Invoice Ninja alternatives: 4 free & open-source picks
Compare recorded free and open-source options, their capabilities and operating requirements. Source dates are shown below; licenses, hosted limits and project activity can change.
Quotes, invoices, payments, expenses and a portal inside a much larger ERP than anyone ordered.
licenseGPL-3.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installManaged Frappe Cloud signup, or the supported Frappe Docker/Bench deployment
dataSelf-hosted companies live in MariaDB site databases with site files and attachments on the server; managed-hosting data lives in the selected Frappe Cloud site.
the catch vs Invoice NinjaERPNext can issue and collect invoices but its much larger ERP interface is less polished for client portals, payment gateways, recurring billing, and solo-business onboarding.
setupSelf-hosting is an ERP deployment rather than a desktop install: Docker or Bench, MariaDB, Redis, workers, a reverse proxy, backups, upgrades, and country-specific accounting setup.
facts verified 2026-08-11
Invoices, estimates, expenses, payments and a client portal; the bill arrives as Docker maintenance instead.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour server
installDeploy a stable tagged release with the official Docker Compose example
dataInvoices, estimates, customers, expenses, payments, and settings live in the configured application database, SQLite is available for a small install, with uploaded files in persistent server storage.
the catch vs Invoice NinjaInvoiceShelf has a smaller payment-gateway, mobile-app, integration, recurring-billing, and support ecosystem than Invoice Ninja, with a less mature current release line.
setupThe first obstacle is choosing a stable 2.x release rather than the default next/3.x alpha branch, then operating Docker, persistent storage, mail, HTTPS, backups, and upgrades.
facts verified 2026-08-11
The same invoicing stack on your own server; billing is free, the license is source-available, and removing its branding costs extra.
licenseElastic-2.0
runsyour server
installOfficial Docker Compose/INmanage path, or a PHP web-server installation with a MySQL-compatible database
dataClients, invoices, quotes, expenses, payments, and settings live in the deployment's MySQL-compatible database; uploaded documents and generated files live under the persistent storage directory, and APP_KEY protects selected secrets.
the catch vs Invoice NinjaThe application is familiar, but the free self-hosted edition transfers uptime, security, mail delivery, backups, upgrades, and branding removal from Invoice Ninja's service to the user.
setupThe free path requires PHP or Docker, MySQL, cron and queue workers, TLS, mail, backups, upgrades, and accepting Invoice Ninja branding unless a separate white-label license is purchased.
facts verified 2026-08-11
Quotes, time, expenses, payments and a portal for free; Zoho still keeps an annual invoice ceiling.
licenseproprietary, free
runstheir cloud
installHosted signup or the official mobile/desktop app
dataCustomers, projects, time, expenses, estimates, invoices, payment records, and portal data live in Zoho's cloud; exports and account backups are available.
setup✓ installs clean
the catch vs Invoice NinjaZoho Invoice is easier to adopt but the free service caps annual invoices, users, and projects and retains Zoho branding, making it less flexible than a paid Invoice Ninja account.
facts verified 2026-08-11
latest recorded source check 2026-08-11 · check current terms at the source
CraterStill widely recommended; last push August 2024 and the last release is four years old.
InvoicePlaneQuotes, invoices and payments are solid; expenses and a real client portal never show up.
SolidInvoiceQuotes, recurring invoices and payments are here; expense tracking and a client portal are not.
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERPNext | GPL-3.0 | self-host, real ops | web, self-hosted | 37,700 | 2026-08 |
| InvoiceShelf | AGPL-3.0 | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 1,800 | 2026-07 |
| Invoice Ninja self-hosted | Elastic-2.0 | docker to self-host | web, macos, windows, linux, ios, android, self-hosted | — | — |
| Zoho Invoice | proprietary, free | they host it | web, ios, android | — | — |
They pay because billing software is boring and should not break on invoice day. The recorded subscription totals $168 a year before any costs of an alternative.
Questions about these alternatives
Is there a free alternative to Invoice Ninja?
Yes: ERPNext, InvoiceShelf, Invoice Ninja self-hosted and 1 more. These are recorded free or open-source options. Compare their feature limits, licenses, hosting costs and current availability before choosing.
Should I just build my own Invoice Ninja?
Our verdict is YES. Invoice Ninja is open source, so the hosted subscription can be replaced by self-hosting if you can handle ops, updates, payment config, and backups. Review the scope, implementation prompt and trade-offs in the Invoice Ninja build guide.
