Best Bonsai alternatives for freelancers & agencies (2026)

Where Bonsai's limitations impact growth and client satisfaction

Bonsai works well until proposals are accepted and invoices are sent. Once managing ongoing client work begins, its limits become more visible.

Projects, tasks, client communication, onboarding, scheduling, and follow-ups are not deeply connected inside Bonsai. Because of this, freelancers and agencies often move delivery into other tools after a contract is signed.

Over time, this usually leads to:

• Projects and tasks being managed outside Bonsai
• Client communication spread across email and other apps
• Onboarding and follow-ups handled manually
• Multiple tools stitched together to manage ongoing client work

At that point, many freelancers and agencies start looking for alternatives where work actually continues after a contract is signed. Instead of proposals, contracts, and delivery being treated as separate steps, they look for a continuous flow where accepted proposals and signed contracts naturally lead into projects, tasks, client communication, onboarding, scheduling, and follow-ups, without requiring manual setup, repeated data entry, or re-organizing work at each stage.

The task management in Bonsai is very basic compared to dedicated tools. It's fine for simple lists, but for real project management, I still have to use Trello or Asana.

#1. Plutio – top all-in-one Bonsai alternative in 2026

Plutio is built for freelancers and agencies who want proposals, contracts, invoices, projects, client communication, and automation to stay connected in one continuous workflow.

Like Bonsai, Plutio lets you send proposals, get contracts signed, create invoices, and collect payments.

The difference is how Plutio connects those steps instead of treating them as separate actions.

In Plutio, an accepted proposal and signed contract are not endpoints. The information from those steps is used to automatically set up projects, tasks, client access, onboarding, scheduling, communication, and follow-ups, without asking freelancers to re-enter details or manually rebuild their workflow.

This removes the common break where proposals, contracts, and invoices are completed, but everything needed to actually run the project has to be set up again from scratch.

Plutio has been built and refined for over 10 years and is used daily by freelancers and agencies who manage projects, communication, onboarding, and delivery, not just proposals and invoices.

How work flows in Plutio

In Plutio, each step is connected to the next instead of starting over:

1. A proposal is sent and approved, defining scope and pricing
2. A contract is generated from that proposal and signed
3. An invoice is created from the same agreement and paid
4. A project is created automatically using the agreed scope
5. Tasks and deadlines are assigned based on that project
6. The client is invited into a branded portal linked to the work
7. Onboarding forms collect details and files in one place
8. Meetings are scheduled around the actual project
9. Updates and follow-ups run based on progress

This means freelancers do not have to recreate work, copy information, or manually connect steps after a proposal is accepted.

Plutio can be used for one-off proposals, contracts, or invoices. Its main value appears when those steps are connected into a single flow that runs the entire workflow.

What Plutio does that Bonsai doesn’t

Plutio is designed around keeping everything connected. It allows freelancers and agencies to:

• Turn accepted proposals directly into projects and tasks
• Generate contracts and invoices from the same source data
• Trigger onboarding forms and asset requests automatically
• Give clients one place to access work, files, and updates
• Keep communication tied to projects instead of scattered
• Run follow-ups and payment reminders based on real progress
• Keep proposals, contracts, invoices, and projects in sync over time

Bonsai vs Plutio

Bonsai focuses on helping freelancers send proposals, sign contracts, send invoices, and collect payments.

Plutio includes those same steps, but also connects them to projects, tasks, communication, onboarding, scheduling, automation, and AI actions, so the workflow continues instead of stopping after billing.

Switching from Bonsai

You can migrate from Bonsai to Plutio by importing clients, invoices, and other data so you can keep working without starting over.

Having everything all in one place in Plutio is amazing. I don't have to jump between applications anymore, which used to be so stressful. Everything from projects to invoicing is finally connected.

#3. Dubsado

Dubsado is known for its flexibility. It offers advanced forms, custom fields, and rule-based automation that allow freelancers to build highly customized intake and approval flows.

It supports proposals, contracts, invoices, scheduling, and complex intake logic, which makes it attractive for freelancers who want fine-grained control over how information is collected and processed. Many users choose Dubsado specifically for its ability to model detailed workflows.

The trade-off is complexity. Initial setup can take significant time, workflows often require ongoing maintenance, and changes to one part of the system can affect others. While intake and automation are powerful, delivery and day-to-day project management are usually handled in separate tools.

Dubsado works well if you want deep customization and complex intake flows.

It is less suitable if you want a simple, connected system that stays easy to manage during daily client work.

If you're looking for Dubsado to work for an email campaign, it's not really what it's set up for. Its workflows do not work well for drip campaigns with complex triggers.

#5. FreshBooks

FreshBooks is primarily an accounting and invoicing platform. It is built to handle invoicing, payments, time tracking, expenses, and basic financial reporting.

For freelancers who need help managing finances, FreshBooks does this well. Invoicing and payment collection are straightforward, and the platform is focused on bookkeeping accuracy rather than workflow design.

FreshBooks is not designed for proposals, contracts, onboarding, project setup, or client communication. Because of this, freelancers typically pair it with other tools to manage agreements and delivery.

FreshBooks works well if your main need is accounting and invoicing.

It is not a fit if you want to manage the full workflow from proposal to delivery in one connected system.

The pricing tiers are a major pain point. You're limited on the number of clients you can have, and it gets expensive quickly as you grow. Plus, the project management side is very underdeveloped.