kinako vs Bonsai — same features, very different prices
Bonsai is a solid product. kinako covers the same core workflow — invoicing, contracts, proposals, client portal — for $9/mo less, with expense tracking included and online payments at every tier.
Bonsai and kinako overlap significantly in what they do: proposals, contracts, invoicing, project tracking, and client management. The key differences are price and what's included at the base plan. Bonsai gates online Stripe payments behind its $32/mo Professional plan. kinako includes Stripe payments at $19/mo. Bonsai has no expense tracking. kinako does. And kinako has a free plan; Bonsai doesn't.
kinako.
One tool to run your entire freelance business
Free · Pro $19/mo or $156/yr
Free plan available
Best at
- Price — $19/mo vs $32/mo for Bonsai to get online payments
- Expense tracking — Bonsai has none
- Free plan — Bonsai has no free plan
Bonsai
All-in-one freelance management platform
From $21/mo · Online payments require $32/mo plan
Best at
- Time tracking — well-integrated with project billing
- Proposal and contract template library — polished and plentiful
- Slightly more established brand and community
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | kinako. | Bonsai |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free / $19/mo | $21/mo |
| Free plan | ||
| Online payments (Stripe) included | Pro+ only ($32/mo) | |
| Contracts + e-signatures | ||
| Proposals | ||
| Client portal | Basic | |
| Expense tracking | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| Revenue dashboard | ||
| Recurring invoices | ||
| AI notebook | ||
| Project + task tracking |
Where kinako. wins
- Price — $19/mo vs $32/mo for Bonsai to get online payments
- Expense tracking — Bonsai has none
- Free plan — Bonsai has no free plan
- Online Stripe payments at every paid tier
- Revenue dashboard with 12-month trend and income breakdown
Where it falls short
- Time tracking — Bonsai's time tracker is better developed
- Proposal template library — Bonsai has more polish here
- Longer track record as an established product
- No native time-to-invoice billing flow
Where Bonsai wins
- Time tracking — well-integrated with project billing
- Proposal and contract template library — polished and plentiful
- Slightly more established brand and community
- Clean, modern UI that's easy to use
- Available internationally
Where it falls short
- Price — $32/mo for online payments; kinako is $19/mo
- No expense tracking at any tier
- No free plan
- Starter plan is limiting for the $21/mo price
- Online payments gated to Professional plan
Which should you choose?
If Time tracking is core to how you bill clients → use Bonsai
Bonsai's time tracker is more developed and tightly linked to invoicing.
If You need online Stripe payments at the lowest price → use kinako.
kinako includes Stripe at $19/mo. Bonsai requires the $32/mo plan.
If You need expense tracking → use kinako.
Bonsai has no expense tracking at any tier.
If You want a free plan to try before committing → use kinako.
kinako has a free tier. Bonsai does not.
If You want the most polished proposal template library → use Bonsai
Bonsai's proposal templates are more refined than kinako's current offering.
Overall verdict
kinako delivers more than Bonsai for less — invoicing, contracts, expense tracking, time tracking, and a full client portal for $19/mo, vs. Bonsai's $21–32/mo with key features gated.
Everything Bonsai does — plus expense tracking — for $19/mo
kinako includes Stripe payments, expense tracking, and a full client portal at every paid tier. Free plan to start.
Free plan · No credit card required