Bonsai Reviews

I tolerated the perpetually glitchy UI because I just needed something to track my time and generate invoices. I’m a basic part time 1099 contractor. Other clients in the past have paid me through their payroll companies, but this month was my first invoice paid through this app. I was paid on Friday the 28th, received and email telling me my account was frozen on Saturday the 29th, and was asked to verify my identity through a link that was never sent to me. So now it is the weekend, my account is frozen, no one will respond (see: weekend), and this app is holding my money hostage. I can’t access my account to verify my identity or provide other information. When I set up my account I was as thorough as possible - there was no indication provided of “We at this app will send your account into SUDDEN DEATH MODE the moment you receive money!” while I was setting up my account. Find another app - this app is shady & their platform is buggy.

I’m a licensed and insured contractor I was using the software and enjoying it. Until I was subjected to a random manual review and kicked off the platform without reason or warning. When asked they said that they couldn’t give me a reason as to why but good luck in my business. I thought that was very coldhearted, passive, aggressive and downright discriminatory, and I will be pursuing this further, in addition to that they have unjustly withheld money that was transferred to me by a client for a reasonable amount of time. Currently, I’m seeking legal advice as to what to do in the situation.

It’s been now over a month since I’ve been able to do anything in Bonsai . I thought maybe it was because it’s getting a revamp on website, and they were doing the same for Bonsai . But over 2 week now?
I can’t access the invoices, cannot start or pause the time tracking. It shows me the Home Screen but it’s always telling me “connecting” rendering Bonsai useless.

It’s not a necessity, but it is really inconvenient.
Is this getting Bonsai death and only being used on desktops?

I’ve used this app for about 2 years and, despite being a premium price, it has made my freelance work easier. Up until a few months ago.

this app have been making many changes and updates recently which have broken so many aspects of Bonsai . First it became impossible to login for weeks. That was fixed, but then I had to login EVERY time I opened Bonsai (they say it was for increased security).

Now with this latest update, I can’t start a timer to track my hours. The button and project drop down are completely unresponsive.

Congratulations, Jonny Ive, the new UI is very pretty but completely useless.

I appreciate good data visualization as much as the next guy, but not at the expense of actually being able to use Bonsai . Spend more time on the functionality first (like making this app Cash transfers available on mobile). Then you can tweak the design.

Almost always logged out, no biometric authentication available. Makes using Bonsai incredibly difficult. It also asks me to leave a review too often. Somehow manages to ask me to review Bonsai way more than seems necessary? Update: still asks for reviews too often, still logs out all the time. Update: logged me out and then asked for a review again Update (2/12): logged out and asked for review again Update 2/21: logged out and asked for review Update 03/01: logged out and asked for review but at least they’ve added Face ID!

Update 03/04: logged out and asked for review

Only gonna speak on the negatives. Bonsai doesn’t have nearly as much feature as the desktop page. I’d like to be able to manage and update proposals and contracts on my phone, not just invoices. As of this date I’m unaware of these feature in the mobile version.

The primary benefit I can think of from a mobile this app app would be tracking expenses on the go. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem like a high priority for them. I thought I could easily submit receipts with the share sheet or apple shortcuts but no such automation tools exist. Really bummed that it’s still such a manual workflow to submit and track receipts.

Just a few more features and this app will be my go to accounting system.

1. Allow partial payments
2. Include late fees on PDF export so clients paying by check can print it and see the lates fees
3. All the tables need to be sortable and fiterable
4. Needs more accouting reports and tools for tax time. Integration with QuickBooks and Xero would be sweet.

App itself is great. I honestly don’t expect a lot out of the platform on mobile, but I can get a highlight of my business at a glance.

The thing I would use it for the most is time tracking, but I’m constantly having issues ever since they made some auth updates about a month ago ( I don’t know if it’s related, but it happened around the same time).

Time tracking has also become really buggy on Mac too. I’ll be tracking time, but then realize I’ve been logged out so I have to log back in to manage my time.

Been using hellobonsai for years now and they have introduced new features consistently based on feedback from agencies, freelancers, etc. My only complaint is that Bonsai has not kept pace.

Bonsai experience is extremely limited and doesn't give the ability to create new proposals, contracts, create new projects and clients; etc. It's simply a quick way to generate an invoice and mark something paid.

Would love to see this application meet the same standard as the desktop version.

Oh, on the browser version, the old navigation UI was much easier to navigate. The sub-menus to find proposals, clients, contracts etc is feels like plugging a USB in the wrong way. Not interested in memorizing a new logo suite for yet another update. Please give options for how to display the navigation ;)

Initially I chose this app for the semi-automated contracts module, but they’ve packed a bunch of tools to help with invoicing, time tracking, and light project planning. I’m going to check out their tax tools to see if I can do even more in one software environment. So far the only hurdle I have is lacking more powerful tools to organize and search time tracked.

After 20+ years in a B2B vertical, I find myself giving the freelance thing a go. Hello this app is fantastic for what I need - primarily an invoicing tool with automated reminders, and the ability for clients to pay via ACH, credit card, or other methods like a check (or manually recorded if they pay outside the system). A second great feature is making proposals - and lots of templates to use, and one was perfect for what I needed - and the built-in ability to get a binding e-signature, no need for Docusign! A third feature that I use everyday is the project / task timer, so easy to keep track of billable hours, no need to use Toggl or another tool like that. And easy to change the hours manually, or keep track of many different projects / clients all at once. Haven’t had to use a lot of expense tracking but will be for sure needing it come tax time. Highly recommended!

Very easy and so far I’ve been able to do what I need. Contracts, Time Tracking, Invoicing, Expense Tracking all work well and help me to operate my business with low overhead. Thank you!

I’ve only been using this for a little over a month and it is a lifesaver. I can get notified to my phone when the client has accepted the proposal. The only real con is it not yet formatted for the IPad but I’m super positive that this app is going to fix this in the future.

Keep up the awesome work guys!

I actually stumbled upon this app and I’m so glad I did!! This platform has helped mu consulting business immensely with creating/sending proposals, creating and tracking client projects, tracking the time spent on client items, syncing with QBO, and it even has a client portal that your clients can use to review their account/projects and that’s just the tip!!!

This is easy for me to use, helps a lot during tax time, is reasonably versatile (no service like this will perfectly optimized for the way you work, this is closer than everything else I’ve tried), and they seem to be working to continually improve things.

Overall I’m very happy with this app.

this app is an amazing app for freelancers, I’ve been using it for a little over a month and I’m able to do more work instead of administrative tasks like invoices, time management, and contracts. I recommend it to every freelancer out there, the $39 per month is a no brained considering the time it saves you, not to mention the professional look your business has.

I’ve used several similar apps and ultimately I’ve stuck with this app because of its potential, and it’s pricing. While there are other apps that offer more functionality that I’m looking for- the improvement the this app team makes every quarter are more than enough to show me where they invest and how customer feedback plays a part. For a solo freelancer like myself it’s a professional app that’s been nothing but beneficial over the 14-16 months I’ve had it.

If you want a professional and intuitive way of managing your work, this is by far the best platform to do it. I have the memory of an goldfish and I used to forget about clients all the time. Not anymore. It could just be me but I actually like using this app to manage my work. Like it’s fun to track projects and see my timeline. Anyway, it’s so much more. It allows you to approach potential clients professionally and seal the deal.

*This is a serious professionals app with a $19/month subscription. If you’re looking for free, this isn’t the platform for you.

This is the best freelancer program I’ve found when compared to the many others! It’s been super helpful to my business and I would definitely recommend.