Kanakku vs Invoice Ninja
Invoice Ninja is a popular open-source invoicing app with an excellent client portal and dozens of payment gateways. Kanakku is the self-hosted alternative for teams that need a full double-entry accounting platform — with country tax packs and resale rights — not just invoicing.
Both are self-hostable and source-available, so this is not a cloud-vs-self-host comparison. The real difference is scope and licensing. Invoice Ninja is invoicing-led under the Elastic License 2.0, and removing its branding needs a paid white-label license. Kanakku is a complete double-entry accounting platform — invoicing, purchases, banking, statements — sold source-included with white-label and resale built into the Extended license, on a modern TypeScript/React stack.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Invoice Ninja | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted / own database | ✓ | ✓ |
| Source available | Included (commercial) | Elastic License 2.0 |
| White-label & resell rights | Included (Extended) | Paid white-label add-on |
| Pricing model | One-time purchase | Free self-host / paid hosted |
| Double-entry general ledger | ✓ | Invoicing-led, limited GL |
| Country tax packs | Six (IN/EU/UK/US/AU/NZ) | Manual tax setup |
| Purchases, banking & statements | ✓ | Limited |
| Client portal | Public payment links | ✓ |
| Time tracking & projects | — | ✓ |
| WhatsApp invoicing | ✓ | — |
| Tech stack | React / TypeScript / Node | PHP / Laravel / Flutter |
| Support & updates | 6-mo support + lifetime updates | Community / paid hosted |
Comparison is provided in good faith for information. Invoice Ninja and its logo are trademarks of their respective owner.
Where Kanakku pulls ahead
- A real double-entry ledger across the whole business workflow — purchases, banking and statements — not an invoicing app with a thin ledger.
- Six country tax packs in the box (India GST, EU, UK, US, Australia, New Zealand) versus manual tax configuration.
- White-label and resale rights included with the Extended license — Invoice Ninja gates branding removal behind a paid white-label license.
- Modern TypeScript / React + Node stack with one-command Docker, rather than PHP / Laravel.
- Integrated WhatsApp invoicing and bring-your-own-key Razorpay / Stripe with verified webhooks.
- Commercial license with 6 months of support and lifetime free updates.
Where Invoice Ninja is stronger
Straight answer, so you can choose well.
- Best-in-class invoicing with a polished client portal and dozens of built-in payment gateways — far more than Kanakku's two.
- Genuinely free to self-host, with a large, active open-source community.
- Built-in time tracking, projects and tasks for service businesses — Kanakku has none natively.
- Mature native mobile apps (Flutter) and years of invoicing-focused feature depth.
Frequently asked questions
Both are self-hosted and open — so why pick Kanakku?
Does Kanakku match Invoice Ninja's payment gateways?
Does Kanakku do time tracking and projects like Invoice Ninja?
Can I rebrand and resell Kanakku?
Own your accounting stack — start today.
Self-hosted, source-included, white-label ready. No per-seat SaaS lock-in.