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CRM & Supportdocker-readySource-available🟡 Standard · ~1GB

Invoice Ninja: Source-available alternative to FreshBooks in 2026

Invoice Ninja manages invoices, quotes and recurring expenses with a built-in client portal for online payments, as a self-hostable alternative to FreshBooks or Bill.com for freelancers and small agencies.

The code is public and free to self-host, but the license isn't OSI open source — check its exact terms before any commercial use.

Alternative to FreshBooksAlternative to Bill.com
License Elastic License 2.010.3k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Not verifiable on GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — v5.13.47 · 3 days ago

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Invoice Ninja vs. FreshBooks

Pros

  • Very complete for freelancers and small agencies
  • Client portal included out of the box

Things to consider

  • v5 ships under the Elastic License 2.0, not a classic OSI license
  • The admin interface can feel overwhelming at first

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on FreshBooks.
  • On your own VPS: free to self-host on your own server with no usage limits — no more monthly SaaS fee, though the license isn't OSI open source (check it before commercial use).
docker-compose.yml
services:
  app:
    image: invoiceninja/invoiceninja:5
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    environment:
      APP_URL: http://localhost # CHANGE THIS TO YOUR DOMAIN
      APP_KEY: change-me-32-char-app-key # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
      DB_HOST: db
      DB_DATABASE: ninja
      DB_USERNAME: ninja
      DB_PASSWORD: change-me-mysql-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
    volumes:
      - ninja_data:/var/www/app/public/storage
    depends_on:
      - db
  db:
    image: mysql:8
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: ninja
      MYSQL_USER: ninja
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: change-me-mysql-password # must match DB_PASSWORD above
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: change-me-mysql-root-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
    volumes:
      - ninja_db_data:/var/lib/mysql
volumes:
  ninja_data:
  ninja_db_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=invoice-ninja" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit today.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
Elastic License 2.0
Category
CRM & Support
Replaces
FreshBooks, Bill.com
Tech stack
PHP (Laravel)MySQLVue.js

Under the hood

Database

MySQL

Language

PHP (Laravel)

Platforms

Web · Mobile (iOS/Android)

Key features

  • Invoices, quotes and recurring expenses
  • Client portal for online payments
  • Multiple payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:80
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy