Top 20 Free Invoice Generators on GitHub (2026)
I spent a weekend digging through GitHub looking for the best free, open-source invoice generators. Not the ones that say "free" then ask for your credit card. Actual free tools.
I looked at 50+ repositories, sorted by stars, last update, and whether they actually work without signing up. Here's what I found — ranked by what matters to freelancers.
🏆 The Rankings
| Rank | Tool | Stars | Type | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | InvoiceShelf | 1,706 | Full App | Small businesses |
| 2 | Accountill | 1,688 | Full Stack | MERN stack fans |
| 3 | Easy Invoice PDF | 887 | PDF Generator | Quick PDFs |
| 4 | React Invoice Generator | 671 | React Component | React developers |
| 5 | Simple HTML Invoice | 1,719 | HTML Template | DIY HTML/CSS |
| 6 | Pranav's Generator | 331 | TypeScript | Modern stack |
| 7 | React PDF Invoice | 291 | React + jspdf | PDF export |
| 8 | InvoiceGenerator (Python) | 181 | Python Lib | Python automation |
| 9 | PDFKit Invoice | 230 | Node.js | PDFKit users |
| 10 | HTML to PDF | 120 | Puppeteer | HTML → PDF |
| 🎯 BEST FOR "JUST GIVE ME A PDF NOW" | ||||
| ⭐ | PingPaid Invoice Generator | New | Web App | Zero friction |
🔍 What I Tested
For each tool, I checked:
- ✅ Does it work without creating an account?
- ✅ Can I download a PDF?
- ✅ Is it actually free (no "trial" bait)?
- ✅ Does it look professional enough to send to clients?
- ✅ Is the code open source?
💡 The Problem With Most "Free" Tools
Here's what I kept running into:
"Free" tools that aren't free: Many repos link to SaaS products with "free tiers" that require signup, email verification, and eventually a credit card. The GitHub repo is just a landing page.
Over-engineered solutions: Some tools need MongoDB, Redis, Docker, and a PhD in DevOps to run locally. Great for learning, terrible for "I need an invoice in 5 minutes."
HTML templates without logic: Beautiful templates, but you still need to manually calculate totals, taxes, and due dates. That's not a tool — that's a prettier spreadsheet.
🚀 What I Actually Use
I ended up building PingPaid because I couldn't find something that hit the sweet spot:
- Zero signup (seriously, none)
- Instant PDF download
- Professional templates
- Late fee calculator (because clients are late)
- Break-even calculator (because math is hard)
- Hourly rate calculator (because undercharging sucks)
- Works on mobile
All the invoice generator code is open source on GitHub too — fork it, customize it, host it yourself. No strings.
📊 Quick Comparison
| Feature | InvoiceShelf | Accountill | PingPaid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign up required | Yes | Yes | ❌ No |
| Self-hostable | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (GitHub Pages) |
| PDF Export | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mobile friendly | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Late fee calc | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Hourly rate calc | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Break-even calc | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Setup time | 30 min | 30 min | 0 min |
🛠️ Other Tools Worth Mentioning
Besides invoice generators, I found some solid calculators:
- Accrue.js — Loan/interest calculator (110⭐)
- RoundAndSplit — Tip calculator, iOS/Android (48⭐)
- Tip Calculator App — Frontend Mentor challenge (41⭐)
But honestly? PingPaid's tip calculator, interest calculator, and late fee calculator are simpler and work instantly.
📣 Try It
Open source · No signup · No ads · GitHub
Last updated: June 2026. Star counts are approximate. This is an independent comparison — not sponsored.
Found a tool I missed? Submit a PR.