InvoiceShelf vs InvoiceSherpa
InvoiceShelf
invoiceshelf.comInvoiceSherpa
invoicesherpa.comSide by side
| Figure | InvoiceShelf | InvoiceSherpa |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 3 |
| Spec score · Accounts Receivable Software | 8.4 (#2) | 7.7 (#13) |
| Customer portal | Customers can view invoices, estimates, and payments through a private portal without creating separate accounts. | Its customer portal lets customers view, pay, and ask questions about invoices, set up payment plans, and enroll in automatic payments. |
| Security | The InvoiceShelf 2.4.6 release notes say it fixed two security issues involving file disk selection and saved storage credentials. | InvoiceSherpa says information is stored on servers in the United States and that it uses industry-reasonable physical, electronic, and managerial safeguards. |
| Support | The product page lists community support on Discord and links to GitHub Discussions for installation help. | All plans include 100% North American based support plus email and chat support. |
Plans
InvoiceSherpa
- Sole Proprietor$49 a month
- Small Business$99 a month
- Enterprise$199 a month
In their own words
InvoiceShelf
InvoiceShelf is a free, open-source, self-hosted web application for invoices, estimates, payment tracking, and expense management. It supports branded documents, custom fields, tax rules, multiple currencies, and PDF templates. Recurring invoices can be generated for retainers, subscriptions, and repeat customers, while reports cover sales, taxes, overdue balances, and profit. Customers can view invoices, estimates, and payments in a private portal without creating a separate account. Users can record partial and full payments; the homepage lists Stripe checkout for online card payments. The application also supports payment reminders, remote file storage through listed drivers such as Dropbox, Amazon S3, and DigitalOcean Spaces, and backups from its interface. Backups can include everything, only the database, or only files. It advertises a REST API and module system, while webhooks are marked as coming soon. Hosting requires PHP 8.3 or 8.4, Nginx or Apache, and a supported database. The free plan is listed as free and includes unlimited invoices and customers.
InvoiceSherpa
InvoiceSherpa is a web-based accounts receivable platform that combines invoice follow-up with payment collection. It sends customizable email and SMS reminders when invoices are created, nearing their due date, overdue, or paid. Customers can use a portal to review and pay invoices, ask questions, arrange payment plans, or enroll in automatic payments; payment from reminders is available by credit card or ACH. Businesses can set automatic payments, recurring charges, late fees, and payment plans. InvoiceSherpa connects with QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Clio, and lists payment integrations including Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, Forte, LawPay, PayTrace, ProPay, Propelr, and QuickBooks Payments. Payments are posted and reconciled to connected accounting software. Plans start at $49 a month for up to 100 open invoices; Small Business costs $99 a month for 101–500, and Enterprise costs $199 a month for unlimited open invoices. A 14-day trial does not require a credit card. All plans include North American-based support by email and chat. A 1% transaction fee applies to paid invoices, with a stated waiver for Propelr payments when opening a new account through the integrations page.