Invoice Ninja vs Saifa

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 NinjaSaifa
CategoryBudgeting & FinanceBudgeting & Finance
LicenseElastic-2.0free
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, one-click
GitHub stars★ 9,979
First released20142022
ReplacesFreshBooks, QuickBooks

Why pick each one

Choose Invoice Ninja if…

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

Choose Saifa if…

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

Frequently asked questions

Is Invoice Ninja or Saifa better?

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

Are Invoice Ninja and Saifa free and open-source?

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

Can I run Invoice Ninja and Saifa with Docker?

Invoice Ninja: yes. Saifa: yes.

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