Compare / Invoice Ninja vs InvoiceShelf
Invoice Ninja vs InvoiceShelf
Pick InvoiceShelf if you want an OSI (AGPL) invoicing app — the maintained Crater fork. Pick Invoice Ninja if you want the source-available suite and accept Elastic License 2.0.
Facts checked 17 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Invoice Ninja in the catalog InvoiceShelf in the catalogStart on Railway
How they compare
| Invoice Ninja | InvoiceShelf | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Elastic License 2.0 (catalog) — not OSI source | AGPL-3.0 (catalog) source |
| Language | PHP (catalog) | PHP (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 10,287 stars in the catalog | 1,858 stars in the catalog |
| Self-host | Invoices, quotes, time tracking. Published stack uses MySQL + a volume. | Maintained Crater fork. OSI path for invoices you host. |
| Best for | The invoicing suite if you accept ELv2. | Send invoices without an Elastic or BSL license. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Both are PHP. The published combo is /stacks/invoice-ninja-books (MySQL + a volume, mail through Resend). Crater itself is no longer actively maintained and is not a catalog row, so this page compares Invoice Ninja to InvoiceShelf instead of Crater.
FAQ
- Where is Crater?
- Crater's GitHub last moved in 2024. InvoiceShelf is the maintained fork, so /best/invoicing-accounting lists InvoiceShelf instead of Crater. This pair is the honest substitute for Invoice Ninja vs Crater.
- Which one first?
- InvoiceShelf if you want OSI. Invoice Ninja if you want the suite and accept ELv2. Akaunting if you need a general ledger (BSL, not this pair).
- Are these free?
- InvoiceShelf is AGPL. Invoice Ninja is ELv2 (source-available). You pay hosting and send mail through Resend.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open /stacks/invoice-ninja-books. Import a CSV of clients and complete a test invoice.
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