Bigcapital vs InvoicePlane (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bigcapital grades higher than InvoicePlane: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Bigcapital grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bigcapital
Open-source accounting you host yourself, with a cloud version planned
InvoicePlane
Free self-hosted invoicing for quotes, invoices and payments
Which one is for you
Pick Bigcapital if
- Fits if you can run Docker and want your books on your own server
- Works for developers who want open-source accounting they can modify
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to run a server, as the cloud version is only 'coming soon'
- Not for you if you need paid support, since none is published
- Watch out: you handle updates, backups and security yourself
- Watch out: AGPL-3.0 source-sharing rules apply if you modify and offer it to others
Pick InvoicePlane if
- Fits if you only need to send quotes and invoices from your own server
- Works for freelancers who can install PHP software
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need real bookkeeping, as there's no ledger or bank feeds
- Not for you if you want paid help, since there's no SLA and support is community-only
- Watch out: the maintainers can't promise it meets every legal requirement for your business
- Tight if you don't run servers, because installing and updating is on you
- Watch out: it's described as a volunteer hobby project, not a commercial product
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABigcapitalFair | 2.0GPAInvoicePlaneFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree under AGPL-3.0, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. No paid plans are published. | CFree to download, but you need your own server. That's a C by this ladder. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree to run with no limits listed, though the only way to run it today is your own server. | BNo paid plans and no limits listed, though you must install it yourself. |
| Features | BSales and purchase invoicing, general ledger, bank reconciliation, inventory, multi-currency and branches. Nothing core is missing. | CQuotes, invoices, clients, payments and e-invoices. No general ledger, bookkeeping or bank feeds, and the listing says so. |
| Ease of use | DSelf-hosting with Docker, and updates and backups are yours. | DYou install and maintain it on your own server. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only. It runs on macOS, Windows or Linux servers and the site names no integrations. | CWeb only, with PayPal and Stripe for payments. |
| Best for | self-hosted open-source bookkeeping | self-hosted quotes and invoices |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bigcapital and InvoicePlane. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bigcapital has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. InvoicePlane has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Bigcapital scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, none scores higher than Bigcapital for less, and none scores higher than InvoicePlane for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bigcapital also covers reports, bookkeeping and inventory.
- InvoicePlane also covers quotes and estimates.
At a glance
| Bigcapital | InvoicePlane | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The self-hosted edition is free under the AGPL-3.0 license; you pay only for your own server. | Free to download and self-host; there are no paid plans. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Bigcapital Technology, Inc. | InvoicePlane |
| Price read from | bigcapital.app | invoiceplane.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bigcapital
- Bigcapital Cloud is marked as coming soon, so the only way to run it today is to self-host.
- Self-hosting means you handle servers, updates and backups yourself.
- The AGPL-3.0 license has network-use source-sharing terms that apply if you modify and offer it to others.
- The site publishes no paid plans or support tiers.
InvoicePlane
- It is invoicing software, not a general ledger; the site does not list bookkeeping or bank feeds.
- The project says it offers no SLA or paid help, and support is community-only.
- The maintainers say they cannot guarantee it meets every legal requirement for a given business.
- You install and maintain it on your own server.
Key features
Bigcapital
- Sales and purchase invoicing
- Creates customizable sales invoices and purchase invoices, and tracks receivable and payable accounts.
- General ledger and reports
- Keeps a general ledger and runs financial reports such as balance sheet, profit and loss and cash flow statements.
- Bank feeds and reconciliation
- The site lists bank feed syncing and bank reconciliation among its accounting modules.
- Multi-currency accounting
- Records transactions and manual journals in different currencies and uses exchange rates for conversion.
- Inventory and expenses
- Tracks inventory items and expense accounting alongside sales, with accrual and cash accounting both listed.
- Teams and branches
- Role-based permissions limit what each invited accountant or teammate can view or edit, and branches and warehouses sit in one ledger.
InvoicePlane
- Quotes, invoices and payments
- Covers the billing cycle from a quote through an invoice to a recorded payment.
- Client records
- Stores client contact details, notes and custom fields, with basic project and task management.
- Online payments
- Clients can pay invoices through payment providers; the site names PayPal and Stripe and says others are coming.
- E-invoices
- From version 1.6.2 it can create e-invoices that the site says can follow European Union standards.
- Customization
- Themes, amount formats, and email and PDF templates can be changed to fit a business.
- Many languages
- The interface is translated into many languages by community members.
Plans
Bigcapital
Self-hosted$0
Free under AGPL-3.0; you run it yourself with Docker on macOS, Windows or Linux.
InvoicePlane
Self-hosted$0
Free download that you install on your own server; support comes from the community.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bigcapital or InvoicePlane?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Bigcapital and InvoicePlane are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Bigcapital or InvoicePlane?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Bigcapital and InvoicePlane have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.