Bonsai vs Miru
Bonsai
hellobonsai.comMiru
miru.soSide by side
| Figure | Bonsai | Miru |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $15/mo | $0.83/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · Time Billing Software | 9.2 (#2) | 9.0 (#6) |
| API | The Bonsai API covers contacts, companies, deals, projects, tasks, subtasks, comments, time entries, and invoices. | Miru exposes a REST API with CRUD operations for time entries, invoices, clients, projects, expenses and payments using bearer-token authentication. |
| Integrations | Official integration resources cover QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zapier, Calendly, Gmail, Outlook, Zoom, HiBob and a Bonsai MCP server. | Official pages identify Stripe payments, QuickBooks Online export or sync, SMTP email, CSV and PDF export, Zapier, Make and n8n connectivity. |
| Product | Bonsai consolidates projects, clients, and billing in a platform for service businesses. | Miru is open-source time tracking, invoicing, expenses, payments, and reporting for teams that bill by the hour. |
| Reporting | The plans include time, project, task, profitability and utilization reports, with advanced reports on higher tiers. | Reports show paid, pending, overdue, and projected revenue, along with project and team analytics. |
| Security | Bonsai says it achieved SOC 2 Type II compliance on July 3, 2025, and describes enforced multifactor authentication and least-privilege access. | The security page says hosted data is encrypted at rest and in transit, with TLS 1.3 connections and AES-256 encryption for stored data. |
| Support | Paid subscribers can contact support in the app or by email, and Bonsai says its Help Center has over 240 articles. | The hosted plan includes priority email support, self-hosted users get community support on Discord, and the managed plan lists monitoring and support. |
Plans
Miru
- Self-hostedFree
- Miru Cloud$1 a month
- Miru Cloud Annual$10 a year
- Managed Miru$1,000 a month
In their own words
Bonsai
Bonsai brings client work, project delivery, and billing into one platform for service businesses. Client management includes CRM, deals, estimates, proposals, contracts, retainers, forms, a client portal, and scheduling. Project tools cover tasks, Gantt charts, time tracking, budgets, timesheets, reports, and resource planning. Financial tools include invoicing, payments, rate cards, expenses, forecasting, and accounting integrations. Premium lists QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Calendly, and Google integrations. The API covers contacts, companies, deals, projects, tasks, subtasks, comments, time entries, and invoices. Access is available through the website, iPhone and Android apps, Mac OS, an API, and an extension. Monthly per-user plans are Basic at 15.00 USD, Essentials at 25.00 USD, Premium at 39.00 USD, and Elite at 59.00 USD. A pricing note lists $9/user/mo annually. The 7-day trial provides full, unlimited access; continuing requires a plan and payment details. Elite requires at least three users.
Miru
Miru is open-source software for teams that bill by the hour, combining time tracking, invoicing, expenses, payments, and reporting. Users can record time with timers or manual entries, submit work for weekly approval, and set rates for each team member. Invoices can be generated from approved or tracked work and include expenses, taxes, and discounts. Reports cover paid, pending, overdue, and projected revenue, plus project and team analytics. Miru supports a client portal and expense billing, but not recurring invoices. Integrations include Stripe, Google Calendar, SMTP email, CSV and PDF export, CSV import, REST API, CLI, Zapier, Make, and n8n. It can export clients, invoices, and recorded payments to QuickBooks Online through a one-way sync. The local-first desktop timer syncs with Miru and runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows; iOS and Android apps are in beta. Customers can self-host the MIT-licensed Rails app, but must manage operations, backups, upgrades, and security maintenance. The self-hosted plan is free. Miru Cloud is $1 a month, billed Or $10/member/year.; hosted data is encrypted at rest and in transit.