Self-Hosted
$0software
Free software. You provide the server and a few hours per quarter for maintenance.
Download for freeRecommended · 14-Day Free Trial
Hosted
From $9/month·free plan available(annual saves 2 months)
Fully managed. Updates, backups, email, monitoring, all handled. You focus on invoicing.
Start Your Free 14-Day TrialNo credit card required • 2-minute signup • Cancel anytime
What each option actually costs
"Free" isn't quite free. Here's the honest math.
Self-hosted, per year
- Software$0
- Server hosting (VPS or home)$60 to $240
- SMTP / transactional email$0 to $60
- Cash total$60 to $300
- Setup~2 to 4 hours one-time
- Maintenance~8 to 16 hours/year
Best if you already run servers or want full data sovereignty.
Hosted, per year
- Software + infrastructurefrom $90/yr
- Server hostingIncluded
- Email deliveryIncluded
- Cash totalFrom $90
- Setup~2 minutes
- MaintenanceZero
Best for most freelancers and small businesses.
| Feature | Self-Hosted | Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Core Features (identical in both) | ||
Unlimited invoices and quotes | ||
Client and contact management | ||
Recurring invoices and subscriptions | ||
Multiple user accounts and roles | ||
Multi-currency support | ||
REST API access | ||
Payment integrations (Stripe, PayPal) | ||
| Time & maintenance | ||
Software updates Self-host: you apply them (~30 min/month). Hosted: we do it. | DIY | |
Database backups Self-host: set up cron or managed backups yourself. Hosted: daily automated. | DIY | |
Email delivery setup Self-host: configure SMTP (Postmark, SendGrid, etc). Hosted: works out of the box. | DIY | |
Server monitoring & uptime | DIY | |
| Customization & branding | ||
Remove "Powered By" text from invoices Professional invoices with your branding only. | ||
Custom company branding (logo, colors) | ||
| Support | ||
Priority email support | ||
Community support (GitHub) | ||
| Data & control | ||
Full source code access Same open-source codebase for both. | ||
Deploy on your own infrastructure | ||
Data export (CSV/PDF) anytime Move to self-hosted or another tool whenever you like. | ||
Included DIY = you configure it yourself Not available
Self-hosted is for you if…
- • You already run servers, or you enjoy it.
- • Data sovereignty matters (HIPAA, GDPR, internal policy).
- • You want to modify the source code.
- • Your clients or compliance team require on-premises hosting.
Hosted is for you if…
- • You'd rather invoice clients than maintain a server.
- • You want email, backups, and uptime handled for you.
- • from $9/mo is less than an hour of your billable time.
- • You might switch to self-hosted later, that's fine, your data moves with you.
Common questions
Ready to start?
14-day free trial on the hosted plan. No credit card. Migrate to self-hosted any time.