What is the top free pick among invoicing tools?

InvoiceShelf leads the Stack Gems list for invoicing tools. Verdict: AGPL SMB invoicing you host. Free forever; not a metering engine.

How many invoicing tools does Stack Gems review?

4: 4 free or open source. Each review has a verdict and an honest Catch; no tool pays for its spot.

Which invoicing tools can I self-host for free?

InvoiceShelf, Inkvoice, SolidInvoice and Invoice Ninja.

Which invoicing tools have the most GitHub stars?

Invoice Ninja (10.3k), InvoiceShelf (1.9k), SolidInvoice (979), per GitHub on 2026-10-19. Stars measure attention, not fit; read the Catch.

What is the catch with InvoiceShelf?

SMB invoices/estimates/expenses/portal + Stripe on your server — not Kill Bill/Lago subscription orchestration or usage metering.

Best of · Payments

Best invoicing tools (2026)

Stack Gems reviews 4 invoicing tools: 4 free or open source. These are the top 4, each with its verdict and the Catch we would want to know before installing it.

Order: free and open source first, then hosted products with a real free tier, then paid-led; catalog order inside each group, with quiet or archived repos last. Not a score, and no tool pays for its place.

4 reviewed · 4 shown in full

1.InvoiceShelfAGPL-3.0 self-host invoices, estimates, expenses, client portal
Free / OSS · AGPL-3.0 · 1.9k GitHub stars
VerdictAGPL SMB invoicing you host. Free forever; not a metering engine.
CatchSMB invoices/estimates/expenses/portal + Stripe on your server — not Kill Bill/Lago subscription orchestration or usage metering. Crater cut re-opened as InvoiceShelf. Distinct from Kill Bill and Lago.
2.InkvoiceMIT freelancer invoicing; self-host primary, tiny Cloud Free
Free / OSS · Freemium · 30 GitHub stars
VerdictMIT freelancer invoices. Self-host free; Cloud Free is a teaser cap.
CatchFreelancer invoicing — not InvoiceShelf SMB suite, not Kill Bill subscription OS, not Lago usage metering. Distinct from InvoiceShelf, Kill Bill, and Lago.
3.SolidInvoiceMIT Symfony invoicing; self-host free, Cloud trial paid
Free / OSS · Freemium · 979 GitHub stars
VerdictMIT Symfony invoicing. Self-host $0; Cloud trial/from $9 is paid.
CatchVs InvoiceShelf/Inkvoice: Symfony/PHP freelancer+SMB invoicing (quotes→invoices, payments, API/MCP). solidinvoice.co leads with 14-day Cloud trial / from $9/mo — free path is self-host ONLY.
4.Invoice NinjaELv2 source-available invoicing; self-host free, hosted Free 5 clients
Free / OSS · Open-Core · 10.3k GitHub stars
VerdictELv2 invoicing. Self-host free for your biz; hosted Free 5 clients / Pro paid.
CatchNOT OSI open source — ELv2 forbids offering it as competing hosted SaaS. Hosted Pro from ~$14/mo (2026 pricing). Vs Lago/Autumn: client invoicing, not usage metering/MoR. Attribution stays unless white-label.

FAQ

What is the top free pick among invoicing tools?: InvoiceShelf leads the Stack Gems list for invoicing tools. Verdict: AGPL SMB invoicing you host. Free forever; not a metering engine.
How many invoicing tools does Stack Gems review?: 4: 4 free or open source. Each review has a verdict and an honest Catch; no tool pays for its spot.
Which invoicing tools can I self-host for free?: InvoiceShelf, Inkvoice, SolidInvoice and Invoice Ninja.
Which invoicing tools have the most GitHub stars?: Invoice Ninja (10.3k), InvoiceShelf (1.9k), SolidInvoice (979), per GitHub on 2026-10-19. Stars measure attention, not fit; read the Catch.
What is the catch with InvoiceShelf?: SMB invoices/estimates/expenses/portal + Stripe on your server — not Kill Bill/Lago subscription orchestration or usage metering.

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JSON: /api/gems?subcategory=invoicing · MCP: best_for on /api/mcp