InvoicePlane

Open-source invoicing, honestly reviewed. No marketing fluff — just what you get when you stop paying FreshBooks $55/month and host this yourself.

TL;DR

• What it is: Free, self-hosted PHP invoicing application covering the complete billing cycle — quotes, invoices, payments, and client management [website].
• Who it’s for: Freelancers, self-employed workers, and small businesses who need reliable invoicing but won’t pay SaaS prices for it. Not for anyone who wants accounting, payroll, or complex financial reporting [about page][3].
• Cost savings: FreshBooks starts at $19/mo and climbs fast. InvoicePlane runs on a shared hosting plan for $8–10/mo, or a $5 VPS you already own. The software itself costs nothing [2][website].
• Key strength: It does one thing well: send professional invoices and track payments. No feature bloat, no upsells, no vendor lock-in. Downloaded 100,000+ times from 193 countries [website].
• Key weakness: Community-only support (the maintainers are explicit: no SLA, no paid help, no 24/7 anything), development pace is slow by modern standards, and it’s missing anything beyond basic invoicing — no double-entry accounting, no inventory, no payroll [about page][3].

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What is InvoicePlane

InvoicePlane is a self-hosted PHP web application that handles the billing workflow for small businesses and freelancers: create a quote, convert it to an invoice, send it, record the payment. That’s the core loop, and it does it cleanly.

The project has an unusual origin. It’s the official successor to FusionInvoice 1.x, an open-source invoicing app originally written by Jesse Terry. When Terry relaunched FusionInvoice as a commercial product with version 2.x, a developer going by Kovah forked the open-source codebase and restarted it under the InvoicePlane name. The stated mission on the About page is blunt: keep it free, keep it simple, keep it self-hosted [about page].

As of this writing, the project is at version 1.7.1 with around 3,000 GitHub stars. It’s not a fast-moving project — the version numbers tell you that. It’s been in “1.x” for over a decade. What that buys you is stability: the feature set is known, the bugs are mostly documented, and it’s unlikely to pivot into something you don’t recognize.

The About page includes a disclaimer that’s worth reading before you deploy it: “InvoicePlane is not a commercial product. It is developed in our free time, as a hobby. We do our best to fulfill any legal requirements but we cannot make sure that the app is working 100% correct for your particular business. We neither offer 24/7 support nor any form of SLA or paid help.” [about page]. That’s refreshingly honest, and it’s the trade-off you’re making.

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Why people choose it

The reviews and hosting-provider writeups paint a consistent picture. People choose InvoicePlane for two reasons: they want to stop paying monthly SaaS fees, and they want their invoice data on their own server rather than someone else’s cloud [2][4].

The SaaS escape angle. FreshBooks, Harvest, and Invoice2go all charge $15–55/month depending on plan and client count. For a freelancer sending 10–20 invoices a month, that’s $180–$660/year in software overhead. InvoicePlane eliminates that entirely. You pay for a server (which you may already have) and nothing else [2].

The data ownership angle. When your invoicing data lives in a SaaS platform, the vendor has it, their legal team has access to it in certain jurisdictions, and you get it back as a CSV export if the company folds. With InvoicePlane, it’s a MySQL database on hardware you control [3][4]. For client billing data specifically — amounts, payment timing, outstanding balances — that level of control matters to a subset of users.

Versus Wave (free SaaS accounting). Wave is the common “why not just use Wave, it’s free” counterargument. Wave is free because it’s ad-supported and monetizes through payment processing fees and payroll. It’s also full accounting software, which InvoicePlane is not. If you want accounting, Wave wins. If you want invoicing-only with zero external dependency, InvoicePlane is the cleaner choice [3].

Versus Invoice Ninja. This is the more direct comparison. Invoice Ninja is also open-source, also self-hostable, also targets freelancers, and is more actively developed with a more modern UI. AppMus [3][4] lists both in the same category. The realistic verdict: Invoice Ninja has more momentum in 2026 — a more active GitHub, a hosted SaaS tier, better mobile apps. InvoicePlane is the choice if you want simplicity and a smaller attack surface. Invoice Ninja is the choice if you want a tool that’s still getting new features.

Versus Manager.io. AppMus compares InvoicePlane directly with Manager [3]. Manager is free, cross-platform desktop accounting software that does full double-entry bookkeeping. The comparison is almost apples-to-oranges: Manager is accounting software, InvoicePlane is invoicing software. If you need a balance sheet and a P&L statement, InvoicePlane won’t give you that. Manager will [3].

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Features

Based on the README, website, and third-party writeups:

Core billing workflow:

• Quote creation with line items, quantities, prices, and tax rates [website][5]
• One-click quote-to-invoice conversion [5]
• Invoice PDF generation and email delivery from within the app [5]
• Payment recording and outstanding balance tracking [website][5]
• Recurring invoices [4]
• Multiple tax rate support [4]

Client management:

• CRM-style client database: contact details, addresses, notes [website]
• Custom fields for client records [website][5]
• Per-client payment history [website]
• Basic project and task management [website]

Customization:

• Multiple invoice and PDF templates [website]
• Custom email templates [website]
• Multiple themes for the UI [about page]
• Currency and amount format settings [5]
• Multi-language interface (community-translated via Crowdin) [README]

Payments:

• PayPal integration — client-facing one-click payment [website][5]
• Stripe integration [website]
• Manual payment recording for bank transfers, checks, other methods [5]

Compliance and reporting:

• EU e-invoicing support (compliant with EU standards, added in v1.6.2) [README][website]
• Financial reports: sales, payment activity, client summaries [4]
• User management with access level controls [4]

What v1.7.0 added:

• PHP 8.2+ and 8.3+ compatibility — this was overdue [README]
• Multiple XSS vulnerability fixes across templates [README]
• LFI (Local File Inclusion) vulnerability patches in PDF generation [README]
• SVG logo uploads blocked to prevent embedded script execution [README]

That last point is worth dwelling on: version 1.7.0 is primarily a security and compatibility release, not a feature release. If you’re running an older version in production, you need to update.

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Pricing: SaaS vs self-hosted math

InvoicePlane: $0. MIT-licensed software (LinuxLinks confirms MIT [1], though the GitHub metadata is unlabeled). You pay for hosting only.

Hosting options if you don’t have a server:

• Shared hosting with InvoicePlane pre-installed: $8–11/mo (PeoplesHost) [2], $9.95/mo (GlowHost) [5]
• VPS (Hetzner, Contabo, DigitalOcean): $5–8/mo, full root access, handles multiple apps
• Dedicated server: $129+/mo (GlowHost) [5] — pointless for invoicing alone

FreshBooks for comparison:

• Lite: $19/mo for up to 5 clients
• Plus: $33/mo for up to 50 clients
• Premium: $55/mo for unlimited clients
• Annual billing discounts available but the base structure is per-client-count

Harvest:

• Free: 1 seat, 2 projects
• Pro: $13.75/seat/month (annual billing), unlimited projects and clients

Concrete math for a freelancer with 30 clients: FreshBooks Premium runs $55/month ($660/year) to get unlimited clients. InvoicePlane on a $6 Hetzner VPS runs $72/year with unlimited clients, unlimited invoices, and no vendor to raise rates on you. That’s roughly $590/year saved — not the dramatic four-figure numbers you see with Zapier comparisons, but real money for a solo operator. If you’re sharing a VPS that already runs other apps, the marginal cost of adding InvoicePlane is close to zero.

Hosted InvoicePlane (PeoplesHost, GlowHost) closes the gap somewhat — $96–120/year vs. $660/year for FreshBooks Premium. Still a significant saving, and you get your data on your own install.

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Deployment reality check

InvoicePlane runs on standard LAMP-ish hosting. The requirements are PHP 8.1+ (verified clean with 8.2 and 8.3 after v1.7.0), MySQL or MariaDB, and a web server (Apache or nginx). Most shared hosting plans that support WordPress will support InvoicePlane.

Self-install path (VPS):

1. Upload files to web root (no Docker image is the default path — this is PHP, not containerized by default)
2. Copy ipconfig.php.example to ipconfig.php, set your base URL
3. Navigate to /index.php/setup to run the installer
4. Create your admin account, configure currency and tax settings

What several hosting providers offer [2][5]: one-click install or manual setup included with shared hosting plans. If you’re not comfortable with a VPS, PeoplesHost [2] and GlowHost [5] both install InvoicePlane for free with their shared hosting accounts. That removes the technical barrier almost entirely.

What can go sideways:

• PHP version mismatches. Before v1.7.0, running PHP 8.2+ would cause failures. If you’re on old hosting, check your PHP version first [README].
• Email delivery. Sending invoices via email requires SMTP configuration. Shared hosts often block outbound SMTP on port 25; you’ll need to configure an external SMTP provider (Mailgun, SendGrid, or similar) or use your host’s webmail relay.
• No Docker Compose setup in the official project. If you’re used to docker-compose up and done, InvoicePlane requires either using a community-maintained Docker image or doing a traditional PHP deploy. This is a minor friction for developers used to containerized workflows.
• Upgrades require manual file replacement and running /index.php/setup again. There’s no automatic update mechanism.
• Community-only support. The AppMus writeup [3][4] flags this explicitly: no dedicated customer support channels, primarily forum and documentation. If you hit an edge-case bug, you’re reading GitHub issues and forum threads, not filing a support ticket.

Realistic time estimate for a developer comfortable with Linux: 30–45 minutes to a working instance on a VPS. For a non-technical user using managed shared hosting with one-click install: 15–30 minutes. For a non-technical user setting up a VPS from scratch: budget an afternoon plus a guide.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free software. No license fees, no per-user seats, no feature tiers behind a paywall. The full feature set is available from day one [1][website].
• Runs on standard PHP hosting. No Docker required, no specialized infrastructure. If you have a $8/mo shared hosting account, InvoicePlane runs on it [2][5].
• Complete billing workflow. Quote → invoice → payment is a clean loop. One-click quote conversion, PDF generation, email delivery, and payment recording all work without plugins [website][5].
• EU e-invoicing support. Added in v1.6.2 and refined since, which puts it ahead of many small-business invoicing tools on compliance requirements for European freelancers [website][README].
• Data ownership. Your client list, payment history, and invoice archive live in your database, on your server. No vendor can restrict access, change pricing, or shut down [3][4].
• Customizable templates. Multiple invoice templates, themes, and the ability to modify PDF and email templates means it can look like your brand rather than generic software [website][5].
• Security improvements in v1.7.0. Multiple XSS and LFI vulnerabilities patched in the most recent release — the maintainer is still actively working security issues [README].
• Multi-language. Community translations via Crowdin cover a range of languages, making it usable outside English-speaking markets [README][website].

Cons

• Hobby project with no SLA. The maintainers say it explicitly: no paid support, no 24/7 help, no SLA [about page]. If something breaks during a client billing cycle, you’re on the forum.
• No accounting features. No double-entry bookkeeping, no P&L, no balance sheet, no expense tracking beyond what you manually enter. InvoicePlane is not an accounting tool [3]. AppMus’s comparison [3] shows Manager.io winning on accounting features by a large margin.
• Slow development pace. Version 1.x for over a decade. Feature additions are infrequent; the recent releases are primarily bug fixes and security patches [README]. If you need a roadmap with predictable delivery, this isn’t that project.
• Limited payment gateway options. PayPal and Stripe are supported; other gateways are listed as “coming soon” on the homepage — a message that’s been there for years [website]. If your clients prefer Mollie, Square, or regional payment processors, you’re out of luck natively.
• No mobile app. Access is via a web interface in a browser. This works on mobile but isn’t optimized for it [3][4]. AppMus flags mobile accessibility as limited.
• Requires technical knowledge for setup and maintenance. Community reviews [3][4] consistently list this as a limitation. Non-technical users can use managed hosting providers [2][5], but self-hosting genuinely requires comfort with web server configuration.
• Community-driven support only. Multiple sources [3][4] flag this. Stack Overflow, the InvoicePlane forum, and Discord are your support channels. For a tool managing your business’s cash flow, that dependency is a real risk.
• No hosted SaaS tier from the project itself. Unlike Invoice Ninja (which has a cloud option), InvoicePlane has no official managed version. Third-party hosting providers fill this gap [2][5], but they’re not affiliated with the project.

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Who should use this / who shouldn’t

Use InvoicePlane if:

• You’re a freelancer or solo consultant sending 10–50 invoices a month and paying $20–55/mo for SaaS invoicing software you could replace for free.
• You already have a PHP-capable server or are willing to spend $8/mo on shared hosting.
• Your billing workflow is: send quote → get approval → send invoice → record payment. Clean loop, nothing exotic.
• You’re in the EU and need e-invoice compliance at zero cost.
• You want your client data and payment records on infrastructure you control.

Skip it (try Invoice Ninja) if:

• You want a more actively developed open-source alternative with a modern UI, better mobile experience, and an optional hosted tier.
• You want a project with faster release cadence and more community momentum.

Skip it (use Wave or Zoho Invoice free tier) if:

• You want SaaS convenience with zero setup. Wave’s free tier handles invoicing and basic accounting. You give up data control; you gain zero maintenance.
• You’re not comfortable with any server management at all, even basic shared hosting setup.

Skip it (use Manager.io or Akaunting) if:

• You need actual accounting — double-entry bookkeeping, expense tracking, balance sheets. InvoicePlane doesn’t do this [3]. Manager.io is free and cross-platform for full accounting needs.

Skip it (use FreshBooks) if:

• You need 24/7 support backed by a SLA.
• Your accountant requires you to use software with a support contract.
• Time saved on billing is worth more to you than money saved on software.

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Alternatives worth considering

• Invoice Ninja — direct open-source competitor. More modern codebase, actively developed, has an optional paid hosted tier, better mobile apps. Self-hostable for free. Strong choice if InvoicePlane feels too slow-moving.
• Akaunting — open-source accounting software (not just invoicing). Includes expense tracking, bank reconciliation, and multi-currency support. More complex to set up, more powerful for full financial management.
• Manager.io — free cross-platform accounting software (desktop + web). Full double-entry bookkeeping. Choose this if you need accounting, not just invoicing [3].
• Wave — free SaaS accounting and invoicing. No self-hosting, but also no setup. Trade data control for convenience.
• Hiveage — SaaS, starts free, scales by invoice volume. More polished mobile experience.
• FreshBooks — the premium commercial option. Best-in-class UX, time tracking, expense management, accountant integrations. $19–55/mo.
• Dolibarr — open-source ERP with invoicing as one module. Overkill for freelancers, worth considering for small businesses that also need CRM, HR, and inventory.

For a freelancer specifically, the realistic shortlist is InvoicePlane vs Invoice Ninja. InvoicePlane wins on simplicity and lower resource requirements. Invoice Ninja wins on active development and feature breadth.

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Bottom line

InvoicePlane is not trying to compete with FreshBooks on features. It’s trying to give freelancers and small businesses a working invoicing tool that costs nothing, runs on cheap hosting, and doesn’t send your client data to a vendor’s cloud. On those terms, it delivers. The billing workflow is complete, the templates are serviceable, the EU e-invoicing support is a genuine differentiator, and it runs on the most basic PHP hosting available.

The honest downsides are real, though. Development is slow, support is community-only, and the maintainers have said clearly that they can’t guarantee correctness for your specific business situation. If that’s a deal-breaker — if you need an SLA or a support ticket system — you need to pay for SaaS. But if you’re a freelancer paying $33–55/month for FreshBooks to send 20 invoices a month, InvoicePlane on a shared host at $8–10/month is a straightforward trade with a clear math advantage.

If the setup is the part that stops you, that’s exactly what upready.dev handles for clients — one-time deployment, you own the infrastructure from there.

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Sources

1. LinuxLinks — “InvoicePlane - self-hosting invoicing for freelancers and small businesses”. https://www.linuxlinks.com/invoiceplane-self-hosting-invoicing-freelancers-small-businesses/
2. PeoplesHost — “InvoicePlane Hosting | Free Invoicing”. https://www.peopleshost.com/invoiceplane-hosting/
3. AppMus — “InvoicePlane vs Manager Comparison (2026) | Feature by Feature”. https://appmus.com/vs/invoiceplane-vs-manager
4. AppMus — “InvoicePlane: Features, Alternatives & Analysis (2026)”. https://appmus.com/software/invoiceplane
5. GlowHost — “InvoicePlane - Web Hosting Services”. https://apps.glowhost.com/ecommerce/invoiceplane/

Primary sources:

• GitHub repository: https://github.com/invoiceplane/invoiceplane (~3,000 stars)
• Official website: https://www.invoiceplane.com
• About page: https://www.invoiceplane.com/about
• Downloads page: https://www.invoiceplane.com/downloads