Invoice Ninja vs InvoiceGrid — Free Invoicing vs Focused Invoice Chasing
Invoice Ninja is a popular free and open-source invoicing platform that creates professional invoices, accepts online payments, and tracks basic invoice status. It does the creation side exceptionally well — especially for its free tier. InvoiceGrid focuses on what happens when invoices go unpaid: visual tracking, follow-up management, chase history, and email generation. Different stages of the same problem.
What Is Invoice Ninja?
Invoice Ninja is a free, open-source invoicing platform (with a paid Pro plan) that allows freelancers and businesses to create invoices, quotes, and proposals, accept payments online, and manage client records. It's available as a hosted service or self-hosted. Visit the Invoice Ninja website for full pricing and feature details.
InvoiceGrid takes a different approach. Instead of being a full accounting tool, it focuses entirely on tracking unpaid invoices and helping you follow up effectively. The visual Kanban board, chase history, and professional email generator are built specifically for chasing payments.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | InvoiceGrid | Invoice Ninja |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Kanban Board | ✓ | — |
| Today View Dashboard | ✓ | — |
| Chase History Per Invoice | ✓ | — |
| Email Generator (5 Tones) | ✓ | — |
| Follow-up Schedule Planner | ✓ | — |
| Online Payment Collection | — | ✓ |
| Invoice PDF Creation | — | ✓ |
| Recurring Invoices | — | ✓ |
| Free Plan | Free tools | Yes (unlimited) |
| Self-Hosted Option | — | ✓ |
| Starting Price | $12/mo | Free |
InvoiceGrid Pros & Cons
Pros
- Visual Kanban board — see every unpaid invoice in a pipeline view
- Today View shows exactly who to chase today
- Chase history logs every follow-up per invoice with method and notes
- Professional email generator with 5 tones (friendly to collections)
- Follow-up schedule planner for strategic payment chasing
- No setup required — purpose-built workflow
- Simple, focused interface
Cons
- No free plan for the board (free tools available)
- No invoice PDF creation
- No online payment collection
- Not open-source
- Narrowly focused — receivables tracking only
Invoice Ninja Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free plan available (unlimited clients, invoices, and quotes)
- Professional invoice and quote creation
- Online payment collection (Stripe, PayPal, and more)
- Self-hosted option for full data control
- Recurring invoices and subscriptions
- Time tracking and expense management
- Client portal for payments
Cons
- No visual Kanban board for payment tracking
- No chase history or follow-up logging per invoice
- No Today View for daily prioritization
- Auto-reminders are basic — no tone control
- Self-hosted version requires technical setup
- UI can feel dated on the free tier
The Verdict
Choose Invoice Ninja if you need free invoice creation, online payment collection, and client management. Choose InvoiceGrid if your invoices are already going out but chasing unpaid ones is your bottleneck — the Kanban board, chase history, and email generator are designed for exactly that workflow.
Important: InvoiceGrid is Not Accounting Software
InvoiceGrid is intentionally not an accounting tool. It does not create invoices, track expenses, handle taxes, or manage payroll. Its sole focus is helping freelancers, agencies, consultancies, and businesses of all sizes track unpaid invoices and chase overdue payments — with a visual Kanban board, chase history per invoice, a today view dashboard, and a professional email generator.
If you need full accounting, InvoiceGrid is not the right tool. But if your bottleneck is knowing who owes you money and following up professionally — InvoiceGrid was built exactly for that.
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- Harvest vs InvoiceGrid — Time Tracking vs Payment Tracking, What You Need
- Monday.com vs InvoiceGrid — Project Management vs Invoice Tracking
- Square Invoices vs InvoiceGrid — Sending Invoices vs Chasing Them
- Dubsado vs InvoiceGrid — Full Client CRM vs Focused Invoice Tracker
- InvoiceGrid vs Bonsai
- InvoiceGrid vs HoneyBook
- InvoiceGrid vs Notion for Invoice Tracking
- InvoiceGrid vs PayPal Invoicing
- InvoiceGrid vs Stripe Invoicing
- InvoiceGrid vs Airtable for Invoice Tracking
- InvoiceGrid vs 17hats
- InvoiceGrid vs Chaser
- InvoiceGrid vs Jobber
- InvoiceGrid vs AND CO
- InvoiceGrid vs Trello for Invoice Tracking
- InvoiceGrid vs Paymo
- InvoiceGrid vs GoCardless
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Invoice Ninja really free?+
Yes — Invoice Ninja's free plan includes unlimited clients, invoices, and quotes. The paid Pro plan ($10/month) adds more customization, more gateways, and advanced features. InvoiceGrid has no free board tier, but free tools (email generator, schedule planner, and more) are available without signup.
Does Invoice Ninja have a Kanban board for invoice tracking?+
No. Invoice Ninja uses list views with status filters. InvoiceGrid provides a visual Kanban board where you drag invoices between stages (Pending → Reminded → Follow-up → Paid) and a Today View showing daily follow-up priorities.
Can I use both Invoice Ninja and InvoiceGrid?+
Yes. Create and send invoices in Invoice Ninja to manage the sending and collection side. Use InvoiceGrid to visually track which invoices are overdue and manage your follow-up process with chase history and the email generator.
Ready to Track Your Invoices Visually?
Stop losing track of who owes you money. InvoiceGrid gives you a visual Kanban board, chase history, and professional email reminders.