Bonsai and BrassWell both send invoices, but they start from opposite ends. Bonsai is built around the client: proposals, contracts, projects, scheduling and getting paid. BrassWell is built around what happens to the money next: what you owe in tax, what to set aside, and what is actually yours to spend.
Side by side
| BrassWell | Bonsai | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99/mo Core, $29.99/mo Pro; $199/yr Core, $299/yr Pro | Per user: Basic $15/mo, Essentials $25/mo, Premium $39/mo, Elite $59/mo; $9, $19, $29 and $49 a month billed yearly |
| Free option | 14-day trial, no card | 7-day trial, then a card to continue |
| Invoicing | Core: 5 a month. Pro: unlimited | Essentials and up |
| Proposals and contracts | Not offered | Essentials and up |
| Projects, tasks, CRM | Not offered | Every plan |
| Time tracking | Pro, billed onto invoices | Every plan |
| Tax estimate | Every plan: 2026 brackets, W-2 wages, state rate, set-aside %, quarterly reminders | Not on its pricing page; its help center lists tax tools as an optional add-on |
| Mileage log | Pro: IRS-ready, 2026 mid-year rate by date | Not listed |
| Receipts and expenses | Every plan, AI reads the amount and category | Expense tracking on Essentials and up |
| Budgets and goals | Yes | Not listed |
| Team members | One person | Per user; Elite needs at least 3 |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android, web | iOS, Android, web |
Where Bonsai is the better choice
Proposals to payment in one place. Bonsai takes a client from proposal to signed contract to invoice to payment, with a client portal, forms and scheduling along the way. BrassWell has no proposals or contracts.
Running the work itself. Projects, tasks, a CRM and time tracking come on every Bonsai plan, with Gantt views, workload and a deals pipeline on Premium. If you manage client projects, that is a tool BrassWell doesn’t try to be.
Teams. Bonsai prices per user and adds permissions and timesheet locking on Elite. BrassWell is built for a business of one.
Where BrassWell is the better choice
The tax side. BrassWell estimates self-employment and income tax on the 2026 brackets, stacked on any W-2 wages, with your state rate, and turns it into a set-aside percentage, a quarterly payment and a reminder before each date. Our quarterly tax calculator runs the same math in public. Bonsai’s pricing page doesn’t list a tax estimate; its help center mentions tax tools as an add-on, without a price.
Miles and receipts. Pro keeps an IRS-ready mileage log and applies the 2026 mid-year rate change to each trip by its date. Every plan reads receipts with your phone camera.
Uneven months. Budgets, goals and the Financial Freedom plan, for deciding what a good month lets you spend, plus quarterly P&L and tax statements on Pro and a CPA-ready export on every plan.
A year of each, in dollars
Billed yearly, Bonsai Essentials, the first plan with invoicing, is $228 a year for one person ($300 billed monthly), and Premium is $348. BrassWell Core is $199 and Pro is $299. Many freelancers use both: Bonsai for proposals and contracts, BrassWell for the taxes and the year’s numbers.
Switching from Bonsai
Export your clients, invoices and payments from Bonsai as CSV files. BrassWell imports a CSV of income and expenses, matches the columns to your file’s headers and skips likely duplicates, so a year of history comes across in one sitting. Keep Bonsai until your first BrassWell month looks right, and download your signed contracts and receipt images before you close the account.
Questions, answered
Is BrassWell a good Bonsai alternative?
Yes if what you need is the money side: a tax estimate on the 2026 brackets with your state, a set-aside for each payment, quarterly reminders, a mileage log and receipts. Bonsai is the better fit if you rely on proposals, contracts and project management.
How much does Bonsai cost?
Bonsai’s pricing page lists Basic at $15, Essentials at $25, Premium at $39 and Elite at $59 per user a month, or $9, $19, $29 and $49 a month billed yearly. Invoicing starts on Essentials. There is a 7-day trial.
Does Bonsai do taxes?
Bonsai’s pricing page doesn’t list a tax estimate. Its help center mentions tax tools as an optional add-on. BrassWell includes a running tax estimate, set-aside and quarterly reminders on every plan.
Can I use Bonsai and BrassWell together?
Yes. Some freelancers keep Bonsai for proposals, contracts and client projects and use BrassWell for the tax set-aside, mileage, receipts and the year’s numbers.
Sources
- Bonsai pricing — Bonsai. Plans, prices per user, features by plan and the trial, checked October 30, 2026.
- Bonsai’s pricing and subscription plans — Bonsai help center. Billing and optional add-ons, including tax tools.
- BrassWell pricing — BrassWell. Core and Pro, line by line.
