Bonsai vs FreeAgent
We give Bonsai a 2.4 GPA and FreeAgent a 2.2, 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.
Bonsai
Client, project and billing software for agencies and freelancers
FreeAgent
Accounting for freelancers and small firms, built in the UK
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABonsaiFair | 2.2GPAFreeAgentFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | COne plan at $27 a month or $270 a year, between this category's middle at $23 and its dearer quarter at $31.10, with no cheaper tier for someone sending three invoices a month. Everything is in it, though, and the first 6 months are half price. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CA 30-day free trial with no card needed. There's no free plan in the US. In the UK, NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank and Mettle business customers get FreeAgent free. |
| Features | 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. | CInvoices and estimates, bank feeds, receipt capture, time tracking, project profit, multiple currencies and sales tax reports. The gap is in the listing: the US edition has no payroll, as payroll and HMRC filing belong to the UK one. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. You link a bank and explain each transaction as money in or out, and the dashboard shows when tax bills are due. It's still bookkeeping to learn, though. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, Pleo, Float, Chaser and Tyl by NatWest. There's no desktop app, and the bank feeds page names mainly UK banks. |
| Best for | freelancers who want proposal to invoice in one app | freelancers who want one plan with no tiers |
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: Bonsai and FreeAgent. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bonsai starts at $9 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. FreeAgent starts at $27 a month and scores 2.3.
Bonsai scores higher and starts $18 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Bonsai for less, and 6 score higher than FreeAgent for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bonsai starts at $9 per user / month, billed annually. FreeAgent starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- Only Bonsai lists a macOS app.
- Only Bonsai lists a browser extension.
- Bonsai also covers forms.
At a glance
| Bonsai | FreeAgent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9 per user / month, billed annually | $27 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial with full access, then a card is needed to continue | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Bonsai Technologies Inc. | FreeAgent Central |
| Price read from | hellobonsai.com | freeagent.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
FreeAgent
- Freelancers and contractors who want invoicing, time and books in one plan
- UK sole traders and limited companies filing with HMRC
- NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank and Mettle customers, who can use it free
Worth knowing
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.
FreeAgent
- The advertised prices are 50% off the first 6 months (or first year, paid annually); it then renews at $27 a month or $270 a year.
- Payroll, Making Tax Digital and HMRC filing belong to the UK edition; the US edition lists sales tax reports but no payroll.
- UK prices depend on business type, excluding VAT: £10 a month for landlords, £19 sole traders, £27 partnerships and £33 limited companies.
- Support comes from accountants based in the UK, and the bank feeds page names mainly UK banks.
Key features
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.
FreeAgent
- Estimates and invoices
- Send estimates and invoices from templates, convert an estimate to an invoice in one click, and invoice in other currencies.
- Bank feeds
- Import transactions daily from linked bank accounts, or upload OFX, QIF and CSV statements, and explain each one as money in or out.
- Expenses and Smart Capture
- Photograph receipts on the phone and upload them. Unlimited Smart Capture scanning is a $6 a month add-on.
- Time tracking and projects
- Record time with a stopwatch or timesheets and see the income, costs and profit of each project.
- Dashboard and Radar
- A dashboard shows cash flow and when tax bills are due, and Radar points out trends in the business's numbers.
- Sales tax reports
- Set one or more sales tax rates, including compound ones, and report tax charged and reclaimable, with Schedule C reporting.
Plans
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.
FreeAgent
FreeAgent$27
per month, billed monthly
Advertised at $13.50 a month for the first 6 months. One plan with invoicing, expenses, banking, projects, time tracking, sales tax reports and multiple currencies.
Ways to pay less
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.
FreeAgent
- Other savings
50% off the first 6 months
New customers on monthly billing pay $13.50 a month for 6 months, then $27. The UK offer works the same way on each business-type price.
- Annual discount
Pay yearly: 12 months for the price of 10
Paying upfront costs $270 a year, the price of 10 months. The first year is half price at $135.
- Other savings
Free with a NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank or Mettle account
UK businesses with a NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank business account, or a Mettle account used at least once a month, get FreeAgent free.
