Invoice Ninja is a strong open-source invoicing tool — self-host it and you control everything. The trade is that you also maintain everything. GigPaper is the opposite bet: fully managed, end-to-end encrypted, and zero servers for you, at a flat price.
From $10/month flat · no client accounts · no cut of your money
Pricing checked in 2026 — always confirm current rates on Invoice Ninja's site.
| GigPaper | Invoice Ninja | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $10/mo flat | Free plan · Pro ~$18/mo |
| Hosting | Fully managed | Hosted or self-host |
| Maintenance / updates | None — we handle it | You, if self-hosted |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card | Free tier |
| Client portal to sign / pay | No — just a link | Yes |
| Proposals & contracts | Yes, click-to-accept | Quotes; limited contracts |
| Time tracking → invoice | Yes, live timer | Yes |
| Automatic overdue nudges | Yes | Reminders |
| End-to-end encryption | Yes | No |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Free data export | Always, one tap | Yes |
You value open source and want full control of your data and hosting. Self-host it and you unlock generous limits for the cost of a server, with the freedom to customize. For the technically inclined, that's a real advantage.
You'd rather run your business than run a server. GigPaper is fully managed — no updates, backups, or uptime to babysit — and your client book and rates are end-to-end encrypted, so even GigPaper can't read them. You get proposals, click-to-accept contracts, time tracking, and automatic nudges, clients open a link instead of a portal, and card payments land straight in your account. One flat $10/month (or $30 unlimited), with free export if you ever leave.
If you don't want to self-host and you value encryption plus the full document workflow, yes. If open-source control is the priority, Invoice Ninja is the better match.
There's a free hosted plan (5 clients, unlimited invoices) and a paid Ninja Pro plan around $18/month as of 2026; self-hosting is free apart from your server costs.
Your clients and rates are end-to-end encrypted and exportable any time. You're never locked in — clients export as a file, documents as PDFs, history as CSV.
30 days free, no card. Clients never sign up. You keep 100% of your money.
Start your free monthComparison is GigPaper's summary for general guidance, based on publicly listed information as of 2026. Invoice Ninja is a trademark of its respective owner and is not affiliated with GigPaper. Pricing and features change — please verify current details on Invoice Ninja's website.