SHSelfHostIndex

Invoice Ninja vs Lightning Network+

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?
IN Invoice Ninja Open-source invoicing and billing platform VS LI Lightning Network+ Get incoming liquidity and double your channels for free
FeatureInvoice NinjaLightning Network+
CategoryBudgeting & FinanceBudgeting & Finance
LicenseElastic-2.0free
LanguagePHPHaml
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, one-click
GitHub stars★ 9,979★ 2
First released20142022
ReplacesFreshBooks, QuickBooks—

Why pick each one

Choose Invoice Ninja if…

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

Choose Lightning Network+ if…

  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • One-click install on common self-host platforms
  • Written in Haml
Lightning Network+ details

Frequently asked questions

Is Invoice Ninja or Lightning Network+ better?

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

Are Invoice Ninja and Lightning Network+ free and open-source?

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

Can I run Invoice Ninja and Lightning Network+ with Docker?

Invoice Ninja: yes. Lightning Network+: yes.

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