Invoice Ninja is capable and open-source, free if you self-host, or $14 a month hosted. But reconciliation is Enterprise-only, e-signatures are Pro and up, and there is no scheduler. Billbooks bundles the workflow, flat.
Invoice Ninja is a capable open-source invoicing tool, free if you self-host, or $14 a month hosted. The catch is where features live: bank reconciliation is Enterprise-only, e-signatures are Pro and up, and there is no scheduler or quote follow-ups at all. Billbooks bundles the workflow at a flat $7.95, with nothing to self-host.
| Billbooks | Invoice Ninja | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosted price, unlimitedBillbooks Basic vs Invoice Ninja Pro | $7.95/mo | $14/mo (Pro) |
| Free option | 30-day trial | 5-client free tier, or self-host |
| Bank reconciliation | Included on Basic | Enterprise ($18/mo) only |
| Appointment scheduler | Not built in | |
| Automatic follow-ups on quotes | Not built in | |
| Digital signatures | Pro and up | |
| Automatic payment reminders | Pro and up | |
| QR code to pay | ||
| Multi-currency invoicing |
Invoice Ninja pricing as of August 2026: hosted Free (5 clients), Ninja Pro $14/month, Enterprise from $18/month (2 users); the open-source app can also be self-hosted for free. Per Invoice Ninja documentation, bank reconciliation (bank sync) is Enterprise-only, e-signatures and automatic reminders are Pro and up, and there is no native appointment scheduler or automatic quote follow-up. Billbooks includes these on the Basic plan with nothing to host. Sources: invoiceninja.com/pricing, Invoice Ninja docs, billbooks.com/pricing.
The workflow at one price
Reconciliation, e-signatures, reminders, and a scheduler come on the Basic plan, where Invoice Ninja spreads them across Pro and Enterprise or leaves them out.
Cheaper hosted, nothing to run
$7.95 a month hosted, versus $14 for Invoice Ninja Pro, or running and patching your own server for the free self-hosted option.
Scheduler and quote follow-ups
A native booking scheduler and automatic follow-ups on quotes, neither of which Invoice Ninja offers.
To be straight with you: Invoice Ninja is open-source, so you can self-host it for free with full data ownership and unlimited everything, which a paid tool cannot match for the do-it-yourself, privacy-minded crowd. It also has a broad feature set, expenses, purchase orders, projects, and time tracking. Billbooks is for people who want the invoicing workflow bundled at one flat hosted price, with nothing to run.
Reconciliation, reminders, e-sign, and scheduler, all on one plan.
A plan built for high-volume transactions or business models that do not fit the mold.
Contact SalesReal reviews from people who send their own invoices
★★★★★
“I used to hate sending invoices and payment reminders. I never imagined a boring, cumbersome task could be this intuitive and fun.”
★★★★★
“I used to waste hours on invoicing. With Billbooks it is all done before my coffee gets cold, so I focus on growing my store.”
★★★★★
“We are always on the move, and Billbooks keeps our billing just as fast and reliable. No training needed, just invoices out and money in.”
An app so good you will want to get tasks done instead of putting them off. Stay on track and keep your cashflow going.
Billbooks Basic is $7.95 a month against Invoice Ninja Pro at $14. Invoice Ninja also has a hosted free plan limited to 5 clients, and the open-source app can be self-hosted at no licence cost if you run the server yourself.
Invoice Ninja is open source and can be self-hosted, so you can run it on your own server and keep complete control of the data and the code. Billbooks is cloud software only. For teams with that requirement, Invoice Ninja does something Billbooks cannot.
Switch to Billbooks if you are on Invoice Ninja hosted Pro and want bank reconciliation, an appointment scheduler or quote follow-ups, which Invoice Ninja reserves for Enterprise or does not offer. Stay with Invoice Ninja if self-hosting matters to you.
Billbooks is a good alternative for anyone who wants the hosted experience without managing a server, at $7.95 against $14 for Invoice Ninja Pro. It is not an alternative if the appeal of Invoice Ninja is that it is open source.
Only on Enterprise, from $18 a month. Billbooks includes bank reconciliation on the $7.95 Basic plan. If reconciliation is why you would upgrade Invoice Ninja, Billbooks covers it at less than half the price.
Yes, a hosted free tier limited to 5 clients, and the open-source app can be self-hosted at no licence cost. Billbooks has a 30-day trial but no free tier, so for very light use Invoice Ninja costs nothing and Billbooks does not.
No, quote follow-ups are not built in, and digital signatures start at Pro. Billbooks includes both on Basic, alongside an appointment scheduler that Invoice Ninja does not offer at any tier.
If you are happy to run and maintain your own server, Invoice Ninja self-hosted is free. If you want a hosted tool with no server to manage, Billbooks is $7.95 a month, cheaper than the $14 Invoice Ninja Pro plan, and bundles reconciliation, reminders, e-sign, and a scheduler.
Billbooks Basic is $7.95 a month. Invoice Ninja hosted is Free for 5 clients, $14 for Pro, and from $18 for Enterprise, which is where bank reconciliation lives.
On invoicing, Billbooks adds a scheduler and automatic quote follow-ups Invoice Ninja lacks, and includes reconciliation and e-sign on the entry plan. Invoice Ninja is stronger if you want open-source self-hosting or its wider business suite.
No. Billbooks is fully hosted. The free unlimited Invoice Ninja option requires you to self-host and maintain the software.
Yes. Set up clients and start invoicing in minutes, with a 30-day free trial and no credit card required.
A little kit of calculators and generators, on the house.
Comparing your options? Billbooks keeps pricing flat and transparent. Popular with freelancers and small businesses. New to it? Try the free invoice generator first.
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