Bonsai vs Ignition

Our Verdict

Both combine proposals, contracts, invoicing, and client management in one platform. The difference is who they are built for and how they handle the money part. Bonsai ($9/month Starter) is designed for freelancers and solo consultants. It covers the full client lifecycle — proposals, contracts with e-signatures, time tracking, invoicing, and even tax preparation. The workflow is linear: send proposal → sign contract → track time → send invoice. For a solo consultant billing $2K-15K per engagement, Bonsai handles everything without feeling overbuilt. Ignition ($39/month Core) is designed for professional services firms. Its standout feature is automated billing — once a client signs your proposal, Ignition automatically collects payment on schedule without you sending invoices or chasing payments. Proposals include embedded payment collection, and the system handles recurring billing, scope changes, and revenue recognition. The pricing gap ($9 vs $39) reflects the scope gap. Bonsai is a toolkit — it gives you the pieces and you manage the workflow. Ignition is a system — it automates the workflow end-to-end once set up. For a solo consultant in year 1-2, Bonsai covers everything at a price that makes sense. As your practice grows and you tire of manually sending invoices and chasing payments, Ignition's automated billing becomes worth the premium. The break-even is roughly when you have 5+ active clients on recurring engagements — Ignition's automated collection saves enough admin time to justify the $39/month. Start with Bonsai. Graduate to Ignition when manual billing becomes your bottleneck.