Self-hosted business finance tools.
WHAT THEY DO
Create and send invoices Track payments and outstanding amounts Record expenses Produce reports for your accountant
SELF-HOSTED OPTIONS
Several open source invoicing applications install on shared hosting without difficulty. They are generally lighter than full accounting systems.
WHAT TO CHECK
Whether it handles NGN and the formatting you need Whether it can email invoices, which requires SMTP configured properly Whether it supports the tax treatment you need Whether it exports in a form your accountant accepts
THE DATA POINT
This holds financial records. Backups are not optional, and retention may be a legal requirement.
Store backups off the server, and keep them for as long as your records obligations require.
Invoices must actually arrive. Configure SMTP with an address on your own domain, and test to several providers.
An invoicing system whose emails land in spam produces late payments and awkward conversations.
THE ALTERNATIVE
Hosted accounting services handle compliance, backups and updates. For most small businesses that is the better trade.
