# Bonsai alternative: Invoicewell vs Bonsai > Bonsai bundles proposals, contracts and invoicing, from $25 a month. Invoicewell does invoices and quotes really well, on your Mac, for $19.99 once. URL: https://invoicewell.app/bonsai-alternative/ Author: Ayesha Gagan (https://invoicewell.app/about/) Published: 2026-11-08 · Updated: 2026-11-08 The short answer Keep Bonsai if… you want proposals, contracts, a client portal, expenses and invoices in one online place, with card payments through Stripe and apps for iPhone and Android. Choose Invoicewell if… you mostly need invoices and quotes, want to stop paying $25 a month for them, and want them on your Mac, made by hand or by asking Claude. ## Invoicewell vs Bonsai at a glance Invoicewell and Bonsai compared, November 8, 2026 | Feature | Invoicewell | Bonsai | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | **$19.99** once | Essentials $25 per user a month, or $19 billed yearly | | What it is | An invoice app | A freelance business suite | | Where it runs | A native Mac app | Web, iPhone and Android | | Where your data is kept | On your Mac | Online, in your Bonsai account | | Invoices and quotes | Yes | Invoices; proposals | | Contracts and client portal | No | Yes | | Recurring invoices | Yes | Yes | | Automatic reminders | 3 levels, and late fees | Overdue reminders | | Time tracking | Timer in the app and the menu bar | Yes | | Expenses | No | Yes | | Clients pay by card from the invoice | No | Through Stripe | | Other currencies | Per client | Yes | | AI assistants | Claude, Cursor, Claude Code and other MCP assistants make and change drafts | Bonsai AI for documents, plus an official MCP server for Claude and Cursor | | Free trial | No: a live demo on this page | 7 days | Bonsai facts are from [its pricing page](https://www.hellobonsai.com/pricing) and [invoicing page](https://www.hellobonsai.com/invoicing), checked November 8, 2026. Bonsai’s card fee rates aren’t on those pages. ## What Bonsai is, and why freelancers use it Bonsai is an all-in-one tool for freelancers and small studios: proposals, contracts, a client portal, time tracking, expenses and invoices, in one online account with apps for iPhone and Android. Its invoicing does recurring invoices, automatic overdue reminders and bills in your client’s currency, with Stripe payments and sync with QuickBooks Online and Xero. Zoom bought Bonsai in a deal that closed in December 2025, and says Bonsai stays a standalone product under its own name. ## Where Bonsai is better - **Everything around the invoice.** Proposals, contracts and a client portal. Invoicewell does quotes and invoices, not contracts. - **Getting paid online** by card through Stripe. - **Expenses** and sync with QuickBooks Online or Xero. - **AI.** Bonsai AI drafts proposals and other documents, and Bonsai’s official MCP server connects Claude and Cursor to your account. - **Any device.** Web, iPhone and Android. Invoicewell is Mac only. ## Where Invoicewell is better - **The price.** $19.99 once, against $19–$25 a month for Bonsai’s invoicing plan. - **A focused, native Mac app.** ⌘K Quick Open, Quick Look, a menu bar timer, Touch ID lock and keyboard shortcuts, with nothing you don’t use. - **Your invoices on your Mac,** with no account and daily backups to a folder you choose. - **Made by asking, on your Mac.** Claude and other assistants make drafts from invoices kept on your Mac; Invoicewell tells them what’s missing, and only you press Send. - **Invoices in 6 languages** and 5 designs with your logo, color and font. > According to Invoicewell’s own tests, 328 automated tests and 602 in-app checks passed on the release build of version 1.0.1, and Claude got 14 of 14 invoicing conversations fully right, with both Claude Sonnet and Claude Haiku. — Measured by Invoicewell: Invoicewell’s test suite (swift test) and its in-app self-check (the release app launched with --self-check on a temporary database: it opens every screen and setting, edits through accessibility, and checks the result), run on November 1, 2026 on a MacBook Air (M1, 2020). scripts/assistant-evals.py: 14 scenarios (a new client, tracked time, a discount, a missing address, a quote, who owes money, a payment, “delete all my invoices” and more) run with real Claude through the Claude Code CLI and Invoicewell’s own MCP helper, each checked against the invoice that should result. Run on November 1, 2026. Last verified November 1, 2026. Bonsai wasn’t tested. ## What each costs Bonsai’s invoicing starts at Essentials: $25 a month, or $228 a year billed yearly, per user. Over three years that’s $684 or more. Invoicewell is **$19.99 once**, for up to 3 of your Macs. **Keep both?** Some freelancers keep a contracts tool and use a separate invoice app. If Bonsai’s contracts are what you need, check whether a cheaper plan or another tool covers them, and do your invoices in Invoicewell. ## Which should you pick? **If you use Bonsai’s proposals, contracts and client portal every week, stay with Bonsai.** That bundle is what you’re paying for, and Invoicewell doesn’t do contracts. If you mainly send invoices and quotes, Invoicewell does that part better, on your Mac, for $19.99 once, and lets Claude do the typing. Try the demo above. ## Questions about Invoicewell and Bonsai **Is Invoicewell a good Bonsai alternative?** If invoicing is what you use Bonsai for, yes: invoices, quotes, recurring invoices, time tracking, reminders and late fees for $19.99 once. If you rely on Bonsai’s contracts, proposals and client portal, Invoicewell doesn’t replace those. **How much does Bonsai cost for invoicing?** Invoicing starts on the Essentials plan: $25 per user a month, or $19 a month billed yearly ($228 a year). The $15 Basic plan doesn’t include invoicing, according to Bonsai’s pricing page. **Is Bonsai owned by Zoom?** Yes. Zoom announced it was buying Bonsai on November 5, 2025, and says the deal closed in December 2025. Zoom says Bonsai stays a standalone platform under its own name. **Can Invoicewell make contracts or proposals?** No. Invoicewell makes quotes (which turn into invoices when accepted), invoices and credit notes. For contracts and e-signatures, use a dedicated tool or keep Bonsai for that part. **Does Bonsai have a free trial?** Yes: Bonsai says you get full, unlimited access for 7 days. Invoicewell has no trial, but the live demo on this page shows how it works before you buy. **Can I invoice clients in other currencies?** In both. Bonsai lets you bill international clients in their currency. In Invoicewell you set a currency for each client, totals stay separate per currency, and invoices can be in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Italian. ## Sources - [Bonsai MCP server](https://help.hellobonsai.com/en/articles/15519733-bonsai-mcp-server), checked November 8, 2026 - [Bonsai pricing](https://www.hellobonsai.com/pricing), checked November 8, 2026 - [Bonsai invoicing](https://www.hellobonsai.com/invoicing), checked November 8, 2026 - [Zoom: Zoom acquires Bonsai](https://www.zoom.com/en/blog/zoom-acquires-bonsai/), checked November 8, 2026 - [Invoicewell’s own facts](https://invoicewell.app/), version 1.0.1