Bonsai to HubSpot
Bonsai is an all-in-one freelancer and agency business tool covering CRM, proposals, contracts, projects, time tracking and invoicing.
Bonsai data can move into HubSpot, landing mainly in Sales Hub. 1 of 7 mapped objects move directly (Companies (clients)); 3 items need manual work and 2 do not move. Plan roughly 1-2 weeks for a small move and 6-10 weeks for a large one.
Migration checklist for Bonsai
Three phases, specific to this system. Tick steps off as you go.
Before
0 of 5 doneDuring
0 of 5 doneAfter
0 of 5 doneWhat will it take?
No price list: cost follows volume, custom objects and how much logic must be rebuilt. Answer four quick questions for a planning range.
The three scenarios
Small migration
<2k companies and contacts, <500 projects
CSV import only.
Mid migration
2k-20k records, with invoices and time
Includes custom objects and association work.
Large migration
>20k records with several years of invoices and time
Likely needs API extraction and heavy staging.
What moves the number
Timeline ranges are planning estimates, not a quote. A partner confirms scope after discovery.
Access, mapping and limits
Start with how data leaves Bonsai: what you need to get in, what lands in HubSpot, and what will not.
A logged-in Bonsai web account is needed for CSV export. A third-party source says the owner role is needed for a full export, which is unconfirmed by the vendor.
Unconfirmed: one third-party guide says only the workspace Owner can run a full export.
Choose your route
How will you move the data?
No native connector was found.
- You need: A logged-in Bonsai web account is needed for CSV export. A third-party source says the owner role is needed for a full export, which is unconfirmed by the vendor.
- Permission: Unconfirmed: one third-party guide says only the workspace Owner can run a full export.
Native imports often bring over only some data, so check coverage per object in the mapping below.
Export each object, clean it, then import it into HubSpot.
- Company Settings > Data > Download Data (CSV): Invoices, Projects, Tasks, Expenses, Companies, Company Addresses and Time Tracked, one CSV per dataset
- Report-level CSV exports (Invoice Report, Activity Report)
Limits: To confirm
Migration and sync tools can move more than a plain import. Confirm which objects each one supports before you choose.
Best when volume is high, custom objects are many or automation is heavy. That is the Large scenario: 6-10 weeks, usually phased.
Talk to a partnerWhere each object lands
In Bonsai
In HubSpot
Hover or tap anything on the left to see where it lands.
| Source object | In HubSpot | Moves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companies (clients) | Companies | yes | The Companies CSV and the Company Addresses CSV are exported separately and must be joined before import. |
| Client contacts | Contacts | partial | The vendor's export list has no separate contacts dataset, so contact people may be missing or embedded in company data. Verify this in a sample export. |
| Projects | Deals | partial | The Projects CSV can seed deals or custom objects. Bonsai's CRM deal and pipeline export is not documented in the sources I found. |
| Tasks | Tasks | partial | The Tasks CSV exists, but the association to projects and owners needs mapping by hand. |
| Invoices | Custom objects | partial | HubSpot has no native equivalent for these invoices; use custom objects or the Commerce invoice object only if a fit is confirmed. |
| Time tracked and Expenses | Custom objects | manual | These have no native HubSpot equivalent and are best archived or loaded as custom objects. |
| Notes, emails and activities | Notes | no | No activity or notes export is documented, so coverage must be audited. |
What to expect
No CSV export is documented for them. A third-party guide suggests saving the PDFs by hand.
These are not part of the data exports and must be rebuilt in HubSpot.
The exports are separate files per dataset.
The exports carry no pipeline or report configuration.
Only dataset CSVs are exported.
Run a test export early and compare it with the UI record counts. Ask Bonsai support about the API and any extended exports.
Confirm API availability with Bonsai before planning any API-based extraction.
Keep the source IDs and names in each file and map associations in a staging sheet.
Decide whether to archive them or load them as custom objects.
Data governance and compliance
Decide what is allowed to move before anything is exported. Tick each gate once it is agreed.
How we researched this page
How much to trust each section, and where it comes from.
Bonsai's help centre documents CSV export and import. I found no vendor API documentation, no HubSpot connector documentation, and no vendor evidence for deals or activity export. The object mapping to HubSpot is therefore analyst judgement, and the API claim rests on a third-party source.
Sources
Related migrations
Frequently asked questions
How do I migrate Bonsai to HubSpot?
1. Confirm which Bonsai plan and role can run the export (the Owner role, per a third-party guide). 2. Export all 7 CSV datasets from Company Settings > Data and record the row counts. 3. Check whether Bonsai exposes deals, pipelines or contacts that are missing from the CSVs. 4. Ask Bonsai support whether API access is available and which plan it needs.
What data can move from Bonsai to HubSpot?
These objects move directly: Companies (clients). Check the mapping table for partial and manual items.
What does not move from Bonsai to HubSpot?
Proposals, contracts and signed PDFs and Bonsai automations, workflows and permissions. Plan to rebuild or retire these.
How long does a Bonsai to HubSpot migration take?
Small (<2k companies and contacts, <500 projects): 1-2 weeks. Mid (2k-20k records, with invoices and time): 3-5 weeks. Large (>20k records with several years of invoices and time): 6-10 weeks. These are planning estimates, not a quote.
What access do I need to export from Bonsai?
A logged-in Bonsai web account is needed for CSV export. A third-party source says the owner role is needed for a full export, which is unconfirmed by the vendor. Unconfirmed: one third-party guide says only the workspace Owner can run a full export.
What compliance issues apply when moving Bonsai data?
Check: Financial records (invoices, expenses) and Signed contracts may contain confidential data. Agree consent, retention and access rules before exporting.
Moving Bonsai into HubSpot?
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