Invoice Ninja vs Invoicely (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Invoice Ninja grades higher than Invoicely: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Invoice Ninja grades higher on the free plan and platforms. Invoicely grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Invoice Ninja
Invoicing, expenses and time tracking with a free plan
Invoicely
Invoicing, estimates and expense tracking with a free plan
Which one is for you
Pick Invoice Ninja if
- Fits if you're a freelancer with 5 clients or fewer and want invoicing for free
- Works for people who'd like to self-host their invoicing
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 5 clients: the free plan stops there
- Skip it if you want the API, branding removed or payment reminders for free, as they're Pro
- Not for you if you need bank sync or PEPPOL e-invoicing but don't want Enterprise
- Watch out: self-hosting is under the Elastic License v2, not an open-source license
- Too light for bookkeeping: it's invoicing, expenses and time, not a ledger
Pick Invoicely if
- Fits if you invoice a few clients a month and only need PayPal
- Works for small teams, as Basic has 2 seats and Professional 10
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're on Free: 5 invoices, 3 saved clients and PayPal only
- Not for you if you want bank feeds or double-entry bookkeeping, as neither is shown
- Watch out: team seats are none on Free, 2 on Basic, 10 on Professional and 25 on Enterprise
- Pricey if you pay monthly: Basic is $9.99, Professional $19.99 and Enterprise $29.99
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAInvoice NinjaGood | 2.6GPAInvoicelyGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $14 a month billed monthly ($140 a year), inside the category's cheaper quarter. Enterprise starts at $18 for 1 to 2 users and rises with user count. | A$7.99 a month on yearly billing for Basic with 100 invoices a month, under 60% of the $15 that starts this category's cheaper quarter. Enterprise is $23.99. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free plan with 5 clients, unlimited invoices, online payments, recurring invoices and expenses. A freelancer can live on it until the sixth client. | CA free plan of 5 invoices a month, 3 saved clients, PayPal only and 100 emails a month. A freelancer with three clients can get by, but you'll hit it. |
| Features | CInvoices, payments, time tracking, expenses and e-invoicing, but no ledger, and e-invoicing is Enterprise only. | CInvoices, estimates, time, expense and mileage tracking, bills and reports. No bank feeds or double-entry books are shown, so it's an invoicing tool. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It's a web app where you build templates and connect payment gateways, with self-hosting as an option. | CNo store rating on record. You'll build your client list and invoice template before it saves time. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Zapier, Make and QuickBooks, and a REST API on Pro. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net and Mollie. No desktop app. |
| Best for | free invoicing for a handful of clients | cheap invoicing with a small free plan |
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: Invoice Ninja and Invoicely. How we grade
Price against what you get
Invoice Ninja starts at $14 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Invoicely starts at $7.99 a month and scores 2.3.
Invoice Ninja scores higher, and starts $6.01 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Invoice Ninja for less, and 4 score higher than Invoicely 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
- Invoice Ninja is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Invoicely also covers reports.
At a glance
| Invoice Ninja | Invoicely | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14 per month, billed monthly ($140 billed annually) | $7.99 per month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Up to 5 clients with unlimited invoices, 11 templates, online payments, recurring invoices, expenses and projects. | 5 invoices a month, 3 saved clients, payments through PayPal only and 100 emails a month. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Invoice Ninja | Stack Holdings GmbH |
| Price read from | invoiceninja.com | invoicely.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Invoice Ninja
- The free plan stops at 5 clients; the API, branding removal and payment reminders need Pro.
- Bank sync and e-invoicing are Enterprise only, and Enterprise is priced by number of users.
- Self-hosted use is under the Elastic License v2, not an open-source license; reselling it as a service needs a separate agreement.
- Paid plans carry a 30-day money-back promise, per the pricing page.
Invoicely
- The free plan stops at 5 invoices a month and 3 saved clients, and accepts PayPal only.
- Team seats are capped by plan: none on Free, 2 on Basic, 10 on Professional and 25 on Enterprise.
- The pricing page frames it as invoicing; it shows no bank feeds or full double-entry bookkeeping.
Key features
Invoice Ninja
- Invoices, quotes and recurring billing
- Create invoices with 11 templates, take deposits and partial payments, and set up recurring or automatic billing.
- Online payments
- Clients pay from a portal with gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, Square and GoCardless.
- Time tracking and projects
- Track billable time against projects, view them on Kanban boards and invoice the hours.
- Expenses and vendors
- Record expenses and vendors, and run reports on invoices, expenses and profit and loss on paid plans.
- E-invoicing
- Enterprise includes PEPPOL network access with 250 credits and bank account sync through Yodlee or GoCardless.
- Self-hosting
- The source code is on GitHub under the Elastic License v2, so you can run it on your own server using Docker.
Invoicely
- Invoices and estimates
- Create invoices and estimates in any currency, track when they are opened, and convert an accepted estimate into an invoice.
- Online payments
- Clients pay from the invoice. The pricing page lists PayPal, Authorize.net, Stripe and Mollie as gateways, with PayPal only on the free plan.
- Time, expense and mileage tracking
- Log hours, expenses and trips, then turn them into invoices or bills. These tracking tools are not part of the free plan.
- Bills and reports
- Record bills, and view dashboard charts, income and expense summaries, and payables and receivables.
- Team roles and multiple businesses
- Paid plans add team members with permissions and roles, and the account can hold more than one business.
Plans
Invoice Ninja
Free$0
Up to 5 clients, unlimited invoicing, online payments, recurring invoices, expenses and time tracking.
Ninja Pro$14
per month, billed monthly ($140 billed annually)
Unlimited clients, removes Invoice Ninja branding, REST API access, late-payment reminders and profit and loss reports.
Enterprise$18
per month for 1-2 users, billed monthly
Everything in Pro plus bank sync, e-invoicing with PEPPOL, user permissions and up to 100 users; $300 a month at 51-100 users.
Premium BusinessCustom
Priority support, a developer concierge, invoice design service and data migration help; from $280 a year, sold through sales.
Invoicely
Free$0
5 invoices a month and 3 saved clients. Online payments through PayPal only, and 100 emails a month.
Basic$7.99
per month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly)
100 invoices a month, 25 saved clients and up to 2 team members.
Professional$15.99
per month, billed yearly ($19.99 billed monthly)
250 invoices a month, 100 saved clients and up to 10 team members.
Enterprise$23.99
per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited invoices and saved clients, up to 25 team members.
Ways to pay less
Invoice Ninja
- Annual discount
Two months free on annual billing
Paying yearly costs $140 for Pro instead of $14 a month, which the pricing page presents as two months free.
Invoicely
- Annual discount
Lower monthly rate with yearly billing
The pricing page has a Yearly Billing toggle that shows $7.99, $15.99 and $23.99 a month in place of $9.99, $19.99 and $29.99.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Invoice Ninja or Invoicely?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Invoicely is cheaper to start with: $7.99 a month, against $14 a month for Invoice Ninja. Invoice Ninja starts at $14 per month, billed monthly ($140 billed annually), and Invoicely starts at $7.99 per month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Invoice Ninja or Invoicely?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Invoice Ninja and Invoicely have a free plan.
Which platforms do Invoice Ninja and Invoicely run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Invoice Ninja lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.