Agiled vs Bonsai: Complete Comparison (2026)

Bonsai and Agiled both target freelancers and service businesses, but they were built for different stages of business growth. Bonsai was designed for solo freelancers — proposals, contracts, invoicing, and tax preparation in a simple package. Agiled was designed for growing teams — adding CRM pipelines, project management with Gantt charts, HR, payroll, and AI agents on top of the core freelancer workflow.

Bonsai positions itself as "the unified platform for service businesses" with strong emphasis on contracts (attorney-vetted templates), proposals, invoicing, and a unique tax preparation feature (Bonsai Tax) that helps freelancers track 1099 expenses and estimate quarterly taxes. Over 10,000 firms and freelancers use it. Pricing starts at $9/user/month (annual) on the Basic plan. Bonsai holds a 4.3/5 on G2 with 101 reviews and 4.2/5 on Trustpilot with 607 reviews.

Agiled covers the full business lifecycle — CRM with pipeline management, proposals, contracts, invoicing, project management with Kanban and Gantt, time tracking, scheduling, client portals, HR, payroll, expense tracking, and AI agents. The free plan covers 1 user with unlimited contacts and projects. Paid plans start at $30/month for 3 users.

This comparison examines every feature category to help you choose the right platform.

Quick comparison (TLDR)

Bonsai is a clean, well-designed freelancer tool. The contracts feature with attorney-vetted templates is its standout — freelancers who have been burned by verbal agreements value having legally sound contracts ready to send. Proposals look professional with service packages and upselling options. Invoicing works (though users report it is "super inflexible" for complex billing). Bonsai Tax is genuinely unique — it automatically categorizes expenses for tax deductions and estimates quarterly tax payments, claiming an average of $5,600/year in savings for freelancers.

But Bonsai's limitations become clear as you grow. The Basic plan ($9/user/month) has no invoicing, no proposals, no client portal, and no expense tracking — it is just time tracking and task management. Key features are heavily gated: Gantt charts require Premium ($29/user/month), deal pipelines require Premium, fully branded branding requires Premium, integrations (QuickBooks, Zapier) require Premium, and task dependencies require Essentials ($19/user/month). Per-user pricing adds up fast — a 5-person team on Essentials pays $95/month, and on Premium pays $145/month. Users report prices have climbed over 150% in recent years while core gaps remain unfilled. There is no AI. No HR or payroll. No advanced automation. No email marketing.

Agiled includes everything Bonsai offers (proposals, contracts, invoicing, time tracking, CRM, expense tracking) plus full project management with Gantt and dependencies on all paid plans, HR with payroll and attendance, AI agents for proposal and email drafting, pipeline automation, and a client portal. The free plan includes CRM and basic business features. Paid plans start at $30/month for 3 users — not per user.

The bottom line: Bonsai works for solo freelancers who want a simple, attractive tool for contracts, proposals, and invoicing — especially those who value Bonsai Tax for 1099 tracking. Agiled is the better choice for freelancers who are growing into teams, agencies that manage projects after the sale, and any business that needs CRM pipelines, HR, or AI without paying per-user premiums.

Key differences at a glance

• Pricing model: Bonsai charges per user per month ($9-49/user). Agiled charges per tier ($30-120/month for 3-unlimited users).
• Free plan: Agiled offers a permanent free plan. Bonsai has a free trial only.
• Tax preparation: Bonsai Tax tracks 1099 expenses and estimates quarterly taxes. Agiled does not have tax preparation features.
• CRM depth: Agiled includes full pipeline CRM with forecasting and automation. Bonsai has basic CRM; deal pipelines require Premium ($29/user/month).
• Project management: Agiled includes Gantt charts and task dependencies on all paid plans. Bonsai requires Premium for Gantt and Essentials for task dependencies.
• HR and payroll: Agiled includes employee management, attendance, leave, and payroll. Bonsai has none.
• AI features: Agiled includes AI agents for proposals, emails, and reports. Bonsai has no AI.
• Contracts: Bonsai offers attorney-vetted contract templates. Agiled includes contracts with templates and e-signatures.
• Brand customization: Bonsai requires Premium ($29/user/month) to remove branding. Agiled includes fully branded on paid plans.
• Integrations: Bonsai requires Premium for QuickBooks, Zapier, and Calendly integration. Agiled includes integrations on paid plans.
• Automation: Bonsai automation requires Premium. Agiled includes automation on all paid plans.

Proposals and contracts

This is Bonsai's strongest territory.

Bonsai

Attorney-vetted contracts and polished proposals. Bonsai's contracts are its signature feature. Templates are reviewed by attorneys and cover common freelancer scenarios — service agreements, NDAs, subcontractor agreements. E-signatures are built in. The proposal builder includes service packages, optional add-ons, and upselling features that let clients choose from tiered offerings.

Proposals and contracts are available on the Essentials plan ($19/user/month) and above. The Basic plan does not include them. The document builder is clean and produces professional-looking output. Estimates are also included for pre-sale pricing discussions.

The limitation is flexibility. Proposals are straightforward — good for freelancers sending one or two proposals a week, but lacking the AI-assisted drafting or deep customization that high-volume agencies need.

• Attorney-vetted contract templates
• E-signatures built in
• Service packages with upselling in proposals
• Estimates for pre-sale pricing
• Clean, professional output
• No AI-assisted drafting
• Only available on Essentials+ ($19/user/month)

Agiled

Proposals and contracts with AI drafting. Agiled includes proposals with drag-and-drop builders, interactive pricing tables, package options, e-signatures, and view tracking. AI agents draft proposals based on your client history and project context — reducing time from blank page to sent proposal. Contracts include template libraries, custom clauses, and signature audit trails.

When a proposal is signed, Agiled auto-creates a project with templated tasks — the proposal-to-project pipeline is automated. View analytics show when clients open and interact with proposals.

• Drag-and-drop proposal builder
• AI-assisted proposal drafting
• Interactive pricing with packages
• E-signatures with audit trail
• Auto-convert signed proposals to projects
• View tracking and analytics
• Available on all paid plans ($30/month)

Verdict

Bonsai's attorney-vetted contracts are a genuine advantage for freelancers who want legal confidence without hiring a lawyer. Agiled counters with AI-assisted drafting and the proposal-to-project automation pipeline. For solo freelancers, Bonsai's simplicity wins. For teams handling volume, Agiled's AI and automation are more efficient.

Invoicing and payments

Bonsai

Functional invoicing with notable limitations. Bonsai includes invoicing on the Essentials plan ($19/user/month) and above — the Basic plan has no invoicing. Online payments are processed through Stripe with Bonsai's payment processing adding fees on top of Stripe's standard rates (2.9% + $0.30). Recurring invoices and subscription billing are supported. Retainer invoicing handles ongoing client relationships.

Users report significant limitations. The invoicing tool is described as "super inflexible" — no bulk download capability, requiring 3-4 clicks per invoice to download. Time tracking does not automatically populate invoices; manual line-item entry is required for hourly billing. This is surprising for a platform that includes both time tracking and invoicing.

Income tracking and a financial overview provide basic revenue visibility. Bank sync is available but listed as "experimental."

• Invoicing (Essentials+ only)
• Online payments through Stripe
• Recurring and subscription billing
• Retainer invoicing
• Manual line-item entry for time-based billing
• No bulk download
• Additional payment processing fees beyond Stripe
• Bank sync (experimental)

Agiled

Invoicing connected to time tracking and expenses. Agiled's invoicing includes multi-currency support, recurring invoices, payment schedules, and online payment collection. The key difference: time tracked on project tasks converts directly to invoice line items — no manual entry. Expenses logged in the expense module can be included in invoices. CRM deals track invoice status for revenue reporting.

• Multi-currency invoicing
• Time-to-invoice conversion (automatic)
• Expense-to-invoice linking
• Recurring invoices and payment schedules
• CRM revenue tracking
• Available on all paid plans

Verdict

Agiled's invoicing is more capable, especially the automatic time-to-invoice conversion that Bonsai requires manual entry for. Bonsai's additional payment processing fees and inflexible invoice management are notable drawbacks. For hourly billing workflows, Agiled is significantly more efficient.

Time tracking

Bonsai

Time tracking on all plans. Bonsai includes unlimited time tracking on every plan, including Basic ($9/user/month). Billable vs. non-billable time split is available on Essentials+. Timesheets, timesheet reminders, and time tracking reports require Premium ($29/user/month). Timesheet locking requires Elite ($49/user/month).

Cost tracking and capacity tracking are available on Essentials+. The time tracker works across desktop, mobile (iOS and Android), and Chrome extension.

• Time tracking on all plans
• Billable/non-billable split (Essentials+)
• Timesheets and reports (Premium+)
• Timesheet locking (Elite)
• Desktop, mobile, and Chrome apps
• No automatic invoice population

Agiled

Time tracking integrated with invoicing and budgets. Agiled's time tracking ties to specific tasks and flows into invoices and project budgets automatically. One-click timers, manual logging, and billable rates are standard. Time reports show data by project, client, team member, and date range.

• Task-level time tracking
• Automatic invoice population
• Project budget integration
• Billable rates per user/project
• Reporting by project, client, team, date

Verdict

Both handle time tracking basics well. Bonsai's advantage is availability on the cheapest plan. Agiled's advantage is the automatic flow from tracked time to invoices and budgets — the workflow that actually matters for billing.

CRM and pipeline management

Bonsai

Basic CRM with gated pipelines. Bonsai includes CRM on all plans with unlimited clients. But deal pipelines are only available on the Premium plan ($29/user/month). Custom fields and properties also require Premium. The CRM covers contact management, basic client profiles, and project associations.

There is no revenue forecasting, no pipeline automation, no lead scoring, and no advanced sales reporting. The CRM is functional for tracking who your clients are, but not for managing an active sales process.

• CRM on all plans
• Deal pipelines (Premium+ — $29/user/month)
• Custom fields (Premium+)
• No revenue forecasting
• No pipeline automation
• No lead scoring

Agiled

Full CRM with pipeline management. Agiled's CRM includes contacts, companies, deal pipelines with customizable stages, revenue tracking, probability-based forecasting, activity timeline, email integration, and reporting dashboards. Pipeline automation triggers actions on stage changes. Available on all paid plans.

• Full pipeline CRM with stages
• Revenue tracking and forecasting
• Pipeline automation
• Activity timeline per contact
• Email integration
• Reporting dashboards
• Available on all paid plans ($30/month)

Verdict

Agiled's CRM is substantially more capable. Bonsai's CRM serves as a contact directory; Agiled's serves as a sales management tool. The fact that Bonsai gates deal pipelines behind the Premium plan ($29/user/month per user) while Agiled includes them at $30/month for 3 users makes the value difference stark.

Project management

Bonsai

Basic project management with heavily gated features. Bonsai includes projects and task management on all plans. Project phases are available on Basic+. But the useful project management features are gated:

• Task dependencies: Essentials+ ($19/user/month)
• Task templates: Essentials+
• Custom task statuses: Essentials+
• Project budgets: Essentials+
• Gantt view: Premium+ ($29/user/month)
• Workload management: Premium+
• Project insights: Premium+
• Resourcing/staffing: Elite ($49/user/month)

On the Basic plan, project management is a simple task list. On Essentials, it becomes usable but limited. Full project management requires Premium at $29/user/month — $145/month for a 5-person team.

Agiled

Complete project management on all paid plans. Agiled includes Kanban boards, Gantt charts, task dependencies, milestones, list and calendar views, subtasks, checklists, time tracking per task, custom fields, and project templates — all on every paid plan starting at $30/month for 3 users.

Project budgets integrate with expense tracking and invoicing. CRM deals convert to projects. Proposals auto-create projects on signing.

• Kanban, Gantt, list, calendar views
• Task dependencies and milestones (all paid plans)
• Time tracking per task with invoicing
• Project budgets with expense integration
• Deal-to-project and proposal-to-project conversion
• All features on every paid plan

Verdict

Agiled provides complete project management at a fraction of the cost. To match Agiled's project management capabilities, Bonsai requires the Premium plan — $29/user/month versus Agiled's $30/month for 3 users. For a 5-person team, that is $145/month (Bonsai) versus $60/month (Agiled).

Tax preparation

Bonsai Tax (Bonsai only)

This is Bonsai's most unique feature. Bonsai Tax is built for self-employed workers to track 1099 expenses, automate expense categorization for tax deductions, maximize write-offs, and estimate quarterly tax payments. Bonsai claims users save an average of $5,600/year in tax deductions.

For solo freelancers in the US who handle their own taxes, this is genuinely valuable. Automated categorization reduces the manual work of tracking deductible expenses. Quarterly tax estimates help avoid surprises at tax time.

Bonsai Tax is a separate product that costs approximately $100/year on top of the Bonsai subscription.

Agiled

Agiled does not have tax preparation features. Expense tracking exists with categories and receipt attachments, but there is no automated tax categorization or quarterly estimate calculation. Freelancers using Agiled would need a separate tax preparation tool or accountant.

Verdict

Bonsai wins this category — it is the only platform in this comparison with built-in tax features. For US-based freelancers who file their own taxes, Bonsai Tax provides real value.

Client portal

Bonsai

Client portal on Essentials+. Bonsai includes a client portal on the Essentials plan ($19/user/month) and above. Clients can view projects, approve proposals, review timesheets, and communicate through client messaging (Premium+). Fully branded branding (removing Bonsai branding) requires Premium ($29/user/month). Custom domains are expected in 2026 on the Elite plan.

The portal is clean but limited in customization compared to dedicated portal tools.

• Client portal (Essentials+)
• Client messaging (Premium+)
• Fully branded branding (Premium+)
• Custom domain (Elite — expected 2026)

Agiled

Client portal on all paid plans. Agiled's client portal gives clients access to projects, invoices, proposals, contracts, support tickets, and files. Custom branding is available on paid plans. The portal includes a support ticket system for client communication.

• Client portal on all paid plans
• Access to projects, invoices, proposals, files
• Support ticket system
• Custom branding on paid plans

Verdict

Comparable functionality, but Agiled makes the portal available at a lower tier and includes support tickets. Bonsai gates the portal behind Essentials ($19/user/month) and brand customization behind Premium ($29/user/month).

Additional features

HR and payroll (Agiled only)

Agiled includes employee management, attendance tracking, leave management, and payroll processing. Bonsai has no HR features — it is designed for freelancers and small agencies, not businesses with employees.

AI features (Agiled only)

Agiled includes AI agents for proposal drafting, email writing, and report generation on paid plans. Bonsai does not have any AI features.

Integrations

Bonsai gates integrations behind the Premium plan ($29/user/month). QuickBooks, Xero (Elite only), Zapier, Calendly, and Google Calendar are not available on Basic or Essentials. Agiled includes integrations on paid plans without tier restrictions.

Expense tracking

Both platforms include expense tracking — Bonsai on Essentials+, Agiled on all paid plans. Bonsai's expense tracking ties into Bonsai Tax for automated deduction categorization. Agiled's expense tracking integrates with project budgets and invoicing. Bonsai allows expense markup on the Elite plan ($49/user/month).

Scheduling

Both include appointment scheduling. Bonsai on Essentials+, Agiled on all paid plans.

Pricing comparison

Feature	Agiled	Bonsai
Free plan	Yes — 1 user, unlimited contacts/projects	No — free trial only
Entry plan	$30/month (3 users)	$9/user/month annual ($15 monthly)
Mid-tier plan	$60/month (10 users)	$19/user/month annual ($25 monthly)
Full-feature plan	$120/month (unlimited users)	$29/user/month annual ($39 monthly)
Top plan	—	$49/user/month annual ($59 monthly)
5-person team (full features)	$60/month	$145/month (Premium)
10-person team (full features)	$60/month	$290/month (Premium)
Invoicing	All paid plans	Essentials+ ($19/user)
Proposals/contracts	All paid plans	Essentials+ ($19/user)
Gantt charts	All paid plans	Premium+ ($29/user)
Deal pipelines	All paid plans	Premium+ ($29/user)
Automation	All paid plans	Premium+ ($29/user)
Integrations	All paid plans	Premium+ ($29/user)
Fully branded	All paid plans	Premium+ ($29/user)
AI	Included	Not available
HR/payroll	Included	Not available
Tax preparation	Not available	Bonsai Tax (~$100/year extra)

The pricing difference is dramatic for teams. Bonsai's per-user model scales linearly — every new team member adds $19-49/month. Agiled's tier model means a team of 10 pays the same as a team of 4 on the Pro plan ($60/month). For a solo freelancer on the cheapest plan, Bonsai at $9/month is less expensive. For any team beyond 1-2 people, Agiled is significantly cheaper.

Bonsai's aggressive feature gating compounds the problem. A freelancer who signs up for Bonsai Basic ($9/month) discovers they cannot send invoices, create proposals, use a client portal, or track expenses. Moving to Essentials ($19/month) adds these basics but still lacks Gantt charts, pipelines, integrations, and automation. Full functionality requires Premium ($29/month per user) — at which point a 3-person team pays $87/month for fewer features than Agiled provides at $30/month.

Total cost comparison by team size

The per-user pricing model that makes Bonsai affordable for solo users becomes expensive at scale. Here is a concrete comparison across team sizes, using Bonsai Premium (the plan needed for full features) versus Agiled:

Team size	Bonsai Premium (annual)	Agiled plan	Savings with Agiled
1 user	$29/month	Free plan ($0)	$29/month
3 users	$87/month	Pro ($30/month)	$57/month
5 users	$145/month	Pro ($60/month)	$85/month
10 users	$290/month	Pro ($60/month)	$230/month
15 users	$435/month	Enterprise ($120/month)	$315/month

At 10 users, Bonsai costs 4.8x more than Agiled while offering fewer features (no CRM pipelines, no HR, no AI). The per-user model makes every hire more expensive. Agiled's tier model means your 6th through 10th team members add $0 in subscription cost on the Pro plan.

Over a year, a 10-person team saves $2,760 by choosing Agiled over Bonsai — and gets CRM, HR, payroll, AI, and Gantt charts that Bonsai does not include.

Automation and integrations

Bonsai

Automation and integrations gated to Premium. Bonsai's automation features require the Premium plan ($29/user/month). The same tier-gating applies to QuickBooks integration, Zapier, Calendly, and Google Calendar. On the Basic and Essentials plans, you cannot automate workflows or connect Bonsai to other tools in your stack.

This means a freelancer on Bonsai Essentials ($19/month) who uses QuickBooks for accounting needs to manually reconcile financial data — the integration is not available at that price point. Upgrading to Premium to access integrations raises the per-user cost by 53%.

Agiled

Automation and integrations on all paid plans. Agiled includes workflow automation, API access, and integrations on all paid plans starting at $30/month for 3 users. No tier restrictions for core functionality. CRM pipeline automation, project event triggers, and invoicing automation are all accessible without upgrading.

Verdict

Agiled makes automation and integrations accessible to all paid users. Bonsai gates these behind its third-highest tier, creating a frustrating experience for users who discover they need to upgrade for basic functionality.

User reviews and ratings

Platform	Agiled	Bonsai
G2	4.7/5	4.3/5 (101 reviews)
Trustpilot	—	4.2/5 (607 reviews)

Common Bonsai complaints

Price increases. Users report prices have climbed over 150% in recent years while core feature gaps remain. The additional payment processing fees on top of Stripe's standard rates are a common pain point — Bonsai charges extra fees that users feel are not transparently communicated.

Invoicing inflexibility. The invoicing tool is described as "super inflexible" with no bulk download, requiring multiple clicks per invoice, and no automatic population from time tracking.

Scalability limits. Bonsai lacks detailed user permissions and team management features. It is built for solopreneurs; growing agencies hit walls with permissions, reporting, and multi-team collaboration.

Support concerns. Multiple reviewers describe support as "completely unhelpful" and "below minimal" despite premium pricing. Platform freezes and slow performance are reported, including invoicing pages that take 10+ minutes to load.

Feature transparency. Users complain about discovering features they need are gated behind higher-priced plans after signing up for a lower tier.

Where Agiled reviews are stronger

Agiled's G2 rating (4.7/5) exceeds Bonsai's (4.3/5). Users highlight the completeness of the platform — CRM, project management, invoicing, and HR in one place — and the team-friendly pricing model.

Who should choose Bonsai

• Solo freelancers in the US who need 1099 expense tracking and quarterly tax estimates (Bonsai Tax)
• Freelancers who prioritize attorney-vetted contracts and want legal confidence in their agreements
• Individual freelancers who want a simple tool for proposals, contracts, and invoicing and do not plan to grow a team
• Service providers who do not need CRM pipelines, project management with Gantt charts, HR, or AI

Who should choose Agiled

• Growing teams that need team-friendly pricing without per-user costs adding up
• Service businesses that need full CRM pipeline management with deal tracking and revenue forecasting
• Agencies that manage complex projects with dependencies, milestones, and Gantt charts — on all paid plans
• Businesses with employees that need HR, attendance, leave tracking, and payroll
• Teams that want AI-powered content — proposal drafting, email generation, reports — included in the plan
• Budget-conscious teams that want complete business features starting at $30/month for 3 users rather than $57-87/month for a 3-person team on Bonsai
• Freelancers planning to grow who want a platform that scales from 1 person to a full team without hitting per-user pricing walls

FAQ

Is Bonsai cheaper than Agiled?

For a single user on the cheapest plan, Bonsai Basic ($9/month annual) is less expensive than Agiled's entry plan ($30/month). But Bonsai Basic has no invoicing, proposals, or client portal. On comparable features, Bonsai Essentials costs $19/user/month. For a 3-person team on Bonsai Essentials, you pay $57/month — nearly double Agiled's $30/month with more features included.

Does Bonsai have a CRM?

Bonsai includes basic CRM on all plans. Deal pipelines with stages require the Premium plan ($29/user/month). There is no revenue forecasting, pipeline automation, or advanced sales reporting.

Does Bonsai have AI features?

No. Bonsai does not include any AI features. Agiled includes AI agents for proposals, emails, and reports on paid plans.

Does Bonsai include HR or payroll?

No. Bonsai has no employee management, attendance tracking, leave management, or payroll features. It is designed for freelancers and small agencies.

Is Bonsai Tax worth it?

For US-based freelancers who file their own taxes, Bonsai Tax's automated expense categorization and quarterly tax estimates provide genuine value. Bonsai claims average savings of $5,600/year. It costs approximately $100/year on top of the subscription. If you use an accountant or are outside the US, the value diminishes.

Can I get Gantt charts on Bonsai?

Gantt charts require Bonsai Premium at $29/user/month. Task dependencies require Essentials at $19/user/month. Agiled includes both on all paid plans starting at $30/month for 3 users.

Which is better for agencies?

Agiled is better for agencies. Bonsai's per-user pricing, feature gating, and lack of HR, AI, and advanced CRM make it expensive and limited for multi-person teams. A 10-person agency pays $290/month on Bonsai Premium versus $60/month on Agiled Pro — with Agiled including more features.

Does Bonsai have a mobile app?

Yes. Bonsai offers iOS, Android, macOS, and Chrome apps on all plans. The mobile apps cover time tracking, invoicing, and client management for freelancers who work on the go.

Can I integrate Bonsai with my accounting software?

Bonsai integrates with QuickBooks on the Premium plan ($29/user/month) and Xero on the Elite plan ($49/user/month). These integrations are not available on Basic or Essentials. If you use QuickBooks or Xero, you need at minimum the Premium plan to sync data. Agiled includes integrations on all paid plans.

What are Bonsai's payment processing fees?

Bonsai processes payments through Stripe but adds additional fees on top of Stripe's standard rates (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). Users report these extra fees are not always clearly communicated upfront. Agiled uses standard payment processor fees without additional platform surcharges.