Tillage vs BonsaiThe agency management alternative
Updated . Every Bonsai fact links to its source.
Tillage
Bonsai
Monthly price
$0, unlimited users, quotes and invoices
$9–$49 per user a month billed yearly; invoicing starts on Essentials at $19
Online payment fees
Your client can cover them
Cards 2.9% + 30¢, ACH 1%; an extra 1% if you use Stripe or PayPal instead of Bonsai Payments
Margin on quotes
Variance buffer and profit margin on every line
Estimate Builder tracks costs, markups and target profit
The short answer
Bonsai, now a Zoom company, is all-in-one client and project management with CRM, proposals, contracts, time tracking, invoicing and a client portal, priced per user. Tillage is free invoicing for agencies, focused on quoting with margin, contracts, payment schedules and getting paid in full. If you want one per-seat tool to run projects end to end, Bonsai is a real option. If you want quote-to-cash without paying per person, Tillage is free.
Choose Tillage if
- YesYou want $0/month instead of $19–$49 per user
- YesYou want clients to cover fees with any payment method
- YesYou want milestone schedules beyond a single upfront deposit
Choose Bonsai if
- YesYou need project management, time tracking and resourcing in one tool
- YesYou want a CRM pipeline and scheduling
- YesYou need utilization and profitability reports by person
Tillage vs Bonsai, feature by feature
| Feature | Tillage | Bonsai |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | Yes$0, unlimited users, quotes and invoices | Partly$9–$49 per user a month billed yearly; invoicing starts on Essentials at $19 |
| Online payment fees | YesStripe 2.9% + 30¢ (cards) or 0.8% capped at $5 (ACH), plus 1% capped at $50 per invoice | PartlyCards 2.9% + 30¢, ACH 1%; an extra 1% if you use Stripe or PayPal instead of Bonsai Payments |
| Pass fees to clients | YesBoth Stripe and platform fees, set team-wide | PartlyOlder help describes a client-pays option; we couldn’t confirm it on a live page |
| Quotes and estimates | YesHours × rate, or itemized with units and sections | YesProposals and an Estimate Builder with role-based rates |
| Variance and profit margin on quotes | YesVariance buffer and profit margin on every line | PartlyEstimate Builder tracks costs, markups and target profit |
| Contracts with e-signatures | YesGenerated from approved quotes | YesEssentials and above |
| Deposits and milestone payment schedules | YesPercentages triggered by signing, dates or milestones | PartlyUpfront deposit on proposals and contracts; no milestone schedules found |
| Recurring invoices and retainers | YesWeekly, monthly, quarterly, every six months or yearly | YesRetainer and subscription invoices |
| Client pages with no login | YesSecure links to approve, sign and pay | YesSecure email link, no password |
| Time tracking | NoNot a time tracker | YesAll plans |
| Full accounting and bookkeeping | NoUse alongside your accounting software | NoIncome and expense tracking; syncs to your accounting software |
| QuickBooks or Xero sync | NoComing soon: QuickBooks Online, Xero, Mercury and Puzzle | PartlyQuickBooks and Xero on Premium and above |
| AI quote drafting | YesDrafts line items, hours and rates with your OpenAI or Claude key | PartlyMCP server; AI proposal writing not confirmed |
| Claude and ChatGPT through MCP | YesQuotes, contracts and invoices | YesOfficial MCP server for Claude and others |
Bonsai pricing
Per user, with unlimited clients and projects. 7-day trial, then a card is required. No free plan.
- Basic
- $9/user/mo billed yearly, or $15 monthlyTime tracking, tasks and CRM. No invoices, payments, proposals or contracts
- Essentials
- $19/user/mo billed yearly, or $25 monthlyAdds invoices, payments, proposals, contracts and client portal
- Premium
- $29/user/mo billed yearly, or $39 monthlyAdds reports, pipeline, white-label, QuickBooks, Xero and Zapier
- Elite
- $49/user/mo billed yearly, or $59 monthly3-user minimum. Adds permissions, timesheet locking, expense markup
- Tillage, for comparison
- $0/month with unlimited users1% when paid online, capped at $50 per invoice. Your client can cover it. See pricing
Where Bonsai is better
No tool is right for everyone. Here is where it may suit you better.
One tool, end to end
CRM, pipeline, scheduling, forms, proposals, contracts, projects, time tracking, invoicing and a client portal.
Agency operations
Utilization and profitability reports, workload views, Gantt charts and resourcing on Elite.
Estimates with margin
An Estimate Builder with role-based rates, markups and target profit that converts into a project.
API and MCP
A public REST API and an official MCP server.
Where Tillage is better for agencies
$0 a month for the whole team
Bonsai’s invoicing starts at $19 per user a month billed yearly, so a team of five pays about $1,140 a year. Tillage is free with unlimited users.
No extra fee for your processor
Bonsai adds a 1% platform fee if you use Stripe or PayPal instead of Bonsai Payments. Tillage’s 1% fee is capped at $50 per invoice, and your client can cover it.
Schedules beyond the deposit
Bonsai collects an upfront deposit, then a remainder invoice. Tillage splits a project into any number of payments, triggered by signing, dates or milestones.
Variance on every line
Bonsai’s Estimate Builder tracks markup and target profit. Tillage adds a variance buffer for risk as well as profit margin, on every line of every quote.
Recent Bonsai changes
Nov 6, 2025
Zoom announced an agreement to acquire Bonsai. Bonsai now describes itself as “a Zoom company” and remains a standalone brand.
Jul 27, 2026
New Bonsai accounts get a unified document builder for contracts and proposals.
Switching from Bonsai
- 1
Export clients, invoices and projects from Bonsai as CSV.
- 2
Import clients into Tillage and recreate your service rates with variance and margin.
- 3
Turn your deposit terms into Tillage payment schedule templates.
- 4
Rebuild your contract as template blocks, then connect Stripe and set fee pass-through.
Related guides and tools
Bonsai vs Tillage for agencies
Where each one fits, in more detail.
Invoicing software for agencies
Quotes, contracts and payment schedules in one free tool.
Quoting software with margin
Hours × rate quotes with your margin built in.
Billing schedules
Deposits, milestones and retainers without copying invoices.
Sources
Checked Oct 7, 2026. Pricing and features change, so if something here is out of date, email support@tillage.ai and we will fix it.
Tillage vs Bonsai questions
Is Tillage cheaper than Bonsai?
Yes. Tillage is $0/month with unlimited users. Bonsai’s plans with invoicing start at $19 per user a month billed yearly.
Does Bonsai charge platform fees?
Bonsai Payments charges 2.9% + 30¢ for cards and 1% for ACH. If you use Stripe or PayPal where Bonsai Payments is available, Bonsai adds a 1% platform fee.
Does Tillage do project management like Bonsai?
No. Tillage covers quotes, contracts, invoices and payments. If you rely on Bonsai for tasks and resourcing, pair Tillage with your project tool.
Can I move from Bonsai to Tillage?
Yes. Export your data from Bonsai as CSV, import clients into Tillage, and rebuild your services and schedules once.
