What AI assistants actually recommend when buyers ask about self-hosted invoicing software — measured weekly across 4 engines, published as open data.
Updated 2026-08-01 · 56 sampled answers · rolling 4-week window · methodology
Rankings are measured from sampled AI answers — never editorial, never paid. Orbator builds AI-visibility tooling; when Orbator itself appears in any category, it is measured by the same rules as everyone else.
Sample: 56 AI answers · Window: Jul 4, 2026 – Aug 1, 2026 (4-week rolling) · trend vs prior 4 weeks (42 answers)
Across 56 sampled AI answers from 4 engines, Invoice Ninja is recommended most often — appearing in 91.1% of recommendations, followed by InvoicePlane (62.5%) and Akaunting (42.9%).
This is a measurement of share of voice across 4 AI engines — not an editorial pick. See the full ranking below.
| # | Product | Share | Trend | Engines | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Invoice Ninja invoiceninja.com | 91.1% 95% CI 80.7–96.1% 51 mentions · avg pos 3.4 first pick 54.9% | — | GEMINI 95.2%CHATGPT 85.7%CLAUDE 85.7%PERPLEXITY 90.5% | Claim |
| 2 | InvoicePlane invoiceplane.com Best for: AI recommends InvoicePlane most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (100% of those answers) | 62.5% 95% CI 49.4–74% 35 mentions · avg pos 5.9 first pick 8.6% | — | GEMINI 90.5%CHATGPT 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 61.9% | Claim |
| 3 | Akaunting akaunting.com Best for: AI recommends Akaunting most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (88.9% of those answers) | 42.9% 95% CI 30.8–55.9% 24 mentions · avg pos 8.9 first pick 4.2% | — | GEMINI 47.6%CHATGPT 71.4%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 33.3% | Claim |
| 4 | Docker docker.com Best for: AI recommends Docker most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (100% of those answers) | 37.5% 95% CI 26–50.6% 21 mentions · avg pos 8.9 first pick 9.5% | — | GEMINI 28.6%CHATGPT 57.1%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 47.6% | Claim |
| 5 | InvoiceShelf Best for: AI recommends InvoiceShelf most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (55.6% of those answers) | 30.4% 95% CI 19.9–43.3% 17 mentions · avg pos 9.1 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 47.6%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 6 | Crater crater.financial Best for: AI recommends Crater most when buyers ask “best open-source invoicing tool for a small business that needs recurring billing and tax support” (77.8% of those answers) | 28.6% 95% CI 18.4–41.5% 16 mentions · avg pos 6.3 first pick 6.3% | — | GEMINI 19%CHATGPT 42.9%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 38.1% | Claim |
| 7 | SolidInvoice solidinvoice.co Best for: AI recommends SolidInvoice most when buyers ask “self-hosted open-source invoicing vs hosted accounting tools — what's the right split for a small business” (55.6% of those answers) | 23.2% 95% CI 14.1–35.8% 13 mentions · avg pos 4.6 first pick 7.7% | — | GEMINI 42.9%PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 8 | OpenSourceBilling Best for: AI recommends OpenSourceBilling most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (77.8% of those answers) | 23.2% 95% CI 14.1–35.8% 13 mentions · avg pos 6.6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 42.9%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 9 | Dolibarr Best for: AI recommends Dolibarr most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (33.3% of those answers) | 21.4% 95% CI 12.7–33.8% 12 mentions · avg pos 7 first pick 16.7% | — | GEMINI 19%CHATGPT 42.9%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 10 | QuickBooks quickbooks.intuit.com Best for: AI recommends QuickBooks most when buyers ask “self-hosted open-source invoicing vs hosted accounting tools — what's the right split for a small business” (77.8% of those answers) | 19.6% 95% CI 11.3–31.8% 11 mentions · avg pos 28.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 28.6%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 11 | Lago getlago.com Best for: AI recommends Lago most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (66.7% of those answers) | 17.9% 95% CI 10–29.8% 10 mentions · avg pos 6.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 19%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 12 | PostgreSQL postgresql.org Best for: AI recommends PostgreSQL most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (88.9% of those answers) | 17.9% 95% CI 10–29.8% 10 mentions · avg pos 17.4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 42.9%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 13 | Kill Bill Best for: AI recommends Kill Bill most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (66.7% of those answers) | 16.1% 95% CI 8.7–27.8% 9 mentions · avg pos 11 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 28.6%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 14 | ERPNext erpnext.com Best for: AI recommends ERPNext most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (55.6% of those answers) | 16.1% 95% CI 8.7–27.8% 9 mentions · avg pos 12.8 first pick 11.1% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 42.9%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 15 | PHP php.net Best for: AI recommends PHP most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (55.6% of those answers) | 14.3% 95% CI 7.4–25.7% 8 mentions · avg pos 9.5 first pick 12.5% | — | GEMINI 23.8%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 16 | MySQL mysql.com Best for: AI recommends MySQL most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (77.8% of those answers) | 14.3% 95% CI 7.4–25.7% 8 mentions · avg pos 11.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 23.8%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 17 | NGINX nginx.org Best for: AI recommends NGINX most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (66.7% of those answers) | 12.5% 95% CI 6.2–23.6% 7 mentions · avg pos 11.2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 28.6%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 18 | Siwapp siwapp.org | 10.7% 95% CI 5–21.5% 6 mentions · avg pos 11.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 19%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 19 | Stripe stripe.com Best for: AI recommends Stripe most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (66.7% of those answers) | 10.7% 95% CI 5–21.5% 6 mentions · avg pos 12 first pick 16.7% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 20 | FreshBooks freshbooks.com Best for: AI recommends FreshBooks most when buyers ask “self-hosted open-source invoicing vs hosted accounting tools — what's the right split for a small business” (66.7% of those answers) | 10.7% 95% CI 5–21.5% 6 mentions · avg pos 33.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 21 | BoxBilling boxbilling.com Best for: AI recommends BoxBilling most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (44.4% of those answers) | 8.9% 95% CI 3.9–19.3% 5 mentions · avg pos 6.2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 19%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 22 | Frappe frappe.io Best for: AI recommends Frappe most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (33.3% of those answers) | 8.9% 95% CI 3.9–19.3% 5 mentions · avg pos 10.8 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 23 | WePay wepay.com Best for: AI recommends WePay most when buyers ask “best open-source invoicing tool for a small business that needs recurring billing and tax support” (44.4% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 1.5 first pick 50% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 24 | Agiled agiled.app Best for: AI recommends Agiled most when buyers ask “self-hosted invoicing for an agency that handles 50+ client invoices a month — what works best” (55.6% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 2.5 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 25 | UniBee | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 26 | FOSSBilling fossbilling.com Best for: AI recommends FOSSBilling most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (44.4% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 27 | BambooInvoice Best for: AI recommends BambooInvoice most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (33.3% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 7 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 19% | Claim |
| 28 | Xero xero.com Best for: AI recommends Xero most when buyers ask “self-hosted open-source invoicing vs hosted accounting tools — what's the right split for a small business” (33.3% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 21 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 29 | Odoo odoo.com Best for: AI recommends Odoo most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (33.3% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 31.5 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 30 | Zoho zoho.com | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 41 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 31 | Simple Invoices | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 32 | FusionInvoice fusioninvoice.com | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 2.7 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 33 | Flexprice flexprice.io Best for: AI recommends Flexprice most when buyers ask “self-hosted open-source invoicing vs hosted accounting tools — what's the right split for a small business” (33.3% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 34 | jBilling | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 6.3 first pick 33.3% | — | GEMINI 9.5%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 35 | Invoice Builder Best for: AI recommends Invoice Builder most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (33.3% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 8.7 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 36 | Ubuntu ubuntu.com Best for: AI recommends Ubuntu most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (33.3% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 12.7 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 37 | Grow CRM growcrm.io Best for: AI recommends Grow CRM most when buyers ask “self-hosted open-source invoicing vs hosted accounting tools — what's the right split for a small business” (44.4% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 14 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 38 | Frappe Books frappebooks.com Best for: AI recommends Frappe Books most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (33.3% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 18 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 39 | Let's Encrypt letsencrypt.org Best for: AI recommends Let's Encrypt most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (33.3% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 22 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 40 | Zapier AI zapier.com Best for: AI recommends Zapier AI most when buyers ask “what open-source invoice tool should I use for a consulting firm with complex billing arrangements” (33.3% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 23 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 41 | OpenAlternative openalternative.co Best for: AI recommends OpenAlternative most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (33.3% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 25.5 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 28.6%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 42 | DigitalOcean digitalocean.com Best for: AI recommends DigitalOcean most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (33.3% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 28.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 43 | Chargebee chargebee.com Best for: AI recommends Chargebee most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (44.4% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 41 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 44 | Kimai kimai.org | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 50% | — | GEMINI 4.8%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 45 | PayPal paypal.com | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 2.5 first pick 50% | — | GEMINI 9.5% | Claim |
| 46 | OpenMeter | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 47 | Invoicerr | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 8 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5% | Claim |
| 48 | Apache Hop apache.org Best for: AI recommends Apache Hop most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (33.3% of those answers) | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 9.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5% | Claim |
| 49 | AWS aws.amazon.com Best for: AI recommends AWS most when buyers ask “how do I self-host an invoicing system that supports multi-currency and PDF generation” (33.3% of those answers) | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 21 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 50 | Vultr vultr.com | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 32 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 51 | F6S f6s.com | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 52 | GoCardless gocardless.com | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 53 | SourceForge sourceforge.net Best for: AI recommends SourceForge most when buyers ask “open-source invoicing alternatives to popular hosted billing and invoicing platforms” (55.6% of those answers) | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 54 | Apple Pay | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 55 | Authorize.Net authorize.net | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 56 | BillaBear billabear.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 57 | LedgerSMB ledgersmb.org | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 58 | n8n n8n.io | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 8 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 59 | Jobbers.io jobbers.io Best for: AI recommends Jobbers.io most when buyers ask “best self-hosted invoicing software for a freelancer who wants to avoid monthly SaaS fees” (33.3% of those answers) | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 13 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 60 | Linode linode.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 21 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 61 | Agentforce salesforce.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 62 | Elestio elest.io | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 63 | Goodfirms goodfirms.co Best for: AI recommends Goodfirms most when buyers ask “what open-source invoice tool should I use for a consulting firm with complex billing arrangements” (33.3% of those answers) | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 64 | Knack knack.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 65 | NGINX Proxy Manager | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 66 | Softaculous | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 67 | SoftwareSuggest softwaresuggest.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 68 | Teamwork teamwork.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 69 | Timesheet 365 apps365.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 70 | Wave Payroll waveapps.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 71 | actiTIME Self-Hosted actitime.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
Reading the numbers: Share is a point estimate on 56 sampled answers, so each row also shows its 95% CI — the Wilson score interval around that share. When two products' intervals overlap, the gap between them isn't statistically meaningful at this sample size. First pick is the share of a product's recommending answers where it was named first, which separates “always mentioned” from “usually the top recommendation”. Full methodology.
Independence: Orbator customers are badged for disclosure. Customer status does not affect prompts, sampling, extraction, or ranking — see the methodology. Your product on this list? Claim it to see the prompts behind your rank and track it weekly.
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