Bonsai vs Recurly — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Bonsai starts at $15/mo. Recurly starts at $249/mo. Bonsai is $234/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Recurly.
All-in-one business management for freelancers (contracts + invoicing + time tracking + CRM + tax). Positioned as the alternative to running Bonsai + QuickBooks + HelloSign separately. Distinctive for bundling the freelance stack into one subscription. Restructured to 4 tiers: Basic $15 / Essentials $25 / Premium $39 / Elite $59 per user/mo. Acquired by Zoom Nov 5, 2025 (closed Dec 2025); pricing held post-acquisition. Popular with independent consultants, designers, and creators who bill 3-20 clients but hate juggling separate tools for contracts, invoicing, and accounting.
Subscription billing platform positioned as the alternative to Chargebee for teams that want dunning + retention analytics as the core value prop, not just billing infrastructure. Distinctive for its focus on reducing involuntary churn (failed payment recovery) which historically claims 3-8% of MRR. Core $249/mo + Professional $1K+/mo + Elite custom. Popular with subscription businesses where churn recovery ROI is measurable and material.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Bonsai monthly | Bonsai annual | Recurly monthly | Recurly annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | — / Starter | — | — | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Basic / — | $15 | $9 | — | — |
| Mid tier 1 | Essentials / — | $25 | $19 | — | — |
| Mid tier 2 | Premium / — | $39 | $29 | — | — |
| Pro / power | Elite / — | $59 | $49 | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Bonsai is worth it if… Bonsai is the all-in-one back office for solo freelancers and small agencies (1-15 people) — proposals, contracts, invoicing, time tracking, and CRM bundled instead of stitching separate tools. Basic covers solo freelancers; Essentials adds workflows and integrations; Premium scales team accounting; Elite adds white-label and priority support.
Recurly is worth it if… mid-market consumer subscription businesses (streaming, media, publishing) that need recurring billing + dunning + revenue recognition at scale — particularly for teams that outgrew Stripe Billing. Core covers small SaaS; Professional adds revenue recognition and multi-entity; Elite for enterprise scale.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose Bonsai over Recurly if…
Choose Bonsai if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (flat rate, from $15/mo).
- You match the profile Bonsai is built for: the all-in-one back office for solo freelancers and small agencies (1-15 people) — proposals, contracts, invoicing, time tracking, and CRM bundled instead of stitching separate tools.
- You need a general-purpose finance & accounting option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Recurly if…
- You're comfortable with Recurly's from $249/mo entry point.
- You match the profile Recurly is built for: mid-market consumer subscription businesses (streaming, media, publishing) that need recurring billing + dunning + revenue recognition at scale — particularly for teams that outgrew Stripe Billing.
- You need a general-purpose finance & accounting option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Bonsai | Recurly | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Entry price | $15/mo | $249/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Flat Rate | — |
| Last verified | September 17, 2026 | September 13, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 17, 2026. Tracked daily.