Tallymeter alternatives: 3 open-source picks
Tallymeter costs $10.38/mo — $124.56 a year. These 3 alternatives replace it for $0, led by Kimai, ERPNext and Invoice Ninja. All 3 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-29. No trials, no crippled tiers.
Time, expenses, numbered invoices and a JSON API; the MCP server is the missing party trick.
Full ERP — accounting, inventory, HR, manufacturing, CRM — that rivals systems costing six figures.
licenseGPL-3.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Invoicing, quotes, expenses, and time tracking for freelancers who'd rather not pay monthly.
licenseElastic-2.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
What each one is, in full: Kimai · ERPNext · Invoice Ninja
last updated 2026-08-29 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
the usual suspects · recommended everywhere, rejected here
solidtimeA polished timer with an API, but it stops before invoices.
how to choose a Tallymeter alternative
Most proven
ERPNext, with 30,000 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 3, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
Needs real ops to self-host
Kimai and ERPNext are capable but expect someone to run a server, updates and backups. Budget for that before choosing one.
what you give up by leaving Tallymeter
- two-way Jira Cloud worklog sync that reconciles ticket by ticket
- a hosted MCP server and scoped API tokens agents can call from anywhere, with per-agent attribution
- invoice numbering, VAT and bank details that survive an accountant handoff
- shared team workspaces and per-member unbilled totals
- managed hosting, nightly backups and a phone-sized UI for starting a timer away from your desk
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
Tallymeter alternatives at a glance
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimai | open source | self-host, real ops | web, self-hosted | 4,900 | 2026-08 |
| ERPNext | GPL-3.0 | self-host, real ops | self-hosted, web | 30,000 | 2026-08 |
| Invoice Ninja | Elastic-2.0 | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 9,000 | 2026-08 |
why people still pay for Tallymeter
The timer is a weekend. The failure modes are not. Uninvoiced time that silently double-counts against a Jira worklog, an invoice sequence with a gap in it, or a laptop that was asleep when the agent tried to log its hours are all problems you discover on invoice day, in front of a client. A business billing real money for hours generally decides that maintaining the thing that produces its invoices is not the hobby it wants. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $124.56 a year.
questions about switching from Tallymeter
Is there an open-source alternative to Tallymeter?
Yes: Kimai, ERPNext, Invoice Ninja. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace Tallymeter?
Our verdict is YES. ERPNext (30k stars), Invoice Ninja (9k stars), Kimai (5k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Tallymeter — self-host with real ops work and stop paying $10.38/mo. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/tallymeter.
What is the most popular open-source Tallymeter alternative?
By GitHub stars, ERPNext (30,000). Invoice Ninja is next with 9,000.
