WhatToCharge vs Bonsai: Which Helps You Price Your Work Better? (2026)
By Will Berry·Updated July 2026
WhatToCharge and Bonsai solve different problems. WhatToCharge is free, covers hundreds of trades, and helps you both set your price and get paid it, so it wins for deciding what to charge. Bonsai is a paid all-in-one suite (contracts, invoicing, time tracking) built for design and dev freelancers, so it wins if you want one app to run your whole freelance business. Choose WhatToCharge for pricing, Bonsai for operations.
These two tools get compared a lot, but they are really aimed at different jobs. WhatToCharge answers what should I charge and how do I get paid it. Bonsai answers how do I run my freelance business day to day. The right pick depends on which problem you have right now.
How we ranked these
- Actually free, and usable without an account or email
- How many kinds of work it covers, not just knowledge-work freelancing
- Whether it only calculates a number, or also helps you get paid it
- Whether it handles real pricing models (per job, per unit) or hourly only
- How transparent and trustworthy the underlying data is
Side by side
| Tool | Price | Covers | Helps you get paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. WhatToChargeOur pick | Free, no signup | hundreds of trades (freelance, services, trades, and makers) | Yes, includes an AI sales coach that handles price objections |
| 2. Bonsai | Free rate explorer; full suite from about $24/mo | Design, development, and marketing freelancers | Indirectly, through contracts and invoicing in the paid suite |
1. WhatToCharge
Free, no signupBest for: Anyone self-employed who wants the number and the words to get it
Strengths
- +Completely free, no account or email required to get a price
- +Covers hundreds of trades, not just knowledge-work freelancing, from house cleaning and electrical work to logo design and custom cakes
- +The only one that also helps you get paid the number, with What to Say, a free AI that writes the reply when a client pushes back on price
- +Handles per-job, per-square-foot, per-word, and retainer pricing, not just hourly
- +Rate data is open source under CC BY 4.0, published on GitHub and Hugging Face
Trade-offs
- –Gives market ranges and reasoning rather than a single tax-adjusted break-even number, so for granular per-state tax math a dedicated tax calculator goes deeper
- –Newer than the big incumbents
2. Bonsai
Free rate explorer; full suite from about $24/moBest for: Design and dev freelancers who want one paid all-in-one business app
Strengths
- +Full freelance business suite: contracts, invoicing, proposals, and time tracking in one place
- +Free Rate Explorer shows real design and developer rates by skill, location, and experience
- +Trusted, established brand with a large user base
Trade-offs
- –The full platform is paid (about $24/mo after a 7-day trial)
- –Rate data focuses on design, development, and marketing, not trades, services, or makers
- –Stops at the number; it does not coach you through holding your price
Price and access
WhatToCharge is free and needs no account to get a price. Bonsai's Rate Explorer is also free, but the part most people want, the full suite with contracts and invoicing, is paid, starting around $24 a month after a 7-day trial.
What kind of work each one covers
Bonsai's rate data covers design, development, and marketing freelancers. WhatToCharge covers hundreds of trades, so it works whether you write code, clean homes, shoot weddings, or sell candles. If you are not a knowledge-work freelancer, Bonsai's rate data will not have you.
Setting the price vs getting paid it
Both can show you a rate. Only WhatToCharge then helps you hold it. Its free What to Say tool writes the exact reply when a client says you are too expensive, which is where most people fold and discount. Bonsai helps you get paid through invoicing once the deal is done, but it does not coach the pricing conversation.
The verdict
Use WhatToCharge to decide what to charge and to get paid it, for free, across any kind of work. Add Bonsai if you are a design or dev freelancer who wants one paid app for contracts, invoicing, and time tracking. They work well together: price with one, run the business with the other.
See what you should charge. Free, no signup.
Pick your trade and get a defensible price range in about ten seconds, then get the words to hold it.
Open the pricing engine →Frequently asked questions
Is WhatToCharge or Bonsai better for setting freelance rates?+
For deciding what to charge, WhatToCharge is better: it is free, covers far more kinds of work, and helps you hold your price. Bonsai's Rate Explorer is a solid free benchmark for designers and developers, but the broader platform is built for running your business, not for pricing decisions.
Is Bonsai free?+
Bonsai's Rate Explorer is free, but the full business suite with contracts, invoicing, and proposals is paid, starting around $24 a month after a 7-day trial. WhatToCharge is free with no signup.
Can I use Bonsai if I am not a designer or developer?+
You can use Bonsai's invoicing and contract features for any freelance work, but its rate data is focused on design, development, and marketing. For pricing across trades, services, and makers, WhatToCharge covers far more ground.