We may earn commissions from some providers for qualifying actions through our links. This page is currently ordered by editorial scores. Our published policy permits limited earnings-based reordering once real conversion data is available. How we make money.
Bonsai alternatives: per-user pricing, and the bookkeeping its pages don't mention
Updated Oct 15, 2026
Bonsai's Essentials plan costs $25 per user a month, or $19 per user billed annually, and its pages don't say whether it includes bank reconciliation or a balance sheet. ZipBooks Smarter ($15 a month) covers time tracking and projects for 5 team members; FreshBooks Lite ($23) adds mileage; Zoho Books Standard ($20) has reconciliation for 3 users; Kashoo ($30) has unlimited users; Wave and ZipBooks have free plans.
6.4 / 10, #8 of 10 in Accounting software, from $15 per month. Read the review.
9 alternatives, ranked
- Top scoreLowest priceRank 1
ZipBooks
Freelancers who bill tracked time by project on a $15 plan, with a free plan for invoicing
- No introductory discount: the price shown is the regular price.
- Leaving: Cancel the paid plan any time under Account > Subscription ('Cancel Accounting Plan'); the account reverts to the free Starter plan with all records kept. No cancellation fee is stated. Deleting the account is by email request and not reversible..
- A free plan.
8.7/10Very goodOur score - Lowest priceRank 2
Zoho Books
Small businesses that want three users and receipt scanning on a $15 plan
- No introductory discount: the price shown is the regular price.
- Leaving: No contract ('pay-as-you-go ... you may cancel your subscription'); after cancelling the data stays in read-only mode and can be exported before cancelling; accounts inactive more than 120 days are permanently deleted. No cancellation fee is mentioned..
- A free plan.
8.7/10Very goodOur score - Lowest priceRank 3
Wave
Sole traders who want free invoicing and reports with nothing to pay
- Entry plan (Starter) $0.00 a month at the regular price.
- No introductory discount: the price shown is the regular price.
- Leaving: Starter is free with nothing to cancel. Pro: cancel any time, effective at the end of the paid period, then the business returns to the free Starter plan; account data can be downloaded (Business settings > Data Export)..
8.2/10Very goodOur score - Rank 4
Kashoo
Businesses that want unlimited users and income and costs tracked by project on one plan
- Includes 5 of 5: unlimited invoices, bank feeds, receipt capture, bank reconciliation, financial reports.
- No introductory discount: the price shown is the regular price.
- Unlimited users on the entry plan.
7.9/10GoodOur score - Rank 5
Patriot Software
Businesses that want unlimited users and bank feeds on a $20 plan
- Leaving: Cancel any time in the account; billed monthly in arrears for the days active, no cancellation fee stated; after termination data is read-only and reports can still be viewed and downloaded..
- Unlimited users on the entry plan.
- Includes 4 of 5: unlimited invoices, bank feeds, bank reconciliation, financial reports.
7.5/10GoodOur score - Lowest price
Businesses that want all five basics we check, receipt capture included, on the entry plan
- Includes 5 of 5: unlimited invoices, bank feeds, receipt capture, bank reconciliation, financial reports.
- Leaving: Cancel any time (pricing FAQ: 'you're free to switch QuickBooks Online plans or cancel at any time'; 'No annual contract / Cancel anytime'); after cancelling a paid subscription you keep read-only access for one year and can export to Excel or QuickBooks Desktop for up to a year. No cancellation fee is mentioned..
- A free plan.
7.0/10GoodOur score - Rank 7
Xero
Businesses that send a few invoices a month and want unlimited users
- Unlimited users on the entry plan.
- Includes 4 of 5: bank feeds, receipt capture, bank reconciliation, financial reports.
6.8/10FairOur score - Rank 9
Akaunting
One-person businesses that want open-source books at $8 a month billed yearly, adding paid apps as needed
- No introductory discount: the price shown is the regular price.
- Entry plan (Standard Cloud) $8.00 a month at the regular price.
5.8/10PoorOur score - Rank 10
FreshBooks
Freelancers who bill by time and by project and track mileage
- Leaving: Cancel any time; the account stays active and accessible until the end of the billing cycle, then the data is kept and the account can be reactivated. No cancellation fee is mentioned. Same article: accounts inactive 30 days or more may be deactivated and deleted (email notice first)..
5.7/10PoorOur score
Why people look elsewhere
Bonsai's Essentials plan is $25 per user a month, or $19 per user billed annually, on its pricing page, read Sep 27, 2026. It is Bonsai's cheapest plan with invoicing; Basic ($15) has time tracking and projects but no invoices.
- Priced per user. Every seat is paid for. Three people on Essentials cost $75 a month, or $57 a month billed annually. The Elite plan has a 3-user minimum.
- Bookkeeping its pages don't state. Bonsai's pages don't say whether Essentials reconciles bank accounts, and none we read mentions a balance sheet; profit and loss reporting is stated. Its help centre served a bot check and wasn't read.
- Receipts. Its expenses page lets you attach receipts to expenses; no receipt scanning is stated.
- No payroll or mileage stated. Bonsai's pages don't mention a payroll product or mileage tracking.
- Short trial. No free plan on the pricing page; a 7-day trial with full access.
The alternatives, by what you need
If you need time and project billing for less: ZipBooks
ZipBooks Smarter is $15 a month, not per user, on its pricing page, read Sep 27, 2026. It tracks time, bills projects by project, staff or flat rate, and includes 5 team members, bank connections, unlimited invoices and a balance sheet. Reconciliation is on Sophisticated ($35).
If you need mileage tracking too: FreshBooks
FreshBooks Lite is $23 a month on its pricing page, read Sep 25, 2026, with time tracking, project management, estimates and a mileage tracker app. It covers the owner only and 5 billable clients; team members are $11 a month each. New customers get Lite at $1 a month for the first year.
If you need reconciliation and a balance sheet: Zoho Books
Zoho Books Standard is $20 a month, or $15 billed annually, per organization on its pricing page, read Sep 25, 2026. It includes 3 users, bank feeds, reconciliation, 200 receipt autoscans a month, and profit and loss and balance sheet reports. Timesheets and projects start at Professional ($50).
If you need a team without per-user fees: Kashoo
Kashoo is one plan at $30 a month or $324 a year on its pricing section, read Sep 27, 2026, with unlimited users, unlimited invoices, bank feeds and project tracking of income and expenses. Its pages don't mention time tracking.
If you need a free plan: Wave
Wave Starter is $0 on its pricing page, read Sep 25, 2026, with unlimited invoices and estimates, reconciliation and reports. Its pages don't describe time tracking. ZipBooks' Starter plan is also free, with unlimited invoices and 1 bank account.
Before you switch
Bonsai's pricing FAQ says you can upgrade, downgrade or cancel at any time in Subscription settings. The subscription must be cancelled before it renews, and fees are non-refundable. Its terms say you may lose access to your content when the account ends and tell you to keep your own copies; no page we read says the data stays readable after cancelling. Export what you need first.
The table on this page lists every company in our accounting software ranking with what it's best for. How we score is on the methodology page.