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Professional Services · head to head

Bonsai vs Scoro

Bonsai logo

Bonsai

Professional Services

All-in-one business management for freelancers and agencies

From
Free
Rated
-
Scoro logo

Scoro

Professional Services

Professional services automation for agencies

From
$17/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Bonsai has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bonsai elite plan, the only tier with custom permissions, timesheet locking and Xero integration, requires a 3 user minimum at $49/user/month; Scoro every plan, including the entry Core tier, requires a minimum of 5 user seats regardless of team size
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bonsai and Scoro actually diverge.

Attributes where Bonsai and Scoro differ
AttributeBonsaiScoro
Starting priceFree$17/month
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Professional Services).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bonsai

  • Freelance project trackingnot Scoro
  • Client invoicing and proposalsnot Scoro
  • Team time and expense managementnot Scoro

Scoro

  • Converting billable hours into invoices for time-billing legal servicesnot Bonsai
  • Delivering projects on budget with resource planning and Gantt chartsnot Bonsai
  • Balancing team workloads across multiple projects to prevent burnoutnot Bonsai
  • Maintaining profit margin visibility from initial estimates through invoicingnot Bonsai
  • Eliminating manual reporting that consumed 5-6 hours weeklynot Bonsai

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bonsai

  • Elite plan, the only tier with custom permissions, timesheet locking and Xero integration, requires a 3 user minimum at $49/user/month
  • Invoices, proposals, contracts and the client portal are withheld from the entry Basic plan and only unlocked on Essentials at $19/user/month
  • Monthly billing costs noticeably more than annual, for example $15/user/month versus $9/user/month annually on Basic
  • Free trial is limited to 7 days

Scoro

  • Every plan, including the entry Core tier, requires a minimum of 5 user seats regardless of team size
  • Budgeting, retainer management and financial reporting are withheld from the Core plan and only unlocked on Growth at $38.90 per user per month (US pricing)
  • Resource planning, forecasting and sales pipeline management require the top Performance tier at $59.90 per user per month
  • Advertised per-user rates require annual billing; monthly billing costs more

Pricing, plan by plan

Bonsai

Free
  • Basic$15/user/month
    • Time tracking, task management, unlimited projects
    • 10-100 GB storage
  • Essentials$25/user/month
    • Invoicing, proposals, contracts, client portal
    • 100 GB storage
  • Premium$39/user/month
    • Reporting, workload management, Gantt view
    • 500 GB storage
  • Elite$59/user/month
    • Custom permissions, timesheet locking, Xero integration
    • 500 GB storage

Scoro

$17/month
  • Time-billing$17/month
    • Track app
    • Invoice app
    • Minimum 5 users required
  • Projects & Resources$29/month
    • Do app
    • Deliver app
    • Track app
  • Quote to Cash$29/month
    • Estimate app
    • Deliver app
    • Track app
  • End-to-end$57/month
    • Sell, Estimate, Do, Deliver, Track, Resource, Spend, Invoice apps
    • Advanced modules included
    • Scoro AI with 120 credits per month

Which should you pick?

Choose Bonsai if

  • You want to start without paying.

Choose Scoro if

Nothing in the data separates Scoro from Bonsai on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Questions people ask

Is Bonsai or Scoro better?
Neither clearly leads. Bonsai starts at Free and Scoro at $17/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bonsai or Scoro?
Bonsai has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bonsai and $17/month for Scoro.
Does Bonsai or Scoro run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Bonsai for free?
Yes. Bonsai has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Scoro starts at $17/month.
What is Bonsai best used for?
Bonsai is most often used for freelance project tracking, client invoicing and proposals, team time and expense management. Of those, freelance project tracking and client invoicing and proposals are not what Scoro is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bonsai: What is Bonsai's starting price per user?

Bonsai's Basic plan starts at $15 per user per month (or $9 per user per month when billed annually), including time tracking and task management.

Source
Scoro: What is the minimum cost to use Scoro?

The minimum cost is $17 per user per month (Time-billing plan) with a required minimum of 5 users, totaling $85 per month at minimum.

Source
Bonsai: Does Bonsai offer a free trial?

Yes, Bonsai offers a 7-day free trial with full, unlimited access to the platform before requiring a paid subscription.

Source
Scoro: Does Scoro offer a free trial?

Scoro offers a 14-day free trial that requires no credit card to start.

Source
Bonsai: What is the minimum number of users for Bonsai's Elite plan?

Bonsai's Elite plan requires a minimum of 3 users at $59 per user per month (or $49 annually).

Source
Scoro: What discounts does Scoro offer for annual billing?

Scoro offers 13-17% savings when paying for an annual subscription instead of monthly billing.

Source
Bonsai: How much storage does each Bonsai plan include?

Basic and Essentials plans include 10-100 GB storage; Premium and Elite plans include 500 GB storage per user.

Source
Scoro: Is Scoro AI included in all plans?

Scoro AI is included with all plans. Standard plans include 80 AI credits per month, while Enterprise platform plans include 120 credits.

Source
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