Best Open-Source Invoicing Software 2026: 6 Options Compared

Open-source invoicing splits into small single-purpose apps and larger systems where invoices are one module. InvoicePlane and InvoiceShelf do roughly what a freelancer needs: clients, quotes, invoices, payments and reports from a web page you host. The larger systems, Bigcapital, ERPNext, Dolibarr and LedgerSMB, tie invoices to accounting, stock and customers, which saves re-typing but means more to learn. A licence note matters here. Invoice Ninja is popular, but its Elastic License is source-available rather than OSI open source, so it is not on this list. Hosting is the real cost: you need a PHP or Python stack, a database, backups, TLS and someone who will apply security updates, because an invoicing server holds customer names and amounts. Before choosing, check that the templates support your legal wording, tax numbers and currency, and that recurring invoices and payment reminders exist. InvoiceShelf's 3.x branch is an alpha preview according to its repository, so most users should stay on a supported release. Run a test invoice through your whole process, from PDF to payment record, before you tell a client to use it.

InvoicePlane

MIT-licensed self-hosted PHP app for invoices, quotes, client records, payment tracking and reminders. The name and logo are copyrighted and their use is restricted.

Price: Free (Free self-hosted software; the repository page lists no price) (InvoicePlane pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. MIT (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 3.3k GitHub stars · latest release v1.7.2 (Aug 28, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Freelancers who want a focused invoicing app.

InvoiceShelf

AGPL-3.0 web app with invoices, estimates, recurring invoices, a customer portal and multiple companies. Version 3.x is an alpha preview, and 2.x is the supported production release.

Price: Free (Free self-hosted software; the repository page lists no price or hosting costs) (InvoiceShelf pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 1.9k GitHub stars · latest release 2.4.7 (Oct 21, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Small businesses wanting a customer portal.

Bigcapital

AGPL-3.0 accounting with invoicing, run with Docker. Use the open-source edition for no fees; the hosted cloud is paid after a 14-day trial.

Price: Free (open-source edition is free to self-host with Docker; Bigcapital Cloud has a 14-day trial and no free plan); paid from $20 per month (Capital Basic, cloud) (Bigcapital pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 4k GitHub stars · latest release v0.25.45 (Oct 23, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Teams wanting invoices tied to real books.

Dolibarr

GPL-3.0 or later, with customer and supplier invoices, credit notes and payment management. It also includes stock and point-of-sale modules, so it is bigger than a pure invoicing tool.

Price: Free (Free software; commercial cloud hosting is sold separately) (Dolibarr pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web (self-hosted), Windows, Linux. GPL-3.0 or later (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 7.8k GitHub stars · latest release 24.0.1 (Sep 7, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Businesses wanting invoices with stock and CRM.

Worth knowing: Needs PHP and MariaDB, MySQL or PostgreSQL; DoliWamp, DoliDeb, DoliRpm and Docker packages exist.

ERPNext

GPL-3.0 ERP with accounting and order management around invoicing. Its README does not mention invoicing by name, so check the demo for the layouts you need.

Price: Free (Free to self-host; Frappe Cloud is the managed option) (ERPNext pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. GPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 40.7k GitHub stars · latest release v15.124.1 (Oct 22, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Companies that already need an ERP.

Worth knowing: Its Accounting module covers recording transactions through financial reporting. Running it yourself means handling hosting, upgrades and backups.

LedgerSMB

GPLv2 web accounting with quotations, ordering and invoicing, plus emailed PDF invoices and customizable output templates. It needs Perl and PostgreSQL.

Price: Free (Free self-hosted software; the repository page lists no price) (LedgerSMB pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. GPL-2.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 571 GitHub stars · latest release 1.13.8 (Sep 11, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026

Best for: Accounting-minded teams with sysadmin skills.

Which one to pick

• You are a freelancer who wants quotes and invoices only: InvoicePlane
• Your clients should log in to view invoices: InvoiceShelf
• You need invoices to post to a real ledger: Bigcapital
• You also manage stock and customers: Dolibarr
• You want PDF invoices emailed from a classic accounting system: LedgerSMB