Actual vs Invoice Ninja
| Tagline | Local-first zero-sum budgeting app with optional cross-device sync | Full-featured invoicing, quotes, and payment platform for freelancers |
| Category | Finance & Budgeting | Finance & Budgeting |
| Replaces | YNAB, Mint | QuickBooks, Mint |
| GitHub stars | 27k | 9.8k |
| Language | Nodejs | PHP |
| License | MIT | Elastic-2.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 2/5 Easy | 3/5 Moderate |
| Deploy options | Docker Docker Compose Manual | Docker Docker Compose Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | today | yesterday |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
Actual
- Bank sync coverage is narrower than YNAB's direct connections, especially outside the US/EU
- No mobile native app; the web app is mobile-responsive but not fully optimised for touch
- Investment tracking and net-worth projections are basic compared to Mint/Quicken
- Multi-currency support is limited and requires manual workarounds
Invoice Ninja
- Elastic-2.0 license prohibits competing SaaS offerings; not truly open-source
- Full accounting (P&L, balance sheet, general ledger) is not available; it is invoicing-focused
- Advanced inventory management absent compared to QuickBooks
- Some enterprise features (white-labelling, advanced reports) require a paid plan even self-hosted
Bottom line
Choose Actual if you want the lower-effort setup; choose Actual for the larger community and ecosystem. Actual has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
Invoice Ninja
Full-featured invoicing, quotes, and payment platform for freelancers