SwiftBill vs Bonsai:
Just invoices vs full freelancer suite
Bonsai is a well-built all-in-one platform for freelancers — contracts, proposals, time tracking, and invoicing in one place. At $24/month. If invoicing is the piece you actually need, SwiftBill does it better, faster, and free.
$0
SwiftBill — free forever
Invoicing, clients, PDF, public links
$24
Bonsai Starter plan
Full freelancer suite, per month
Why freelancers choose SwiftBill
- Free forever — not a 7-day trial leading to a $24/month subscription
- Invoice ready in 60 seconds — no onboarding flow, no profile setup required
- Try a demo without signing up first
- Invoicing is the whole product — not one tab in a larger platform
When Bonsai earns its $24/month
- →You send contracts and proposals to every client and want them in the same place as invoices
- →You track hours with a timer and bill clients based on logged time
- →You want a CRM-style pipeline to manage leads and active projects together
- →You need tax assistance and estimated quarterly tax calculations built in
Frequently asked questions
What does Bonsai offer that SwiftBill doesn't?
Bonsai is a full freelancer business suite — it includes client contracts with e-signatures, proposal building, project management, time tracking, expense tracking, and tax assistance, all on top of invoicing. If you need several of those things in one place, Bonsai's $24/month makes sense. If you need invoicing, SwiftBill covers it completely for free.
Is Bonsai worth $24/month just for invoicing?
Probably not. At $24/month you're paying for a full project management and contract platform. If you're only using it to create and send invoices, you're paying for features you don't use. SwiftBill gives you the invoicing piece — professional PDF invoices, client management, payment tracking, public invoice links — for free.
Can I use SwiftBill for contracts and Bonsai for something else?
Yes. Many freelancers use best-in-class tools for each function rather than one bundled suite. SwiftBill for invoicing (free), DocuSign or PandaDoc for contracts, Toggl for time tracking. You're not locked into one platform.
Does SwiftBill have a free trial or is it actually free?
It's actually free — no trial countdown, no credit card required. The free plan gives you 5 invoices/month and 3 saved clients with no expiry. Upgrade to Pro ($9/month) when you need unlimited invoices.
Save $288/year — SwiftBill is free
Professional invoicing without the suite overhead. Try the demo before creating an account.