InvoicePlane vs Spoolman
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted crm & business apps options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
InvoicePlane
Self-hosted invoicing and quote management application
VS
Spoolman
Keep track of your inventory of 3D-printer filament spools
| Feature | InvoicePlane | Spoolman |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,104 | ★ 2,686 |
| First released | 2014 | 2026 |
| Replaces | FreshBooks, QuickBooks | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Spoolman if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is InvoicePlane or Spoolman better?
InvoicePlane is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Spoolman if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are InvoicePlane and Spoolman free and open-source?
Yes. InvoicePlane is licensed under MIT and Spoolman under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run InvoicePlane and Spoolman with Docker?
InvoicePlane: yes. Spoolman: yes.