Frelvo

Bonsai Alternatives After the Per-User Price Rise

Cheaper options, and an honest note about what you lose.

Bonsai’s 2026 shift to per-user pricing raised the effective cost for solo freelancers, which is what sends most people looking. The other recurring complaints are contracts without dynamic smart-fields and clunky branding customisation.

Before you switch, be clear about what Bonsai does that the others do not: expense tracking, profit and loss, quarterly tax estimates and connected banking. That is a real moat and none of the alternatives below match it. If those features are why you pay Bonsai, staying is the right call.

If you mainly use Bonsai for the client-facing side, here are four options.

Last verified August 24, 2026. Prices change — check each vendor before deciding.

4 alternatives to Bonsai

  • 1. Frelvo

    That’s us

    Free, then $15/mo or $29/mo

    Best for: The client-facing side at a flat price, with accounting kept separate

    Strengths

    • Flat per-account pricing rather than per user
    • Contract smart-fields, which Bonsai lacks
    • White-label client portal on every plan, including free
    • Works worldwide
    • AI drafting for contracts, proposals and follow-ups

    Trade-offs

    • No mobile app or PWA yet
    • No expense tracking, P&L or tax estimates
    • No custom-domain portal yet — it is planned for the Business plan
    • No pre-built contract template library, only a builder and AI drafting

  • 2. Moxie

    $12–40/mo

    Best for: Keeping expense tracking while leaving Bonsai

    Strengths

    • Expense tracking — the closest match to Bonsai here
    • Mobile app
    • Attorney-vetted contract templates

    Trade-offs

    • No quarterly tax estimates
    • Branded portal gated to the Pro tier

  • 3. HoneyBook

    From $39/mo

    Best for: US and Canadian freelancers wanting maximum polish

    Strengths

    • The most polished client experience in the category
    • Mobile apps and a mature template library

    Trade-offs

    • US and Canada only
    • No free tier and the highest entry price here
    • Only partial expense tracking and no tax estimates

  • 4. Dubsado

    From $20/mo

    Best for: Maximum workflow configurability

    Strengths

    • Deepest workflow engine here
    • Works worldwide

    Trade-offs

    • One to two weeks of setup
    • No mobile app
    • No expense tracking or tax features at all

Common questions

What do I lose by leaving Bonsai?
Expense tracking, profit-and-loss reporting, quarterly tax estimates and connected banking. None of the alternatives here replace all four. Many people who switch keep separate accounting software.
Did Bonsai really raise prices?
Bonsai moved to per-user pricing in 2026. For solo freelancers this raised the effective cost, and it was poorly received by that group in particular.
Which alternative has the best contracts?
Frelvo, on the specific point that pushes people away from Bonsai — dynamic smart-fields. Moxie ships more ready-made templates if you would rather start from one.

Try Frelvo free — no card, no country gate

Three clients, five projects, invoicing, contracts and a white-label client portal on the free plan. Set up in about 15 minutes.

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