Invoice Ninja self-hosted
The same invoicing stack on your own server; billing is free, the license is source-available, and removing its branding costs extra.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-11
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Free tier / Free tool)
- License
- Elastic-2.0
- Hosting Model
- Self-host (your server)
- Platforms
- desktopmobilewebself-hosteddocker to self-host
- Installation
- Official Docker Compose/INmanage path, or a PHP web-server installation with a MySQL-compatible database
- Operational Setup
- The free path requires PHP or Docker, MySQL, cron and queue workers, TLS, mail, backups, upgrades, and accepting Invoice Ninja branding unless a separate white-label license is purchased.
- Where Your Data Lives
- Clients, invoices, quotes, expenses, payments, and settings live in the deployment's MySQL-compatible database; uploaded documents and generated files live under the persistent storage directory, and APP_KEY protects selected secrets.
- The Catch / Trade-off
- The application is familiar, but the free self-hosted edition transfers uptime, security, mail delivery, backups, upgrades, and branding removal from Invoice Ninja's service to the user.
Replaces 1 paid app
up to $14/mo ($168/yr) in subscriptions
Invoice Ninja self-hosted FAQ
Common questions
Is Invoice Ninja self-hosted free and open source?+
Invoice Ninja self-hosted is a free tool that runs on self-host. The same invoicing stack on your own server; billing is free, the license is source-available, and removing its branding costs extra.
What paid software does Invoice Ninja self-hosted replace?+
Invoice Ninja self-hosted serves as a free replacement for 1 paid SaaS application: Invoice Ninja, saving up to $14/month ($168/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up Invoice Ninja self-hosted?+
Installation: Official Docker Compose/INmanage path, or a PHP web-server installation with a MySQL-compatible database. Setup notes: The free path requires PHP or Docker, MySQL, cron and queue workers, TLS, mail, backups, upgrades, and accepting Invoice Ninja branding unless a separate white-label license is purchased.
What is the catch or trade-off with Invoice Ninja self-hosted?+
The application is familiar, but the free self-hosted edition transfers uptime, security, mail delivery, backups, upgrades, and branding removal from Invoice Ninja's service to the user.