Invoice Ninja vs Samourai Server
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?
Invoice Ninja
Open-source invoicing and billing platform
VS
Samourai Server
Your private backing server for Samourai Wallet
| Feature | Invoice Ninja | Samourai Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | Elastic-2.0 | free |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,979 | ★ 3 |
| First released | 2014 | 2022 |
| Replaces | FreshBooks, QuickBooks | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Invoice Ninja if…
- Comprehensive billing features
- Many payment gateway integrations
Choose Samourai Server if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Invoice Ninja or Samourai Server better?
Neither is universally better. Invoice Ninja has the larger community, while Samourai Server is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Invoice Ninja and Samourai Server free and open-source?
Yes. Invoice Ninja is licensed under Elastic-2.0 and Samourai Server under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Invoice Ninja and Samourai Server with Docker?
Invoice Ninja: yes. Samourai Server: yes.