Invoice Ninja vs Melio

Two invoicing & payments tools side by side. Prices are the starting plan a small business would pick, in USD.

Short version

  • Invoice Ninja costs less for a six-person team.
  • Melio fits retail shop, restaurant or café, online store.
  • Invoice Ninja fits agency or studio.
  • Melio suits teams past ten people.
CompareInvoice NinjaInvoice NinjaMelioMelio
In one lineOpen-source invoicing with a free tier and self-hostingPay bills by ACH, check, or card, with a free plan
Starting priceFreeFree
Six-person team$0/mo$75/mo
On $10,000 of card salesYour own card processor$290/mo
PlansFree up to 5 clients; Ninja Pro $14/mo ($140/yr); Enterprise from $18/mo for 1-2 usersGo free (1 user, 5 free ACH payments/mo, no extra users); Core $25/mo (1 user, 20 free ACH, QuickBooks and Xero sync); Boost $55 (1 user); extra users $10/mo each on Core and Boost; Unlimited $80 (unlimited users); checks $1.50, paying by card 2.9%; receiving ACH free
Pricing modelFree tierFree tier
Free trial—90 days
Users1 on free1 on Go, Core, and Boost; unlimited on Unlimited
Both connect toQuickBooks Online
Also connects toNo others on recordXero
Team sizeJust me · 2–10 peopleJust me · 2–10 people · 11–50 people
Available inUS · UK · CA · AUUS
Phone supportNone listedBoost and up
Live chatNone listedCore and up
Support hoursNot publishedNot published
Incidents postedInvoice Ninja has a public status page. Status pageWe found no public status page for Melio.
Capterra score4.7 / 5 from 167 reviews4.2 / 5 from 405 reviews
Trustpilot score2.8 / 5 from 6 reviews (few reviews)3.3 / 5 from 1,632 reviews
Fit: Retail shop3065
Fit: Restaurant or café2065
Fit: Service business8578
Fit: Agency or studio8572
Fit: Trades or contractor7072
Fit: Online store4560
Why people pick it
  • Open source and self-hostable
  • Cheap paid tiers
  • Free plan with 5 free ACH payments a month
  • 90-day trial of paid plans
Where it falls short
  • Dated interface
  • Fewer native integrations
  • Checks and fast payments cost extra each time
  • Extra users $10 a month below Unlimited
Visit Invoice Ninja Visit Melio

Six-person prices are what a team of six would pay on the published plans; "Not listed" means those plans don't cover six. Card sales costs include the plan price and card fees at US rates, at a $500 average sale. How we calculate prices

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