Frelo vs Bonsai
Bonsai is an all-in-one suite for freelancers and small agencies, covering CRM, proposals, contracts, invoicing, time tracking and freelance tax tooling. It has been in the market far longer than Frelo and is the closest thing to a direct competitor.
What each one costs
Every Bonsai figure below is quoted from their own pricing page, read on August 21, 2026. Prices change — check theirs before deciding, and tell us if this page has gone stale.
| Frelo | Bonsai | |
|---|---|---|
| How it's billed | Per account, monthly. One person, one price. | Per user, per month. Every seat is billed, so a subcontractor or VA adds a full seat to the bill. |
| Entry plan | Free — $0/month, 2 clients and 3 projects, no card, no time limit | Basic — $15/user/month, or $9/user/month billed annually |
| Portal + contracts + invoicing | Pro — $19/month, unlimited clients and projects, including the branded client portal, contracts with e-signatures, Stripe invoicing and payments, time tracking, expenses and the finance dashboard | Essentials — $25/user/month, or $19/user/month billed annually. Basic does not include the client portal, contracts or invoicing. |
| Also charges | Nothing on top. Card and ACH payments run through your own Stripe account at your own Stripe rates; Frelo takes no cut. |
|
- Freelance-specific tax tooling, including quarterly estimates and write-off tracking, which Frelo does not attempt
- Proposals, lead capture forms and a CRM pipeline for winning work, where Frelo starts once the client exists
- iOS and Android apps
- Integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier and Calendly on higher tiers
- Years of production use behind it; Frelo is new
- You work alone. Per-seat pricing does not bite until you add people, but it does mean the cheapest tier with a portal and contracts is $25/month billed monthly, against Frelo's $19 flat.
- You want the client portal without a login. Frelo's portal is a link you send; there is no account for the client to create.
- You want to try the real thing free. Frelo's free plan has no time limit and takes no card.
What Frelo does not do
Frelo starts once you have the client. It has no client-facing scheduling or booking pages, proposals or lead-capture forms, a CRM pipeline, native mobile apps and no full bookkeeping or accounting. If those are the parts of your week you want software for, Bonsai is the more complete product and you should buy it.
What Frelo does instead is the stretch after the deal is signed: one link your client opens without an account, invoices built from tracked hours, and a finance view that tells you what you are owed. See the full feature list.
Common questions
- Is Frelo cheaper than Bonsai?
- For one person, yes, on the plans that bundle a client portal with contracts and invoicing: Frelo Pro is $19/month flat, and Bonsai's Essentials tier is $25/user/month billed monthly or $19/user/month billed annually. Bonsai's $15 Basic tier is cheaper than Frelo Pro but does not include the portal, contracts or invoicing. Figures are from Bonsai's pricing page, checked on the date shown on this page.
- What does Bonsai do that Frelo does not?
- Quite a lot. Freelance tax estimates and write-off tracking, proposals and lead-capture forms, a CRM pipeline, mobile apps, and accounting integrations. If winning work and filing taxes are the parts you want software for, Bonsai covers ground Frelo deliberately does not.
- Can I move from Bonsai to Frelo?
- There is no automated import today. Clients, projects and rates are quick to re-enter; historical invoices are not migrated, so most people keep their old account readable for records until the tax year closes.
Bonsai is a trademark of its owner. Frelo is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Bonsai. The figures on this page were read from https://www.hellobonsai.com/pricing on August 21, 2026 and may since have changed.
Try it before you switch anything.
Free to start. No credit card required.