Freelancers · head to head
Guru vs Bonsai
Bonsai
Freelancers
All-in-one business management for freelancers and agencies
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Guru job fees run 5-9% depending on membership tier, and lower rates require paid plans up to $49.95/month; Bonsai elite plan, the only tier with custom permissions, timesheet locking and Xero integration, requires a 3 user minimum at $49/user/month
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Guru and Bonsai actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Freelancers).
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Guru
- Job fees run 5-9% depending on membership tier, and lower rates require paid plans up to $49.95/month
- Membership purchases are non-transferable and non-refundable, and expired members are downgraded to Basic
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Guru
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Guru review.
Bonsai
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Bonsai review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Guru if
Nothing in the data separates Guru from Bonsai on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose Bonsai if
Nothing in the data separates Bonsai from Guru on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Guru or Bonsai better?
- Neither clearly leads. Guru starts at On request and Bonsai at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Guru or Bonsai?
- Guru starts at On request and Bonsai at On request.
- Does Guru or Bonsai run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.