Highlights
Invoice Ninja Website
Invoice Ninja has built a loyal following among freelancers and small business owners since its 2014 launch. The open-source invoicing platform stands out from alternatives like Wave, Invoicely, and InvoiceHome through its blend of robust features and cost-effectiveness. What makes Invoice Ninja particularly attractive is that it offers capabilities like time tracking and project management on top of core invoicing functions that many competitors reserve for premium tiers. This review examines Invoice Ninja’s key features, pricing structure, strengths, limitations, and user experiences to help you determine if it’s the right invoicing solution for your needs in 2025.
Invoice Ninja goes well beyond basic billing functionality. It includes extras like proposals, expense tracking, and even task management. Let’s explore its standout features across invoicing, payments, integrations, automation, and customization.
At its core, Invoice Ninja excels at creating professional invoices and quotes. The platform provides multiple invoice templates (4 on the free plan and 11 with Pro/Enterprise) letting users generate invoices quickly and then customize them to match their brand. Invoices are live PDF documents, with any edits updating in real-time for instant preview. Creating estimates (quotes) is straightforward, and these can be converted to invoices with one click once approved by the client, streamlining the workflow from proposal to payment. The platform also supports:
Invoices list in Invoice Ninja
Once an invoice is ready, sending it is hassle-free. You can email invoices directly from the app, integrating with services like Gmail or Outlook. You can even send invoices in bulk, selecting multiple invoices and emailing them simultaneously, with the option to BCC yourself or colleagues. For clients, paying is equally simple. They click a “Pay Now” link on the invoice and settle it online through your integrated payment gateway.
Invoice Ninja makes getting paid straightforward. Clients can pay directly through the invoice’s client portal via a “Pay Now” button: no separate payment link needed. The software supports dozens of payment gateways, offering flexibility for both you and your clients. Major options include:
Managing payments in Invoice Ninja
You can even accept ACH (bank transfers) or Apple Pay and Alipay via supported gateways. Setting up a gateway in Invoice Ninja is free: you’ll just pay the gateway’s normal processing fees per transaction. The platform also supports valuable payment features like:
This tight integration of invoicing and payments gives Invoice Ninja an edge over simpler tools that might support only basic PayPal payments or lack automation in handling partial payments and fees.
While not full accounting software, Invoice Ninja includes basic expense management and inventory capabilities:
These features are particularly useful for recording and rebilling costs, though they lack the comprehensive accounting reports (like balance sheet or double-entry ledger) that full accounting software provides. Many users pair Invoice Ninja with dedicated accounting tools for taxes and bookkeeping.
Tracking expenses in Invoice Ninja
A standout feature of Invoice Ninja, especially for freelancers, is its built-in time tracking and project management. You won’t find this in many invoicing apps; competitors like Wave focus purely on finance, while Invoice Ninja lets you manage your projects and bill hours seamlessly. You can:
This feature is particularly valuable for hourly-billing freelancers (designers, developers, consultants) as it eliminates double entry between separate time-tracking and invoicing tools. While Invoice Ninja’s project management is simpler than dedicated project management software, users appreciate having basic task organization and time billing integrated. You can manage a project from proposal (quote) to tracked tasks to final invoice all within one system.
Invoice Ninja provides a professional client portal where customers can:
This portal is part of the Invoice Ninja platform and can be branded to some extent on all paid plans. With the Pro plan, you can use a custom subdomain (yourbusiness.invoicing.co), and Enterprise allows full white-labeling with your own domain (billing.yourbusiness.com). For entrepreneurs managing multiple ventures, Invoice Ninja supports up to 10 different businesses under one login. Each business can have its own clients, invoices, and settings, available even on the free tier (with limitations on client count per company).
Creating an invoice in Invoice Ninja
Invoice Ninja handles integration primarily through Zapier rather than extensive native integrations. While it doesn’t offer many one-click connectors out of the box, the Zapier integration allows connection with 1,000+ apps. This means you can set up “Zaps” to automate tasks between Invoice Ninja and other software. For example:
Despite relying on Zapier for most app integrations, automation features within Invoice Ninja are strong:
The platform also offers a robust API for custom integrations or scripts, useful for self-hosters or businesses with in-house developers. Its open-source nature encourages technical customization. Invoice Ninja also supports multiple currencies and languages, with automated currency conversion for global businesses.
Invoice Ninja allows extensive customization, especially in its paid plans:
Self-hosting offers even more flexibility. Since Invoice Ninja is open-source, users with development skills can modify the code to create a completely custom system tailored to their specific needs.
One of Invoice Ninja’s biggest attractions is its pricing model. It offers a functional free version and affordable premium plans.
Unlike some competitors’ free tiers (e.g., Invoicely’s 5 invoices per month limit), Invoice Ninja’s free tier is quite generous in volume. The main limitation is the client cap (20) and limited customization options.
At $100/year, it’s competitively priced. FreshBooks’ mid-tier costs around $30/month and limits billable clients, whereas Invoice Ninja Pro has no such restrictions.
Even at higher user counts, the cost tends to be fixed in set bands rather than per-user. For example, Enterprise for up to 10 users is about $30/month when billed annually: still lower than many single-user software packages.
| Plan | Price (annual) | Clients | Users | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 forever | Up to 20 | 1 | Unlimited invoices, 4 templates, basic features |
| Ninja Pro | $120/year | Unlimited | 1 | 11 templates, no branding, custom subdomain, advanced features |
| Enterprise | $140/year+ | Unlimited | 2+ | Multi-user, permissions, white-labeling, priority support |
Self-hosting option: If you install Invoice Ninja on your own server, all Enterprise features are unlocked for unlimited users/clients by default. Self-hosting is free aside from your server costs, with an optional white-label license for ~$30/year to remove branding.
On G2, Invoice Ninja maintains an average rating around 4.5 out of 5. Users frequently praise the extensive features provided at a low cost, with one reviewer noting that Invoice Ninja offers a “feature-rich platform” with exceptional value for freelancers or small businesses on tight budgets. The ability to use robust tools like time tracking and multiple payment gateways for free or cheaply is a recurring theme in positive reviews. Users also appreciate the interface for being mostly straightforward and the software’s continuous improvement. Most appreciated features include:
Freelancers particularly love having time tracking and invoicing in one app, while many small businesses mention that Invoice Ninja saves them time and money by automating billing and simplifying online payments. However, not all experiences are perfect. On TrustPilot, Invoice Ninja’s rating is more moderate (around 3.4 out of 5 as of late 2023). Some complaints focus on:
Despite these issues, most users agree that Invoice Ninja delivers on its core promise: powerful invoicing at an affordable price. Many freelancers have found it hits the sweet spot of functionality and cost after trying several alternatives. The self-hosting capability has particularly dedicated fans. Tech-savvy users enjoy running Invoice Ninja on their own servers and appreciate the cost savings of bundling it with other self-hosted tools.
Yes, the free plan lets you have up to 20 clients and send unlimited invoices. You get core features (invoicing, quotes, recurring billing) at no cost, and you’re never forced to upgrade to keep using the system.
The biggest limitation is the 20-client cap. Additionally, you’re restricted to one user account, limited to 4 invoice templates, and can’t remove Invoice Ninja branding from invoices or use a custom portal URL.
Yes, you can download Invoice Ninja from GitHub and install it on your own server for free. Self-hosting unlocks all features and removes client limits. For white-labeling, you can purchase a license for about $30/year.
Invoice Ninja integrates with 50+ payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Square, and many others. This allows you to accept credit cards, bank transfers (ACH), online wallets, and more. You only pay the gateway’s standard fees.
Not directly. Integration with other software primarily happens through Zapier. You can set up automated workflows between Invoice Ninja and thousands of apps, though this might require a Zapier account and some setup.
Invoice Ninja offers email and community forum support only (no phone or live chat). Response times vary, and some users report that complex issues take time to resolve. The documentation and knowledge base are comprehensive, but there’s an expectation that users will consult these resources first.
Invoice Ninja earns an impressive 4.4 out of 5 stars based on its feature richness, value for money, and flexibility options. The combination of a genuinely useful free tier, affordable premium plans, and self-hosting capabilities makes it stand out in the crowded invoicing software market.
The only significant drawbacks are the limited customer support options and the absence of comprehensive accounting features, though these are reasonable trade-offs given the platform’s primary focus and price point.
Invoice Ninja stands out as an exceptional invoicing solution for freelancers and small businesses who value features and affordability. The platform offers a rare combination of robust capabilities and reasonable pricing that few competitors can match.
For freelancers just starting out, the free plan provides more than enough functionality to handle client invoicing professionally. The 20-client limit is generous for many solo practitioners, and having features like recurring invoices and time tracking at no cost is a significant advantage.
The platform particularly shines for tech-savvy users who value flexibility. The open-source nature and self-hosting option provide a level of control that closed-source competitors can’t match, potentially giving you a completely tailored invoicing system without the enterprise-level price tag.
That said, Invoice Ninja isn’t for everyone. Businesses requiring full accounting capabilities will need additional software, and those prioritizing responsive customer support might prefer services with more robust assistance options.
For most freelancers and small businesses, however, Invoice Ninja hits a sweet spot—offering professional-grade invoicing without the professional-grade price tag. Whether you choose the free version, a paid plan, or self-hosting, it gives you the tools to handle billing efficiently while keeping costs remarkably low.
