Switching guide
A Bonsai alternative that starts free
Bonsai bundles a lot of freelance admin, at a price. If what you need is hours, invoices and getting paid, tab does that free.
Updated 2026-10-01
Bonsai (now part of Zoom) has no free plan, only a 7-day trial. Time tracking starts on Basic ($9 a month yearly, $15 monthly), and invoices and payments start on Essentials ($19 yearly, $25 monthly). Using Stripe or PayPal instead of Bonsai’s own payments adds a 1% platform fee where Bonsai Payments is available.
tab and Bonsai, side by side
| As of October 1, 2026 | tab | Bonsai |
|---|---|---|
| Price for one person | Free. No tab fee on the first $2,000 collected online each month, then 1% (0.5% above $10,000) | No free plan; Basic $9, Essentials $19, Premium $29 per user/mo yearly |
| Time tracking | Free | Basic plan and up |
| Invoices | Free, with your logo, PDF and a client link | Essentials plan and up |
| Online payments | Yes: bank transfer (Stripe 0.8%, $5 cap) or card, into your own Stripe | Cards 2.9% + 30¢, ACH 1% ($1 min); +1% if you use Stripe or PayPal instead |
| Client approves hours | Yes: weekly work receipts the client approves | Not listed |
| Screenshots or monitoring | Never | No |
Bonsai details from its own pages, read October 1, 2026: Bonsai pricing · Bonsai payment fees · Bonsai data export. Prices and plans change; check theirs before deciding.
Why freelancers switch
- Free until you’re earning. No monthly bill for the basics.
- Cheaper big payments. Stripe’s bank transfer fee is capped at $5; a 1% bank fee on a $6,000 invoice is $60.
- Clients sign off on hours before the invoice, which Bonsai doesn’t list.
Where Bonsai is the better fit
Bonsai includes proposals, contracts, a client portal, CRM and task management. If you use those, it may be worth the subscription; tab focuses on hours, invoices and payments.
Move your hours to tab
- In Bonsai, open your profile icon → Company Settings → Data → Download Data CSV, choose Time Tracked, and download.
- Sign up for tab free at app.tabwork.app (email only, no card).
- Go to Settings → Your data → Import, and drop in the CSV. tab recognizes Toggl Track, Clockify and Harvest exports automatically; for anything else you confirm which column is the date, the hours and the description.
- Check the preview (clients, projects and hours per client), then import. You can undo an import.
Your history comes with you, so your reports and real hourly rate start from day one.
Questions
Does Bonsai have a free plan?
No. Bonsai offers a 7-day trial, then a paid plan. Time tracking is on Basic and invoicing on Essentials.
What does Bonsai charge on payments?
Through Bonsai Payments: cards 2.9% + 30¢, ACH 1% with a $1 minimum. Using Stripe or PayPal instead adds a 1% platform fee where Bonsai Payments is available.
Can I import my Bonsai hours?
Yes. Export Time Tracked as CSV from Bonsai and import it into tab, confirming the columns.
Leaving Bonsai? Bring your hours.
tab imports your history, tracks time per client, shows clients the work without screenshots, and turns the week into an invoice they pay online. Free until you’re earning.
Start freeFree to startNo cardNo screenshots, ever