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Best / Invoicing & accounting

Best open-source Invoicing & accounting

The best invoicing split in the c17.io catalog is InvoiceShelf (AGPL, the maintained Crater fork) or FOSSBilling when you want OSI licenses, Invoice Ninja when you want the source-available suite (Elastic License 2.0), and Akaunting when you need a ledger (Business Source License 1.1 — not OSI). Crater itself is no longer actively maintained, so it is not ranked. The published combo is /stacks/invoice-ninja-books.

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Ranked picks

  1. 1

    InvoiceShelf

    AGPL invoicing fork of Crater — the OSI path for invoices you host.

    When to pick it: Send invoices without an Elastic or BSL license.

    1,858 stars in the catalog

  2. 2

    FOSSBilling

    Apache-2.0 billing and client management for hosting-shaped invoices.

    When to pick it: Clients, invoices, and a simple bill, not a full ledger.

    1,717 stars in the catalog

  3. 3

    Invoice Ninja

    Source-available invoices, quotes, and time tracking already on the QuickBooks stack. License is Elastic License 2.0, not OSI.

    When to pick it: The invoicing suite if you accept ELv2.

    10,287 stars in the catalog

  4. 4

    Akaunting

    Online accounting already named on the stack. License is Business Source License 1.1, not OSI.

    When to pick it: A general ledger. Read the BSL limits before you call it open source.

    10,188 stars in the catalog

How they compare

ToolLicenseSelf-hostBest for
InvoiceShelfGNU Affero General Public License v3.0EasySend invoices without an Elastic or BSL license.
FOSSBillingApache License 2.0EasyClients, invoices, and a simple bill, not a full ledger.
Invoice NinjaElastic License 2.0EasyThe invoicing suite if you accept ELv2.
AkauntingBusiness Source License 1.1MediumA general ledger. Read the BSL limits before you call it open source.

Related pages

FAQ

Which one first?
InvoiceShelf or Invoice Ninja if the pain is sending invoices. Akaunting if you need a general ledger (the Xero-shaped job). That is the stack FAQ.
Where is Crater?
Crater's GitHub last moved in 2024. InvoiceShelf is the maintained fork, so this ranking lists InvoiceShelf instead.
Are these free?
InvoiceShelf and FOSSBilling are OSI. Invoice Ninja is ELv2 (source-available). Akaunting is BSL. You pay hosting and send mail through Resend. Template users never pay c17.
How do I deploy it?
Open /stacks/invoice-ninja-books. MySQL + a volume, send invoices through Resend, import a CSV of clients, complete a test invoice.

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