Assembly vs Bonsai
We give Assembly a 2.2 GPA and Bonsai a 2.4, out of 4.0. Bonsai grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Assembly
Client portal and CRM for service firms, with an AI app builder
Bonsai
Client, project and billing software for agencies and freelancers
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAssemblyFair | 2.4GPABonsaiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against its own alternatives. Starter is $29 a month billed yearly ($49 monthly) for 1 user and 50 active contacts, level with HoneyBook's $29 and well above Moxie's $10. Your own domain, the API and no badge need Professional at $99 for up to 3 users. | CBasic is $9 a user a month billed yearly, but it can't send an invoice. Billing starts on Essentials at $19 a user yearly or $25 monthly, near this category's middle, and every extra person pays the same again. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for good, and the apps you publish are live for clients. But it's 5 active contacts, 1 user and 3 apps, with Assembly branding, so a firm with real clients will hit the wall quickly. | CA 7-day free trial with full access, and the card only comes in when it ends. A week is short for judging something you'd run your business on, and there's no free plan. |
| Features | CIt does the client side fully: a branded portal, messaging, files, contracts, forms, invoices and subscriptions, 30+ ready-made apps and an AI app builder. That's a client portal more than a sales CRM, though, and the automation builder waits for Professional. | CProposals, contracts, forms, scheduling, a CRM, projects, time tracking, invoices and expense tracking. But the listing says itself that it's not a full accounting ledger, and the QuickBooks and Xero links that fill the gap need Premium. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. There's a portal to brand, apps to install or describe and contacts to bring in, and the AI builder runs on monthly credits. | C4.3 from 311 App Store ratings, just enough ratings to count. There's plenty to set up, too: clients, projects, proposal templates and a bank connection before it all hangs together. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with desktop apps for Mac and Windows, plus Zapier, Make and an API from Professional. There's no phone app, so clients use the portal in a mobile browser. | AWeb, Mac, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zapier, Calendly, Gmail and Slack, plus an MCP connection for AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT. |
| Best for | branded client portals for service firms | freelancers who want proposal to invoice in one app |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Assembly and Bonsai. How we grade
Where they differ
- Assembly starts at $29 per month for 1 user, billed annually ($49 billed monthly). Bonsai starts at $9 per user / month, billed annually.
- Assembly has a free plan. Bonsai does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Assembly lists a Windows app.
- Only Bonsai lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Bonsai lists a browser extension.
- Assembly also covers app builder, no-code and file sharing.
- Bonsai also covers time tracking, reports, bookkeeping and expense tracking.
At a glance
| Assembly | Bonsai | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per month for 1 user, billed annually ($49 billed monthly) | $9 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | 5 active contacts, 1 internal user, 3 apps and 75 build credits a month, with community support and Assembly branding. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial with full access, then a card is needed to continue |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Copilot Platforms Inc. | Bonsai Technologies Inc. |
| Price read from | assembly.com | hellobonsai.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Assembly
- Accounting, legal and consulting firms that want one portal for client files, contracts and payments
- Agencies that want a white-label client experience on their own domain
- Firms that want custom client tools without hiring developers
Bonsai
- Freelancers and small agencies that bill clients by the hour or by retainer
- Studios that want proposals, contracts, projects and invoices in one app
- Teams that keep their ledger in QuickBooks Online or Xero
Worth knowing
Assembly
- Build credits past the monthly allowance cost $0.60 each, extra apps $5 a month each, and Starter cannot add internal users.
- Payments carry fees on every plan: cards 2.9% + $0.30 and ACH 1%, plus a store fee from 2.0% on Free to 0.7% on Advanced and extra on invoices and subscriptions.
- API access, Zapier, Make, custom domains and removing the Assembly badge start at Professional; HIPAA with a BAA and enforced MFA at Advanced.
- There is no native mobile app; clients use the portal in a mobile browser, and the desktop apps are for Mac and Windows only.
Bonsai
- Basic has no invoices, payments or expense tracking; billing starts on Essentials at $19 per user a month, billed annually.
- It is not a full accounting ledger; the QuickBooks Online and Xero integrations that fill that gap need Premium.
- Every plan is priced per user, and Elite needs at least 3 users.
- Online payments carry processing fees that vary by method; the pricing page points to a help article for the figures.
Key features
Assembly
- Branded client portal
- Clients sign in on your domain to message the team, share files, sign contracts, fill in intake forms, see tasks and pay, without a separate login per tool.
- CRM for clients and companies
- Contacts and companies live in one CRM that feeds the portal and every app; Professional adds multi-company contacts and an automation builder.
- 30+ ready-made apps
- Install apps for onboarding, proposals, payments, document collection and project tracking from the library, then adjust them to fit.
- AI app builder
- Describe an app, approve the plan and Assembly builds it into the workspace with sign-in, permissions and branding in place. Builds use monthly credits.
- Billing and payments
- Send invoices, run recurring subscriptions and sell productized services from a storefront, with card and ACH payments collected in the portal.
- Messaging and team inbox
- Client conversations land in a shared team inbox, with desktop apps for Mac and Windows that deliver messages and notifications.
Bonsai
- Proposals, contracts and forms
- Send proposals and contracts from templates, collect answers with forms and questionnaires, and book calls with scheduling links.
- Invoices and payments
- Unlimited, retainer and subscription invoices with time and expenses attached, online card and ACH payments, and billing in several currencies.
- Time tracking and timesheets
- Track billable and non-billable time on every plan, with timesheet reminders, and lock timesheets on Elite.
- Projects and resourcing
- Unlimited projects and tasks with kanban views, hourly or fixed-fee budgets, task estimates and workload planning on higher plans.
- Bookkeeping
- Connect a bank account to categorize expenses by client project, see revenue dashboards, and send invoice data to QuickBooks Online.
- Bonsai MCP
- Connect an AI assistant such as Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini to update clients, create projects or draft invoices in Bonsai.
Plans
Assembly
Free$0
For your first clients: 5 active contacts, 1 internal user, 3 apps and 75 build credits a month.
Starter$29
per month for 1 user, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
For solo owners: 50 active contacts, 5 apps, 200 build credits a month, add-on credits and email support.
Professional$99
per month for up to 3 users, billed annually ($139 billed monthly)
500 active contacts, custom domains, API, Zapier and Make, the automation builder and no Assembly badge. Extra users $29 a month billed annually.
Advanced$499
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($599 billed monthly)
Unlimited active contacts, audit log, client access permissions, enforced MFA, HIPAA with a BAA and call support. Extra users $59 a month billed annually.
Enterprise$2,000
per month and up
Unlimited users and contacts, custom build credits, custom SSO, a sandbox workspace and a dedicated success manager, through sales.
Bonsai
Basic$9
per user / month, billed annually
$15 billed monthly. Time tracking, tasks, unlimited projects and clients, a CRM and the mobile apps. No invoicing or payments.
Essentials$19
per user / month, billed annually
$25 billed monthly. Adds invoices and online payments, proposals, contracts, forms, scheduling, a client portal, and income and expense tracking.
Premium$29
per user / month, billed annually
$39 billed monthly. Adds project insights, workload, a deals pipeline, profit reports, no Bonsai branding, and QuickBooks, Xero and Zapier.
Elite$49
per user / month, billed annually
$59 billed monthly. Minimum of 3 users. Adds custom permissions, timesheet locking, markups on expenses and custom data import.
Ways to pay less
Assembly
- Annual discount
Lower prices with yearly billing
Starter is $29 a month billed annually against $49 monthly, Professional $99 against $139 and Advanced $499 against $599.
Bonsai
- Annual discount
Up to 4 months free with yearly billing
Yearly billing brings Basic from $15 to $9 per user a month, Essentials from $25 to $19, Premium from $39 to $29 and Elite from $59 to $49.
- Other savings
Reduced rate for teams of 30 or more users
The pricing page says a reduced rate is available for teams of 30 or more users, without giving the figure.
