🩺 Vitals
- 📦 Version: v5.12.50 (Released 2026-01-26)
- 🚀 Velocity: Active (Last commit 2026-01-28)
- 🌟 Community: 9.5k Stars · 2.6k Forks
- 🐞 Backlog: 900 Open Issues
🏗️ Profile
- Official: invoiceninja.com
- Source: github.com/invoiceninja/invoiceninja
- License: ELv2
- Deployment: Docker / LAMP
- Data Model: MySQL
- Jurisdiction: USA 🇺🇸 (LLC)
- Compliance: None (Self-Attested) / GDPR Features
- Complexity: Medium (3/5) - Laravel setup can be tricky
- Maintenance: Medium (3/5) - Frequent updates, Flutter admin panel
- Enterprise Ready: Medium (3/5) - Great features, but lacks SOC 2
1. The Executive Summary
What is it? InvoiceNinja is a suite of apps (Web, iOS, Android, Desktop) designed to help freelancers and small businesses get paid. It covers Invoicing, Quotes, Payments, Expenses, and Time Tracking. It is widely considered the best self-hosted alternative to SaaS tools like FreshBooks.
The Strategic Verdict:
- 🟢 The "Freelancer" Standard: If you are a solo developer or run a small agency, this tool pays for itself immediately. It supports 40+ payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Mollie) out of the box.
- ⚠️ The License Note: InvoiceNinja uses the Elastic License 2.0 (ELv2). It is Source Available, not OSI Open Source. You cannot resell it as a SaaS.
- ⚠️ The "White Label" Tax: Even if you self-host, the free version includes a "Created by Invoice Ninja" watermark on your PDFs and client portal. Removing this requires a $30/year "White Label License," which is a fair price to support the project but effectively makes it "Freemium" software.
2. The "Hidden" Costs (TCO Analysis)
| Cost Component | Proprietary (FreshBooks) | InvoiceNinja (Self-Hosted) |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | $15-$55/mo | $0 (Community) or $30/yr (White Label) |
| Transaction Fees | Standard + Platform Fee | Standard Gateway Fee (e.g. Stripe 2.9%) |
| Clients | Limited by Tier | Unlimited |
3. The "Day 2" Reality Check
🚀 Deployment & Operations
- The Flutter Shift: Version 5 rewrite introduced a Flutter-based admin panel. This makes the UI incredibly fast and consistent across Mobile/Desktop, but it can be heavier to load in the browser than a traditional HTML app.
- PDF Generation: Generating PDFs (invoices) in a Docker container often requires a specific headless chrome service (SnapPDF). This is the #1 troubleshooting issue for new self-hosters.
🛡️ Security & Governance
- No SOC 2: The SaaS version lacks independent security audits. For enterprises requiring strict vendor risk management, this is a blocker.
- Self-Host for Privacy: Since it handles financial data and client PII, self-hosting is highly recommended. It puts the database behind your own firewall, ensuring compliance with GDPR/CCPA without relying on a third-party startup's security posture.
4. Market Landscape
🏢 Proprietary Incumbents
- FreshBooks: Great UX, but gets expensive quickly.
- QuickBooks: The accounting standard, but overkill for simple invoicing.
- Zoho Invoice: Free, but locks you into the Zoho ecosystem.
🤝 Open Source Ecosystem
- Odoo: A full ERP. Use Odoo if you need Inventory, Accounting (Double Entry), and Payroll. Use InvoiceNinja if you just need to send a bill.
- Crater: A simpler, Laravel-based alternative that is fully open source (MIT), but has fewer features than InvoiceNinja.