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.
Quick answers
Is Celerp free?
Yes. The desktop app is free for business use: no account needed, no per-user fee and no limits on companies, users, items or records. The core is source-available and the modules are MIT-licensed.
Does it work offline, and can I self-host it?
Yes. Celerp runs on your own computer and works offline: the core product needs no internet connection. You can also self-host it on an office or cloud server, so the database stays on hardware you control.
What does Celerp cover?
Inventory, invoicing, purchasing, full accounting, CRM, manufacturing with bills of materials, and reporting, all sharing one set of data.
Which industries is it built for?
It ships with presets for retail, jewelry, gemstones, watches, coins, fashion, cosmetics, food and beverage, wine and spirits, agriculture, electronics, auto parts, hardware, furniture, books and media, art and consulting.
What does Celerp Connect cost?
$29 a month or $290 a year for your whole setup, never per user, with the first 14 days free before billing starts. Connect adds store and accounting sync, remote access, 100 included AI queries and encrypted cloud backups. The desktop app works fully without it.
Updated for version 2.9.0 on .
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, so you pay for inventory features you don't use. Celerp gives you invoicing, accounting and contacts for free.
Your client data is on someone else's 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. With cloud software you can't guarantee where that data lives. Self-hosted, 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, set up your retainers and record bank payments. 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.
Retainers, billed on schedule
Agree a monthly or quarterly fee once. Celerp tracks every period and shows what is due.
Bill each period at its start or at its end, from a first bill date and a term you set.
Payments for work not yet done are held as deferred revenue and recognized as you deliver.
Bill extra work on an ordinary invoice for the same client. It never moves the retainer's next bill date.
Record bank payments, in full or in part. Add a pay link or a saved card only if you want to.
What you get - included at no cost
Everything a consulting business needs, built into the core.
Create and send invoices, track what is paid and what is still owed, and export PDFs with your branding.
Journal entries, P&L, balance sheet, bank reconciliation. Your accountant will love it.
Keep every client's details, invoices and outstanding balance in one place.
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 (Coming soon), WooCommerce, Xero, QuickBooks), encrypted backups, and AI. No hidden fees, no per-user pricing.
Free. Forever.
No per-user pricing. Add your whole team for $29/mo.
Full business ERP - invoicing, accounting, CRM, expenses.
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 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.
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.
Source-available. Self-hosted. Free forever.