Bonsai bundles contracts, proposals, accounting, time tracking, and invoicing. It's $25-79/month for features you might never use. Quidbill is $29/month for invoicing that actually gets used.
For freelancers who want invoicing, not a business suite
Bonsai's $25-79/month plans bundle contracts, accounting, and project management. Most freelancers use maybe 10-20% of features—the rest is expensive noise.
Feature usage analysis of business suites
All-in-one suites constantly push you toward features you don't need. Sometimes you just want to invoice a client without navigating past contracts and proposals.
Common user experience pattern
Suite software prioritizes comprehensive over fast. If you need to invoice quickly between meetings, navigating past unused features costs real time.
Workflow efficiency comparison
| Feature | QuidbillSimple | BonsaiComplex |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $29/month | $25-79/month |
| Time to First Invoice | 30 seconds | 5-10 minutes |
| Focus | Invoicing only | All-in-one suite |
| Client Limits | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Contracts/Proposals | ||
| Time Tracking | Coming soon | |
| Accounting | ||
| Tax Reports | Export only | Built-in |
| Payment Processing | ||
| Learning Curve | None | Moderate |
| Support | Direct from founder | Chat/email |
The Bottom LineBonsai is excellent if you need contracts, accounting, and business management. If you just need fast, professional invoicing, you're paying for features you'll never use. Quidbill does one thing well.
Here's a pattern I've seen too often:
This is the Bonsai story. And it's happening across the freelance tool space.
When a company tries to do contracts, invoicing, accounting, time tracking, proposals, and more, something has to give:
Meanwhile, specialized tools for each function often do a better job:
I made a deliberate choice: Quidbill is just invoicing.
Not because I couldn't build contracts. Not because accounting is too hard. But because:
| Plan | Bonsai Price | What You Get | What You'll Actually Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $25/month | Invoicing, contracts, basic accounting | Mostly invoicing |
| Professional | $39/month | + Templates, integrations | Still mostly invoicing |
| Business | $79/month | + Custom branding, subcontractors | Invoicing + maybe one feature |
If invoicing is 80% of your usage, why pay for the other 20%?
Here's what I recommend:
| Function | Tool | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | Quidbill | $29/month |
| Contracts | HelloSign | Free tier available |
| Accounting | Wave | Free |
| Time Tracking | Toggl | Free tier available |
| Total | $29/month |
Compare that to Bonsai's $39-79/month for features you might not use.
Keep the fast invoicing, lose the feature bloat
Go to Bonsai Settings → Export Data. Download your client list as CSV.
No credit card required. Just email and business name.
Upload your CSV. Quidbill will handle the mapping automatically.
Keep Bonsai for contracts if you need them, or use a dedicated contract tool.
$29/month • Cancel anytime • 30-day money-back guarantee
Your existing contracts in Bonsai will remain accessible as long as you keep your account (even on the free tier). For new contracts, consider a dedicated tool like HelloSign, DocuSign, or PandaDoc—they're better at contracts.
Quidbill focuses on invoicing, not accounting. I recommend using a simple accounting tool like Wave (free) or QuickBooks for your books, and Quidbill for fast invoicing. Many freelancers prefer specialized tools over all-in-ones.
Yes. Bonsai has menus for Projects, Proposals, Contracts, Invoices, Time Tracking, Accounting, and more. Quidbill has: Invoices, Clients, Settings. That's it. Simplicity is a feature.
Absolutely. Some users keep Bonsai's free tier for contracts and use Quidbill for invoicing. It's often cheaper than Bonsai's paid plans and gives you the best of both tools.
Bonsai is great if you need everything. For just invoicing, Quidbill is faster, simpler, and more affordable.