Bonsai vs Dubsado Comparison 2026
Bonsai bundles proposals, contracts, time tracking and invoicing from $15 a month, ready to use without any setup project. Dubsado covers the same paperwork but its real reason to exist is workflows that fire on their own, so a lead form can trigger the proposal, chase the signature and issue the invoice on a schedule, though that automation only ships on the $55-a-month Premier plan. The choice is between paperwork that works immediately and paperwork that automates itself after a day spent configuring it.
At a glance
- Bonsai starts cheaper, at $15.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Bonsai | Dubsado | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $15 | From $35 |
| Pricing model | Paid subscription | Paid subscription |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Not stated |
| Free trial | 7 days | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
Bonsai
Contracts, proposals and invoices in one place
Bonsai carries the paperwork around freelance and agency work: a proposal, the contract it turns into, the time tracked against it and the invoice at the end, all holding the same client record. It is aimed at service businesses rather than at audiences, which makes it the tool for the half of a creator's income that arrives as brand work. There is no free plan, only a week to decide.
Our note
Worth it the first time a brand disputes what was agreed. Below roughly a deal a month, a contract template and the invoicing in a tool you already pay for cover the same ground for nothing.
Only on this side
- Covers legal & contracts
Dubsado
Client workflows that run themselves
Dubsado automates the repeated half of client work: a lead form fires a workflow, which sends the proposal, chases the signature and issues the invoice on a schedule nobody has to remember. Projects and clients are uncapped on both plans, so the tier is about automation rather than about volume. Scheduling, workflows and public proposals all arrive on the second tier. Setting the workflows up is a real afternoon of work, and it is why people either love this or never finish configuring it.
Why people weigh these two
- Dubsado instead of Bonsai
- Client workflows that run themselves at $35, more than twice Bonsai's $15, for paperwork you want on autopilot.
- Bonsai instead of Dubsado
- Bonsai puts contracts, proposals and invoices in one place from $15 a month, the simpler bundle for a practice with a handful of large clients.
Which one should you pick
Choose Bonsai when you want contracts, proposals and invoicing working immediately with no configuration project, at $15 a month or $9 a month billed annually. Per its own editorial note, it earns its cost the first time a brand disputes what was agreed.
Choose Dubsado when enough client work repeats that the same emails get retyped every week, and you are willing to spend a day building the automation that stops it. That automation, and the public proposals that go with it, live only on Premier at $55 a month; Starter at $35 a month leaves both out, per Dubsado's own note. Unlimited projects and clients on both Dubsado plans also suit a high-volume, low-price practice better than Bonsai's per-user pricing.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper to start, Bonsai or Dubsado?
- Bonsai's Basic is $15 a month, or $9 a month billed annually. Dubsado's Starter is $35 a month, more than double, and the automated workflows that are the actual reason to choose Dubsado only exist one tier up, on the $55-a-month Premier plan.
- Does either cap the number of clients?
- No. Dubsado states unlimited projects and clients on both its plans. Bonsai charges per user rather than per client, from $15 a month, with no client cap mentioned in its listing.
- Which one automates the busywork?
- Dubsado does: a lead form can trigger the proposal, chase the signature and issue the invoice on a schedule, though only on Premier at $55 a month. Bonsai tracks the same documents without triggering them on its own.
- How long is the free trial?
- Bonsai gives seven days of full access. Dubsado's listing does not state a trial length.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.