I've been exploring what useful self-hosted services are out there and have been pleasantly surprised by just how many types of tools you can self-host. Many of the current containers I've set up are mostly for personal projects and tasks. However, while researching resource management software, I discovered some self-hosted invoice software that I could try out.

I currently use a service to create and manage invoices, but when I saw that self-hosting was an option, the privacy benefits appealed to me. So, I decided to try out Invoice Ninja's self-hosted version to see if it can replace my current setup.

What is Invoice Ninja?

Self-hostable invoice software

Invoice Ninja is a free invoicing software that can be used as a hosted solution (with premium plans available), or it allows for self-hosting. While aimed at small businesses and freelancers, the software is packed with features.

You can set up your business, add clients, generate quotes and invoices, implement certain payment gateways, and create reports. You can also keep track of your expenses, purchase orders, and the products you offer. You can even set certain invoices to recur or create a portal for customers to access. In fact, I found that the software far exceeded the features I need for my freelancing.

Invoice Ninja also offers mobile apps for Android and iOS, which you can connect to your self-hosted server using your admin credentials and a unique app key.

Setting up Invoice Ninja for my freelancing

Easier than I expected

While it took some time to look up different features and how to set up various things in Invoice Ninja, the platform has plenty of guides and documentation to help you figure them out. I was able to easily add my clients to my dashboard, add items to invoices, and set client-specific currencies.

The invoice format allows you to add an item, its description, and a set rate. Once I finished my invoice, I could easily add any private or public notes I wanted, as well as download the PDF. Once this was done, I could mark it as sent or paid.

Once an invoice is marked as paid, your dashboard updates with the income. However, one drawback I found is that the invoice I marked as complete with the South African Rand as its currency was still counted towards the US Dollar total when setting the view to All. For an expense I recorded, it was once again displayed as a dollar amount even if I used a different currency in the record. This seems to be a bug that specifically affects the All filter.

I was excited to try out the mobile app and was pleasantly surprised that it offered a balance of usability with mobile optimization. I was able to get a quick look at existing invoices and edit any items if necessary.

There are also some pretty interesting features I wouldn't necessarily associate with invoicing software, such as the ability to create tasks. You can assign these tasks to users and view them in a Kanban board. However, I do wish the dashboard were a bit more customizable so that I could get an overview of some of the most important details for me.

Will Invoice Ninja replace my current software?

I'm still deciding

Currently, I use Zoho Invoice as my invoicing solution, partly because I already use Zoho Mail. The most important features I use in Zoho Invoice are also in Invoice Ninja, making it a compelling alternative.

However, I'm still getting to know some of Invoice Ninja's features, and I'm cautious of some of the complexity of self-hosting services — especially because I'm relatively new to the practice. Currently, having my invoice solution in the cloud saves me from losing my data if I perform an update incorrectly or misconfigure something.

However, as I become more familiar with self-hosting, I'll definitely be considering Invoice Ninja as a potential new solution for my invoicing needs. It has a lot more complexity that I plan to dive into as I generate more invoices. I also might consider pairing it with some self-hosted productivity apps.

Since I get paid by bank transfer, I also don't have to worry about payment gateway compatibility for my invoices. This leaves me with quite a bit of flexibility when it comes to choosing the software I use.

Invoice Ninja stands out as a self-hosting solution

Invoice Ninja is a remarkably impressive software solution, and I was surprised by just how many features it incorporates. I'm constantly looking for self-hosting solutions to try, so I'm really glad I stumbled across it. It will still take me a bit more time to get to grips with all its features, but I'm looking forward to diving even deeper into it.