Bonsai Alternative

The Best Bonsai Alternative for Freelancers

Bonsai's cheapest plan doesn't include proposals, contracts, or invoicing. DealPilot's free plan includes all three — plus AI-powered generation.

Try DealPilot Free See the 3-Way Comparison

Free forever plan · No credit card required

Read the Fine Print

What Bonsai's Starter plan is missing

Bonsai advertises a $9/month plan — but the features most freelancers need are locked behind higher tiers.

No proposals
Bonsai's $9/month Starter plan does not include proposal creation. You need the $19+ Professional plan to send proposals to clients.
No contracts
Contract templates are locked behind the Professional plan. The Starter plan only includes basic task management and time tracking.
No invoicing
Automated invoicing and payment collection require the Professional plan or higher. The Starter plan only offers basic expense tracking.
Per-user pricing
Bonsai charges per user per month. Adding a collaborator or VA doubles your bill. DealPilot's Business plan includes 5 team members for a flat $29/mo.
DealPilot's Free plan includes 5 proposals/month, 2 contracts/month, all 15 contract types, 19+ templates, and Stripe payment links — at $0/month.

Bonsai vs HoneyBook vs DealPilot

A three-way comparison of the features freelancers care about most.

FeatureBonsaiHoneyBookDealPilot
AI proposal generation (from scratch)
Paste job post → auto-fill
Proposals on cheapest plan
Contracts on cheapest plan
Invoicing on cheapest plan
AI contract generation (15 types)
Digital e-signatures
Branded client portal
Proposal analytics & tracking
Stripe payment links
Milestone-based billing
Available worldwideUS & Canada
Free plan available
Starting price$9/user/mo$29/mo$0 (Free)
The AI Advantage

AI-first vs template-first

Bonsai and HoneyBook give you templates to fill in. DealPilot generates the entire proposal with AI.

AI-firstDealPilotAnswer 5 questions and AI generates a complete, personalised proposal from scratch. Paste a job post and the AI reads it, mirrors the client's language, and auto-fills your wizard. Choose from Professional, Friendly, or Bold tone. Regenerate any section with 3 alternatives.
Template-firstBonsai & HoneyBookBoth Bonsai and HoneyBook rely on pre-built templates that you fill in manually. HoneyBook offers some AI-assisted editing, but neither can generate a proposal from scratch. You start with a blank template and do the writing yourself.
Pricing

Simple, honest pricing.

Start free. Upgrade when you’re ready.

Free
$0/mo
Start free
  • 5 proposals/month
  • 2 contracts/month
  • All 15 contract types
  • 19+ templates
  • Brand kit
  • Stripe payment links
  • E-signatures
  • Analytics
  • Client portals
Most popular
Pro
$9/mo
Get Pro
  • Unlimited proposals & contracts
  • Digital e-signatures
  • Proposal analytics
  • Client portals
  • Content library
  • White-label branding
  • Priority support
Business
$22/mo
Get Business
  • Everything in Pro
  • 5 team members
  • API access
  • Custom domain
  • Dedicated onboarding
Stories

Freelancers who made the switch

Real feedback from freelancers who compared Bonsai and chose DealPilot.

“I signed up for Bonsai's $9 plan thinking I'd get proposals and contracts. Nope — those are on the $19 plan. DealPilot's free tier gives me more than Bonsai's paid Starter.”
Ryan P.
Freelance Developer
“Bonsai tries to do everything — time tracking, accounting, taxes — but proposals feel like an afterthought. DealPilot is focused and the AI is genuinely impressive.”
Camille D.
Graphic Designer
“I compared Bonsai, HoneyBook, and DealPilot for a week. DealPilot was the only one where I could paste a job post and have a proposal ready in a minute. Sold.”
Tobias N.
Content Strategist

Your AI envoy. Every client, every deal.

Get more for $0 than Bonsai's $9 plan

DealPilot's free plan includes proposals, contracts, invoicing, and AI generation. Start in 60 seconds.

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