The Invoice Ninja Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Invoice Ninja in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Invoice Ninja
The Insider’s Guide
Invoicing, expenses and time tracking with a free plan
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among accounting and invoicing tools, read from Invoice Ninja’s own pages.
Made by Invoice Ninja · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Invoice Ninja’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Invoice Ninja’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 56 of the 65 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade
Invoice Ninja is invoicing software for freelancers and small businesses, covering quotes, recurring invoices, expenses, projects and billable time. It runs as a hosted service with a free plan, or on your own server under a source-available license. Paid plans add unlimited clients, an API and, on Enterprise, bank sync and e-invoicing.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Invoice Ninja, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It's a web app where you build templates and connect payment gateways, with self-hosting as an option.
- 1
Best for free invoicing for a handful of clients
Invoice Ninja does invoices, quotes, expenses and time tracking, free for up to 5 clients.
- 2
Paid plans start at $14 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $14 per month, billed monthly ($140 billed annually).
- 3
There is a free plan
Up to 5 clients with unlimited invoices, 11 templates, online payments, recurring invoices, expenses and projects.
- 4
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
- 5
Invoices, quotes and recurring billing
Create invoices with 11 templates, take deposits and partial payments, and set up recurring or automatic billing.
- 6
Online payments
Clients pay from a portal with gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, Square and GoCardless.
- 7
Time tracking and projects
Track billable time against projects, view them on Kanban boards and invoice the hours.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 56 of 65
That is against the other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Invoice Ninja you could make: invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking and quotes and estimates. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Invoice Ninja at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $14 per month, billed monthly ($140 billed annually)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Invoice Ninja, since 2014
- Category
- Accounting & Invoicing
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
Best for free invoicing for a handful of clients
Invoice Ninja does invoices, quotes, expenses and time tracking, free for up to 5 clients. Pro is $14 a month, the API, payment reminders and branding removal need Pro, and bank sync and e-invoicing need Enterprise. It's invoicing, not a full ledger.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Pro 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. |
| Free plan and trial | B | A free plan with 5 clients, unlimited invoices, online payments, recurring invoices and expenses. A freelancer can live on it until the sixth client. |
| Features | C | Invoices, payments, time tracking, expenses and e-invoicing, but no ledger, and e-invoicing is Enterprise only. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. It's a web app where you build templates and connect payment gateways, with self-hosting as an option. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Zapier, Make and QuickBooks, and a REST API on Pro. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Invoice Ninja is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Freelancers with a handful of clients who want a free invoicing tool
- Small teams that bill for time and expenses
- Businesses that want to host their own invoicing system
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$14
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Invoice Ninja has a free plan. Paid plans start at $14 per month, billed monthly ($140 billed annually).
A freelancer can live on it until the sixth client.
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 Business
Custom
Priority support, a developer concierge, invoice design service and data migration help; from $280 a year, sold through sales.
The free plan
Up to 5 clients with unlimited invoices, 11 templates, online payments, recurring invoices, expenses and projects.
Read from invoiceninja.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on invoiceninja.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
Invoicing, expenses and time tracking with a free plan. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: self-hostable, public API, time tracking, invoicing, expense tracking, quotes and estimates.
Invoices, payments, time tracking, expenses and e-invoicing, but no ledger, and e-invoicing is Enterprise only.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Square
- GoCardless
- Zapier
- Make
- QuickBooks
- Slack
Invoice Ninja is made by Invoice Ninja, and has been around since 2014.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
56/65
Other accounting and invoicing tools it is graded above
Invoice Ninja's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 56 of the 65 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 60 of 65) and worst on ease of use (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $14 a month, against a middle price of $18.09 for the category: 21 of the 54 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 66 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Invoice Ninja’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 48 of 65
- BFree plan and trialAbove 50 of 65
- CFeaturesAbove 4 of 65
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 65
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 60 of 65
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 58 accounting and invoicing tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Invoice Ninja is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Invoice Ninja you could make: invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking and quotes and estimates. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 56 of the 65 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade. It costs $168 a year.
What you could make
- Invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking and quotes and estimates: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Stripe, PayPal and Square among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. Invoice Ninja’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Wave, Zoho Invoice, Akaunting, Manager.io and FreshBooks
The 5 tools Invoice Ninja is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Wave
Free plan · from $19/mo
Free invoicing and bookkeeping for US and Canadian small businesses.
- Only Invoice Ninja lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Invoice Ninja is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Invoice Ninja also covers time tracking and quotes and estimates.
- 3.6GPA
Zoho Invoice
Free
Free invoicing app from Zoho for freelancers and small businesses.
- Only Invoice Ninja lists a Linux app.
- Invoice Ninja is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Invoice Ninja also covers quotes and estimates.
- 2.2GPA
Akaunting
Free plan · from $72/yr
Open-source accounting you can host yourself or use in the cloud.
- Only Invoice Ninja lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Akaunting is open source, according to its own site.
- Invoice Ninja also covers time tracking and quotes and estimates.
- 2.8GPA
Manager.io
Free plan · from $59/mo
Free offline accounting for Windows, Mac and Linux, with a paid cloud.
- Only Invoice Ninja lists iOS and Android apps.
- Invoice Ninja also covers time tracking and quotes and estimates.
- Manager.io also covers reports and bookkeeping.
- 2.6GPA
FreshBooks
Free trial · from $23/mo
Invoicing and accounting for freelancers and service businesses.
- Invoice Ninja has a free plan. FreshBooks does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Invoice Ninja lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Invoice Ninja is self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Invoice Ninja free?
Invoice Ninja has a free plan. Up to 5 clients with unlimited invoices, 11 templates, online payments, recurring invoices, expenses and projects.
How much does Invoice Ninja cost?
Invoice Ninja lists 4 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Invoice Ninja work on?
Invoice Ninja is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
Does Invoice Ninja offer any discounts?
Invoice Ninja publicly lists the following: Two months free on annual billing.
Is Invoice Ninja open source?
Invoice Ninja is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Can Invoice Ninja be self-hosted?
Yes. Invoice Ninja's own site says it can be run on a server of your own.
Does Invoice Ninja have an API?
Yes. Invoice Ninja offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Invoice Ninja integrate with?
Invoice Ninja's listing names Stripe, PayPal, Square, GoCardless, Zapier, Make, QuickBooks and Slack.
Who makes Invoice Ninja?
Invoice Ninja is made by a company of the same name. It dates from 2014.
What are the alternatives to Invoice Ninja?
The closest alternatives to Invoice Ninja in our directory are Wave, Zoho Invoice, Akaunting, Manager.io and FreshBooks.
How does Invoice Ninja compare with other accounting and invoicing tools?
Invoice Ninja's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 56 of the 65 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 5.
Is Invoice Ninja good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Invoice Ninja B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $14 a month, against a middle price of $18.09 for the category: 21 of the 54 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Invoice Ninja?
The plain part of Invoice Ninja you could make: invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking and quotes and estimates.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Invoice Ninja’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Invoice Ninja's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Invoice Ninja. Prices change, so check invoiceninja.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Invoice Ninja, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/invoice-ninja
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Invoice Ninja: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/invoice-ninja
Know someone choosing between accounting and invoicing tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/invoice-ninja/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded accounting and invoicing tools after Invoice Ninja, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Accounting & Invoicing Insider's GuideEvery one of the 67 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, compared
- Zoho Invoice Insider's GuideFree invoicing app from Zoho for freelancers and small businesses3.6 GPA
- Zoho Books Insider's GuideOnline accounting from Zoho, with a free plan and six paid tiers3.4 GPA
- Odoo Insider's GuideBusiness app suite whose Accounting app is free when used on its own3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Invoice Ninja’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Invoice Ninja is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Invoice Ninja. Prices and plans change: check invoiceninja.com before you buy.