Free billing and accounting for your consulting business
Invoice clients, track expenses, manage contacts, and handle accounting - all self-hosted on your machine. Your client data stays private. No cloud, no subscription.
Free, with open-source modules. No credit card required.
Why consultants overpay for business software
You sell your time, not products. Your business software should reflect that.
QuickBooks costs $30-200/mo
QuickBooks is built for product businesses. You pay for inventory features you dont use. Celerp gives you invoicing, accounting, and CRM for free.
Your client data is on someone elses server
QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks - all cloud-based. Your client names, billing rates, and project details are on their servers. Celerp stays on your machine.
Per-user pricing for your team
Need to give your assistant or partner access? QuickBooks charges per user. Celerp never charges per seat: one flat Celerp Connect plan covers your whole team, however many people you add.
No privacy guarantee
Your clients trust you with their data. Cloud software means you cant guarantee where that data lives. Self-hosted means you can.
Get started in 3 steps
Download and install Celerp
pip install celerp or download the desktop app. Takes under 2 minutes.
Set up your business
Add your services as items, create invoices, connect your bank account. The setup wizard guides you through everything.
Turn your laptop into a team server
Run the free app yourself, or add Celerp Connect and one Mac or PC becomes a secure server your whole team reaches from any browser. Your client data stays on your machine.
What you get - included at no cost
Everything a consulting business needs, built into the core.
Create and send invoices, track payments, send reminders. PDF export with your branding.
Journal entries, P&L, balance sheet, bank reconciliation. Your accountant will love it.
Track clients, projects, and communication history. See lifetime value and outstanding balances.
Record expenses, attach receipts, categorize for tax time. Everything in one place.
Why consultants choose Celerp
A modular platform that scales from a solo consultant to your whole team.
- ✓ Professional invoicing with PDF export
- ✓ Full double-entry accounting
- ✓ CRM and contact management
- ✓ Expense tracking with receipt attachment
- ✓ Click-to-edit bulk data entry
- ✓ CSV import/export
- ✓ Bank reconciliation
- ✓ Unlimited users
- ✓ Self-hosted - client data stays private
- ✓ AI operator for queries
Real cost comparison (Year 1)
| Feature | Celerp | QuickBooks | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 cost | ✓ Free | \$360-2,400/yr | \$204-660/yr |
| Unlimited users | ✓ | Per-user pricing | Per-user pricing |
| Professional invoicing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full accounting | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| CRM / contacts | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Client data stays private | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Self-hosted | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| AI operator | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
QuickBooks: $30-200/mo. FreshBooks: $17-55/mo. Celerp: $0.
How we make money
The desktop app is free. We charge for optional Connect features: connector sync (Shopify, WooCommerce, Xero, QuickBooks), encrypted backups, and AI. No hidden fees, no per-user pricing.
Free. Forever.
No per-user pricing. One price, your whole team.
Full business ERP - invoicing, accounting, CRM, expenses. Unlimited users.
Download FreeSource-available. Self-hosted. Free forever.
Frequently asked questions
Is Celerp really free for consultants?
Yes. The desktop app is free, with a source-available core and open-source MIT modules. Invoice clients, track expenses, manage contacts, and handle accounting - no features locked behind a paywall, no per-seat fees. Create unlimited user accounts (one signed in at a time on the free app; Celerp Connect for your whole team at once).
Is my client data private?
Yes. Celerp is self-hosted - your data lives on your machine. No one else can see your client names, billing rates, or project details. You can guarantee privacy to your clients.
Can I replace QuickBooks with Celerp?
Yes. Celerp has full double-entry accounting, invoicing, bank reconciliation, and expense tracking. Many consultants have switched from QuickBooks to Celerp and never looked back.
How does my team connect?
On the free app, one person is signed in at a time. To get your whole team on it at once, each from their browser, add Celerp Connect: any Mac or PC becomes a secure server, in the office or remotely. One flat price, never per user.
Can I recommend Celerp to my clients?
Yes. Once you are using Celerp, you can recommend it to clients who need inventory management. It is free for them too - you are not selling them expensive software, you are solving their problem.
Start managing your consulting business today
Free, source-available, self-hosted. Your client data stays on your machine. No consultants needed.
Source-available. Self-hosted. Free forever.