Professional Services · alternatives
Alternatives to Bonsai
20 professional services tools sit alongside Bonsai in this directory. Below is what separates each from Bonsai on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 20
- With a free tier
- 9
- Cheaper to start
- 5
- Bonsai starts at
- Free, then $9/user/month
Why people look past Bonsai
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Bonsai entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
Cost climbs steeply across the tiers
Bonsai publishes 4 tiers, from $15/user/month up to $59/user/month. Teams that outgrow the entry plan can find the next rung a large step, the Bonsai pricing page breaks each one down.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Financial software for small businesses
- Starts $9 a month cheaper, at Free.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
- 3 tiers to Bonsai's 4.
Find the best freelancers for any job online
- Sold on a transaction model rather than subscription.
Find freelancers, find a job
- Starts $9 a month cheaper, at Free.
- 5 tiers to Bonsai's 4.
Simple, all-in-one invoicing and billing software
- Starts $9 a month cheaper, at Free.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
Time tracking that's easy, powerful, and frictionless
- 3 tiers to Bonsai's 4.
Projects, timesheets, invoices done right
- Starts $2.9499999999999993 a month dearer, at $11.95/month.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
Every Bonsai alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonsai (this page) | Free, then $9/user/month | Subscription | 4 | |
| WaveFinancial software for small businesses | Free | Freemium | 3 | vs Bonsai |
| Freelancer.comFind the best freelancers for any job online | Free | Transaction | - | vs Bonsai |
| GuruFind freelancers, find a job | Free | Subscription | 5 | vs Bonsai |
| HiveageSimple, all-in-one invoicing and billing software | Free | Freemium | 4 | vs Bonsai |
| Toggl Track | Free, then $9/month | - | 3 | vs Bonsai |
| Avaza | Free, then $11.95/month | Freemium | 4 | vs Bonsai |
| Teamwork | Free | Subscription | 5 | vs Bonsai |
| Harvest | Free, then $9/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Bonsai |
| FreshBooks | Free, then $23/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Bonsai |
| Certinia PSA | On request | Quote | - | vs Bonsai |
| Scoro | $17/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Bonsai |
| Netsuite OpenAir | $500/month | Subscription | 2 | vs Bonsai |
| TravelPerk | Free | Usage-based | - | vs Bonsai |
| Kantata | On request | Quote | - | vs Bonsai |
| Productive | $10/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Bonsai |
| Plutio | $19/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Bonsai |
| Function Point | $53/month | Subscription | 2 | vs Bonsai |
| Accelo | On request | Quote | - | vs Bonsai |
| BigTime | $20/user/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Bonsai |
| PracticePanther | $49/month | Subscription | 8 | vs Bonsai |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Bonsai badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (9)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Wave , Free
- Freelancer.com , Free
- Guru , Free
- Hiveage , Free
- Toggl Track , Free, then $9/month
- Avaza , Free, then $11.95/month
- Teamwork , Free
- Harvest , Free, then $9/month
Cheaper than Bonsai (5)
Entry price under Bonsai's $9/user/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Wave , Free
- Guru , Free
- Hiveage , Free
- Teamwork , Free
- TravelPerk , Free
What you would be giving up
Bonsai is most often brought in for freelance project tracking, client invoicing and proposals, team time and expense management. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Bonsai is broadly right and the question is cost, the Bonsai pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Professional Services category lists everything the directory holds, and best professional services tools ranks them.
Bonsai runs on not recorded. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Bonsai alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Bonsai?
- 20 other professional services tools are listed in this directory, led by Wave, Freelancer.com, Guru, Hiveage. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Bonsai?
- 9 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Wave, Freelancer.com, Guru, Hiveage, Toggl Track.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Bonsai?
- Yes. 5 of the alternatives below start under Bonsai's $9/user/month: Wave at Free, Guru at Free, Hiveage at Free, Teamwork at Free.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Bonsai?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: cost climbs steeply across the tiers. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Bonsai?
- Bonsai is most often brought in for freelance project tracking, client invoicing and proposals, team time and expense management. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Bonsai?
- None of the professional services tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Bonsai alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Professional Services, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Bonsai against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Bonsai covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every professional services tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Professional Services category, 20 tools beside Bonsai. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.