Invoice Ninja vs Bonsai
Two invoicing & payments tools side by side. Prices are the starting plan a small business would pick, in USD.
Short version
Invoice Ninja costs less for a six-person team.- Invoice Ninja fits retail shop, restaurant or café, trades or contractor, online store.
Bonsai: Contracts and time tracking included.
| Compare | Invoice NinjaInvoice Ninja | BonsaiBonsai |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Open-source invoicing with a free tier and self-hosting | Proposals, contracts, time tracking, and invoices for freelancers |
| Starting price | Free | From $19/person |
| Six-person team | $0/mo | $114/mo |
| On $10,000 of card sales | Your own card processor | $315/mo |
| Plans | Free up to 5 clients; Ninja Pro $14/mo ($140/yr); Enterprise from $18/mo for 1-2 users | Basic $9/user/mo has no invoices or payments; Essentials $19/user/mo is the cheapest with invoicing; Premium $29; Elite $49 (3-user minimum), billed annually (monthly $15/$25/$39/$59); payments 2.9% + 30¢, 1% extra with Stripe or PayPal |
| Pricing model | Free tier | Free trial |
| Free trial | — | 7 days |
| Users | 1 on free | Per user |
| Both connect to | QuickBooks Online | |
| Also connects to | No others on record | Xero |
| Team size | Just me · 2–10 people | Just me · 2–10 people |
| Available in | US · UK · CA · AU | US · UK · CA · AU |
| Phone support | None listed | None listed |
| Live chat | None listed | Plans not stated |
| Support hours | Not published | Email: 24/7 |
| Incidents posted | Invoice Ninja has a public status page. Status page | Bonsai has a public status page. Status page |
| Capterra score | 4.7 / 5 from 167 reviews | 4.6 / 5 from 95 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 2.8 / 5 from 6 reviews (few reviews) | 4.3 / 5 from 641 reviews |
| Fit: Retail shop | 30 | 10 |
| Fit: Restaurant or café | 20 | 5 |
| Fit: Service business | 85 | 85 |
| Fit: Agency or studio | 85 | 88 |
| Fit: Trades or contractor | 70 | 45 |
| Fit: Online store | 45 | 10 |
| Why people pick it |
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| Where it falls short |
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| Visit Invoice Ninja | Visit Bonsai | |
Six-person prices are what a team of six would pay on the published plans; "Not listed" means those plans don't cover six. Card sales costs include the plan price and card fees at US rates, at a $500 average sale. How we calculate prices
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