Maroo and Bonsai both combine client management, contracts, invoicing, and payments, but they are optimized for different operating models. Maroo focuses on wedding and event businesses and connects client collections with contractor administration. Bonsai serves a broader range of service businesses and adds deeper project, time, resource, and profitability tools.
The best fit depends on which workflow is hardest to replace: event-based billing and contractor records, or project delivery and time-based team operations.
This comparison uses official sources checked August 21, 2026. Plan prices, processing fees, limits, and feature availability can change, so verify the linked product pages before choosing a plan.
Use the feature and cost sections as a starting model, then substitute your actual invoice volume, payment mix, transaction count, team size, and fee settings.
Maroo connects a free Starter CRM and associated core features with quotes, contracts, invoicing, client payments, contractor payouts, W-9 requests, and published 1099 workflows for wedding and event businesses.
Starter is free for businesses invoicing under $5,000 per month within published limits. Processing and per-use charges can still apply. Business is $50 per month ($600 over 12 monthly payments), and raises plan limits while lowering the published client-processing rates.
Best fit: wedding and event businesses that prioritize event-based client billing, connected contractor records, and a focused financial workflow.
Bonsai is a general service-business platform with CRM, proposals, contracts, invoicing, expenses, time tracking, project management, scheduling, resource planning, and reporting. Its breadth can fit agencies, consultancies, studios, and other teams that manage ongoing projects or bill for time.
The current pricing page lists annual-billing prices of $9 per user per month for Basic, $19 for Essentials, $29 for Premium, and $49 for Elite, with Elite requiring at least three users. Displayed month-to-month prices are higher. Bonsai also offers a seven-day trial and a free Limited plan with substantial restrictions.
Best fit: service businesses that need project, time, expense, capacity, and profitability tools alongside client and billing workflows.
Payment cost depends on the plan, method, average invoice, number of card transactions, and who absorbs eligible fees. A headline percentage alone does not show the business's total cost.
Maroo publishes card processing at 3.5% on Starter, 3.4% on Business, and 3.25% on Pro; client ACH is 1.5%, 1.25%, and 1%, respectively. See the current Maroo pricing page for limits and per-use terms.
If a Business-plan user passes every eligible processing fee and absorbs no other transaction fee, its business-side cost is only the $50 monthly subscription, or $600 per year; clients pay the shifted eligible fees. Passing a fee shifts it to the client and does not eliminate it. Eligibility, disclosure, card-network rules, processor settings, and applicable law still matter.
Bonsai's official payment-method and fee guide lists 2.9% + $0.30 for standard cards, 3.25% + $0.30 for American Express, and 1% for ACH with a $1 minimum. It also documents extra platform fees for connected Stripe or PayPal in markets where Bonsai Payments is available. The guide does not confirm a general client fee-pass setting, so this article does not assume one.
Bottom line: model the actual processor and payment mix. Maroo can shift eligible fees to clients when properly configured; Bonsai's published base card rate is lower when the business absorbs fees, but subscription, transaction count, and any alternate-processor platform fee also affect the result.
Maroo's public scope is oriented toward wedding and event businesses, including milestone-style client billing and contractor administration. Bonsai is industry-agnostic and emphasizes flexible project delivery for many service-business models.
Maroo supports free B2B ACH contractor payouts within plan limits, plus individual and bulk W-9 requests and published 1099 preparation, e-filing, and mailing terms.
Those connected records can matter to studios that regularly hire second shooters, assistants, editors, or other contractors. Businesses remain responsible for worker classification, filing requirements, and current tax rules.
Bonsai's public platform is stronger in time, expense, capacity, and project-profitability workflows. Its public pricing and payment guides do not present the same connected contractor payout plus W-9/1099 filing workflow.
Choose based on the workflow you will use, not the industry label alone. A production company with complex resource planning may prefer Bonsai, while a smaller event business that pays contractors may value Maroo's financial and tax-document workflow.
Both platforms support contracts and invoicing. Maroo emphasizes client payment schedules, reminders, and event-based collection; Bonsai supports proposals, retainers, recurring invoices, and subscription invoices for ongoing service relationships.
Maroo's invoicing includes one-time invoices, installments, reminders, and published recurring invoices. Recurring invoices are a distinct billing mode; installments split a defined invoice, while Autopay is the client's payment authorization.
Bonsai also distinguishes two recurring models. Its official guide says recurring invoices are sent on a schedule and paid individually, while subscription invoices automatically charge a saved card after the first payment. The guide says subscription invoices are card-only and do not support ACH or PayPal.
That distinction matters: compare the exact payment behavior your clients need, rather than treating every scheduled invoice, installment plan, or automatic charge as the same feature.
Bonsai is the broader project-operations product. Premium and Elite add features such as task dependencies, Gantt views, workload and resource planning, advanced reporting, and higher-level team controls.
Bonsai also includes time tracking, expenses, project profitability, scheduling, and capacity-oriented tools. These can be valuable for agencies or production teams managing concurrent, time-based work.
Maroo is narrower. Its focus is CRM, quotes, contracts, invoices, client payments, contractor payouts, and related records. It now includes reusable questionnaires, but it should not be described as matching Bonsai's project and time-management depth feature for feature. Its Time Tracker does record hours or units of work with a rate, per worker and per project, marks each entry billable or non-billable, and can create an invoice from billable entries.
A Maroo Project keeps a client’s contacts, documents, files and notes together. Start from scratch or create it from one eligible existing lead, quote, contract or invoice, then connect other records as needed. Watch the Maroo Projects walkthrough.
Maroo publishes a QuickBooks Online integration. Bonsai lists QuickBooks on Premium and Elite and Xero on Elite; compare the accounting system, plan, sync direction, and fields that matter to your workflow.
The practical tradeoff is focus versus breadth: Maroo keeps event-business financial workflows together; Bonsai gives a broader service-business team more operational tools.
The table below compares one illustrative year at $100,000, $250,000, and $500,000 of client payment volume. It is not a quote.
Assumptions: one user; 80% standard cards and 20% ACH; Maroo Business at $600 per year with a blended 2.97% processing rate when the business absorbs fees; Maroo Business at $600 when every eligible fee is passed and no other transaction fee is absorbed; Bonsai Essentials at $228 per year using Bonsai Payments, with 20, 50, and 100 card transactions at the three revenue levels. Taxes, Amex, foreign exchange, refunds, per-use charges, and other plan costs are excluded.
Maroo fee-pass scenario: the business pays the $600 Business subscription cost over 12 monthly payments. Clients pay the shifted eligible processing fees. The fee still exists, and the example assumes the business absorbs no other transaction fee.
Maroo absorbs fees: $600 subscription plus 2.97% of payment volume produces approximately $3,570 at $100,000, $8,025 at $250,000, and $15,450 at $500,000.
Bonsai Essentials example: $228 annual subscription plus 2.9% + $0.30 on the assumed card volume and 1% on the assumed ACH volume produces approximately $2,754, $6,543, and $12,858. More card transactions, Amex, foreign exchange, team members, or a connected alternate processor can raise the total.
The comparison changes if clients will not pay eligible fees, the business uses mostly ACH, the average invoice is small, or multiple Bonsai users are required. Replace the assumptions with your own inputs before deciding.
Bonsai's annual per-user prices scale with team size. Elite is currently listed at $49 per user per month with a three-user minimum; verify the current checkout price and included features for the exact team.
- Run a wedding or event business
- Want a free Starter CRM and associated core features within published limits
- Need event-based client billing, payment reminders, or qualified fee passing
- Pay contractors and value connected payouts, W-9 requests, and published 1099 workflows
- Prefer a focused financial workflow over deep project and time management
- Want a Business-plan scenario that can cost the business $600 per year when every eligible processing fee is passed and no other transaction fee is absorbed
- Run an agency, consultancy, studio, or other general service business
- Need time tracking, expenses, project profitability, workload, or resource planning
- Use scheduled recurring invoices, retainers, or card-based subscription invoices
- Need deeper Gantt, task, scheduling, or team-management tools
- Are comfortable with per-user pricing and will verify the required plan
- Do not need a connected contractor payout and W-9/1099 workflow
Neither product is universally better. Maroo is a stronger fit for some event-business collection and contractor workflows; Bonsai is a stronger fit for some project-based and time-based operating models. Test the exact workflow that would otherwise require another tool.
Can I use Maroo's CRM for free?
Yes. Maroo Starter's CRM and associated core features are free for businesses invoicing under $5,000 per month within published limits. Processing, contracts, tax documents, and other per-use charges can still apply under the current plan terms.
Does Bonsai have a free plan?
Yes, but it is a restricted Limited plan. Bonsai's current guide says it is primarily for viewing existing records and has major restrictions on creating new client work. The paid plans also have a seven-day trial.
Can Maroo users pass payment fees to clients?
Maroo supports passing eligible fees when properly configured. Passing shifts the fee to the client; it does not remove the fee. Businesses should verify eligibility, disclosure, card-network rules, processor settings, and applicable law for their situation.
Does Bonsai provide the same W-9 and 1099 workflow?
Bonsai's current public pricing and payment guides do not present the same connected contractor payout, W-9 request, and 1099 preparation/e-filing/mailing workflow. Maroo publishes those features. Review current IRS contractor guidance and obtain tax advice for the business's facts.
Maroo and Bonsai overlap in CRM, contracts, invoicing, and payments, but their operating centers are different.
Maroo may fit a wedding or event business that wants a free Starter CRM/core workflow and connected client collections, contractor payouts, and tax-document administration. Bonsai may fit a broader service business that needs project, time, expense, resource, and profitability tools.
For cost, compare the subscription, team size, exact payment mix, average transaction, who absorbs eligible fees, and per-use charges. Under the qualified Maroo Business fee-pass scenario, the business pays only the $600 subscription cost over 12 monthly payments while clients pay the shifted eligible fees.
For workflow, test one real client journey from lead through contract, invoice, payment, project delivery, and contractor records.
Choose the product that removes the most important manual handoffs without adding unused complexity.
