Is Bonsai or Indy better?

Neither clearly leads. Bonsai starts at Free and Indy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Bonsai or Indy?

Bonsai starts at Free and Indy at Free.

Does Bonsai or Indy run on more platforms?

Bonsai runs on Web. Indy runs on Web, iOS, Android.

Can I use Bonsai for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

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 Indy is typically brought in for.

What can Bonsai do that Indy cannot?

Indy covers Contract library, Proposals, Invoicing, Time tracking.

Professional Services · head to head

Bonsai vs Indy

Bonsai

Professional Services

All-in-one business management for freelancers and agencies

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Indy

Proposals

Freelance workflow suite covering proposals, contracts, invoices and time tracking with a usable free tier

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

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; Indy the free tier caps documents per month, and an active freelancer passes those caps quickly enough that the free plan is a trial in practice rather than a permanent option.
Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bonsai and Indy actually diverge.

Attributes where Bonsai and Indy differ
Attribute	Bonsai	Indy
Pricing model	subscription	quote
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android
Category	Professional Services	Proposals

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bonsai

Nothing recorded that Indy does not also cover.

Only in Indy

Contract library
Proposals
Invoicing
Time tracking
Task and calendar
Client portal
Free tier

What people use each for

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

Bonsai

Freelance project trackingnot Indy
Client invoicing and proposalsnot Indy
Team time and expense managementnot Indy

Indy

A new freelancer who needs a real signed contract before there is revenue to fund a subscriptionnot Bonsai
Testing whether an all in one freelance bundle suits your workflow before committing money to onenot Bonsai
Part time or side project freelancing with low monthly document volume that stays inside the free capsnot Bonsai
Replacing an unsigned emailed quote with a proposal that converts into a contract and an invoicenot 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

Indy

The free tier caps documents per month, and an active freelancer passes those caps quickly enough that the free plan is a trial in practice rather than a permanent option.
Project management and task tracking are shallow, so anyone running several concurrent projects will keep a separate tool and lose the single system benefit.
Reporting on income, utilisation and profitability is thin next to a dedicated accounting or time tracking product.
Payments are processed by a third party gateway, so the card fee applies on top of the subscription and materially changes the cost per invoice on small jobs.
As with every bundle, leaving means separating proposals, contracts, time and invoices out of one export, which is harder than replacing a single purpose tool.

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

Indy

Free

Indy$undefined/year
- Free tier with monthly document limits
- Proposals, contracts and invoices
- Time tracking and tasks

Which should you pick?

Choose Bonsai if

You want to start without paying.

Bonsai review

Choose Indy if

You need contract library.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, iOS, Android.
You also want proposals.

Indy review

Questions people ask

Is Bonsai or Indy better?: Neither clearly leads. Bonsai starts at Free and Indy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bonsai or Indy?: Bonsai starts at Free and Indy at Free.
Does Bonsai or Indy run on more platforms?: Bonsai runs on Web. Indy runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Bonsai for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Indy is typically brought in for.
What can Bonsai do that Indy cannot?: Indy covers Contract library, Proposals, Invoicing, Time tracking.

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

Indy: Is the free tier actually usable?

Yes, for real signed contracts and invoices, but it caps documents per month and active freelancers hit that fairly quickly.

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

Indy: Does it take a percentage of invoices?

The payment gateway charges its standard card fee. That is separate from the subscription and should be modelled per invoice.

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

Indy: Can it manage several concurrent projects?

Only lightly. The task and project features are the weakest part of the product.

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

Indy: Are the contracts legally sound?

They are standard freelance templates with editable clauses. They are a starting point, not legal advice for your jurisdiction.

Indy: Who is it wrong for?

Agencies, anyone with subcontractors, and freelancers who need real project management or detailed profitability reporting.

Bonsai vs Indy

Bonsai

Indy

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Bonsai

Only in Indy

What people use each for

Bonsai

Indy

Where each one falls short

Bonsai

Indy

Pricing, plan by plan

Bonsai

Indy

Which should you pick?

Choose Bonsai if

Choose Indy if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Bonsai

More on Indy

Keep looking

Other head to heads