Invoice Ninja vs Manager.io (2026): which should you pick?

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 Manager.io if

• Fits if you want full books without a subscription and don't mind importing statements
• Works for accountants keeping many client businesses on one Cloud account at $59 a month

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want bank transactions to flow in by themselves, as statements are imported by hand
• Not for you if you want a phone app: there's none, and Cloud runs in a phone browser
• Pricey if just two of you need the books, as that means Cloud at $59 a month or your own server
• Watch out: the Server Edition has no published price, and Manager.io won't install it for you
• Skip it if you need payroll, as payslips are records only, with no payroll tax filing

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.

Manager.io

• The free desktop edition is single-user; several users or remote access need the paid Cloud Edition or a self-run Server Edition.
• The Server Edition page names no price, and Manager.io does not install it for you.
• There is no phone app; the Cloud Edition is used in a phone or tablet browser.
• Bank transactions come in by importing statements, and payslips are records only, with no payroll tax filing described.

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.

Manager.io

Sales and purchases

Quotes, orders, invoices, credit notes, delivery notes, late payment fees and billable time on the sales side, with matching purchase documents.

Bank imports and bank rules

Import bank statements, then let bank rules allocate matching receipts and payments to accounts. Reconcile accounts against statements.

Inventory and fixed assets

Inventory items, kits and locations, plus fixed and intangible assets with depreciation and amortization entries.

Employees and payslips

Record employees and create payslips with earnings, deductions and employer contributions for each pay period.

Works offline

The desktop edition keeps the books on your computer, and a file made on Windows opens on Mac or Linux.

Cloud and server editions

Manager Cloud adds simultaneous users with permissions. The Server Edition runs the same web app on your own server.

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.

Manager.io

• Desktop Edition$0

  Single-user software installed on your own computer. Every feature, works offline, no time or usage limits.

• Cloud Edition$59

  per month for unlimited users and businesses, billed monthly

  The same software hosted by Manager.io at your own address, with multi-user access, user permissions, automatic backups and updates.

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.

Manager.io

• Annual discount

  Pay ten months for a year of Cloud

  Annual billing for Manager Cloud is ten times the monthly price: $590 a year instead of $708.