Invoice Ninja is open-source invoicing software for freelancers and small businesses: invoices, quotes, payments, expenses and time tracking. The hosted free plan is forever free, with 5 clients and unlimited invoicing, 11 invoice templates, your logo, online payments, auto-billing and recurring invoices, projects and billable time, and a client portal. Ninja Pro is $14 a month billed monthly, or $140 a year, and removes the client cap.
What it can do for you
Send an invoice with a payment link, set retainers to bill automatically every month, and give clients a portal where they can see and pay what they owe. Track billable time against projects and turn it into an invoice. Deposits and partial payments are supported too.
What people like
Reviewers rate it highly for recurring billing, payment links, the client portal and the wide range of payment gateways. Being open source means you can self-host it for free.
The honest downsides
- Five clients on free. Most working freelancers will hit that quickly.
- Branding stays. Free invoices carry a "Created by Invoice Ninja" footer until you pay.
- Self-hosting is real work. You handle email delivery, backups and updates. Its own troubleshooting docs and GitHub discussions show updates can break things.
- Not accounting software. Reviewers note there's no bookkeeping, so you'll still need an accountant or an accounting tool.
Skip it if
- you have more than five clients and don't want to pay or self-host
- you want invoicing and bookkeeping in one place
Alternatives
- Better pick for most freelancers: Zoho Invoice. Its free plan is capped at 500 invoices a year rather than five clients, and comparisons rate it as the more polished free option for low volume. It carries Zoho branding and covers up to 2 users.
- Stick with Invoice Ninja if you want open source, or are happy to self-host.
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