Software · head to head
Hiveage vs Bonsai
Bonsai
Software
All-in-one business management for freelancers and agencies
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Hiveage has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Hiveage free plan caps at 5 clients; scaling past 1,000 clients on the $42/month Plus tier requires contacting sales for a custom plan; 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 Hiveage and Bonsai actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Hiveage
- Free plan caps at 5 clients; scaling past 1,000 clients on the $42/month Plus tier requires contacting sales for a custom plan
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
Hiveage
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Hiveage review.
Bonsai
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Bonsai review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Bonsai if
Nothing in the data separates Bonsai from Hiveage on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Hiveage or Bonsai better?
- Neither clearly leads. Hiveage starts at Free and Bonsai at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Hiveage or Bonsai?
- Hiveage has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Hiveage and On request for Bonsai.
- Does Hiveage or Bonsai run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Hiveage for free?
- Yes. Hiveage has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bonsai starts at On request.