ClauseryBonsai alternative: free freelance contracts in Word
Bonsai is all-in-one business software for freelancers and small agencies, covering proposals, contracts, invoices, time tracking and more. If you mainly use it for contracts, Clausery does that job for free, in your browser, with Word files you keep.
Zoom agreed to buy Bonsai in November 2025 and plans to bring its features into Zoom over time, so some freelancers are reviewing what they use it for.
| Clausery | Bonsai | |
|---|---|---|
| Where contracts are created | Your browser only; nothing is uploaded | Bonsai's cloud |
| Account needed | No | Yes |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| Free contract templates | Yes, 87 Word templates | Yes, a large library |
| Use your own Word contract | Yes: add {tags} to any .docx | Add your wording in Bonsai's contract editor |
| Contract download | Word (.docx), or print to PDF | |
| E-signature | No: sign on paper or with any e-signature service | Yes |
| Invoicing and payments | No | Yes |
| Client portal, scheduling and CRM | No | Yes, depending on the plan |
| Price | Free library templates, plus 3 of your own; Pro $19 per user per month | Paid plans, priced per user, after a 7-day free trial; current prices are on Bonsai's pricing page |
Based on public information checked in September 2026. Products and prices change; check with the vendor.
Choose Bonsai if
- You want proposals, contracts, invoices and time tracking in one app
- Clients should sign and pay online from the same link
- Your team shares client records and projects
Choose Clausery if
- Contracts are the part you use, and the rest of the subscription goes unused
- You want editable Word contracts rather than PDFs
- You do not want to pay per user
- Client details should stay on your own computer
Moving your contracts from Bonsai
- Copy your contract wording out of Bonsai into a Word document, or start from one of the free freelance contract templates.
- Replace each detail that changes with a tag such as
{client_name}, and wrap optional terms, such as a deposit or kill fee, in{#has_deposit}…{/has_deposit}. - Check the file with the free template tag checker, then drop it into the app.
- Send each finished contract for signature the way you prefer. Keep Bonsai or another tool for invoices if you use it.
What Clausery deliberately leaves out
Clausery only prepares documents, and it never holds your clients' details. It has no invoicing, payments, scheduling, client portal, CRM or built-in e-signature. If you use those every week, Bonsai may be worth its subscription. If what you need is a good contract for each client, a template and a questionnaire may be all it takes.
Questions
Can I use Clausery and Bonsai together?
Yes. You could keep Bonsai for the parts you use, such as invoicing and payments, and prepare contracts in Clausery. Clausery needs no integration: it produces a Word file you can send, sign and store however you like.
How much does Clausery cost compared with Bonsai?
Every Clausery library template is free, you can automate up to three of your own templates free with unlimited documents, and Pro is $19 per user per month. The table above summarises Bonsai's published pricing as of 2026; check the vendor for current prices.
Can clients sign a Clausery contract?
Clausery does not collect signatures itself. Send the Word file, or a PDF printed from it, through any e-signature service, or sign on paper. Several e-signature services have a free plan for a limited number of documents.
What happens to my templates if I stop using Clausery?
They are ordinary Word files with tags, and your data exports as plain JSON. Nothing is locked into Clausery.
Try it with your own template
Open the app, drop in a Word document with tags like {client_name}, and you have a questionnaire. Or start from one of the free templates.