Bonsai

Solo freelance podcasters

Bonsai bundles contracts, proposals, invoicing, and time tracking for freelancers — useful for solo podcasters running the show as a media business. Pricing jumped in 2026: Basic now starts at $15/user/mo. Still cheaper than stacking four tools, but no longer the rock-bottom bargain it once was.

Bonsai positions itself as the all-in-one business platform for freelancers, bundling contracts, proposals, invoicing, time tracking, CRM, and project management into a single subscription. For solo podcasters running the show as a media business — guest releases as contracts, sponsor invoices, time tracked against editing — the bundle removes the friction of paying for Dropbox Sign plus Stripe plus Toggl plus a CRM separately. Pricing was rebuilt in 2026: Basic is $15/user/month, Essentials at $25/user/month adds contracts and invoicing, Premium at $39/user/month adds project insights and Gantt views, Elite at $59/user/month adds custom integrations. Annual billing trims 10-15 percent off. The catch on Basic is that contracts and invoicing aren't included — you need Essentials for what most podcasters actually want, which puts the real entry point at $25/user/month. Where it shines is for solo or pair operators. The integrated workflow (proposal signed becomes contract, contract triggers invoice, time tracked rolls into reporting) genuinely saves time once configured. The template library covers freelance media work reasonably well. Where it falls short is small team scaling — the per-user model makes a 4-person studio considerably more expensive than Plutio's flat $19 Core plan. Tax features also skew US-centric, which loses value for international podcasters. Good fit for US-based solo creators treating the show as a real business.