Groundbase vs Bonsai — a freelancer's back office, or a CRM that reaches people

Bonsai is the tool a lot of freelancers reach for when the paperwork starts to pile up: proposals, contracts, projects, time tracking, invoices and a client portal, in one place. It does that job well, and it's a very different product from Groundbase, even though both have a CRM in them and both send invoices.

The short version: Bonsai organises the work you've already won. Groundbase is built around reaching people — email, texts, calls, campaigns and follow-ups — with invoicing attached so the money lands in the same place as the conversation.

The prices

Checked on 2026-09-29. Verify on each site before deciding; prices change.

The comparison that matters for most solo operators: Bonsai's invoicing starts on Essentials, and its deals pipeline on Premium. If you want both, that's $29 a month on annual billing or $39 month to month. Groundbase includes both in the $9.

Where Bonsai is the better pick

Contracts and proposals. Bonsai has proposals and contracts with templates, and a client can sign them. Groundbase has quotes a customer can accept online, with an optional deposit, but no contracts and no e-signature on a document you wrote. If your work starts with a signed agreement, Bonsai is built for that and Groundbase isn't.

Projects and time as the centre of the business. Bonsai's projects, tasks, Gantt view and workload management are the heart of the product. Groundbase has time tracking that turns into invoice lines, and tasks, but it doesn't manage projects. If you bill by the project and run several at once, Bonsai fits the shape of your work.

A client portal. Bonsai gives clients a portal to see proposals, contracts, invoices and messages. Groundbase sends hosted links for invoices and quotes, but there's no portal for a client to log in to.

Expenses and accounting connections. Bonsai tracks expenses and income, and Premium connects to QuickBooks and Xero. Groundbase doesn't do expenses.

Teams. Bonsai supports multiple users, with custom permissions on Elite. Groundbase is for one person.

If most of your admin is proposals, contracts, projects and expenses, Bonsai is probably the better tool for you, and the price difference is buying real things.

Where Groundbase is the better pick

Reaching people is the job. Groundbase texts and calls from inside the CRM through your own Twilio number, and sends email from your own mailbox, with every conversation on the contact's page. I couldn't find texting, calling or email campaigns in Bonsai's plans. If your business runs on following up — leads, past clients, people who went quiet — that's the core of Groundbase and not what Bonsai is for.

Campaigns and newsletters. Email and text campaigns, drip series and a newsletter designer, sent through your own Resend account. Resend's free plan is enough to start; Pro is $20 USD a month for 50,000 emails.

A real pipeline at the entry price. Groundbase's deals board, tags, custom fields and saved views are all in the $9. Bonsai puts its deals pipeline and custom fields on Premium.

Invoicing that knows the conversation. Groundbase invoices the contacts already in it, takes card payments through your own Stripe account with nothing added on top, sends quotes a customer accepts online, and pulls logged time onto the invoice. (Invoicing inside your CRM.)

Booking links and lead forms. A public booking page, and forms that drop new leads into the CRM with a follow-up task.

Your AI can drive it. Groundbase is a Model Context Protocol server: Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor can read and update your CRM, and send the text or email when you ask. (What you can do with a CRM connected to Claude.)

Price. For one person who needs invoicing and a pipeline: $9 against $29 to $39 a month.

The honest trade-off

Groundbase's texting and campaigns use accounts you connect yourself — Twilio for texts and calls, Resend for campaigns. That's about fifteen minutes each and a few dollars of usage, and it's why there's no markup on messages. Bonsai asks for none of that, because it doesn't send texts or campaigns.

Pick Bonsai if:

• Your work starts with a proposal and a signed contract
• You run projects, track expenses, and want a client portal
• You want QuickBooks or Xero connected
• More than one person needs access

Pick Groundbase if:

• You win work by following up — calls, texts, emails, newsletters
• You want a pipeline and invoicing without paying for the Premium tier
• It's just you
• You want your AI assistant to be able to act on your CRM

Some people will use both: Bonsai for contracts and projects, a CRM for the conversations that lead to them. If that's you, the question is which one should hold your contacts, and the answer is the one you open first in the morning.

Try it

Groundbase is $9 a month flat with a 14-day trial. If your day is mostly reaching people, give it two weeks.

(Also compared: Less Annoying CRM, Close, HubSpot and Pipedrive. Not sure Groundbase fits? Here's who it's for and isn't.)

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Questions about this one? Email me directly: blog-bonsai@groundbasecrm.com — I read every one.