Draftly vs Bonsai
Bonsai is an all-in-one business tool for freelancers and agencies: proposals, contracts, invoices, time tracking, a CRM and more. Draftly only does proposals, but writes them for you. Here's how they compare if proposals are what you need.
Bonsai's prices and features last checked on September 30, 2026 from Bonsai pricing. Prices change, so check their site before deciding.
The short answer
If you want one tool to run the whole business (contracts, invoicing, time tracking and proposals), Bonsai covers far more. If proposals are the part you're stuck on and you already invoice elsewhere, Draftly writes them for you and costs less.
Side by side
- Entry price, billed yearly
- DraftlyStarter $86/year (about $7/month) for 15 proposals a month. Pro $278/year, unlimited.
- BonsaiEssentials $19 per user per month (the first plan that includes proposals)
- Entry price, billed monthly
- DraftlyStarter $9/month, Pro $29/month
- BonsaiEssentials $25 per user per month
- Free option
- DraftlyFree plan: 3 proposals, no time limit
- Bonsai7-day free trial. No free plan.
- How the price scales
- DraftlyA flat price per account, not per user
- BonsaiPer user. Elite needs a minimum of 3 users.
- Writing the proposal
- DraftlyAI drafts the whole proposal (scope, timeline, pricing, terms) from a plain-English brief, then you edit it
- BonsaiProposals and contracts from templates. AI isn't listed on the pricing page.
- Client sign-off
- DraftlyOnline acceptance that records the client's name, email, IP address and time. Not a formal e-signature.
- BonsaiProposals and contracts are included from Essentials. Signing isn't detailed on the pricing page.
- Tracking
- DraftlyOpen alerts, how far they read, time spent per section, re-reads, and client comments in the document
- BonsaiNot detailed on the pricing page
- Payments
- DraftlyNot included
- BonsaiInvoices and payments from Essentials
- Integrations
- DraftlyNone
- BonsaiQuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Calendly and Google from Premium
- Built for
- DraftlySolo freelancers and small studios
- BonsaiFreelancers and agencies who want one tool for the whole business
“Not listed” means it isn't on their pricing page, not that the product can't do it.
Bonsai plans
Basic$9/user/month yearly, $15 monthly
Time tracking, tasks, projects and CRM. No proposals, contracts or invoicing.
Essentials$19/user/month yearly, $25 monthly
Adds proposals and contracts, invoices and payments, forms, scheduling and a client portal.
Premium$29/user/month yearly, $39 monthly
Adds project insights, a deals pipeline and integrations, and removes Bonsai branding.
Elite$49/user/month yearly, $59 monthly
Adds custom permissions and more. Minimum 3 users.
What one freelancer pays in a year
- Bonsai Essentials is $19 × 12 = $228 a year, and that also covers contracts, invoicing and a client portal.
- Draftly Starter is $86 a year for 15 proposals a month, and your first 3 proposals are free.
List prices on September 30, 2026, billed yearly, before tax and add-ons.
When Draftly is the better choice
- Proposals are the bottleneck, and you already have invoicing and contracts sorted.
- You want the proposal drafted for you from a short brief.
- You don't want to pay for time tracking, invoicing and a CRM you won't use.
- You want a free plan rather than a 7-day trial.
When Bonsai is the better choice
- You want contracts, invoices, payments, time tracking and proposals in one place.
- You'd like a client portal where clients see everything for their project.
- You bill hourly and track time against projects.
- You want accounting integrations like QuickBooks or Xero.
What Draftly doesn't do
- No formal e-signature. Draftly records an acceptance, which is not the same thing if your client or your contract requires a signature.
- No payment collection. You invoice separately.
- No CRM or other integrations.
- One account, no team seats, roles or approval workflows.
- The AI writes a first draft. You still need to check the scope and the numbers before sending.