Bonsai vs FreshBooks vs Invoice Ninja — Best Freelance Tool?
Freelancers need contracts, invoices, and payment collection. The three most popular options are Bonsai, FreshBooks, and Invoice Ninja (open-source). Here's the honest comparison.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Bonsai | FreshBooks | Invoice Ninja |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Contract templates | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| E-signatures | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ (via Stripe) |
| Time tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Project management | ✓ | Limited | Limited |
| Expense tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client portal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stripe payments | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PayPal payments | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bank reconciliation | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| P&L reports | Basic | Full | Basic |
| Mobile app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Self-hosted option | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Free tier | No (trial) | No (trial) | Yes (unlimited) |
Pricing (2024)
Bonsai: $21/month (Starter) — unlimited clients and projects, contracts, invoices, time tracking. $32/month (Professional) adds scheduling and client forms.
FreshBooks: $19/month (Lite, 5 clients) → $33/month (Plus, 50 clients) → $60/month (Premium, unlimited). Note: the client limit on Lite makes it unusable for most freelancers. The Plus plan at $33/month is the practical minimum.
Invoice Ninja: Free forever for up to 20 clients (unlimited invoices). The $12/month Pro plan removes all limits. The self-hosted version is completely free with no limits.
Which should you choose?
New freelancers / agencies with contracts: Bonsai — the built-in contract templates and e-signature are the biggest differentiator. Having proposals, contracts, invoices, and payments in one tool removes a lot of friction from the sales-to-payment cycle.
Freelancers who need full accounting: FreshBooks — the only one with proper P&L reporting, bank reconciliation, and accountant access. Worth the extra cost if you're replacing accounting software.
Solo freelancers on a budget: Invoice Ninja — the free plan is genuinely unlimited (up to 20 clients), and the $12/month Pro plan is the cheapest full-featured option in this category. Self-hosting is an option for technical users.
The payment processing angle
All three tools integrate with Stripe and PayPal. The payment processing fee you pay goes to Stripe/PayPal, not the invoicing tool — but the tool choice affects which payment methods your clients can use.
Bonsai and FreshBooks both support ACH bank transfer (lower fees) directly. Invoice Ninja supports it via Stripe's ACH product.
Use our Freelance Rate Calculator to figure out your minimum viable rate before choosing a tool — the tool cost is a fixed expense that affects your break-even hourly rate.
Calculate your rates and project estimates
- Freelance Rate Calculator — what to charge per hour
- Freelance Project Estimator — quote a fixed-price project
- Invoice Total Calculator — build an invoice with line items