Clodou

Alternatives

Bonsai alternatives for freelancers and small teams

Bonsai brings client management, project delivery and billing together for service businesses.[1] Below are four alternatives, with facts taken from each vendor’s own website, and an honest list of where Bonsai is the better fit.

Last checked: November 5, 2026. Prices are list prices shown that day; vendors often run temporary discounts.

Bonsai at a glance

  • Priced per user per month: Basic $9, Essentials $19, Premium $29 and Elite $49 billed annually, or $15, $25, $39 and $59 billed monthly (shown in dollars). Elite needs at least 3 users.[2]
  • A 7-day free trial with full access; no free plan is described.[2]
  • Contracts can be signed electronically, with reminders and notifications when they are viewed or signed.[3]
  • Proposals and a client portal from Essentials, a CRM on every plan and a deals pipeline from Premium.[2]
  • Bonsai Payments handles cards and ACH, with Stripe or PayPal as alternatives.[4]
  • Expense tracking with bank sync, profit-and-loss reporting, and QuickBooks Online and Xero integrations.[5]
  • The QuickBooks and Xero integrations are on the Premium and Elite plans.[2]
  • Bonsai MCP connects AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Cursor to your account.[6]

Bonsai and Clodou

BonsaiClodou
PricingPer user, $9 to $49 a month billed annually[2]Per workspace: Free, Solo $29 (1 seat) or Team $79 (5 seats) a month
Free option7-day trial, no free plan described[2]Free plan: 20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month, after a 14-day Team trial
Quotes and invoicesInvoices, proposals, retainer and subscription invoices[2]Quotes and invoices from a chat message, monthly retainer drafts
ContractsYes, from Essentials[2]No
Client portalYes, from Essentials[2]No
SchedulingYes (one event type on Essentials)[2]No
Online paymentsBonsai Payments in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia; Stripe or PayPal[7]No card processing; your own payment link printed on invoices (Team)
BookkeepingBank sync for expenses, profit-and-loss reporting, QuickBooks Online and Xero integrations[5]No ledger or bank feeds; CSV exports and a profit & tax summary
AIBonsai MCP for AI assistants[6]A chat agent with more than 60 tools in the app and an MCP server; sensitive actions wait for approval

Where Bonsai is a better fit

  • You want contracts, proposals and a client portal in the same tool as your invoices.[2]
  • You want clients to book calls through built-in scheduling.[2]
  • You want to take card and bank (ACH) payments inside the tool.[4]
  • You need bank sync for expenses, profit-and-loss reports or a QuickBooks or Xero integration.[5]
  • You want workflow automations and native mobile apps.[2]

Where Clodou is a better fit

  • You would rather type what happened than fill in forms, and want an agent that does the admin and asks before anything leaves.
  • You want a free plan to start, and one workspace price with 5 seats included when the team grows.
  • You invoice outside the US and want sales tax, VAT, GST or GST/HST on your documents, in your currency.
  • You also need time, expenses, a pipeline, retainers or stock and purchase orders in the same place.

4 Bonsai alternatives

  1. 1. Clodou

    A chat-first AI back office: you type what happened, and the agent adds the client, writes the quote or invoice, logs time or an expense, and waits for an owner's or admin's approval before it emails a client or records a payment.

    Price: Free plan (20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month), then $29 (Solo, 1 seat) or $79 (Team, 5 seats included, $12 per extra seat) a month per workspace, or $290 and $790 a year; every new workspace starts with a 14-day trial of Team.

    • Quotes and invoices with your country's tax words (sales tax, VAT, GST, GST/HST), several taxes on one invoice (GST and QST, for example) or a different rate per line, branded PDFs and ten currencies.
    • Time, expenses from receipt photos, projects, pipeline, monthly retainer drafts, inventory and purchase-order drafts.
    • An MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, with the same approvals and undo as the chat.
    • Not included: e-signature, client portal, scheduling, card processing, bookkeeping, bank feeds, payroll and tax filing. Web app, in English.

  2. 2. HoneyBook

    Business management software for independent service professionals, with proposals, contracts, scheduling, invoices and payments in one place.[8]

    Price: $36, $59 or $129 a month per account in the US when billed monthly (Starter, Essentials and Premium), less when billed yearly, with local prices in the UK, Canada and Australia.[9]

    • 30-day free trial without a card.[9]
    • Available only to businesses in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.[9]
    • Proposals clients sign and pay from one file, contracts with e-signatures and a client portal on all plans.[9]
    • An MCP connector, listed in Claude's connector directory and open to any MCP-compatible client, can create and update records with your authorisation.[10]

  3. 3. FreshBooks

    Cloud accounting and invoicing software for small businesses: invoices, expenses, time, online payments, projects and reports.[11]

    Price: Lite $23, Plus $43 or Premium $70 a month in the US (list prices), for 5, 50 or unlimited billable clients; team members cost $11 per user per month extra.[12]

    • 30-day free trial without a card.[12]
    • Double-entry accounting reports, bank reconciliation and accountant access from the Plus plan.[12]
    • FreshBooks Payments is for businesses in the US and Canada; international businesses use Stripe Standard instead.[13]
    • An MCP connector for Claude, announced on September 25, 2026.[14]

  4. 4. Dubsado

    Client management for service businesses: proposals, contracts, invoices, scheduling, automated workflows and client portals.[15]

    Price: Starter $35 a month ($335 a year) or Premier $55 a month ($525 a year), in USD, with up to 3 extra users included.[16]

    • 21-day free trial with Premier features, without a card.[16]
    • Scheduling and automated workflows are on Premier only.[16]
    • Dubsado says its bookkeeping tools do not replace full accounting software.[17]

Questions

Is there a free alternative to Bonsai?
Of the tools on this page, Clodou has a free plan (20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month). On November 5, 2026, Bonsai, HoneyBook, FreshBooks and Dubsado described free trials (7, 30, 30 and 21 days) rather than free plans on their own sites.
Does Clodou replace Bonsai's contracts and client portal?
No. Clodou has no e-signature, no client portal and no scheduling. It focuses on quotes, invoices, time, expenses and the rest of the back office, run from a chat.
Can I use an AI assistant with these tools?
Bonsai, HoneyBook and FreshBooks each describe a connector for AI assistants on their own sites. Clodou has an AI agent in the app and an MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, with approvals for sensitive actions.

Your whole back office, in one chat

Every new workspace starts with a 14-day trial of Team, no card required. Then stay on Free: 20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month.

Start free See pricing

Sources (accessed November 5, 2026)

  1. [1] Bonsai home page
  2. [2] Bonsai pricing
  3. [3] Bonsai contracts
  4. [4] Bonsai help: online payment methods and fees
  5. [5] Bonsai bookkeeping
  6. [6] Bonsai MCP
  7. [7] Bonsai help: integrated payment methods
  8. [8] HoneyBook product information
  9. [9] HoneyBook pricing (US)
  10. [10] HoneyBook blog: introducing the HoneyBook MCP
  11. [11] FreshBooks home page
  12. [12] FreshBooks pricing (US)
  13. [13] FreshBooks support: FreshBooks Payments
  14. [14] FreshBooks press release: MCP connector
  15. [15] Dubsado product information
  16. [16] Dubsado pricing
  17. [17] Dubsado help: bookkeeping in Dubsado

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