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Bonsai Reviews & Product Details - Page 3

Bonsai Overview

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a one-stop platform for agencies, consultancies and professional service providers. It is designed to provide businesses with a complete and real-time overview of their business. Simplify your business operations and consolidate your projects, clients and team into one integrated, easy-to-use platform. From contracts, proposals and project management to client billing, revenue tracking and resource management. Project Management: Assign projects & tasks to your team, prioritize your week and see exactly how your projects progress. Set project budgets & avoid unexpected costs. Gantt chart, Kanban view, integrated timer for easy billing, and collaboration with external partners for an efficient work. Team Time Tracking: Get an instant report of your team's tracked hours with accurate timesheets & see who's over capacity at a glance. Monitor your business's utilization & get clarity on your team's efficiency & profitability. Plan your resources in advance to keep your projects on track and on budget. CRM: Manage your clients and their projects in one place. Create unique client profiles with all your notes, contacts, rates and tags. Invite your clients to your branded Client Portal where they can access projects, documents and links you’ve shared with them.

Bonsai Details
Product Website
Discussions
Bonsai Community
Languages Supported
English
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Product Description

Creates, sends, and tracks proposals online


Seller Details
Year Founded
2015
HQ Location
San Francisco, California
Twitter
@bonsaiinc
3,125 Twitter followers
LinkedIn® Page
www.linkedin.com
56 employees on LinkedIn®
Description

Bonsai is a platform designed to simplify and automate the workflow for freelancers and independent contractors. Offering tools for creating contracts, managing proposals, tracking time, and handling invoicing and payments, Bonsai helps freelancers streamline their business operations. With its easy-to-use interface and features like automated reminders and expense tracking, Bonsai allows users to focus on their work while ensuring they stay organized and compliant.


Laure A.
LA
Overview Provided by:

Recent Bonsai Reviews

Braden E.
BE
Braden E.Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
5.0 out of 5
"A love hate relationship I love to hate"
Honestly, for the price I'm paying, the product is solid. I've had my gripes with their support team and some of the UI changes they've made over t...
Verified User
A
Verified UserSmall-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
5.0 out of 5
"Amazing Business Management Tool!"
I enjoy using Bonsai because it has all of the built-in tools and documents I need to run my business on a daily basis which allows me to be able t...
Chelise B.
CB
Chelise B.Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
5.0 out of 5
"An excellent tool than is improving over time."
It's incredible to send contracts, proposals, invoices, and forms to clients all in the same platform. I love that Bonsai is a one-stop shop for fr...
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Bonsai Media

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101 Bonsai Reviews

4.3 out of 5
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101 Bonsai Reviews
4.3 out of 5
101 Bonsai Reviews
4.3 out of 5

Bonsai Pros and Cons

How are these determined?Information
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Pros
Cons

Overall Review Sentiment for BonsaiQuestion

Time to Implement
<1 day
>12 months
Return on Investment
<6 months
48+ months
Ease of Setup
0 (Difficult)
10 (Easy)
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G2 reviews are authentic and verified.
Bryan J.
BJ
Freelance Web Designer
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Bonsai?

Bonsai is a simple way to create all of your forms, proposals, invoices and so much more all in the same place. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

I haven't come across anything about Bonsai that I dislike yet. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Bonsai is one place online that allows me to onboard my clients, get a proposal too them, and invoice them and then they can pay for all of my services online through the Bonsai invoices. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

jason t.
JT
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Bonsai?

Conceptually it's very strong. It has all the features to run a creative business, unfortuantely I have a laundry list of problems. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

Disappointed so far....

I'm having quite a bit of trouble, but I'm staying the course for now because conceptually this app fits my needs, but here's my problems so far:

1. Technical and Formatting Issues:

• Inability to adjust certain images within the title page; automatic downscaling of images.

• Images on mobile devices are cut off, stretched, or contorted.

• Issues with image stretching and formatting in proposals, affecting visual quality.

• Images often appear pixelated or of low quality when uploaded to the platform.

2. Customer Service and Support:

• Slow response times (1-3 days) from customer service.

• Partial or inadequate addressing of issues raised.

• Unresponsive telephone support; calls go unanswered.

3. Billing and Pricing Transparency:

• Double charged within a 30-day period.

• Unclear additional charges for adding a partner and activating features.

• Forced payment for account feature access.

4. Platform Functionality and Management:

• Sent proposals don’t automatically move to the ‘sent’ column; manual adjustment required.

• The cell phone app lacks editing capabilities and clarity on useful features.

• No straightforward testing process for proposals; must send to self for testing.

• Resets in white glove branding feature after account adjustments, leading to unintentional branding presence.

• Inadequate preview functionality; does not fully display client’s view.

5. Delivery and Tracking:

• Partial delivery of proposals to recipients.

• Unreliable read receipt functionality.

• No confirmation of proposal receipt or review by recipients. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Nothing yet. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Cory R.
CR
Superhero Webflow Developer
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I don't like to overcomplicate things, so having my client CRM, contracts, proposals, invoices, banking, tax tracking, etc is HUGE in allowing me to run my freelance business with less stress. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

ACH payments take way too long to process through. I can't wait that long for my money. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Having all my admin tasks in one place is hugely beneficial to me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Paris P.
PP
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Bonsai?

- Customizable invoicing

- Time tracking works well

- It works really well if you don't have any employees (I have 5+ subcontractors and billing is a NIGHTMARE)

- Integrates to Quickbooks Online Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

- No way to call them or get a hold of them

- Very easy for clients to accidentally "double pay"

- Subcontractor functionality does not make any sense, you can't review before your subs bill you how much they have been working

- I am a credible agency but they blocked over $20k from client payments going to my bank account for ~2 weeks. Extremely frustrating and the team there doesn't seem to care at all.

- Cannot be used for project management or be integrated with Monday.com. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Time tracking is nice with Bonsai because it syncs directly to the invoice to offer transparent billing to clients.

Problems it's NOT solving is getting paid on time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Laure Albouy of Bonsai

Hi Paris,

Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback.

Firstly, we’re happy to hear that you’ve found our core features like time tracking and invoicing valuable.

To address your other point about payments - our team worked to remedy the unique situation related to your payout. While we were able to resolve this, we understand the frustration and inconvenience you encountered. We’re taking this opportunity to make improvements so issues such as this can be avoided in the future.

In terms of your experience with multiple employees, we hear you! Our team is focused on refining the overall teams/subcontractor experience in the near future. And we’re always open to suggestions and feedback from our customers. Let us know how we can make this experience better for you and your team by reaching out to support@hellobonsai.com

Verified User in Marketing and Advertising
UM
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Bonsai?

Nothing. I liked nothing. They have the worst customer service, and I never received my funds. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

If I could leave a ZERO star, I would. This is the absolute worst company I've ever stumbled across. I am a freelance social media manager and I was attempting to make invoices for my clients through Hello Bonsai. The invoice sending was successful, and my clients were able to easily pay. At that point, Hello Bonsai decided not to release the funds to me. Instead they continued to ask extremely vague questions about my business that led to them saying I couldn't provide them with enough information to validate my business. Vague questions where it was impossible for me to provide a suitable answer. So my belief is that this was intentional to keep the funds for themselves. I even went to the trouble of having an executive, from the company that hired me, write and sign a letter stating they hired me to do their social media management. That still wasn't good enough for them to release my funds. I also provided website addresses, Instagram handles, marketing strategies from private meetings within my company, and much much more. None of it was "apparently" sufficient. Additionally, multiple people were responding to the support messages from Bonsai, and none of them were in the loop with each other on what I had already provided. So I went in circles and provided duplicate information to Bonsai at least 5 separate times. All of which was never "enough info". I cannot stress enough that no one should ever ever use this company. They are FRAUD and they intentionally make it impossible to get your funds. I'm hoping that my client gets refunded, but who knows if that will happen. I opened an online investigation of their website and services, so maybe soon they will be shut down for good. BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

They are not solving any issues. I ended up having to cancel my account completely and ask them to refund my client, which I'm hoping they actually do. I have very little faith in that, however. An investigation has been launched against Hello Bonsai. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Laure Albouy of Bonsai

We sincerely regret the less-than-ideal experience you encountered.

Although there are instances when additional documentation is necessary to verify business information, we are committed to streamlining this process and communication around these requests moving forward.

Our Operations team actioned the invoice refund the same day that you've requested it. Let our team know if we can assist with anything further by sending us an email to support@hellobonsai.com.

Amy A.
AA
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Bonsai?

Seems to have a lot of features that others do not, like contract templates. It is easy to set up. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

Pricey compared to other services like it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Keep my freelance projects organized. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sheena R.
SR
Sr. Production Manager
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Bonsai?

The user experience is simply and straight forward even for a new business owner`` Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

Nothing is least helpful. There are no downsides. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

I can keep track of my client contacts,scheduling, and billing in one place,which helps me stay organized. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Ariel P.
AP
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Bonsai?

We are a design as a service company, we need to manage several clients, invoicing and tracking payments, Bonsai has been our best solution for it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

For now, everything works like it shoulhd Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Managing invoices, accounting and payment solution Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

HT
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Bonsai?

I like its usability and functionality. Very easy to use and streamlined. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

I don't dislike anything about the product at the moment. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

Bonsai is helping the business with its contract management, billing and invoice management for the business. Ho Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Writing and Editing
UW
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
More Options
Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Bonsai?

Their customer service team is responsive, helpful, patient, and kind. They always respond to queries within a day or two. It's also easy to use. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Bonsai?

It took a couple of weeks to get my Bonsai payments coming through. New account holders should expect an initial delay while the credit card company is verifying their bank information. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Bonsai solving and how is that benefiting you?

It tracks all financial information for my business in one place. Invoice management is simple and straightforward for all. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.