A Bonsai alternative for graphic designers
Bonsai bundles proposals, contracts, invoicing and accounting for service businesses. It has been part of Zoom since late 2025. Briefscope runs the design project: the brief, a dated plan, approvals and final files, on one link your client opens without signing in.
Briefscope vs Bonsai
| Feature | Briefscope | Bonsai |
|---|---|---|
| Your client opens one link, with nothing to sign in to | YesOne link per project | PartlySigning and paying need no account; the portal uses a magic link |
| A guided brief with questions for each project type | YesLogo, packaging, social, print and more | PartlyTemplates you adapt |
| The brief read for you: summary, priorities, what’s missing | YesGaps come back as questions to ask | NoNot that we found |
| A plan with real dates, worked back from the deadline | YesDates come from your start and deadline | PartlyA Gantt chart you fill in by hand |
| You approve the plan before the client sees it | YesNothing is published until you say so | NoNot that we found |
| Your client approves each version, on record | YesEach decision is dated | PartlyNot as a step of its own |
| Final files delivered and approved | YesWith Download all | PartlyFile sharing |
| Proposals, contracts, invoices and payments | NoKeep your invoicing tool | YesIts core |
| Typical setup time, as users report it | Minutes | About an hour |
| Cheapest paid plan, billed monthly | Free during beta, and 3 months after | $15 a user |
Checked October 1, 2026, from Bonsai’s own pricing and help pages and user reviews. Prices and features change, so check theirs before you decide. Bonsai is a trademark of its owner; Briefscope isn’t affiliated with it.
Why designers look for a Bonsai alternative
Bonsai charges per user, from $15 a user a month, with no free plan. If you work alone and mainly need a better start to each project, you may want something built for that.
Stay with Bonsai if
You rely on its invoicing, payments or bookkeeping.
Try Briefscope if
You plan projects in a chart you fill in by hand, or you want your client to approve each version on record.
What Briefscope doesn’t do
No proposals, contracts, invoices or payments. Keep your invoicing tool for the money, and use Briefscope for the work your client sees: the brief, the plan, each version and the final files.
See how the portal works in client portal for designers, or compare HoneyBook and Dubsado.
Your first client link in five minutes.
Create a project, send one link. Your client fills in the brief on their phone, and you get a plan with real dates.
Free during beta, and 3 months after. No card needed.