Invoice Ninja vs LNbits

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureInvoice NinjaLNbits
CategoryBudgeting & FinanceBudgeting & Finance
LicenseElastic-2.0free
LanguagePHPPython
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, one-click
GitHub stars★ 9,979★ 1,228
First released20142022
ReplacesFreshBooks, QuickBooks

Why pick each one

Choose Invoice Ninja if…

  • Comprehensive billing features
  • Many payment gateway integrations
Invoice Ninja details

Choose LNbits if…

  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • One-click install on common self-host platforms
  • Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
LNbits details

Frequently asked questions

Is Invoice Ninja or LNbits better?

Neither is universally better. Invoice Ninja has the larger community, while LNbits is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Invoice Ninja and LNbits free and open-source?

Yes. Invoice Ninja is licensed under Elastic-2.0 and LNbits under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Invoice Ninja and LNbits with Docker?

Invoice Ninja: yes. LNbits: yes.

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