Most invoicing tools follow the same pattern: a monthly fee that grows with every client or seat, your data on someone else’s servers, and the useful features held back behind higher tiers. enXure takes the opposite approach. It is free, open-source, self-hosted invoicing and recurring billing that you run on your own server.
We built enXure at HoneyBot Labs for agencies, freelancers and small businesses that want to own their invoicing. It runs as one container stack, and you can have a first invoice out the door in minutes.
What enXure does
- Invoices and quotes. Build a quote with the same line-item tool and turn it into an invoice when it is accepted. Send one-off invoices in seconds, with discount, tax and a live preview.
- Recurring billing. Per-client schedules from weekly to annually, with a double-billing guard, recurring line items, late fees and payment reminders.
- Get paid online. Stripe and PayPal hosted checkout, with a payment ledger that keeps partial payments honest and refunds that reopen the invoice.
- Xero sync. Invoices, voids, clients and payments flow both ways.
- Client portal. A login-free page where each client sees their own invoices and quotes, which saves the “can you resend that invoice?” emails.
- Expenses and receipts. Log costs, bill them back to a client and email a tax pack to your accountant.
- Reporting and an audit log. Revenue, forecasting, tax and client stats, plus a searchable record of every invoice action.
- Secure by default. Two-factor login, CSRF protection, roles and webhook signature checks.
Self-hosted invoicing on your own server
enXure needs a server with Docker and Docker Compose. PHP, MySQL and nginx come up together as one stack, with no Node build step and no external services required to send your first invoice. From the project root, run the compose command from the install guide, open the app on port 8090 and create your admin account on first run.
Your data lives in your own MySQL database and Docker volumes. Nothing is sent to us. Backups, CSV exports for invoices, clients and expenses, and a guided server-migration path are built in.
Free to start, with optional extras
Invoices, quotes, clients, manual payments, PDF export, expenses, backups and two-factor login all work with no licence key. Nine specific extras, such as online payments, recurring billing automation, the client portal, the external API and two-way Xero sync, unlock with a paid licence. Nothing else in the app is gated.
What the AGPL-3.0 licence means for you
You can run, read and modify enXure freely. If you offer a modified version to others over a network, you share your changes under the same licence. For a business running it for its own invoicing, that is simply free software you can inspect and change.
enXure compared with typical hosted invoicing
- Free and open source, instead of a monthly fee that grows with clients or seats
- Your data in your own database, instead of someone else’s servers
- Every core workflow without a licence key, instead of basics behind higher tiers
- One container stack, instead of another login and another vendor
- Your own logo, colours and invoice template, instead of their branding
Who it is for
Agencies and web studios billing monthly retainers with recurring line items like hosting and SEO. Freelancers and consultants who want quotes that convert, reminders that chase for them and a tax pack at year end. Self-hosters who like plain PHP and MySQL, readable source, a REST API and webhooks.
How billing works in enXure, step by step
- Run it. Start the container stack, then create your admin account on first run.
- Add clients and make it yours. Import clients from CSV, set each client’s billing frequency, payment terms, currency and tax, then add your logo, brand colour and invoice template.
- Quote or invoice. Send one-off invoices and quotes, or switch on recurring billing and let it run on each client’s own schedule.
- Get paid. Clients pay by card, PayPal or bank transfer from a hosted checkout link, and payments are recorded in a ledger.
- Follow up. Payment reminders and late fees chase for you, and the audit log records every action.
Moving from spreadsheets or another tool
If your invoicing lives in a spreadsheet or a hosted tool, you can bring clients across by CSV and start billing from enXure immediately. Because exports for invoices, clients and expenses are built in, you are never locked in: your data can be exported and moved to another server whenever you like.
Frequently asked questions
Is enXure really free?
Yes. Invoices, quotes, clients, manual payments, PDF export, expenses, backups and two-factor login all work with no licence key. Nine specific extras need a paid licence.
Where does my data live?
In your own MySQL database and Docker volumes, on your own server. Nothing is sent to us.
What do I need to run it?
A server with Docker and Docker Compose. PHP, MySQL and nginx run as one stack, with no Node build step.
Does it work with Xero?
Yes, as a licensed extra. Invoices, voids, clients and payments sync both ways with your Xero organisation.
Get enXure, or get help with it
Visit the enXure site for the full feature list, documentation and installation guide, or the source on GitLab. If you would like us to install, host, customise or integrate it, see our custom software service, read the case study, or request a call.
