Compare
vsBPunctual vs Bonsai
Bonsai suits solo freelancers with contracts and invoicing in one place. Punctual is built for businesses with a team, real books, and a client portal that shows the work.
The short version
Choose Punctual if you have a team, clients, and projects to track. Choose Bonsai if you're a solo freelancer wanting contracts plus invoicing.
Side by side
| What matters to your business | Punctual ✓ | Bonsai |
|---|---|---|
| Client portal shows work in progress | Yes | No (users ask for this) |
| Real books and profit per client | Yes | Limited |
| Pay bills and freelancers | Yes | Basic |
| Multi-currency, outside US | Yes | Limited |
| Whole team, no per-seat fee | Yes | Per-user costs |
Choose Punctual when…
- You have a team and clients who want to see progress, not just invoices.
- You need real books and profit per client.
Choose Bonsai when…
- You're a solo freelancer and want contracts plus invoicing in one simple tool.
The pain of getting this wrong
Bonsai users openly ask for a portal that shows project progress. If your clients want to see where things stand, a tool that can't show them will cost you time every week.
Switching
Moving off Bonsai takes an afternoon
01
Bring your history
Connect your banks and import contacts, open invoices and balances from Bonsai. Punctual pulls in your recent months of transactions.
02
Punctual rebuilds your books
Transactions are matched and categorised on arrival; you review the short list it wasn't sure about. Your P&L is current by the end of the day.
03
Run both for a month
Keep Bonsai alive alongside Punctual through one month-end if you want the safety net, then cancel it.
Most switches happen over one afternoon, and the 30-day free trial covers a full month-end.
Fair questions
Asked before switching
Does the client portal really show work in progress?
Yes: milestones and billing on one page, under your branding. Clients see where things stand and pay while they're there, which is exactly the portal Bonsai users keep asking for.
Can I move my data over from Bonsai?
Yes. Connect your bank accounts and bring your contacts, open invoices and balances across, and Punctual reads your recent history and builds your books from it. Most businesses do the move in an afternoon.
Will my accountant be able to work with Punctual?
Yes. Punctual keeps real double-entry books with a proper profit and loss and balance sheet, and every number traces to its transactions. Invite your accountant free: seats are always included.
What does Punctual cost?
US$79 a month covers your workspace and your first company, and each company after that is US$39. Yearly is ten months for twelve. Every feature and your whole team are included, we take no cut of your payments, and there is a 30-day free trial.
Is my data locked in?
No. Export your books and records any time, in formats your accountant can use. Leaving easily is part of the deal, and it keeps us honest.
Start free
It's --:-- in Singapore.
Your books could be up to date by --.
Connect your accounts and see your own numbers the same day. Your card is not charged until day 30.
30 days free · Your data stays yours · Cancel anytime