How to set up client billing in Hello Bonsai for Webflow users

While I have written a couple of articles already about Webflow’s client billing feature in the past (you can read these here and here), in light of Webflow’s news to phase out this feature this year, it’s a great idea to show alternative ways to set up a similar arrangement outside of Webflow. Since Webflow is partnering with invoicing app Hello Bonsai, I use this tool in this article as well.

What is “Client Billing”?

Client billing is a service Webflow has been offering which allowed Web Designers and Developers to host their client’s site in their own Webflow account and let Webflow take care of charging the monthly/yearly hosting fee. Some service providers also earned an additional fee for hosting the site in their own account by charging an extra fee on top of Webflow’s regular hosting costs. I myself don’t use client billing and transfer completed projects to the client’s own account (you can read more about why I do this in a previous blog article), however, I have been a long-term user of Hello Bonsai for any invoicing needs.

Why is it being phased out by Webflow and where can I find more details?

According to Webflow, more resources are being needed to roll out other features. You can read more about this announcement in Webflow’s blog post about the phase out, help for transitioning away from client billing can be found in Webflow’s own article. Designers who have used client billing in the past, and aren’t current Hello Bonsai customers, will receive a free 12 months membership, and a 50% discount for the year afterwards.

Setting up client billing in Hello Bonsai

Once you’ve signed up for Hello Bonsai and set up your clients as new clients in the tool, you are able to get started with setting up your reoccurring invoice for Webflow hosting:

1. Press the green plus sign in the navigation bar on the left hand side of the screen
2. Select “Add Invoice”
3. The “Create and invoice” modal will open. Here you can select your preferred invoice type. One option here is to choose “Subscription Invoice”. With this invoice type you can automatically invoice your client based on a billing cycle you set. Once your client has paid the first invoice he will continue to be charged according to their billing cycle. This only works when credit card is enabled as a payment method in your Bonsai settings. Also keep in mind that your client will need a free Bonsai account for subscription invoices to work, as - according to Bonsai - their credit card details will be stored and re-used.
4. Alternatively you can use a so called “Re-occuring Invoice”. This type of invoice does not require your client to have their own free Bonsai account. Re-occuring invoices don’t automatically charge your client’s account. Instead they simply automatically duplicate and send out your invoice, depending on the billing cycle you have specified.
5. No matter if you choose Re-occuring or Subscription invoice, you can manually stop the billing cycle if required or specify a particular date when this should happen.

If you need additional info about how billing works in Hello Bonsai, have a look at their own help article. Got questions or need help with client billing in Hello Bonsai? Get in touch with me!