signature and scheduling are not listed on its pricing page
Choose it if you want invoicing, time and proper bookkeeping in one place and handle contracts elsewhere.
Example for a 5-person agency, at list prices checked Oct 14, 2026. Bonsai Essentials: 5 x $19 = $95/mo billed annually; Premium: 5 x $29 = $145/mo. Plutio Pro: $49/mo billed monthly for up to 30 contributors. Agiled Business: $99/mo billed annually with 7 seats and the branded portal. Moxie Teams: $32/mo billed annually for up to five team members. Dubsado Premier: $525/yr (about $44/mo) plus the $25/mo team fee for 4-10 users. HoneyBook Premium (unlimited team members): $109/mo billed annually. FreshBooks Plus: $43 + 4 x $11 = $87/mo at regular monthly prices. AgencyPro Basic (portal, projects, invoicing): $39 + 4 x $15 = $99/mo billed monthly; Pro (adds time tracking, proposals and contracts): $79 + 4 x $20 = $159/mo.
How to choose a Bonsai alternative
Flat, banded or per-user
Bonsai charges every user. Plutio and Moxie charge a flat price up to a contributor cap, Agiled and AgencyPro include seats and charge for extras, and Dubsado adds a team fee by band. Price each one at your real headcount.
Time tracking on the plan you buy
Bonsai has it on every plan. Plutio and Moxie do too; AgencyPro needs Pro; HoneyBook and Dubsado do not list it on their pricing pages.
Client-facing branding
If clients log in, check which plan removes the vendor's branding and adds a custom domain: Bonsai Premium, Moxie Pro, AgencyPro Basic (custom domain) and Plus ("Powered by" removal).
Accounting connection
Check QuickBooks or Xero on the plan you would buy. Bonsai lists them on Premium and Agiled on Business; FreshBooks is accounting software itself.
When to stay with Bonsai
You work alone or with one partner and per-user pricing stays low.
You use Bonsai's time tracking, expense tracking and profit reports every week.
Your clients are happy with Bonsai's portal and branding.
Notes by agency type
What to weigh first when you replace Bonsai, by the kind of work you do.
For marketing agencies
Weigh recurring billing, a place for clients to submit requests and approve content, and a clear view of how much retainer work is left each month. Campaign reporting usually stays in a dedicated analytics tool.
Test how clients leave feedback on files. Pinned comments on images and versioned approvals save more time than any task view. Check whether proofing is on the plan you can afford.
If clients review designs, AgencyPro Pro includes design annotation with versioned approvals. With the other tools, check how clients comment on files before you switch.
Look for recurring tasks that recreate each month, subscription billing, and a portal where clients see what was delivered. Rank tracking and audits stay in your SEO tools.
Prioritize milestone billing, change-request tracking and time tracking against estimates. If your developers live in GitHub or Jira, check the integration before anything else.
For long web builds with change requests, compare request queues and time tracking against a budget, not just invoicing.
Multi-discipline teams need capacity planning across people and a review flow that handles images, video and documents. Budget tracking per project matters once you run fixed-fee work.
Proposals, contracts with e-signature, hourly or retainer billing and a secure place to share documents carry more weight than detailed task boards.
Consultancies that bill by the hour need time tracking on the plan they buy: Bonsai, Plutio, Moxie and Agiled have it on every plan, FreshBooks adds accounting, and AgencyPro has it on Pro.
Fast client approvals on press releases and a shared record of what was sent and when. Media databases and monitoring are separate tools in almost every stack.
Monthly content approvals and subscription billing come first. Scheduling and publishing usually stay in a social media tool, so check that the two can live side by side.
A mix of build projects and ongoing retainers means you need both milestone and recurring billing, plus a ticket or request queue for store fixes after launch.
Start with your client list: export it from Bonsai if it offers a CSV export, or build the CSV by hand. AgencyPro's CSV importer accepts clients and services. Projects, tasks, files and comment history are not imported automatically, so recreate active projects and leave closed ones archived in Bonsai. On the Plus plan, AgencyPro's migration service helps with setup. Run both tools side by side until your active projects close.
For the same features at a flat price, Plutio. For CRM, documents and time tracking with seats included, Agiled. For the lowest price as a solo freelancer, Moxie. For a branded client portal with requests and proofing for an agency team, AgencyPro, which is our product.
How much does Bonsai cost per user?
Billed annually: Basic $9, Essentials $19, Premium $29 and Elite $49 per user per month. Billed monthly: $15, $25, $39 and $59. Elite requires at least 3 users.
Does Bonsai have a client portal?
Yes, from Essentials. Removing Bonsai branding requires Premium. Basic does not include the portal, invoicing or contracts.
Is there a free alternative to Bonsai?
None of the seven tools here has a free plan for this workflow. They offer trials instead: HoneyBook and FreshBooks 30 days, Dubsado 21 days, AgencyPro, Agiled and Moxie 14 days, and Plutio 7 days. Bonsai itself has a 7-day trial.
Is AgencyPro priced per user like Bonsai?
Partly. Each AgencyPro plan includes one seat and extra seats cost $15 to $30 per month. The plan price itself is flat and clients are unlimited.
Can I import my data into AgencyPro?
Partly. AgencyPro's CSV importer accepts clients and services. Projects, tasks, files and comment history are recreated by hand, and the Plus plan includes a migration service to help with setup.
Sources and date checked
Every price, plan limit and feature on this page comes from the vendor's own website, checked Oct 14, 2026. AgencyPro facts come from the AgencyPro pricing page. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
For social media agencies
Monthly content approvals and subscription billing come first. Scheduling and publishing usually stay in a social media tool, so check that the two can live side by side.
How social media agencies use AgencyPro