FOSSBilling

FOSSBilling is a free, open-source system for billing and managing clients, with tools for hosting and domain workflows. It best fits hosting and online-service operators comfortable maintaining their own PHP application. Its range is appealing, but beta status and some workflow gaps make it a cautious choice for critical operations.

Overview

FOSSBilling brings customer management, billing, hosting provisioning, and domain sales into one self-hosted application. For a hosting operator, that breadth can reduce the need to join separate systems for invoices and service setup. In return, the operator is responsible for the server and database, and must account for a project that describes itself as under active development, with rough edges and limited support.

The software is licensed under AGPL 3.0 and requires PHP 8.3, 8.4, or 8.5 plus a MySQL-compatible database. It supports Apache, LiteSpeed/OpenLiteSpeed, and NGINX. Assistance is available through documentation, community Discord, and email, but this is not a managed service with extensive support.

Key features

Billing and payments

Automatic invoices and payment reminders, recurring and one-time prices, multiple currencies, promo codes, and tax automation cover common billing needs for online services. Usage-based billing is not supported, so businesses charging according to measured consumption will need another system or a separate process. Payment adapters include PayPal, Stripe, Mollie, and Razorpay; testing adapters before production is prudent, particularly for a billing system that handles customer payments.

Hosting and domains

Hosting products can create and manage accounts through supported panels, including cPanel/WHM, DirectAdmin, HestiaCP, CWP, and Plesk. That makes the software more compelling for operators selling panel-managed hosting than a billing tool without provisioning. It cannot import existing panel accounts, however, and clients do not get single sign-on to those panels, which complicates migration and leaves a less unified customer journey.

Domain products support registration, renewal, transfers, and WHOIS availability checks through supported registrar integrations. Prices for each top-level domain must be entered manually; FOSSBilling does not fetch current registrar pricing. That is manageable for a small catalog with prices an operator is prepared to maintain, but adds ongoing upkeep as catalogs or registrar rates change.

API and security

A REST API exposes admin, authenticated-client, and public guest endpoints, giving operators several ways to connect external workflows. Documented protections include HTTPS enforcement, session fingerprinting, CSRF protection, rate limiting, IP blocking, CAPTCHA, and activity logs. Multi-factor authentication is planned before the 1.0 release, but is not currently available, a meaningful drawback for teams that require MFA for administrative access.

Pricing

FOSSBilling costs free for its core software, which is free and open source. There is no paid tier or free trial in the stated offering; the price advantage does not remove the cost of providing and maintaining compatible infrastructure. For small hosting providers seeking to avoid a software subscription, that is a strong case. Businesses needing usage-based charges, imported accounts, or current MFA should weigh the operational gaps against the zero software price.

Platforms

FOSSBilling is available for self-hosted use on Linux and the web, and provides an API. Its PHP and database requirements, plus support for Apache, LiteSpeed/OpenLiteSpeed, and NGINX, make server administration part of the decision rather than an optional implementation detail.

Who it's for

FOSSBilling is best suited to hosting companies and other online-service businesses that want one self-managed place for customer billing and service provisioning, and have the technical capacity to operate a PHP application. It is less suitable for teams that need turnkey hosting, extensive support, usage-based billing, account import, or multi-factor authentication today. Beta maturity also makes it a harder choice where billing continuity is business-critical and rough edges are unacceptable.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free, AGPL 3.0-licensed software combines invoicing, client management, supported hosting-panel provisioning, and domain workflows.
• Pros: Multiple currencies, recurring and one-time pricing, promo codes, and tax automation cover a useful range of billing needs without a software charge.
• Cons: No usage-based billing, existing panel-account import, or current multi-factor authentication limits its fit for some businesses.
• Cons: Manual per-TLD pricing and the need to test payment adapters create upkeep and validation work for operators.
• Cons: Beta status, rough edges, and limited support are concerns for businesses that cannot tolerate operational uncertainty.

Alternatives

For another self-hosted open-source core with full infrastructure and data control, consider Kill Bill; it also has a free plan and free trial, though its listed self-hosted plan has no published price. Billsby is a paid alternative with a free plan and a Core plan at $45 a month, suited to readers who prefer a priced service offering to operating FOSSBilling themselves.

Churn Buster is a freemium option with free recovery analytics and a paid dunning or cancellation-flow plan starting at $269 a month. GetPaidHQ offers a free, MIT-licensed self-hosted option with fixed, usage-based, and hybrid pricing, built-in dunning and invoicing, and bring-your-own-gateway requirements.

Lago is another free, AGPLv3-licensed self-hosted option, with a premium plan whose pricing is provided after inquiry. Pabbly Subscriptions may suit those looking for a hosted API-and-web option with a free plan capped at 50 customers and a $14 a month Standard plan. Paymenter is a free MIT-licensed open-source billing platform, with a €5 a month PaaS plan for readers seeking that deployment option.

PayWhirl offers a free Starter plan with a 3.0% per-transaction fee, in addition to payment gateway processing fees. Browse more options in Subscription Billing Software.

Verdict

Choose FOSSBilling if you run a hosting or online-service business, can maintain your own PHP infrastructure, and value combining billing with hosting and domain workflows at no software charge. Its main appeal is that breadth in a free, open-source package; its main reasons to look elsewhere are beta maturity and the gaps in usage billing, account import, live registrar pricing, and current MFA.