Bonsai vs DealInSec: an honest comparison for freelancers
Bonsai is a broad freelance suite priced per user. DealInSec is narrower: it runs each client deal from quotation to payment. They overlap on proposals, contracts and invoices, and differ on almost everything else.
One thread from finding the client to getting paid
Each step carries the one before it forward, so the client, the scope and the numbers never drift between your research, your quotation, your agreement and your invoice.
Client Radar researches companies online in any country, or local businesses in a city, and scores each one with the evidence. Nobody is contacted until you choose.
Save the right ones as leads with next steps and follow-up dates; a won lead becomes a deal with the client, scope, fee and dates.
Generated from the deal record — itemised deliverables, revision rounds, terms, a stable number (QT-series) and a link your client accepts online.
The accepted quotation becomes an agreement with the same figures. Electronic acceptance is recorded — who, when, which signature.
Billed from the agreement — advance/balance or milestones — and DealInSec won't let you invoice more than the agreement is worth.
Overdue, due this week, ready to invoice — the dashboard shows what to chase, and AI drafts a polite reminder you send yourself.
Your AI team in The Nest 🪺
Three AI coworkers work in the background through the same features you use, and ask before anything that matters. Nothing is sent, paid or signed by them. Meet the team.
Finds potential clients and researches businesses, with sources.
Drafts personalised outreach and follow-ups for you to approve and send.
Tells you which follow-ups are due and which messages are waiting for you.
The short answer
you want an all-in-one suite: time tracking, tasks, a client portal, expense tracking and payments collected in the tool, with integrations. Its plans are priced per user.
your income comes from scoped client deals and you want the quotation, the signed agreement, the invoice and the payment follow-up on one record — with a check on your terms before you send. It has no time tracking, client portal or accounting, and it doesn't collect payments for you.
Pricing side by side
| Tool | Plan | Monthly | Annual billing | Notes from the pricing page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonsai Trial: 7 days | Basic | $15 | $9 | |
| Essentials | $25 | $19 | Adds invoices & payments, proposals & contracts, client portal, expense and income tracking | |
| Premium | $39 | $29 | ||
| Elite | $59 | $49 | 3-user minimum |
| Tool | Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| DealInSec Free plan, no card, in every country | Free | $0 / ₹0 | 4 deals a month, each with its quotation, in every country |
| Pro | ₹199/month (India only) | Unlimited deals, agreements with a signing link, invoices, payment tracking |
Prices read from Bonsai's pricing page on . Prices change — check the vendor before you buy.
The free plan (4 deals a month, each with its quotation) is open in every country, with no card. Paid plans can currently be bought in India only (₹199/month); we can't yet take payments from other countries, and we'll say so here as soon as that changes.
To compare like with like: Bonsai's invoicing, proposals and contracts start on Essentials ($25 per user per month, $19 billed annually). DealInSec's equivalent is Pro, with a per-account price rather than per user.
Feature by feature
| Bonsai | DealInSec | |
|---|---|---|
| Proposals / quotations | Proposals (Essentials) | Quotations, with a client acceptance link (Free) |
| Contracts / e-signature | Contracts (Essentials) | Agreements with a public signing link (Pro) |
| Invoicing | Invoices (Essentials) | Invoices from the agreement (Pro) |
| Collects payments online | Yes — invoices & payments | No — tracks payment status; your client pays you directly |
| Time tracking | Yes (Basic) | No |
| Client portal | Yes (Essentials) | No — public links for a quotation and an agreement |
| Accounting / expenses | Expense & income tracking (Essentials) | No |
| Checks terms for scope risk before you send | — | Yes — Protection Check |
"—" means the feature is not listed on that vendor's pricing page on the review date. It does not prove the product lacks it — check the vendor.
What Bonsai has that DealInSec doesn't
- Time tracking and task management on every plan.
- A client portal (Essentials and above).
- Collecting payments through invoices, in the tool.
- Expense and income tracking, scheduling and forms.
- Integrations such as QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier and Calendly on higher plans, and native mobile apps.
If two or three of those matter to you, Bonsai is the better fit and DealInSec isn't a substitute.
What DealInSec does differently
The quotation becomes the agreement and the agreement becomes the invoice, and DealInSec won't let you invoice more than the agreement is worth. Nothing is retyped.
Reads your terms before you send and flags risky wording — unlimited revisions, no advance, no payment deadline — and suggests lines to add. Nothing is added unless you approve it.
A quotation link the client can accept, and an agreement link they sign by drawing or typing a signature. The agreement records who signed, when and with which signature — electronic acceptance with an audit record, not a certified e-signature.
Copilot drafts a payment reminder from the real invoice — number, amount, due date, days overdue. It only drafts. You send it, and nothing is sent automatically.
Who each is for
| Bonsai | DealInSec | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | The whole freelance business: projects, time, clients, money | The client deal, from quotation to payment |
| Pricing model | Per user, four plans | Free plan, then one Pro plan (India only today) |
| Strongest when | You want one suite for delivery and admin | You want scoped deals signed, invoiced and followed up |
| Weakest when | You only need quotes, contracts and invoices | You need time tracking, a portal or accounting |
How this comparison was made
Each competitor's prices and features were read from that vendor's own pricing page on (Bonsai). Aggregator and review sites were not used as sources, because they disagree with each other and with the vendors. Feature cells contain only what the vendor's pricing page lists. DealInSec's column describes what the product does today, including what it does not do. We make DealInSec, so read this with that in mind and verify anything that matters to you on the vendors' own sites. More on how we write our guides.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Bonsai cost?
On Bonsai's own pricing page on 26 September 2026: Basic $15, Essentials $25, Premium $39 and Elite $59 per user per month, or $9, $19, $29 and $49 per user per month billed annually. Invoicing, proposals and contracts start on Essentials. Prices change, so check the page.
Is DealInSec a Bonsai alternative?
For part of it. They overlap on quotations or proposals, agreements and invoices. DealInSec has no time tracking, client portal, accounting or online payment collection, so it suits freelancers who mainly need to run scoped client deals rather than a full suite.
Does DealInSec have time tracking?
No. DealInSec does not track time, so it is not a fit if you bill by the hour and need timesheets.
Does DealInSec collect payments like Bonsai?
No. DealInSec tracks payment status. Your client pays you directly and you mark the invoice paid, so it never handles your client's money.
Can I use DealInSec's paid plan outside India?
Not yet. The free plan is open in every country, but paid plans can currently be bought in India only (₹199/month).