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Comparison · Finance

Firefly III vs InvoicePlane

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Firefly III and InvoicePlane — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:self-hosted

Firefly III vs InvoicePlane: at a glance

FeatureFirefly IIIInvoicePlane
SectorFinanceFinance
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themespersonal-finance, self-hosted, nightly-builds, open-sourceinvoicing, self-hosted, php, security-remediation
Last editorial update1d ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Firefly III?

Firefly III's feed is a nightly build log — every entry is the same boilerplate with no changelog.

The visible window contains only development releases, several per week and occasionally two in a day, each carrying an identical warning-and-installation body that states outright that the changelog is not included. Some days also emit a bare automated develop tag alongside the full post.

Read the full Firefly III trajectory →

What is InvoicePlane?

InvoicePlane's 1.7.2 is a mass security remediation, still working through its release candidates.

InvoicePlane is a self-hosted PHP invoicing and quoting application. The 1.7.2 line, now at its second release candidate, is dominated by security remediation: roughly thirty researchers are credited across the beta and RC notes for responsibly disclosed vulnerabilities, with severity, CVSS and GHSA advisories held back until the final release. The RC also warns that installations running custom invoice and quote templates must take manual steps before upgrading.

Read the full InvoicePlane trajectory →

Firefly III vs InvoicePlane: editorial side-by-side

F5.0

Firefly III's feed is a nightly build log — every entry is the same boilerplate with no changelog.

◆ Current state

The visible window contains only development releases, several per week and occasionally two in a day, each carrying an identical warning-and-installation body that states outright that the changelog is not included. Some days also emit a bare automated develop tag alongside the full post.

◆ Where it's heading

This is a public nightly channel, not a release feed, so the entries measure build automation rather than product direction. Stable releases are published elsewhere; nothing in these notes indicates what is being worked on or when the next tagged version lands.

◆ Prediction

Expect the development build stream to continue at the same daily-to-every-other-day rate; the feed will not reveal feature work unless the project starts including changelog content in these posts.

I5.0

InvoicePlane's 1.7.2 is a mass security remediation, still working through its release candidates.

◆ Current state

InvoicePlane is a self-hosted PHP invoicing and quoting application. The 1.7.2 line, now at its second release candidate, is dominated by security remediation: roughly thirty researchers are credited across the beta and RC notes for responsibly disclosed vulnerabilities, with severity, CVSS and GHSA advisories held back until the final release. The RC also warns that installations running custom invoice and quote templates must take manual steps before upgrading.

◆ Where it's heading

The project has spent this cycle absorbing an unusually large volume of external vulnerability reports while simultaneously modernising the platform — PHP 8.2 compatibility arrived on the 1.7.0 branch, and Stripe and PayPal were reintroduced at 1.7.2 beta 1 after having been absent. The decision to withhold advisory details until 1.7.2 goes final is a deliberate disclosure posture, meaning the true scope of what these releases fix is not yet public. Release notes here are dominated by hashes and contributor credits rather than change detail.

◆ Prediction

The final 1.7.2 release and the simultaneous publication of the security advisories are the clear next step, given RC 2 is described as working toward it. Whether further RCs intervene depends on what testing surfaces.

Alternatives to Firefly III and InvoicePlane

Other Finance products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Firefly III or InvoicePlane.

See all Firefly III alternatives → · See all InvoicePlane alternatives →

Recent activity from Firefly III and InvoicePlane

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 2d agoInvoicePlane1.7.2 RC 2, with a manual step for custom templates
  2. 2d agoFirefly IIIDevelopment release for 2026-08-17
  3. 3d agoFirefly IIIDevelopment release for 2026-08-15
  4. 4d agoFirefly IIIDevelopment release for 2026-08-14
  5. 7d agoFirefly IIIDevelopment release for 2026-08-12
  6. 7d agoFirefly IIIdevelop-20260812.1
  7. 7d agoFirefly IIIdevelop-20260812
  8. 19d agoInvoicePlane1.7.2 RC 1 consolidates disclosed vulnerability fixes
  9. 3mo agoInvoicePlane1.7.2 beta reintroduces Stripe and PayPal alongside security fixes
  10. 8mo agoInvoicePlane1.7.0 beta adds PHP 8.2+ compatibility
  11. 8mo agoInvoicePlane1.6.4 beta adds Venmo, named footers, recurring invoice ordering
  12. 1y agoInvoicePlane1.6.3 RC 2 fixes VAT calculation and recurring invoice payment methods

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Firefly III and InvoicePlane?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within Finance. Firefly III and InvoicePlane are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Firefly III better than InvoicePlane?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Firefly III and InvoicePlane are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Finance products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Firefly III?

Top Firefly III alternatives in Finance are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Firefly III alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/firefly-iii for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to InvoicePlane?

Top InvoicePlane alternatives in Finance are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "InvoicePlane alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/invoiceplane for the full list with editorial commentary on each.