What it is
Invoice Ninja is invoicing and payment software for freelancers and small businesses, with tools for quotes, expenses, time tracking, and projects. Users can make quotes and invoices, preview PDFs, manage products, and request client e-signatures on quotes before converting them to invoices. Clients can pay online through supported gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, Square, GoCardless, Authorize.net, and Mollie. Project features include billable time tracking, Kanban boards, task management, and turning tracked work into invoices. It is available on web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, with data syncing across devices. The free hosted plan costs 0.00 USD per free and allows unlimited invoicing for up to five clients. Self-hosted software costs 0.00 USD per free, while server hosting is separately paid. Ninja Pro is 14.00 USD per month, billed monthly; Enterprise is 18.00 USD per month, billed monthly, with the price scaling by account users. Integrations include automation services, a REST API, and webhooks.
Who it suits. Invoice Ninja suits freelancers and small businesses that need invoicing alongside project and time tracking. Contractors can use it to quote work, collect online payments, and turn tracked billable time into invoices.
Good
- Free hosted plan includes unlimited invoicing.
- Quotes can be signed electronically and converted.
- Online payments support several named gateways.
- Tracked work can be converted into invoices.
- Apps are available across desktop and mobile platforms.
Watch for
- Free hosted plan is limited to five clients.
- Self-hosted users must secure their own server.
- Server hosting is separately paid for self-hosting.
Verdict
Invoice Ninja combines estimates, billing, payment collection, and project time tracking across hosted and self-hosted options. The hosted free plan has a five-client ceiling, while self-hosting requires a separately paid server.
Plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Billed |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | forever |
| Self-hosted | $0 | Free to download and self-host; server hosting is separately paid |
| Ninja Pro | $14 a month | billed monthly |
| Enterprise | $18 a month | billed monthly; scales by account users |
| Self-hosting white-label | $40 a year | annual |
| Premium Business | $280 a year | from $280/year |
From Invoice Ninja's own pricing page, checked 21 Oct 2026. Every plan
What the maker publishes
- API
- Pro and Enterprise plans provide REST API access; the v5 API uses the /api/v1 namespace and documents all API areas. source
- Apps
- The maker offers web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android apps, with data syncing across devices. source
- Client portal
- Clients receive a portal containing invoices, quotes, payments and documents, with optional password protection. source
- Company facts
- LinkedIn lists Invoice Ninja as privately held, founded in 2014, headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, with 2–10 employees. source
- Company founding
- Invoice Ninja says it launched in 2014 and is bootstrapped by three founders. source
- Company history
- Invoice Ninja says it launched in 2014 and is bootstrapped and founder-run. source
- Compliance
- The hosted platform states it has completed a SOC 2 examination and identifies PCI-DSS and GDPR compliance; its SOC 2 report is available to customers and prospective customers under NDA. source
- Documentation
- Documentation covers user operations, hosted use, self-hosting, developer workflows, OpenAPI references, authentication, gateways and troubleshooting. source
- Expenses and vendors
- Users can manage vendors, categorize expenses and re-invoice expenses to clients. source
- Founded
- 2014 source
- Free-plan limit
- The hosted Free plan includes up to five clients and unlimited invoicing; Pro and Enterprise add unlimited clients. source
- Integrations
- The maker lists Zapier, Make, Pabbly, n8n, Integrately, REST API access, and webhooks for integrations and automation. source
- Integrations
- Integrations include Zapier, Make, n8n, Pabbly, Integrately, Gmail and Microsoft email sending. source
- Invoice creation
- Users can create branded invoices with customizable templates and real-time PDF previews. source
- Legal name
- Crunchbase identifies the legal name as Invoice Ninja LLC and lists founders David Bomba, Hillel Coren and Shalom Stark. source
- Licence
- Invoice Ninja uses Elastic License 2.0; the official interpretation permits business use and modification but requires a commercial agreement for reselling it as a hosted service. source
- Limit: customer service
- Trustpilot reviewers report rude, unhelpful or slow support and unresolved account or expense problems. source
- Limit: interface polish
- A GetApp reviewer describes the tool as suitable for self-hosting but lacking a polished interface. source
Review
Overview
Invoice Ninja combines invoicing and payment tools with project, time, and expense management for freelancers and small businesses. For a contractor, that can bring estimates, client billing, tracked work, and payment requests into one workflow. The company says it launched in 2014 and is bootstrapped and founder-run.
It is offered as a hosted service or as software to install on your own server. With self-hosting, invoices, client details, and financial information remain on that server, but securing the server is your responsibility. The hosted and self-hosted choices therefore differ in who manages the environment where the data is stored.
See our guide to Contractor invoicing software for more options to consider alongside project and construction needs.
Key features
Estimates, invoices, and payments
Users can create quotes and invoices, manage products, and preview invoices as PDFs. Quotes can be sent to clients for e-signature and converted into invoices. The product also supports estimates, recurring invoices, and payment requests, useful for contractors who need to prepare a price, bill for completed work, or collect payment over time.
Clients can pay invoices online through supported gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Square, GoCardless, Authorize.net, and Mollie. Online payments are included in the hosted Free plan, so a small business can begin using this part of the workflow without a subscription.
Projects, time, and expenses
Project work can be organized with Kanban boards and task management. Billable time tracking lets users record work and convert tracked time into invoices. Vendors and expenses are also included in the Free plan, alongside projects and time tracking.
Integrations and security
For integrations and automation, the maker lists Zapier, Make, Pabbly, n8n, and Integrately, as well as REST API access and webhooks. API access is a listed Ninja Pro feature.
For the hosted service, Invoice Ninja states that data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2 or higher and at rest using AES-256, with multi-factor authentication available. It says the hosted platform has completed a SOC 2 examination and identifies PCI-DSS and GDPR compliance. The SOC 2 report is available to customers and prospective customers under NDA. Self-hosted users need to secure their own server environment.
Pricing
The hosted Free plan costs 0.00 USD per free, billed Forever free. It includes up to five clients, unlimited invoicing, 11 professional invoice templates, online payments, projects, time tracking, vendors, and expenses. The five-client cap may be a constraint as a contractor's customer list grows; Pro and Enterprise add unlimited clients.
The Self-hosted option costs 0.00 USD per free, billed Free to download and self-host. Hosting the server is separately paid. The listed terms include source-code availability and no client limits, invoice caps, or feature paywalls stated. Self-hosted code uses Elastic License v2: it permits business use and modification, but commercial resale or providing it to others as a managed service requires a separate agreement.
Ninja Pro costs 14.00 USD per month, billed monthly, or $140 billed annually. It includes unlimited clients and invoices, API access, custom invoice designs, automatic reminders, reports, and 10 interlinked companies.
Enterprise costs 18.00 USD per month, billed monthly, with price scaling by account users. It lists up to 100 account users, user permissions, bank sync, e-Invoicing and PEPPOL, 250 PEPPOL credits, and document uploads.
Premium Business is listed at 280.00 USD per year, billed From $280 a year · Let's talk! It includes Pro and Enterprise features, a developer concierge, direct priority support, invoice design service, data migration assistance, and custom reports. The maker lists community forums and documentation for all plans, with direct priority support for paid plans on its feature comparison.
Platforms
Invoice Ninja offers web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android apps, with data syncing across devices. The listed platform options also include API access and self-hosting. Mobile apps are available for both major mobile platforms, making it possible to access the service across phone, desktop, and web environments.
Who it's for
Invoice Ninja may suit independent contractors and small construction businesses that want estimates, invoices, online payments, recurring billing, expenses, and billable time in one product. Its project boards and task management can help organize work, while converting tracked hours into invoices ties time records to billing.
The hosted Free plan is a practical starting point for a business with no more than five clients. Contractors with larger customer lists can look at Pro or Enterprise, while those who want to manage their own server can consider self-hosting, provided they are prepared to maintain its security and account for separate hosting costs.
Pros and cons
- Pros: The Free plan includes unlimited invoicing, online payments, projects, and time tracking, with a limit of five clients.
- Pros: Quotes can be signed electronically and converted into invoices, and tracked billable time can be invoiced.
- Pros: Hosted, self-hosted, desktop, and mobile options give businesses different ways to deploy and access the product.
- Cons: The hosted Free plan's five-client limit may not fit a growing contractor's customer base.
- Cons: Self-hosting shifts server security to the user, and hosting is a separate cost.
- Cons: Commercial resale or offering the self-hosted code as a managed service requires a separate agreement.
Alternatives
Contractors comparing billing tools can also consider Zoho Invoice, Contractor+, Traddie, Billdu, Bookipi, Joist, Invoicely, and Invoice2go.
Verdict
Invoice Ninja brings estimates, invoicing, payment collection, projects, time tracking, and expenses together, with a Free hosted plan for up to five clients and unlimited invoices. Contractors should weigh that client cap against their workload, then compare the paid plans or self-hosting if they need more room. Its range of apps and hosting choices may suit businesses that want flexibility, while self-hosting requires taking responsibility for server security and costs.