What is InvoiceShelf used for?

InvoiceShelf is a self-hosted invoicing app for freelancers and small businesses, covering invoices, estimates, payments and expenses. It is a good fit for freelancers invoicing clients and small businesses keeping billing data in-house.

Is InvoiceShelf open source?

Yes. InvoiceShelf is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at InvoiceShelf/InvoiceShelf and is written mainly in PHP.

Is InvoiceShelf free?

Yes. InvoiceShelf is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host InvoiceShelf?

Yes. InvoiceShelf can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is InvoiceShelf an alternative to?

InvoiceShelf is an open-source alternative to FreshBooks, QuickBooks, Zoho Invoice and Wave. Other open-source alternatives to FreshBooks include Invoice Ninja, InvoicePlane and Akaunting.

Is InvoiceShelf actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to InvoiceShelf was on 29 September 2026, and the latest release is 2.4.6, published on 25 September 2026. The project has 1.8k stars on GitHub.

InvoiceShelf: open-source alternative to FreshBooks

About InvoiceShelf

InvoiceShelf is a self-hosted web application for creating invoices, tracking payments and expenses and keeping customer accounts organized. It is aimed at freelancers and small businesses that want a focused workflow while keeping control of their business data. A public demo with sample data resets automatically, so you can look around before installing.

Its capabilities include creating invoices and estimates and exporting them as PDFs, recording payments and seeing what each customer still owes, and tracking expenses, taxes and business reports. Recurring invoices can be scheduled for repeat work, customers get a portal with invoices, estimates and payment history, and you can manage multiple companies and invite team members with scoped roles. Optional official modules add specialized features.

The README distinguishes two versions. The 2.x release is the supported production version, installable from the self-hosted download page or with the official Docker image, while the default 3.x branch is an alpha preview suitable only for testing with disposable data. A minimal SQLite Docker setup is described. It is written in PHP and licensed under AGPL-3.0.

Key features

Invoices and estimates with PDF export
Payment and expense tracking
Recurring invoice scheduling
Customer portal for invoices and history
Multiple companies with scoped roles
Optional official modules

Good fit for

→Freelancers invoicing clients
→Small businesses keeping billing data in-house

Built with: PHP
Tags: invoicing; billing; self-hosted; freelancers; expenses; estimates; php; accounting

InvoiceShelf: questions and answers

What is InvoiceShelf used for?: InvoiceShelf is a self-hosted invoicing app for freelancers and small businesses, covering invoices, estimates, payments and expenses. It is a good fit for freelancers invoicing clients and small businesses keeping billing data in-house.
Is InvoiceShelf open source?: Yes. InvoiceShelf is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at InvoiceShelf/InvoiceShelf and is written mainly in PHP.
Is InvoiceShelf free?: Yes. InvoiceShelf is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host InvoiceShelf?: Yes. InvoiceShelf can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is InvoiceShelf an alternative to?: InvoiceShelf is an open-source alternative to FreshBooks, QuickBooks, Zoho Invoice and Wave. Other open-source alternatives to FreshBooks include Invoice Ninja, InvoicePlane and Akaunting.
Is InvoiceShelf actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to InvoiceShelf was on 29 September 2026, and the latest release is 2.4.6, published on 25 September 2026. The project has 1.8k stars on GitHub.