Bigcapital, Frappe Books, and Invoice Ninja all give small businesses a free, open-source path to managing money without a SaaS subscription, but they diverge…
Freemium · From Free (self-hosted); $20/month (cloud)
Best for: Small and medium businesses wanting a complete self-hosted double-entry accounting and inventory system, or an affordable cloud alternative to QuickBooks
Freemium / Open Source · From Free (self-hosted or up to 5 clients); hosted Pro from $14/month
Best for: Freelancers and agencies who prioritize client invoicing, quotes, and online payments across 40-plus gateways
At a Glance
Bigcapital
Frappe Books
Invoice Ninja
Primary category
Accounting
Accounting
Accounting
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Open Source / Free
Freemium / Open Source
Starting price
Free (self-hosted); $20/month (cloud)
Free
Free (self-hosted or up to 5 clients); hosted Pro from $14/month
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Yes
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Not documented
Mac, Windows
Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Yes
Yes
Standout Differences
Frappe Books is the only fully offline option
Frappe Books stores all data locally in SQLite with no login and no internet connection required, a distinct privacy-first approach that Bigcapital and Invoice Ninja do not offer since both are built around online accounts and syncing.
Frappe Books
Bigcapital covers the deepest accounting workflow
Bigcapital's report suite spans balance sheet, profit and loss, cash flow, general ledger, and AR/AP aging, going beyond what Frappe Books or Invoice Ninja document.
Bigcapital
Invoice Ninja wins on payment collection breadth
With 40-plus supported payment gateways and a client portal for online payments, Invoice Ninja is built specifically to get invoices paid faster than the other two.
Invoice Ninja
All three are free to self-host with no artificial caps
Bigcapital, Frappe Books, and Invoice Ninja can each be run at no licensing cost with unlimited users or transactions, appealing to budget-conscious teams comfortable managing their own infrastructure.
Bigcapital, Frappe Books, Invoice Ninja
Only Bigcapital and Invoice Ninja offer a hosted cloud option
Businesses that don't want to run their own server can pick Bigcapital Cloud or Invoice Ninja's hosted plans; Frappe Books has no official hosted edition of its own.
Bigcapital, Invoice Ninja
Feature-by-Feature
Core Accounting
Feature
Bigcapital
Frappe Books
Invoice Ninja
Double-entry bookkeeping and general ledger
Available
Available
Unavailable
Financial reporting suite (profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow)
Available
Available
Not documented
Inventory management
Available
Not documented
Limited
Client invoicing and online payments
Available
Limited
Available
Deployment and Access
Feature
Bigcapital
Frappe Books
Invoice Ninja
Free self-hosting with unlimited use
Available
Available
Available
Official hosted cloud plans
Available
Unavailable
Available
Offline-first operation with no account required
Unavailable
Available
Unavailable
Multi-currency support
Available
Available
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Bigcapital
Capital Basic — $20/month monthly (annual discount available)
Capital Essential — $40/month monthly (annual discount available)
Capital Plus — $55/month monthly (annual discount available)
Capital Big — $60/month monthly (annual discount available)
Frappe Books
Free (Open Source) — Free N/A
Invoice Ninja
Free (Hosted or Self-Hosted) — Free N/A
Ninja Pro — $14/month or $140/year Monthly or annual
Enterprise — $18-$300/month (by user count) Monthly
Premium Business — Custom (from $280/year) Annual
Pros & Cons
Bigcapital
Pros
Free, unlimited self-hosting option for teams wanting full data ownership
Significantly cheaper cloud tiers than comparable QuickBooks/Xero plans
Covers a genuinely complete double-entry accounting workflow, not just invoicing
Open-source codebase allows customization and community auditing
Cons
Smaller integration ecosystem than established players like QuickBooks or Xero
Self-hosting requires technical setup and ongoing server maintenance
No built-in tax filing or professional bookkeeper network
Smaller company/team than incumbent accounting vendors, which may affect long-term support depth
Frappe Books
Pros
Completely free with no subscription, seat limits, or feature paywalls
Works fully offline, which suits users who want privacy and independence from cloud outages
Clean, modern interface built with Vue.js, unusual for free accounting software
Open-source codebase on GitHub that can be audited, self-hosted, or extended by developers
Data stored locally, giving users full ownership and easy backup or migration
Cons
No native multi-user or team collaboration support within the desktop app
No built-in payroll or advanced ERP modules found in sibling product ERPNext
No official mobile app for on-the-go invoicing or bookkeeping
Relies on community and GitHub-based support rather than dedicated customer service
Local-only data storage means users are responsible for their own backups and device security
Invoice Ninja
Pros
Free, unlimited self-hosted version with no artificial feature caps
Affordable hosted plans compared to FreshBooks or QuickBooks
Supports 40-plus payment gateways and multi-currency invoicing
Native desktop and mobile apps alongside the web app
Bootstrapped company with a long track record and stable pricing
Cons
Self-hosting requires technical setup with a PHP/Laravel server and database maintenance
The Elastic License v2 restricts reselling or offering it as a hosted service to others
Interface feels less polished than some modern SaaS competitors
Free hosted plan is capped at just 5 clients
Advanced features like bank sync and e-invoicing credits are reserved for higher tiers
Use Cases
Choose Bigcapital: Small and medium businesses wanting a complete self-hosted double-entry accounting and inventory system, or an affordable cloud alternative to QuickBooks
Choose Frappe Books: Solo freelancers and micro-businesses who want a completely free, offline desktop bookkeeping app with no account or subscription
Choose Invoice Ninja: Freelancers and agencies who prioritize client invoicing, quotes, and online payments across 40-plus gateways
Bigcapital
Self-hosted bookkeeping for SMBs — Technically capable small businesses self-host Bigcapital for free to keep full control of financial data.
Affordable cloud accounting — Businesses that want managed hosting choose a Bigcapital Cloud tier as a lower-cost alternative to QuickBooks or Xero.
Inventory-heavy operations — Businesses tracking stock across multiple branches use inventory and multi-warehouse features on higher tiers.
Frappe Books
Freelancer invoicing and bookkeeping — Solo consultants and freelancers use Frappe Books to send invoices, track payments, and generate profit and loss statements without paying for cloud accounting software.
Small retail bookkeeping — Small shop owners use the built-in Point of Sale module alongside double-entry accounting to manage day-to-day sales and inventory-linked transactions.
Privacy-focused offline accounting — Businesses that prefer to keep financial records off third-party servers use Frappe Books for fully local, self-managed bookkeeping.
Invoice Ninja
Freelance and consultant billing — Freelancers and consultants bill clients directly with recurring invoices and online payments.
Agency time and billing management — Small agencies track billable time and expenses across client projects and invoice accordingly.
Self-hosted, privacy-focused billing — Privacy-conscious businesses self-host their billing data instead of using a third-party SaaS provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of the three is best for a business that needs multiple users?
Bigcapital is the strongest fit for multi-user teams since its cloud plans include unlimited seats and self-hosting has no user cap. Frappe Books is designed as a single-user desktop app with no built-in team collaboration.
Is Frappe Books really free with no hidden costs?
Yes. Frappe Books is fully open source with no subscription, seat limits, or feature paywalls. There is no official paid cloud edition of Frappe Books itself, unlike its sibling products ERPNext and Frappe HR.
Can Invoice Ninja replace a full accounting system like Bigcapital?
Not fully. Invoice Ninja focuses on invoicing, quotes, payments, and basic expense and time tracking, but it does not document a full double-entry ledger or financial reporting suite the way Bigcapital does.
Which tool works best without an internet connection?
Frappe Books is the only one of the three built to run entirely offline, storing data locally in SQLite with no account or internet connection required. Bigcapital and Invoice Ninja both assume an online, server-based setup even when self-hosted.
Which is cheaper for a business that wants cloud hosting instead of self-hosting?
Bigcapital's cloud plans start at roughly 20 US dollars per month with unlimited seats, while Invoice Ninja's hosted Pro plan starts at 14 US dollars per month but is limited to invoicing rather than full accounting. Frappe Books has no official hosted plan to compare.