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Bonsai alternative

Hello Bonsai alternatives: how Meadow Desk compares

Bonsai, at hellobonsai.com, pairs proposals, contracts and invoices with time tracking, scheduling and accounting integrations, priced per user. Meadow Desk is a newer desk with a free solo plan and per-seat studio pricing. Here is how they compare on what each company publishes, including where Bonsai is the better pick.

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Last checked · every competitor fact is sourced below

Pick Meadow Desk if…

  • You want proposals, contracts and invoices on a free plan for one person.
  • You run a small studio and want every shipped room on one per-seat price.
  • You want fewer plan tiers to weigh.
  • You are happy to join the waitlist and start when sign-ups reopen.

Pick Bonsai if…

  • You need to start invoicing clients today, not after a waitlist.
  • You want Zapier or Calendly integrations, or Gantt and workload views.
  • You manage a lot from your phone and want native apps.
  • You want expense tracking alongside your invoices.
Side by side

What you get, at a glance.

Bonsai and Meadow Desk, last checked Oct 8, 2026.
Compared BonsaiMeadow Desk
Published pricesBasic $9 · Essentials $19 · Premium $29 · Elite $49 per user/mo (billed yearly)Solo free · Pro $10/mo · Studio $12/seat · Business $24/seat (paid plans billed yearly)
Free planNo, a 7-day free trial with full accessYes, Solo is free for one seat, not a trial
Team pricingPer user on every plan; Elite needs at least 3 usersSolo and Pro: 1 seat · Studio: 2–25 seats · Business: 5–100 seats, priced per seat
Proposals and contractsEssentials and upEvery plan, the free one included
E-signatureYes, legally binding e-signatures on contractsEvery plan: clients e-sign contracts by private link or in the portal, then you countersign
Invoices and paymentsEssentials and upInvoices on every plan; clients pay by card online through your own Stripe account (Stripe's fees, no Meadow Desk fee), and you record bank and cash payments
Client portalEssentials and upEvery plan
Time trackingEvery planEvery plan: a one-tap timer that lands hours on the right project
SchedulerEssentials and upNo client booking scheduler
ReportsProfit and productivity reports on Premium and upEvery plan: billed, collected, expenses and profit by period, profit per client, project margins and a tax view, plus lead insights
IntegrationsQuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Calendly and Google on Premium and upGoogle Calendar, QuickBooks Online and Xero on every plan; webhooks on Business
AvailabilityAvailable nowSign-ups paused, waitlist open
Moving across

Switch in an afternoon.

  1. Step 01

    Export your contacts

    Download a CSV of clients and leads from your current tool.

  2. Step 02

    Import into Meadow Desk

    Map the columns once. Duplicates are flagged, not doubled.

  3. Step 03

    Recreate two templates

    Your go-to proposal and contract. The rest can wait.

Bonsai lives at hellobonsai.com, which is why so many people search for Hello Bonsai alternatives. If you are one of them, you may want proposals and invoices without paying per user from day one, or a calmer desk with fewer plan tiers to weigh.

Everything below about Bonsai comes from its pricing and contracts pages, checked on Oct 8, 2026. Everything about Meadow Desk comes from our own pricing and features pages.

Where Bonsai is stronger

  • It is taking sign-ups today. Meadow Desk sign-ups are paused, with a waitlist.
  • Essentials adds scheduling, and expense and income tracking.
  • Premium adds a Gantt view, workload management, profit and productivity reports, and QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Calendly and Google integrations.
  • iOS and Android apps on every plan.

Where Meadow Desk is different

  • A free plan, not a trial: one seat with unlimited leads, clients, projects and invoices.
  • Proposals, contracts and invoices on the free plan. On Bonsai they start at Essentials, $19 per user per month billed yearly.
  • One per-seat price for a studio with every shipped room included: Studio is $12 per seat per month billed yearly, for 2–25 seats.
  • Time tracking on every plan, as on Bonsai, filed against the same projects as your invoices.
  • A free Toolshed of calculators and templates that needs no account.

Questions people ask

Is Bonsai the same as Hello Bonsai?

Yes. Bonsai's website is hellobonsai.com, which is why many people search for "Hello Bonsai". This page compares Meadow Desk with that product.

Is there a free alternative to Bonsai?

Meadow Desk's Solo plan is free for one seat, not a trial, and includes proposals, contracts and invoices. Bonsai has no free plan; it offers a 7-day free trial, and its lowest price is $9 per user per month billed yearly. Meadow Desk sign-ups are paused, so the free plan starts with the waitlist.

Does Meadow Desk track time like Bonsai?

Yes. Both include time tracking on every plan. Meadow Desk's timer follows you from task to task and lands hours on the right project.

Does Meadow Desk integrate with QuickBooks or Xero?

Yes, on every plan. Meadow Desk sends invoices, payments and credit notes to QuickBooks Online or Xero, and syncs with Google Calendar both ways. Bonsai lists QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Calendly and Google integrations on Premium and up.

Can I move my leads from Bonsai to Meadow Desk?

Meadow Desk imports leads from a CSV file on every plan. There is no direct Bonsai importer, so the move works through a CSV export from your current tool.

Sources

  1. Bonsai pricinghellobonsai.com/pricing

    Plans and per-user prices (yearly and monthly), the 7-day trial, the Elite minimum and each plan's feature list.

  2. Bonsai contractshellobonsai.com/contracts

    Legally binding e-signatures on contracts.

  3. Meadow Desk pricing/pricing

    Plans, prices, seats and what is coming soon.

  4. Meadow Desk features/features

    What ships today on every plan.

HoneyBook, Dubsado and Bonsai are trademarks of their respective owners. Meadow Desk is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. Competitor details were last checked on Oct 8, 2026 and can change at any time.

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